The Girl Behind the Gun

8/29/18

Dearest,

Manny, Dorcas, Dorcas' sister and I went over to see the play "The Girl Behind The Gun". Everyone thot it was good but there were some parts I didn't like. It was an exceedingly humorous musical comedy featuring Donald Brian. The setting was in England at the country home of a wealthy woman who had turned her house into a hospital for convalescent soldiers. She has a "godson", a cook in some French Regiment, whom she has never met. Her husband has a weak heart and drives an ambulance in Paris. She is rather jealous and finds a note from a girl who signs herself Mimi Lueme. He tries to explain that the letter is from his colonel and even tells her the thousand kisses the letter contains are merely rewards from the dear old demonstrative fellow. She decides to get revenge by falling love with some one else. When she leaves the room her husband soliloquizes that women have no sense of justice or fairness at all for just look at his wife making this terrible big fuss about Mimi Lueme and she was the "littlest woman that ever was". Great stress thru out the play whenever he feels the pressure too great on "the littlest woman that ever was".

At last the godson is coming to visit her. He has written such wonderful letters, so poetic, so soulful. The letters have really been written for him by a great playwright who is in his regiment and it very much interested in (I can't remember names but I'll call her Madame Brosel, which was something like it) Madame Brosel, as he would like to produce a play and have her act in it as she is a great actress. Both he and the cook secure leave of absence at the same time and Lamberque forces the cook to take his army book and they exchange identities.

Madame Brosel fusses over her godson much to her husband's distaste but whenever he looks at her she spits out "Mimi Lueme" and then comes his wail about the little woman.

Madame Brosel has an uncle, a colonel in Algiers who has promised to leave his money to her. He comes on a surprise visit and catches her kissing the godson, as he has never seen her husband he jumps to the conclusion that she is very happily married as she is making such a fuss over her husband. He is rather fond of the ladies and tells about a sweet young girl who has been his traveling companion up on the train. Madame Brosel says she believes she knows who the girl is as her old convent companion Madame Lamberque had just come to visit her and had mentioned the fact she had had such a dear man for companion all the way up. Lambeque is dumbfounded as he is afraid his wife will find out and he has promised Madame Brosel to keep up the farce about being her husband until the colonel leaves. Madame Brosel's husband is introduced as the godson cook and never given a chance to say a word.

Madame Lambeque discovers her husband but doesn't denounce him. but he and Brosel get together and make a plan to beat it for the front lines and the real cook comes in and echoes their sentiments as he can't get anything to drink stronger than orangeade. He can't find any one with any "conversation" and in fact leave of absence gives him "a pain".

Finally the wives forgive their husbands and the colonel is made to believe it was all a joke although he thinks it was a pretty "bum" one.

There was a plentiful sprinkle of red cross nurses, girl ambulance drivers, and the like thru out the play and also a few men. there was one, a lieutenant who looked very much like Lt. Achorn.

It is very late dearest and the lady sent word she wouldn't be here tomorrow so I'll have to get up and wash some things I want to take to Connecticut with me. I love you, dearest.

Eva