Variety (December 1924)

Wednesday. December 8,1924 LEGITIMATE ■ftj' VARIETY 17 wlM la neither dUtinsuliitaed nor of » partlcuUtrly graoaCul variety. That would not bare boon aof- flclfnt to block tho poiotblUttea of "Tho Magnolia Lady" had Mtsa Chnttorton boon aurrounded by a ,| oatMiblo muaical comedy caat. One '/ minnot expect to put oyer ntusical comedy auccesafully with dramatic actors. The result of the casting is that Klchard "Skeets" Gallagher has to ' bear the burden of the show. To his .1.credit, he stands up under the strain li and whatever success the piece achieves goes to his credit. "The Magnolia L«ady" will draw a certain patronage of class for the following that Miss Chatterton has created will want to see her In this . departure, but that group will cer- tainly be used up shortly. It la hardly probable that the ■ ataow Will be able to stand up aa ' anything approaching a success. n With a musical comedy cast, com- • netent. around Miss Chatterton, she |«1 might be able to have kept "The n JdagnoUa Lady" blooming on Brond- U»•3^••| ■ ^"< Fred. ? CLO^E HARMONY j^ Comedy In thre« seta by Dorothy Parker , .and EUmer Rice, produced at the (iaiety ^ by Arthur HcpUlns by arrangcmeni with '- Philip Qoodman, Dec. 1. . Harriet Graham Georgle Drew Mendum . auter Orabam Arllne BlacKburn r*Ann!« Mnrle Bruct ■ Ada TowMley Marie Curtis '/Velle Sheridan Waiula l,yon ''Sd. Graham ._...Jameii Spotta'.vood ' Bartram Sheridan '. Robrrc Hudson ..BUI Saundera ' Paul Porter f^ Xtr. Robbing Frederick Durton tfr With Monday crowded with four "ii |>remlere8 Arthur Hopkins decided '! to show "close Harmony" at a pri- Vvate performance Sunday nlglit and ^ Invited the critics to run the reviews , Monday. Rarely have the press >! comments appeared prior to f' -public opening. pf' Profeasionai and newspaper folk I',* crowded the house, with the general iT'lobby chatter distinctly In favor of :i the new comedy. It is. however, a ^ play that will probably elicit a -lif- . Xerence of opinion. ^ "Close Harmony" is not the ez- ' eeptional type of attraction which .' aomehow is associated with the ',' tlopklns name. That ia to be ex- i'«.*lained by the fact that Philip *:.. Goodman originally planned to pro- ,2 duo* It- Soma weoka ago he. turned ,; Jth* scf^ipt over to Hopkins, it being ^^ a similar arrangement connected ^'wlth the presentation of "The Old J Soak" by the same managers. Elmer 2, Rice, who collaborated with Dorothy ; I^rker in tho writing 4it "Close Har- .mony." la no stranger to Hopkins, I, Wba plckod Rlce'a "On Trial," a I dramatlQ novelty of other seasons ,. (producod by Cohan & Harris by ' arrancataent with Hopkins). The -. first title of tho new play was "Soft '' Musle." but tho recent offering of a > play called "Great Music" forced a ■' change Of name. • Thar* Is not a small amount of -r drab In the first act and part of the - aocond. Tfaa latter s«sslon closed ' with a rush, putting tha pace up to ' tha third act which, though an Im- ' provement over the first, at ill seemed -'^ to be lacking. "Close Harmony^ ia in total a •' tiulet comedy drama, dealing with '* kumdrum life at Homecrest, 4S mln- ', titea out of Grand Central station. . Ther* tha Grahams have lived thalr IS yeara of married life. Harriet, the wife, has paid little heed to her .c husband, EM, the apple of her eye >"belnir an annoying 12-year-old V idaughter. Thero ia present, too, >i<«A.da, the meddlesome married sister 'iiraC Harriet's. Next door in a home >i.:'«xactly tho same, live the Sheridans. Incongruaua. It. waa .^porhapa best they wera aevar through with the adventure. "Cloa^ Harmony" haa many real thinga In It So haa "Mlnlok." Among; those invited to the private showing some thought the latter play more drab. That ia certainly a point of view. Anyhow, the ^ew piece has not the satire and travesty of "Mhalck." Wanda Lyon is a find as Belle. Whether the show lands or not that beautiful girl is due for a vogue- James 'Bpottawood is another cork- ing selection as Ed. Their duetting of 'The Sunshine of Your Smile" was a delightful comedy bit. Ed didn't pick on the mandolin very well. He fumbled with 'The Blue Danube." being out of practice. But when the Scotch wore off he was painfully picking out that tune, the falling curtain