The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-03-21

noted dramatic critic, whimsically sug-
| gests the following outline for drama
| founded on the Maine disaster:
ACT I.
HEADQUARTERS of General Gomez. the
insurgent leader. To be portrayed with
as much realism as possible. The gen.
eral carefully made up after the mos'
approved pictures. Seated at table NJ
tered with papers. Leaning with ms
elbows on table; head buried IN nands
Men busy around him. Silence as cur
/ tain rises. The fact that messenger
/ is approaching is made eyldent-)
The general arouseS himself from MS
brown study as the news OF the advent
of the messenger is brought TO MIN. he
has been preparing important dis
patches to President Mckinley and
/ congress. and he has found the task
harder than usual The situation mas
grown discouraging. and the United
States seems further OF than ever
! The men lament the fact that there
is M tangible proof of Uncle Sam s
amicable sentiments within sight En-
ter messenger, exceedingly calm and
irritatingly cold blooded-
General Gomez opens the envelope
that is handed to him. The men group
themselves around him TO watch the
/
| face is worth watching. 1t is doggedly
| Indifferent as he begins to read, but it
changes before he has the paper in
his hand 80 seconds. His eyes light up.
4 N~oad smile illumines his features.
| Tlrul, very solemnly, he calls the men
together, and tells them TO prepare for
| joyful news. He has just heard that
the famous warship Maine is about to
sail for Havana harbor.
] Ac hi N hn6U
communicated the silence that has
reigned at headquarters is instantly
dissipated. The men behave as though
! intoxicated with joy. A pandemonium
reigns. THE possibilities are briefly
discussed. The messenger (who may
| be built up into a comedy person and
seasoned to taste) is treated as though
he We're a little tin god. Thank God
that the United States will be with
usr' the men cry. The scene is lively,
noisy highly colored, picturesque, and
not too long.
AS the men are sitting down, Elvira,
the Cuban heroine. approaches. She is
slim young woman, attired very
plainly-in anything but gray or black.
She wears a cheap white collar. no
| jewelry. Her hair is light mot per-
oxide tint and it is arranged in a sort
of fluffy halo around her head. She
is sort of incipient but highly femi-
| nine Joan of Arc. although she doesn't
see things or hear noises. She is not
at all iEh-falutin-merely a practical,
amiable young Cuban girl. unaddicted
to lofty sentiments and claptrap utter
ances.
She is told that the most exhilerating
news has just been received. and is
asked to guess what ii is. She guesses
everything but, the truth, which is
finallY told to her with much delicacy-
as though it was a tit-bit which it
would De unwiSe to reveal all at once.
Elvira is extremely patriotic, but she
forgets her patriotism as soon as the
news about the Maine is brought home
to her. In fact. as far as she is con-
cerneG the Maine seems to be a he,
and all her questions are When will
he be here2" When shall see him ?"
and other indications that there is a
masculine sediment to her thoughts.
The men are very sympathetic, un-
derstand things readily. and Elvira is
thur is one of the lieutenants of the
Maine. 1t has been ages since she has
seen him. She has prayed that he
might come to her. She has imagined
that there was something wrong. for no
letters had been received. And now
and nova happy, denouement was to
Occur AS soon as he reached Havana
probation Of all the men
General Gomez has Just finished his
documents to Mckinley and congress.
They must be taken to Havana Elvira
jumps at the suggestion. May she
take them? 1t is the mission that she
would enjoy above everything. She
will guarantee their safe delivery. She
would be a match for any antagonist
She is tired of being d drone Her Ar
thur is coming. She cannot live through
the time that must elapse before his
arrival unless something be given her
to do.
snc must take some weapon of de-
Tense with her. Funny business with
guns, in the handling of which Elvira
shows herself te be delightfully."- femi-
nine. Che gallery always enjoys that
sort of thing.)
The general gives her a bottle label
cd poison" to carry in her pocket. She
viii feel easier with tn. knowledge that
she has this CHASTITY recipe against at
tack about her Person. The bottle con-
tains a drug, which is narcotic only if
taken in small doses.
Elvira tries to laugh as she pockets
the l.cuid. She places the papers in
side her corset. The men are loud in
protestations against such recklessness.
They crowd to see her off. making a
double file through which she passes.
Good wishes are showered at her. The
general joins in the hubbub. Elvira
passes out. waves her hands to the
men-kisses the tops Of her fingers to
them, and vanishes. Curtain.
ACT II.
In the woods Clumps of trees. Cen
eral desolauon. A Spanish tent at
back of stage Plenty OF sunset-a gor-
gcous Cuban sunset. Spaniards of sin
lister aspect prowl around the tent, sur
veying the preparations for a meal that
are going on. The captain is reading.
He is fat and lazy.)
The men talk in ribald and careless
manner They are sItting rather tired
of this kind of thing-no food, no wine.
no women. Spain is making a fool of
herself. She cannot afford all this Gu
ban business, and bravado is always
expensive. The Spanish government,
they have heard, is tottering on the
verge of bankruptcy. And still the Gu
ban difficulty goes on. The Soaniards
are tired OF it. This sort of life is
pestilentiaL Cuba is nestiiential. They
yearn for the metropolitan delights Of
Madrid, ard the arms OF their far-away
women.
The captain in his tent listens to
their TRADES with a few int >~larded eX-
carnations of contempt, but when they
reach the feminine topics ne signs, and
his contempt changes 10 sympathy He
points TO the supper table. There he
must sit in a few minutes, and eat like
a pig, Just Tor the sake of eating. If
only some little woman would sit oppo-
site to him and cheer him up with her
feminine badinage. He would have two
places laid and pretend that he was not
alone. He would see what his magma
ton would do. He had heard of mag
mary banuuets He had seen them on