Evening star., 1928-12-30
The Story Behind.
The Play.
BY J. j. GELLER.

"M'liss."
A LTHOUGH a native of Albany
where he was born in 1889, Bret
Harte was included in that famous
coterie of writer's who caught the spirit
of the rough and ready West. His en-
tire career may be divided into three
periods-his creative writings, his ef-
forts spent in a futile attempt to write
for the stage and his lengthy residence
abroad, where he died in 1902.
Harte made his first overland Journey
to San Francisco as youth and found
himself in the company Of the original
Forty-niners. The search for the pre-
cious yellow metal never engaged him.
The first job that he fell heir to was
in the office of the Golden Era,
weekly periodical published in San
Francisco Starting as an ordinary
printers devil, he advanced 70 COM
positor, and finally climbed into the
editorial department as contributor.
1t was the colorful, glamorous and
vivid life of the adventurous gold
seekers that gave Harte the material
for his early literary career. One OF his
first contributions was short sketch
of waif, "MliSs," which depicted her
roguish nature and the gradual trans
formation it undergoes through the in
f1uence of a young schoolmaster. The
climax saw Miss and the school teach
er turn their backs wiStfully upon the
Western country for the more polished
centers of the East. The story was
published in 1853 in the Golden Era
and contained a wood cut for an illus
tration Years later, when the authors
reputation had been established, he
expanded the original story OF Miss
and included it in his collected works,
but it never possessed the charm and
freshness of his original sketch.
During the seventies the law allowed
no protection to authors whose works
were pirated for the stage. and the rec
ords disclose that a great many stories
were adapted without permission OF
their creators In that decade two New
York dramatists separately endeavored
to present version of the Bret Harte
story, featuring Kate Mayhem and
Annie Pixley, respectively, and 1t in
volved both in litigation. The result
was that the court held the former as
the lawful owner Of the play Subse-
quently the judges decision was over
ruled by an appellate court. who main
tanned that the Pixley faction could
not be restrained from presenting its
conception Of Harte's Western idyll.
BY strange coincidence both versions
were almost similar in treatment, but
resembled Harte's story in name only.
Within few months OF each other
both companies presented Miss"
Kate Mayhew in September %, 1879, at
Niblo's Garden, and Annie Pixley on
March %, 1880, at the Standard The
alter, in New York City. Let it be re-
corded that what was once a sketch OF
high literary quality became a pot
pourri of song and dance. Where Harte
capped his sentimental climax, the
play adaptors introduced a murder, a
lynching attempt and arson in the last
act.
Annie Pixleys "M'liss" proved more
popular than that of her competitor.
She made out of Hartes character
hoydenish, devil-may-care creature as
untamed as the country about her.
Blessed with partiality for slang, she
had a faculty for emerging unscathed
Western dance hall scene, so familiar
with the devotees of the cowboy
movies" was introduced.
When Harte learned what had be-
come of his beloved "Mliss" he made
arduous efforts to suppress the plays,
but met with no success. In England,
however, the law provided for just such
cases, and he enjoined the producers
from presenting their garbled interpre-
tation of "M'liss" The irony of 1t all
was that Harte once made faithful
dramatic adaptation of his own story,
but could contract with no one willing
to risk its stage production. "M'liss' 4"
treatment of a song-and-dance affair
met with the publics appreciation for
many years.
(Copyright, 1928)