leaving the senti- mental message that that melody will always be a reminder of a never-to-be-forgotten incident. Georgle Drew Mendum was faith- ful as tlie ' straggly wife, more a spinster than a real married wom- an. Arllne Blackburn, as the young daughter, is a child actress of ex- ceptional intelligence. Pauf PorteKs contribution was only a bit but very well done. "Close Harmony's" chances rest upon .its story j>t tempted married people—the decision of two bort-d persons brought together who de- side to break conventions and be liappy. It is not an expensive show to operate, and spotted in anotlier house might get across for a time. But the play does not impress as liavlHg a punch to land it among the winners. . , , . Ibee. . .: ^• [ .i ".:> ■ ' ■ « '. ;.;: LADY, BE GOOD! A musical come-ly in two acta and four _„„ scenes. Uoolc by Guy noUon and (•'red the Thooipeon. Mualc by 'J/^OTfr Oerahwin. Lyrlca by Ira Uershwln. Book majed by Fella fldwardes. Danco.a and enaembU-s by Sammy Lee. Pre.sented by Alex. A. Aarona ana VliUon Freedley at Ihe Liberty Dec. 1, Dlok Travor Fred Aataire 8u»le Trevor Adele Astalre Jack Roblnaon Alan Edwarda Josephine Vanderwater.......Jayne Auburn Daisy Parke Patricia. Clark Bertie Ba!^aett ...Gerald Ollrer Smith J. Watterson VV'atklna Walter Catlett Sktrlay Vemon.... Ja« UaBoal EUtrads... Flunkey Victor Arden.,,... Pbil Obauia Ri^ssIVk* ...Kath.enc Martyn CIIR Bdwards Bryan L,Tcan ...Bdward Jephaon .;.i...Victor Arden Phil Ohman ....June* Bradbury . 12 Steppers hi his smaller girls, and !'•'. Belle Sheridan, a former show glrlTl has made them outstanding when it la unhappily yoked* to Bertram, a ' '" '' aort of "pineapple" husband, who ..' remains away most of the time. making it lonely for the beautiful ;• Belle, whose acquaintanceship with 't- the Grahams is principally through "Lady Be Good" will be doing well at the Liberty July 4. The show oould have stopped after the first act Monday and called a hit, but It went along for another act almost as good as the first, al- though not quite so peppy. The in- dividual hits that were scored were made by the Astalres, Fred and Adele; the comedy wow of Walter Catlett; the uke hurrah by Cliff Eid- wards, and the Juvenile lead aa played by Alan Edwards. The As- taires are not starred In this piece; In fact, no one la. But this little brother and sister combination and Water Catlett should blason forth in llghta alter the way they handled themselves. They were the show. "Lady Be Gobd" is simple in con- struction. It Is typical musical com- edy, but it la "there" with a capable cast, a chorus of 24 girls and 12 boys, a score with a couple of hoof hop numbers in it and, above ail, a lot of comedy and the Astaires and their inimitable dancing. Then there is the atagiog of the ensemble nutnbers by Sammy !■•«, who has handled that chorus In a manner little short of marvelous. He has dug up new formations and has up unlesa Uka lawyw will produce tho widow, and tha lawyer filially picks on tha slater o( the boy that is bent on getting.engaged to save the family. She is willing to under- take the impersonation jao that-her brother won't be compelled, to pro- pose. That much of the plot being laid, it is up to the second act to witness its execution and unraveling. Through this story there ar# 17 musical numbers. The first ;one comes along'quite a while after; the opening scene of the first act la on. It Is sung by the Astaires, and Is "Hang On to Me," and is the only number in that section. There Is a "numberette" for the scene In "one," and then the first ensemble number with the opening of the second scene. This is the first time that the audi- ence gets a slant at the girls, and they went for everything In the way of applause for the work of the chorus. A light number it was, en- titled "We're Here Because," «ung by Patricia Clark and Gerald Oliver Smith, but built up wonderfully by the chorus work. Then with ■ the Astaires back on and Cliff Edwards arriving and, incidentally, receiving the biggest reception accorded any indlvlduql of the company. "Fasci- nating Rhythm" capie along. A distinct novelty, was the duet between Adele Astalre and Alan Kd- wards, entitled "So Am I." Simple In Us treatment, its effectiveness was all the stronger because of Us slmpleness. Catlett arrived witb a song number, "Oh, Lady Be Good." j just before the finale of the act, and, unfortunately, he was suffering from a cold, otherwise it must have scored as g.