The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-13

him off and kills him with a knife.
, Tableau. Curtain.
Act 8 returns to the castle of Grand
pre- The Prussians are still drinking
and smoking and incidentally murder
ing inoffensive peasants. Hugo APP
pears and is hidden in the chapel
which the Prussians have agreed 10
leave undisturbed till the bell shoulu
ring for service. The wife of the de-
ceased Baudin appears with the
bloody knife to cry for vengeance 10
the Prussian general.
Eric, now crushed and repentant
aVoWs himself the murderer, and is
placed under arrest While he retires
to write to the old folks at home
Yvonne returns, and it appears she be-
lieves Eric accomplished his purpose
during her faint, and that Baudin was
slain in defending her. Her brother
discovers this, and swears to kill the Sc
Queer. So does Baudin's wife, but
Yvonne finally persuades her that her
own is the greater wrong, and there
fore hers the right of vengeance. Ac-
cordingly Yvonne stabs Eric in the
back with the knife, and Immediately
repents in her turn. Hugo, coming on
with revolver to finish her work, is
stopped by Yvonne's ordering the
Angelus bell to be rung. why haVeyou
rung the chapel bell?" 1 ring it for the
| dead" Tableau, Curtain
Last act, still in the castle. Yvonne's
love has grown tremendously in the in
tervening two hours. She conceals the
wounded Eric in her own chamber and
forbids her brother Hugo to pass
through, thereby cutting off his only
way of escape from the pursuing Prus-
slams. Eric, more humane, gives Hugo
a horse, and directs his way of escape.
The commanding general proffers Eric
pardon from arrest If he Will under
take a dangerous mission. He accepts,
and with it YVonnes hand and heart.
Tableau. Curtain.
From this necessarily bald and imper-
| feet synopsis the reader can construct
| his own criticism of the play. Paul M.
! Potter, who first won notoriety as edit
or of Town Topics, during the most
unsavory portion of that highly-spiced
! Journals career, WTote--Or, as his enc
mics say, adapted-the piece; and, in
| deed, it is very like a Town Topics tale.
! No one can dispute that the workman
ship is of the best. The atmosphere of
war lives in the piece, with it's fierce
excitement, abandon and hard-heart-
| edness, The cold insolence of the con-
quering Prussians, with the stern die
ton, "Prussian will is French law,
could not be more clearly portrayed by
| a thousand historical works; and all
the devices of a skilled playwright are
used almost with genius. But its les
sons and influence are thoroughly bad
and, altogether, it were better it had
| never been written.
| The company maintained its high
reputation. Mr.. Favershams Eric Won
Rodck was the best part we have seen
I him play. His conception was excel
| lent and he met his distasteful scenes
with a delicacy and tact that covered
as far as possible their unpleasantness
/ Messrs. Backus, Berrimo, Wheelock
/ Standing and Misses Millward, Busley
and Moretti all were more than praise
worthy, and Miss Robson deserves just
a little special mention for a quaint Bit
of character work as the leader of the
dancing girls. One unfortunate pause
in the first act, when both players or
the stage CROPPED for their lives fol
nearly a minute, made the audience
think in dismay OF 1.-The Chorus Girl
but the danger soon passed 1t could
hardly have been insufficient rehearsals
/ for the first rehearsal was held on this
same Worcester Theatre stage at the
time of the Under the Red Robe en-
gagement last winter, and there doubt
less have been several others since
| then