Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-07-30
sTFIE NIIKADO."
The Story of the Latest Operate Pro-
duction of Gilbert and Sullivan.

"
country, his father, '.the Lucius Junius
brutus OF his race, ordered him to
marry the lady within week or per-
lsh on the scaffold. He fled the court,
assumed the disguise OF a second from
bone. saw and loved Yum-Yu who
returned his affection. Unfortunately
for him Yum-Yum was betrothed to
her guardian, No-Ko, cheap tailor
The despairing Nanki-Poo, seeing that
his suit was hopeless, fled the town.
Judge of my delight" he says to the
questioning nobs, .when | heard that
ko-ko had been condemned to death
Tor flirting,' and hurried back to Titipu
to lay his heart at the lady's feet. But
ko-ko was reprieved at the last mo-
ment, and raised TO the rank of lord
high exesutioncr, under these remarka-
Bile circumstances: The mikado, wish
ing to steady the young men in his
Kingdom, decreed that all who flirted,
leered. or wiaked should be beheaded.
This decree, very naturally
Caused great dismay throughout the land;
For young and old
/ And Shy and bold
Were equally affected.
And so we straight let out to bail
convict from the county jail,
Whose head was next
| On some pretext
| Condemned to be mown Off
/ And made him headsman, for we said
who's next to be decapitated
Can not cut of anothers head
Until he's cut his own off,"
AS the logical mikado had rolled the
two officers of governor and headsman
into one, Ko-Ko, the ex-cheap tailor,
was now great magnate, governor of
Titipu and lord high executioner.
The lord high executioner is as
sisted in his office by Pooh-Bah, a ire
mendous swell, who describes himself
as 'aparticulary naughty and exclusive
person, of pre-Adamite ancestral de-
scent. You will understand this when
| tell you that | can trace my ancestry
back to protoplasmal primordial
atomic globule. Consequently nv
family pride is something inconceiv-
able. l can't help it. I was born
sneering. But l struggled hard to
overcome this defect. l mortify my
pride continually. When all the great
officers of state resigned in a body be-
cause they were too proud to serve
| under an ex-tailor did | not unhesita-
tingly accept all their posts at once?
Pish-And the salaries attached to
themP You did.
Pooh-lt is consequently my degrad-
ing duty to serve this upstart as first
lord of the treasury, lord chief Justice,
commander-in-chief, lord high admiral,
master of the buckhounds, groom of
the back stairs, archbishop of Titipu,
and lord mayor, both acting and elect,
all rolled into one.
Nanki-Poo's hopes are shattered
when he hears of Ko-Ko's release and
his intention to marry his ward Yum
Yum with Pitti-Sing and Peep-Bo now
arrive from school. and the lovers in
dulge in some delightful love passages
But even the powerful Ko-Ko's love
does not run smooth, for as he is pre-
pairing for his nuptials letter arrives
from the mikado, who is struck by the
fact that no executions have taken
place in Titipu for 4 year, and DEGREES
that unless somebody is beheaded
within one month, the post of lord
high eXecutioner shall be abolished.
and the city reduced to the rank of a
village. As Pooh Bah remarks, this is
uncomfortable news. So the two argue
it out to its logical conclusion. Ko-Ko
himself is the obvious victim, but he
can't execute himself because self
decapitaton is difficult, and, moreover,
suicide is capital offense:
ko-Besides, don't see how a man
can cut off his own head.
Pooh-A man might try.
Pish-Even if you only succeeded in
cutting it half off, that would be some
thing.
Pooh-It would be taken as an earn
est of your desire to comply with the
imperial will
Ko-No. Pardon me, but there | am
adamant. As official headsman my
reputation is at stake, and can't con-
sent to embark on professional opera
ton unless | see my way to n successful
result And the council agree that
To sit in solemn silence in dull, dark dock,
In presidential prison, with lifelong lock,
Awaiting the sensation of short, sharp
shock,
From cheap and chippy chopper big
black block!
And Ko-Ko is left to soliloquize. In
the nick of time Nanki-Poo turns up
with rope in his hand and prepares
to commit suicide rather than liee
without Yum-Y Yum. Ko-Ko sees his
chance. Here is the required victim
to save him. TO the love-lorn Nanki-
Poo, then, he put the advantages of an
execution:
You don't? Observe: You'll have
month to live, and you'll live like a
fighting-cock at my expense. When
the day comes there'll be grand pub
lie ceremonial-you'll be the central
figure-no one will attempt to deprive
you of that distinction. There'll be a
procession-bands-dead march-bells
tolling-all the girls in tears-Yum-
Yum distracted-then, when it's all
over, general rcjoicings, and display
of fireworks in the evening. You
won't see them, but they'll be there all
the same. :"
And Nanki-Poo consents on one
condition. LET me marry Yum Yum
tomorrow" he says, land in month
you may behead me-" And Ko-Ko
| consents.
In the midst of the revels consequent
on this amicable arrangement, Katisha,
the elderly maiden. appears, recognizes
Nanki-Poo, and tries in vain to reveal
his identity to the assembly, who bid
her go. Katisha is no Venus, and even
goes so far as to admit that she is ian
acquired taste"
but Ihave left shoulder blade that
is a miracle of loneliness. People
come miles to see it. My right elbow
has fascination that few can resist. 1t
is on view Tuesdays and Fridays, on
presentation of visiting card. As
for my circulation it is the largest in
the world.
The second act takes place in Ko-
Kos garden--a garden of paradise,
overhung with trees, bathed in sun
light, with river stretching far away
in the distance. Alas even the brief
month of happiness is denied to these
ill-used lovers, for Ko-Ko has discoy-
cred that by the mikado's law when a
married man is beheaded his wife
is buried alive. Tableau. Despair,
heightened by the news of the mikado's
arrival at Titipu. A victim must be
found at once. Ko-Ko is struck by a
happy thought. Why won't an af-
| fidavit that Nanki-Poo has been exc
| cuted do as we'll as the execution it
self? The coroner's certificate of exc
| cution is handed to the mikado, the
decd is described in graphic language,
when the mikado explains that he has
come on entirely different business
namely, to look for Nanki-Poo, his