THE CRIMSON PLAYGOER

"The House of Glass" by Max Marcin is at the St. James this week. It is a play that moves along easily enough, with the convict problem and the give-him-another-chance idea as motivators. Needless to say the problem it not solved; it never is. Nevertheless it is a good story. Mrs. Lake, wife of a railroad man, is the innocent victim of the Law (capitalized). Their troubles begin when her first lover turns out to be a house-breaker and she is convicted wrongly with him. She breaks her parole, marries Mr. Lake who is a crook hater,--without telling him the sad past. Obviously this is the best way to court an embarrassing future. It does not fail; she is arrested in New York after ten years have gone by Her husband is directing his energies at the time to prosecuting a poor youth gone wrong, although his associates, as his wife had long done, pleaded for clemency. The combination of prosecuting the unlucky youth and defending his wife prove too much for Mr. Lake. Upon hearing his intention of relinquishing the case against the boy no less a personage than the governor of the state rewards him handsomely enough by pardoning his wife; a remarkably happy ending to be sure.

As usual Leona Powers took the leading part. Her task was not especially difficult; no one in the cast had an opportunity to perform in startling fashion, although the acting was all that one could wish. Viola Roach appeared in the back ground in a very minor part, which we regretted. Frank Charlton and Mark Kent deserve credit for smooth performances, and the same should be said of Florence Roberts. The Boston Stock Company is undoubtedly capable of pleasing many audiences like that which enjoyed the opening of "the House of Glass."