The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-09-14
Omen DapiS in a
Pastoral Mood in
Dreams for Sale
Pleasant Play of Maine Woods
Life Develops a Lovely
Heroine.
BY LAWRENCE REAMER.


Owen Davis. who is. If the signs are
to be believed. the favorite playwright
of William A. Brady. Is the author or
dreams for Sale.' which was acted at
the Playhouse last night. Mr.. Davis
long ago rid himself of the last traces Of
his early melodramatic period. He has
rarely. however, written in the placid
pastoral mood of his latest work. He
showed what he could do as reaiist
in .'rhe Detour" last season. Evidently
he found that even too theatrical IN
form for his present taste He seems
like the yogi to limit his dramatic ulet
day by day. He may not indeed nave
reached the last date. He may still pc
far from this ultimate sacrifice ana lts
inevitable consequence. But there We're
undeniable symptoms of approaching m
anitlon about Dreams for Sale"
Even the pistol shot which laid the
hero low and settled the character OF
the heroine as effectively as an egg snei
i'm coffee scarcely disturbed the calmness
of the narrative Mr.. Davis made
neat apology to Shakespeare In MS nrst
act so it may not be cricket thereiore y
mention the Montagues and Capuiels.
There have been lots OF THESE wa ne
families--on the stage.
Two old business associates mated one
another bitterly in Dreams for SAFE.
So what else was to be expected IND +, !,
that the two children should fall in love
IT was the fiapper affection In the youns
woman that led her to betroth herseih
~ the son NJ her fathers historic enemy.
she really loved her fathers young en-
rineer and shot him to prove IT,
A land feud with the Maine wooos as
it's background was maze 70 selNe -
n,,rnosa in keeping the young ones
snart There were rival pulp mills In
course of construction. There were also
rival hampers and Canuck with an ac-
cent Imagine play about the Maine
woods without this picturesque person.
age. Young persons wandered among
the trees of Aroostook county, Whicn
locality of course must have suggestsu
the title of w. d. Howells's delighttui
story, THE Lady of the Aroostooh,
Rut nobody on view last night was hait
SO charming as she. NOR ala Mr. LAWS
fiction compare with IT,
There was, however. lovely heroine
4, Miss Helen Gahagan. She is already
an experienced and delightful actress
with a cultivated manner OF speech even
If she is all but unknown on the New
York stage. She has. however. strong
natural talent and her schooling seems
to have developed 1t in the right way
Her name on program hereafter VIII
always De a promise " uohs~
Donald Cameron, Edward Emery,
Miss Katherine Grey, John Bonn ana
James Donlan were all competent par
ticipants in the altogether harmless
proceedings which wound up with
degree of ecstasy out of all proportion
70 the amount Of suffering through
which the characters had passed
1t is questionable if in the line up at
the final fall OF the curtain there was
married couple not sure of happiness
And they were all married by that time.
So in view of so much felicity and such
obvious good intentions toward all, "
would be rather discourteous 70 DC IN
the least rough on Mr.. Davis over sucil
q well meaning little fiasco as Dreams
for Sale