-eatiy as did "Faacinating Rhythm." It is another sure-fire hit. For the finale of the act a break- away trick in the set brought Victor Arden and Phil Ohman on the scene with a grand piano double featuring the three hits of the first act and working into the finale. There isn't a number in the last act of the piece that ranks with any of the three in the first act. The opening ensemble gets away nicely. Kred Astalre and Kathlene Martyn do nicely enough with "The Half of It Dearie Blues," and then Miss As- talre ln,^a number with the 12 boys managed to put over a solid hit through her comedy. Cliff Edwards with his specialty about stopped the show a little later with an ensemble number entitled "Carnival Time." starting the final scene of the show. The show la just a case of the Astaires and Catlett nH the way through, but they are splendidly sup- ported. Cattlet haa a splendid com- edy foil in the foppiah Bnglishman provided for by Gerald Oliver Smith, and Alan Edwards, Jayne Auburn and Miss Martyn ail help along. tli« proceedings. But the show Is a singing, dancing and laughing hit from beginning to end, and that means that Broadway is cetrain to like it for a long whila. There are a few gaga tliat are alight- ly off color which Catlett pulls, but In reality they wera only toasera that appealed to tha wiae-cracklag flrat-nightera, who laughed heartily at them. freA piano lessons given by her to "sis- ter" Graham, the kid. Miss Parker is said to have drawn her characters from life. The type If Sheridan is understood to be a prototype of a certain married actor. Whether so lively and wise a girl as Belle would remain three years -In a "dump," oa she calls the town, and 'stand for her worthless hus- ; band, with Broadway so close by, is ^questionable. There may be men like Ed Graham who colorlessly . stand for being picked on. Neither wife nor child caress him on arrival home. There Isn't a sign of affec- tion In the family. Then, after a wild desire to elope with the pretty Belle Sheridan—the only thing he aver really wanted to do—he changes his mind and decides to do on with his placid existance. Not, however.) without making It clear that he-has some rights, tliat he Is not a bad sort of fellow. The little event with the girl next door at least was sincere, and he Is a better Individual for it. Ed Graham has been talked out ot picking on his mandolin, and so. when he is invited to drop by for a bit of music by Belle. It becomes one of the happiest afternomi.i In his life. Under the influence of sev- eral highbnll.<3 he becomes fired with the be.TUt.v and i>erfume of the (tirl and they plan to elope. She m.ikes him beMeve he is a real fellow (ind Is drawn to him because she knows him to be far above the common Is taken into consideration that they are a dozen chorus girls and not a trained troupe. His mediums also step. Tho boys were there vocally, and contributed to the general aie- ture. '' New England li the locale. The Astaires, in the story as in life, are brother and sister. They are socially elect, but their fortune is nil. There is a very wealthy girl and she is in love with th4 boy, but he will not have her, and, to bring him to hfs senses, she peisuades her uncle to dispossess the youngsters. As they are on the sidewalk, along comes a youthof a neighboring town who has met reverses in Mexico and is hobo- ing it home. He and the girl of the ousted pair strike up an acquain- tance which finally brings them to a clinch. However, the girl's brother, to save the day, decides that the two shall attend a party at the home of the haughty miss, the cause of all their troubles, and he will propose to her, even though lie is In love with another girl. At this stage of the game a mysterious Mexican enters and at the same time a lawyer he has retained. Catlett is the lawyer, and the Mexican has informed him that Jack Robinson, the hobo, was killed in Mexico after he had married the Mexlcan'.s sister. This young lady, it seems, has the rather playful habit of biting off the ears of her boy friends, and, because of the ex- ercizing of this slight playfulness, was languishln); in a Mexican jail, or, as Catlett put it. In the "Canto- canto," which is Mex for Sing Sing. .