Evening star., 1940-02-18
WoIfert
CONTINUED From First Page.)

through Miss Rand's play In the
old days, when we kept our paper
backed library under the mattress
and got up at 1 o'clock In the morn
ing to read it, Miss Rand's imagina-
tion would have shaken us apart.
The only time OIL from her we would
have taken was when she popped
our eyes right out Of our head and
we would necessarily have to spend
moments retrieving them. But not
more than moments unless they
rolled under the bureau.
Her pace is terrific and leaves nc
time for continuing. AS the cur
tain rises, the aristocratic hero tum.
bles on stage followed by people who
are aghast that he Is still alive
It seems he has spent time IN
Soviet prison, being questioned and
watching his father get shot as a
counter-revolutionary. That takes
a second or two, and then the
heroine tumbles on stage, shriekine
with Joy and love.
The complications that ensue, mo-
ment by moment, are too numerous
to mention, but the major outline Is
that the hero has to 60 south fol
his health and the heroine gets the
money Gin the familiar manner)
from an idealistic Ogpu chief
The chief, who is no heel, falls In
love with the girl and never realizes
where all the money he gives her
is going. When the hero comes back
he becomes involved In food specu-
lation with crooked Soviet ofdcials
and it becomes the chiefs duty to
arrest him and have him shot.
That was the moment In the play
when I felt most wistful. The girl
was offstage somewhere. flying to
the hero's side. He was standing
composed and arrogant, in evening
clothes. The Ogpu chief was
searching for evidence. He flung
open the door of the wardrobe and
there, in plain view, was hanging
the heroine's red dress, the one the
chief had described as his favorite
Would he find it?
Twenty years ago I might not
have known the answer to the
question for several days. First OF
all, I would have had to retrieve
my eyes from under the dresser
Then I would have had to 60 to
the dentist to have my teeth re-
paired. My heart would have blown
right out Of my mouth, taking all
my fangs with it. Now, ! knew right
away he couldn't miss finding it.
The chief hauled the dress out
Whose is this?" he asked. The
hero proved at that moment to be
rather q cad. A gentleman would
have lied and said something to the
effect that it was from his army
days. He used 1t on dress parade
The hero said no such thing. He
said, 1T belongs to my mistress"
OF course, he said 1t just as thu
heroine galioped on stage and huns
herself into the hero's arms. Th'
Ogpu chief-a misguided ideal
ist, you understand, and no heel
had to stand there. holding the dres'
and watching the kiss. Twenty year!
ago would have risen pale and har.
rowed from such q scene to fetch I
basin so that my tears would no
soil the carpet and give away Il
the authorities what I had beer
reading. But now I just sat still
wishing wistfully that I were younl
again.
This happened in the third &C
and, before we were allowed to 6,
home, the Ogpu chief com
mitted suicide. The play had an
ticipated him by three acts.
The cast was headed by Dean Jag
ger, OHM Emery and Helen Craig
Please omit flowers.
Released b. the North American
Newspaper Alliance, Inc.)