TLS: Friday, September 17, 1920

Provincetown, Mass.
Sept. 17, 1920.

My dear Madden:

I have been eagerly waiting for some word from you in answer to my two letters of over a week ago. As I have received none up to date, I must conclude that you have either been sick or called out of town. The several inquiries which I addressed to you in my two letters were on affairs which seem to me most urgent - especially those that pertained to this new scheme of Williams of putting on my "Beyond" for split weeks only. As I wrote you, I am violently opposed to this plan as being unfair to me under the sliding scale of royalties provided in the contract, and I would very much like you to see if some more equitable arrangement cannot be made with Williams. When he goes in for such an unforeseen method of production without consulting me in any way, he certainly owes me something in the way of recompense - such as reckoning eight performances as a week, for example, and not paying at the end of each week of half-week, limiting me to never more than five percent.

I have about finished the new play on the old "Chris" theme and I would like very much to have your advice on that matter also - whether I shall hold it until Tyler's contract on the old play runs out, or not. I am also anxious to know if he has yet made any plans for "The Straw".

And how did "Beyond" do in Baltimore and Washington?

I would very much appreciate an early reply on these matters. As it is, I am as much in the dark as to the doings of my plays as if I were in the Congo.

With very best regards,

Sincerely,

Eugene O'Neill.