Mrs. Gene Hughes and Co. (6)

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Description: “Lady Gossip.” 29 Mins.; Full Stage. Mrs. Gene Hughes has a new comedy sketch by Edgar Allen Woolf. It is made for laughing purposes and should create amusement wherever played. The story deals with the cat-like life of society women. The sketch opens with two women in street dresses about to have tea. Their hostess does not put in her appearance and so they help themselves to tea and cake where are on a serving table. While sipping the Oolong they most graciously “knock” their hostess. The two find much pleasure in trying to form a lively bit of scandal in their minds about the number of visits to the home of Mrs. Nellie Breckenridge of a certain influential Senator. While things are progressing in this manner Nellie (Mrs. Hughes) enters. They greet her in their sweetest tones. A man is behind one of the portiers at the window and has heard all. Mrs. Breckenridge announces a dinner party for that evening. The two women leave to dress. The man comes from his hiding place and the ensuring conversation is about securing some letters from the Senator so that a big graft deal can not be put through, which, if completed, would cost the government several million dollars. He exists and she changes to evening dress behind a cap held by a fountain pen shaped maid. Reports had reached Nellie that her daughter, at a convent, was contemplating eloping with a chauffeur. While she is in the other room a little miss enters and does not give her name, but wants to surprise the older woman who is her mother. Mrs. Breckenridge upon seeing her child is highlight delighted and decides that she will keep her identity hidden and introduce her as a friend at the dinner party. The two other women return and gossip follows. They go off stage to the dining room with Nellie returning shortly with the letters to the man waiting for them. The title of the piece then comes in to play, as Mrs. Breckenridge calls the “Scandal Magazine” on the ‘phone and gives them the recent gossip which is put in the paper under the head of “Lady Gossip.” The daughter returning sees her sweetheart with her mother and is greatly enraged at him. A note found in the folds of a child’s dress belonging to the daughter reveals that the one of the women gossips had been the cause for much of the family trouble of Mrs. Breckenridge. The final curtain brings the daughter to the arms of her lover and her mother declaring for the downfall of gossip. Mrs. Hughes has some funny dialog with quick resorts that have the snap to please. The remainder of the company will do, Russell G. Randall, the only male in the east, has little, the whole being a woman’s battle. Adele Potter as the daughter does nicely the convent-bred girl. The two other women are merely used as ornaments and to wear clothes.

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