The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1893-04-19

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Esther Ariminta Little .-...--. Mrs s. French
PleuIissy Honeysuckle. -.-..-..-.--.. Mrs Briggs
Meni5aDie naqsn. l lsi tstta ry story
sally Lckskillet. Mrs Stevens
When school began the audience wefe
first convulsed with laughter by the odd
costumes of the characters that came
trooping upon the stage. Dignifed bus
mess men, neat and careful in their
every detail of daily action and dress,
were attired in knickerbockers or pima
fores, and the novel sight was presented
of the leading women of church and
society in short dresses and pantalettes.
From this time on the amusement of the
audience was unbounded. The primer
class gave character song, in which the
words "this is the way we milk our
cows" was accompanied by the vigorous
gesture of pumping water by "Mike
O'Flynn. In the grammar class ''Tom
Sawyer made out that COW was pro-
noun because it stood for Mary. and
rope was a conjunction because it con-
nected the horse and the fence. In the
reading class the crying girl was con-
vulsed with tears about some individual
greasing her knee, while the irrepressible
giggling girl next to her could not but
see it to be funny, The boy who ges-
tured was a telling take-off, and the
pandemonium caused by their reading
ia concert was one of the best things of
the evening. In the ''gogfry" class,
"Hepsibah Smith" mentioned as one of
the seven wonders of the world. the
North Dalles' shoe factory, and volcano
was said by 'sJerusha Ann Rose" to be
mountain gone on a bust, while the
definition of a dormant volcano by
Samantha Ann Butterworth,' was one
that didn't act in public.
Miss Rose Michel, as the hoidenish
girl, was remarkably fine. She sue
ceeded in thoroughly losing her actual
identity to the audience by her excep-
tionally clever acting. Mrs. Stephens
did equally as well as "Sally Lickskil-
let," though the demands of her
character, as well as all the rest, were
less. The crying girl by Mrs. Briggs,
was well taken and her shifting and
final breakdown were so true to life as
to bring down the house. John Parrott,
as "Zedekiah Honeysuckle," kept the
audience laughing at his BOBBY antics.
Mrs. DIR. Rinehart as "Mrs. Honey
suckle" gave clever piece of character
acting, as the wife of the committeeman
and mother of the sHoneysuckle'' twins.
Her verses were delivered in a stilted
style peculiar to that queer mixture of
timidity and egotism of a backwoods-
woman who knows enough to read and
write. Hayward Riddell, the "Com-
mittee-man,' unloaded himself credit
ably of the ignorance and Importance OF
that typical individual. while ''Theo-
philus Grout, both in makeup and de-
livery, was model school-master of the
old school.
Bill Jones, in "Casabianca," was all
that could have been done by profes-
\ sional comedian, and S. L. Brooks, as
e'Mike O'F1ynn;" w. G. Curtis, as
f'Timothy Truck,'' and G. II. Brown, as
It'Sylvester Pennoyer,'' at intervals as
Irregular as clockwork convulsed the
audience with some odd, unique, and
unexpected remark.
/ The "Deestrick Skule,'' as presented
last night, will rank first among the
numerous entertainments of the past
many years, and no one of the large au-
dience who attended last night will say
but that they received more than an
equivalent for the admission fee charged.
From financial standpoint the produc-
ton was all that could be desired. and
even more than was expected, for which
the Ladies Good Intent Society in an
other column thank the generous pub
lic.s The hall was one of the most dis
couraging features of the event, which
could not be helped, but which made its
successful rendition most difficult
task.
The costumes were mostly true to the
style of our worthy Hoosier mothers
forty years ago. We are informed that
in those days the bifurcated garment Of
wool or muslin was unknown, warmth
being supplied by skirts quilted fol
about eighteen inches from the bottom
which were very heavy and cumber.
some. The pantalettes were separate
garments about Is inches long fastened
tightly below the knee and around the
ankle. Corsets were also a luxury
being usually home made, and with s
piece of steel four inches wide anG
twelve long, extending from below the
neck to the waist. Those who could no
afford steel prevailed upon their hus
band or big brother to whittle thiI
stay out of hickory.
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