Mliss

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Mliss

by Bret Harte

Genre: Drama
Setting:
Format of Original Source: Short Story
Recommended Adaptation Length:

Candidate for Adaptation? Promising

EXCERPT:

It seemed to be written on a leaf torn from some old memorandum book, and, to prevent sacrilegious trifling, had been sealed with six broken wafers. Opening it almost tenderly, the master read as follows:

RESPECTED SIR–When you read this, I am run away. Never to come back. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER. You can give my beeds to Mary Jennings, and my Amerika’s Pride to Sally Flanders. But don’t you give anything to Clytie Morpher. Don’t you dare to. Do you know what my opinion is of her, it is this, she is perfekly disgustin. That is all and no more at present from

Yours respectfully,

MELISSA SMITH.

COMMENTS:

An unusual bond between a schoolmaster and his wild orphan pupil. A sort of Wild West Helen Keller story — can Mliss be tamed? For a full-length show, you’d probably have to invent some additional characters (someone who doesn’t approve of the schoolmaster’s desire to save the wild child), but there’s something here….

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