New Britain herald., 1929-08-09

Molly had torn up his letter inn patiently. She did not want to be tagged as girl who knew her crime. Better love-among- the daisies than a nice juicy murder."
 Now, crushed with grief by Rita's death, confronted with the prospect of a long and unbearably lonely voy age, she decided to devote the entire trip to the task Of writing another play. For some time she had re- volved in her mind the dramatic possibilities of a tragedy of young love-the sympathetic study Of modern thrill-seeker,
 Life had furnished all the char acters. The tragedy had taken place while Molly was in college. In real life. the ingIorious hero had been murdered.
 For the purposes of a play she would have him commit suicide-in a sacrifice to honor and chivalry. But. until the last moment, the audience must believe him murder ed. Even the defendants. and his sweetheart, must believe him mur- dered.
 The pot should revolve about the love of a mother and daughter each ready to give her life. 10 save the other-each believing the other guilty of murder.
 A freshman in college had fallen in love with man whom her par ents considered unworthy. Learning of the romance, her father had gone to the boy.
 There was a stormy session. dur ing which the youth declared that the girl was pursuing him. that she had thrown herself at his head, and that whatever happened was her own fault,
 The next day the mother of the girl bought a revolver. Two days later the boys body was found. He had gone to a grove, presumably to keep a tryst with the girl. There was bullet through his head, and. beside his body, was the revolver purchased by the girls mother.
 Both parents were subsequently, arrested and tried for murder There was a tremendous furore. with the press screaming for conviction.
 Molly's sympathies were with the parents. She saw them as two wretched creatures. with hearts broken and minds crazed, con- demned to witness the inevitable dis grace and misery of their cherished child.
 But the press saw only two un- relenting. misunderstanding par ents. determined to sacrifice loves young dream on the altar of their selfish ambition for their child. Two fiends with no conception of the idyll of romance.
 Molly knew better. The man was an utterly immoral person. And the girl susceptible and willing crea- ture. She could quite understand bow the agonzed mother had been tormented beyond reason, It was, of course, a sensatlonal case. Eventually the mother was committed to an asylum. and the | father to prison, convicted o1 "knowledge before and after the crime" q
  \ Molly decided to introduee bel aJa,, with 2, courtrao1n #scanp The courtroom action in "The Death ot Delphine Darrows' had been an out standing success. It might be well tc pattern bit on that.
 She could open with the joint trial of the parents. And. in the witness box. she would place@the girl. sriev- | ing for the death of her sweetheart ready to give testimony against hei mother.
 A suave prosecuting attorne, would ask his alarming questions quietly. Suddenly the girl woulc | shatter the breathless quiet of tho 1 courtroom.
 Humping her chest with hel clenched fists, she would cry, T die it, I, I. T."
 And then-the dramatic scene formed itself in Molly's mind-th' mother. in the prisoners cage, would rise to her feet. And she would tur1 to the jury, and inplore them:
 Don't believe her! It's not thu truth. She's lying. It was l. he mother"
 That, Molly decided. was as soo' as anything in Delphine DarroWs The curtain would come down on tn 1 mothers denial That would get tn play off on a note of mystery. Tn following acts would have to b worked up. The idea had great pos sibilities She was sure of that Greater even than "The Death o Delphine DarroWs.'
 Molly worked every day. and hal the nights. It was only by kcepln terrfically busy, that she could for get the haunting tragedy of Rita death. Only by becoming physical and mentally exhausted, could sh sleep at all Utterly weary she Woul throw herself across her bed at tw or three o'clock in the morning. A daylight. the deckhands, when the came to swab the decks, woul uaken her. Then she would get { work again, To keep her mind actiN' she drank a great quantity Of blac coffee.
 When the Conte Grande reachc New York. the new play was fir ishcd. And Molly was an utter wrecl She had lost 10 pounds in as man days. and looked 10 years older Bl the play. neatly typed, lay in he travelling case. She would send it. + messenger. from the pier 10 MT i)u' bin. He could get in touch with ht later, in Boston.