Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-04-19

ton, the lad who is suffering a men,
tai breakdown from overstudy.
Covington is at the height of his
material success and comfort when
the strange woman" crosses his
path This character is vividly and
strikingly presented by Leah Baird.
She is as constituencies, as free
from all moral scruples as a panther
on the hunt. Her mission in life is
to prey; that is her profession, and
she eXcels in it.
She, meets Covington and imme-
diately begins to stalk him. He is
big game and she means to capture
him. She is luxurious, heartless and
avaricious, but she is beautiful and
beguiling, too, and she soon subju-
gates him.
John Mason gives a wonderful
study of a mans moral disintegra-
ton after he has fallen under the
influence of the stronger individual
ity His judgment becomes clouded,
his will power goes. AS for the
woman, she no sooner marries him
than her demands become more ex-
travaSant and audacious. She
coaXes him into giving the man
whom she has introduced as her
brother the position as his private
him to make over his property to
her, even the home of his children;
she does not permit him to allow
his son proper medical attention.
and ultimately she forces him to
drive his daughter from the house.
The whole progress of the play
brings out the fact that mo man
liveth to himself, and no man dieth
to himself" Covington's own down.
fall has cruelty involved his chill
dren.
One of the most striking of the
many dramatic situations is the one
In which the doctor announces to
Beatrice that if her brothers. reason
is to be saved the boy must imme-
diately be put under the care of a
celebrated London specialist. She
hastens to her father to tell him of
this decision and finds Fay, the wife,
gloating over a diamond pendant
which she holds in her hand while
Covington writes a check for ten
thousand dollars.
Covington refuses to listen to his
daughter. There is plenty of money
to crafty the strange woman's idle
whims but none to save his boys
reason.
But the inevitable recoil takes
place. Fay has gone too far, dared
too much. The boys brain gives
way when he learns of her rela-
tons with the man whom she has
pretended is her brother, and in a
frenzy he seizes pistol and shoots
her. This shock brings to the
father the bitter realization of the
wreck and ruin he has caused.
Everything is swept from him
money, reputation, friends, chill
dren-but this ends his moral
degradation, his spiritual regener-
alton begins, and the scene of his
repentance, his poverty, his search
for Beatrice and her final thrilling
restoration to him are even more
compelling and breathless than
those which marked the earlier
situations.
One might imagine that play
of this nature would be depressing
or "preachy." Far from it. 1t moves
too fast. The action is too swift
and impressive. The man makes a
stepping-stone of his dead self to
rise to higher things, and this is
always an inspiring sight. and then,
too, the whole play is interspersed
with excellent and unhackneyed
comedy.
The screen is dark again. One
rises to go out into the dusty, gusty
world of action, feeling refreshed
and stimulated because of this little
excursion into the world of dreams
1t has all been so thoroughly worth
! while.