\t any rate, the M^x, becoming awai-e of the fact that Jack Robin- son's uncle" has passed,on and left about |4,000,000 to his nephew, is on the ground with a claim In behalf of the widow of Jack Robinson. But PARASITES .I tiM miabart p ra—sts moela* I<a ii 1 i i i i Ib a eomadr la Oar seta br Coaa* Bass- tltoo. Stu^ by iota HmwmA: ••niais by Belle Waraa OpMS* Me*. U M ti* IWb St Jacksoa ■. W. ■■« lira rails WMwtoiise Baatrle* awsasoa Clarsae* DnmuBOOd Mas rumsa Lady NlaaCbandos Oirpsr (yBrlMi LaastfoB PDOMror CaeU BumUvrs rails Waterboaa* rranUta P»B||bora Joan Mnistt JYMdBa ^LMrtJ5<»j allot Phalpa, Id ClUtoa Wiabk Mrs. Ctaraaee Drammond ;.....,. TbarMB Mazwtll Oea»*«r herd. def>pite the "stiok In the.ihud' •xtorlor. . And yat tho paiei tfe*Bi'th«iMrusteef of ihajrat^^^^'t give Wanelna t<arnniora'a naw atar- rlng Tahiela by Coamo Hamilton, who outfitted her with "Scandal." her last notable ataga aueceaa. runs In the same general Francinalarrl- more vein of tha hoydaniab harolna, almost seduced In her boudoir, hut concluding by marrying him. This comedy by Mr. Hamilton is alleged to be "smart." Tha Bar Harbor locale adda, but If tha tanor of tha conversation in tha play ia consistent with smart aoclety. there ia still something wrong' with tho smart set Even folks who travel in the ultra-ultra ctrclaa uf what, pic- ture ezhibltora ara wont to bill aa "high aoclaty" are not quite w atllt- ed aa Mr. Hamilton's charaetara at as ^tcUhantly epigrammitlc. The crisp cross-talking which so reminds of a vaudeville team c( one doing "straight" for the othei's witticism (with the difference that In tha play tha nlftiea ara more subtle and "polite") is what l»i- parta the sense of artlAolallty. The audience is aver conacioua thai Mr. Hamilton la a mighty bright guy, that his happy turn of language draws 10 percent oC tha gross, and that at few. If any times, rra the characters talking, but merely voic- ing the language of their author. This Is doubly surprising In view of the really Impressive hlstrlbnlca of the cast Clifton Webb aa the effeminate, amorous, but not diin- gerout household pet ot the aging .Mrs. Clarence Drummond (TUarMa Ma*well Conover). lives his role The Eliot Phelps, 3d. characterization Is getting to be a vogue t!ir«e days with elderly matrons whi.» seek ifo hang on to the last semblance o* youth through the conut.vnt cii:»r- eronage of sohie youthful male es- cort, generally of an agn likely to be their sona ratbar th^ vfifnii$n-t lona. Miaa Conovar aa Mra. Oroa- mond waa affaotlva. Miaa Larrlmora'a impraasion was spotty. Her purring, alurrlng lins reading takaa aoma time before reg- lataring. Aftar an aot or two ahe haa pretty well eatabllahad herself, but tha implah, devil-may-care qual- Itlea of her cliaractarieatton do not really click until the third act She ia ingenuoua at tha axpansa of a studied plan of stage t.i^ka Her half-audtbla remarlu, tha InterniU- tent brushing aside of the loose ends of auburn crown and the periodic retreata attar aoma nifty retort have their affect But they ae«m to be painataking ataga affectationa, cara- fully planned. Max figman aa tha huaband of 50. wtio is determined to throw off hia marital trace* and run wild, waa important Aa Clarence. Drum- mond ha comaa back in tha laat act with tha pathetic tale thAt ha took the entire oliorua out to dinner an'.' let (ham danc* with tha boya. :)ran'.- mond ia alao tha cliaracter wno reaia off that new hlftir that's like- ly to bacoma a current password, "ginthetic ain" The principal male rola of Lang- don Pomero)r(Cecil Humphreys) is denoted as a gaunt, lustful finanolal power wlto In exchange for t2,OO0L which he slipped into Joan Mlllett's purse to help her square her gam- bling debts, expects an "Atlantic City honeymoon" with no compll- cationa. When Joan invltea lUm to her boudoir the eame evening he misunderstands the motive, but when It dawns on her, and realising that ahe Is financially Impoverished, Incapable of making restitution, ahe promises to pay her debt tho Other way after a few weeka. Pomaroy ia content with the postponement, but