Her Own Way

Her Own Way, by Clyde Fitch

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Title: Her Own Way A Play in Four Acts
Author: Clyde Fitch
Release Date: July 4, 2005 [EBook #16198]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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HER OWN WAY

[Illustration: Macmillan Logo]

Her Own Way
A PLAY IN FOUR ACTS
By
CLYDE FITCH
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY NEW YORK MCMVII LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO., LTD.

COPYRIGHT, 1907, BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Set up and electrotyped. Published April, 1907.
All acting rights, both professional and amateur, are reserved by Clyde Fitch. Performances forbidden and right of representation reserved. Application for the right of performing this piece must be made to The Macmillan Company. Any piracy or infringement will be prosecuted in accordance with the penalties provided by the United States Statutes:--
"SEC. 4966.--Any person publicly performing or representing any dramatic or musical composition, for which copyright has been obtained, without the consent of the proprietor of the said dramatic or musical composition, or his heirs or assigns, shall be liable for damages therefor, such damages in all cases to be assessed at such sum, not less than one hundred dollars for the first and fifty dollars for every subsequent performance, as to the Court shall appear to be just. If the unlawful performance and representation be wilful and for profit, such person or persons shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction be imprisoned for a period not exceeding one year."--U.S. REVISED STATUTES, Title 60, Chap. 3.
Norwood Press J.S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Co. Norwood, Mass., U.S.A.

Transcriber's Note: various printer's errors--typos and missing punctuation--were corrected for this e-book.

TO MAXINE ELLIOTT AND EVERYTHING IS SAID! C.F. 1907

HER OWN WAY
ACT I. THE PLAYROOM.
Ten days elapse.
ACT II. THE DRAWING-ROOM.
Eight months elapse.
ACT III. GEORGIANA'S ROOM.
Four weeks elapse.
ACT IV. THE DRAWING-ROOM.
PLACE--NEW YORK.

THE PEOPLE IN THE PLAY
GEORGIANA CARLEY. MRS. CARLEY Her step-mother. MRS. STEVEN CARLEY Her sister-in-law, born "Coast," and daughter of Mrs. Carley by a former marriage. PHILIP } CHRISTOPHER } Children of Mr. and Mrs. Steven Carley. TOOTS } ELAINE From next door. LIZZIE Mrs. Carley's maid. MISS BELLA SHINDLE "The Lady Hair-dresser." LIEUTENANT RICHARD COLEMAN. SAM COAST Louise Carley's own cousin. STEVEN CARLEY Georgiana's brother. MOLES Butler to the Carleys. A FOOTMAN At the Carleys.

Produced at the Star Theatre, Buffalo, September 24, 1903, and on September 28, 1903, at the Garrick Theatre, New York, with the following cast:--
Georgiana Carley Miss Maxine Elliott Mrs. Carley Miss Eva Vincent Mrs. Steven Carley Miss Nellie Thorne Philip Master Donald Gallaher Christopher Miss Beryl Morse Toots Miss Mollie King Elaine Miss Marie Hirsch Lizzie Miss Susanne Perry Miss Bella Shindle Miss Georgie Lawrence Lieutenant Richard Coleman Mr. Charles Cherry Sam Coast Mr. Arthur Byron Steven Carley Mr. R.C. Herz Moles Mr. Francklyn Hurleigh Footman Mr. B.M. Parmenter

Produced at the Lyric Theatre, London, in May, 1905, and afterward at the Savoy Theatre, London, with the following cast:--
Georgiana Carley Miss Maxine Elliott Mrs. Carley Mrs. Fanny Addison Pitt Mrs. Steven Carley Miss Nellie Thorne Philip Master Donald Gallaher Christopher Miss Beryl Morse Toots Miss Mollie King Elaine Miss Marie Hirsch Lizzie Miss Susanne Perry Miss Bella Shindle Miss Georgie Lawrence Lieutenant Richard Coleman Mr. Charles Cherry Sam Coast Mr. James Carew Steven Carley Mr. R.C. Herz Moles Mr. Francklyn Hurleigh Footman Mr. B.M. Parmenter

ACT I
The nursery. Half-past two in the afternoon. A cool, delightful white room, with a frieze of children playing in the ocean spray; shelves of bright-colored books on the walls, and the months of a large calendar by Elizabeth Shippen Green framed underneath. There is a deep bow-window at the back; the principal door is at the Left, and a smaller one on the Right. Toys of all sizes, for all ages, are scattered about with a holiday air. There is a sofa on the Right and a hobby horse on the Left.
There are four charming though somewhat spoiled children, with intermittent manners, with napkins tied up under their chins, sitting around the table, which is a little to the right of the centre of the room.
The FOOTMAN is busy removing the plates; the butler, MOLES, who stands behind PHILIP, always takes PHILIP'S plate. It is PHILIP'S birthday. LIZZIE stands behind ELAINE. In the centre of the table is a large cake with seven candles burning on it.
PHILIP. What comes next?
CHRISTOPHER. Soup!
[LIZZIE and MOLES suppress smiles, exchanging looks of delighted appreciation of CHRISTOPHER'S humor.
TOOTS. Ice cream!
ELAINE. Don't be absurd, Christopher, we've had soup.
CHRISTOPHER. I like it!
TOOTS. I