tha obviousness o( their aubaequent marriage, aa evldancad by her frank expreaslon of favor for tha lanky money man. deaplte his repoated aa- sertlon that "I'm not tha marrying kind." happens for tha happy andr Ing. Tha quibbling married couplaa alao make uP, and even tha aftem- inat* Phelpa confesses ha ia aug- menting his small income by aupar- viaing a department "ot right thinga for the wrong people." Beatrice Swanson, laat in musleal comedy, liandlea a straight role as Mrs. PellK Waterhouaa quite wall Franklin Pangborn aa her huaband waa quietly conslatant Gypsy O'Brien aa Lady Nina Chandoa and 15. F. Haat aa tha butlar rooadad out a good oaat. TIm title aeemlngly ia a aynonym for "gold dlggar," although Miss Larrlmora aa Joan ezplaina aha ia a "amatterer." She knowa but a smattering of thia and that and not enough to permit her holding down a Job, hanea bar neceaslty to live by liar wlta aa a gambler in vlaw ot her taw financial condition ntada ao through untortunata Wall atraat apaculation. Tliara la quite a kick to tha Ham- ilton atory. It la polite and nanghfy, a genorally aura-fire combination. Whether it will last beyond the thraa-montli limit to qualify It for a "yea" rota ia a quaation. Tha im- pression la negatively. "Paraattaa" la likely acraan ma- tarlal from all angles. Tha aoclaty atmaaphera can be handled almost any way. Tha tttla landa itaalf wall tor aoraening. although it aounda rather familiar in that connection. "Tha Bar Harbor locale and tha di- alog abont tha raoht party, etc., could ha alaboratad reaustlcally in a manner Ilmttad in vha ataga of- fering, j^,..; Ahel. THET KREW WEAt THET WAITED I>ralBa ta thrae aota hy Stdaar Hoirard, produoad ay tbe niMuiTe Oulld at tbe Oar- rtok Nov. M aa tha aecoed produetloo of the aeranth aabaorlptloa a^aaoa. . Directed by Philip UotUu. aMtlssa by Ckroiya Haa- cook. ■ Jo*...., (Men Anders mttbar MoXse.............Cbarlaa Kennedy Ah Oea Allen AtwMI Tony ......Klchard Bennett Tha R. r. O.....•.....' ...Robart'Co^ Amy .......,...,,.,,Paulina Lard Anc«l9.,... Ilardwick Navin Olercto Jacob ZoUlgmr The Doctor .Charia* Tasewall PIrat ItallML Mather .rranocs HjFd* Her Daashler. AntoliMtt* Blaaooo Second Ilallao Mother Pasfy Conwav Her S«n Bdward Roaantald fanity and realistic language by the principal male character, Tony. It isn't offensive, however, being in harmony with the role. The story tells of Tony, an Italian grape grower of California, a man fast approaching senility. He de- sires an heir, and, desirous of mar- rying a good woman (he says that all the women in the valley have been ruined by his protege, Joe), ha marries a waitress from a Frisco sphagetti bouse, who allows aa how she thinks "wops" are a pretty good bunch. On the day of the wedding Tony breaks l>oth legs, so ia mar- ried on a cot. The hope of an heir fades. Joe, however, tho younger man. catches tha bride in a breath of pas- sion, and several months later ia in- formed he is to be a father. The bride, after that night, regretted the whole thing and remained conaclen- tiously away from Joe. Terror stricken' that ahe Is to be a mother and still retaining a senae ot duty and gratltqde to Tony, sha-tells hijn the whole atory. Follows the big scene of the play. In which Miss Lord as the bride rlsea to heights of emotional acting ttiat are superb, and unsurpassed in re- cent years. The finale is that Tony, cognisant he cannot l>ecome a father, forgives Joe and the bride and de- clarea that he will accept the child as his own. That theme in itself ia not new. Its sincerity of treatment and the exposure of dramatic values, both by the author and Miss Lord, make it a thing of strength. The finely etched characters ot the three leads, too, make the whole stronger than ordi- nary casting would have done, while the woi-k ot Miaa Lord not only makes her performance tha beft yet to her ^edlt, but raises the chances of the, p^iy fltty-told. Here ia a perfdrmithca that will go down in theatrical tradition—a performance that'ia quiet In apota, never loud, but alwaya aochrate and effective. It repreaenta the actreaa carried away In the role, tomething Wltneaaed onoa in a thousand playa. * Richard Bennett la good as Tony, a oharacter role, and in the tltlrd act does eapedally effaotiva and telling work, while Glenn Andera aa tm boy Joe haa one of thoae "flta-llke-a- glove" parta Tha others ot the caat are alwaya adequate. "They Knew 'What Tkav Wanted" doean't coat a great deal to operate. The Guild doean't pay big aaiarlaa, but Miaa Lord. Mr. Bennett and Mr. Andera are getting aometbing up in three figures at the Oarrick. and when the piece moves up to Broad- way the ezt>enaes will Increaae no- ticeably. But a alngle aet ia need—a simple interior—and the production cost repreaen(ed ta alight There la a little off-atage expense tliat doean't show, but aside from that the piece looks like an economical propoaitloa, and that helpsjts Broadway ehancea. It has tittle picture value, however, due to the frank theme. The thing about it all, though, la not that it Is economical nor ttiat it has sensational language at timea More to be remembered ia that it ia an honest play distinguished by act- ing that one is fortunate to see even- once in a lifetime and acting tliat New York will pay to see for a long time to oboM. a{$k. Because "They Knew What They Wanted" la in Itself a finely written and highly dramatic and at the same time appealing play, and because Its three leads—Pauline Lord, Richard Bennett and Glenn Anders—ccmtrib- ute genuine acting, the piece will be not only a Theatre Guild artistic suc?ess, but once on Broadway It will get real hit rating. This makes two smastiea In a row for the Guild. Starting off with "The Guardsman." which haa In Lunt, Fontanne, Westley and Dlgges prob- ably the beat-balanced cast of the year, they liave repeated in the aeo- ond try. "They Knew IVTiat They Wanted" Is by Sidney Howard, whose "Swords" and collaborative work (with Ned Sheldon), "Bewitched," stand out as his previous playwrit- Ing efforts. It was offered first to tbe Provlncetown Playhouse group, so the gossip goes, but turned down. That was good for tl»« Guild, which lias resources superior to those of the rrovlncclt/wners. so once accepted it V. as next fitted with a cast that closc- Iv approached perfection. Thin cast, already acclaimed for Its acting, is fureher helped (in so far as Ihe trade •PQBW. J«/C^^oeml^jl) by much pro**. THE DESERT FLOWER Melodntma In tbr«* sets br Don MalUIIy. prodaoed by A U. Woods Is aasoclatloa with the Blnibarts St th* Lwiescra, Ifaw Toik. Nov. 18, with Halen MaeI»Uar •tarred. DIractsd by Roy waUlnt. Joea Leo CIrda Vaanz Bd ..,' Clmsda Oout«a4 Joe Robert Clarke Marsarat <"MassIa") rortuaa....'..... Halan MacKeUar Mn. McQuada ._.....Dorothy Walters Robert Aoiea rt Cummlnss •>•»• iw.ni(<ii,...,,.....,.Blaanor Wllllama iBsa Hulvaraoa..;......Mildred Boathwick Jack Royal ....WIlllMn A. Norton rio Zella „ Wards Howard Bill Portff , Botton Moor* jars, jncviuao* l^rtni Randolph ("RSDce") C*awar..Ro MIka 0yar .....Robert Babe Knifbt...' ....Blasnoi Martin Nolaa, ,Blwao<l r. Boatwiek The ghoet of M'llaa atalka through this raelodranut of frontier life laid out in the great open spaces where men browbeat their women and women roll their own with Bull Dur- ham. This le tbe west Don Mullally uaed in writing "The Deaert Flower." He haa provided rattling melo- drama of the early achool and haa not muffed any of the theatric trlcka. Aa in "Conscience," hie earlier effort, he at leiut redeema himself for the evening with one strong act which is carried grace- fully to stellar heights by Helen MacKellar. capable atar, in the role of a l>oom town Cinderella who re- verses tha legend by reclaiming "Banco" Conway, a bad boy from a good family and forcing him to ac- cept her grubatake and seek gold, not that ahe cared if he found the glittering etuff ao long aa he found himself. Conwa}''a companionship acroaa the deaert and hia tenderneas to Gwen the nigh she made her get- away after a brutal attack at the hands of her stepfather haa been the first decent thing In the life ot the desert Topsy. After making Bullfrog, a boom town in Nevada that has recently enjoyed a gold strike, she places the kid slater in good iiands and hires out as a dance hall entertainer. Under Maggie's good Influence "Ranee" has p.irtlally reformed. He has written home and receives a stake of 11,000 to start over again but kicks it to the winds and the bartenders by going upon a spree (Continued on page M)