Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-01-14

known American musician and critic.
The Whitney Mockridge company
appears at the Illinois Friday even
ing.
There is charm about"Yon Ydn-
son" that appeals to all classes of
people. IL is not necessary to un-
1erstand Swedish to enjoy the de
| lightful comedy, the quaint dialect
and the pathetic bits. in the play.
The cast for this season, including
Knute Erickson and Annie Mack
3erlein, is the best ever sent out by
Managers Thall q Kennedy.
MacDoyyen Next.
OF the attractions To vistit the
| Illinois theatre this season there is
none of more Importance or worthy
the consideration of the playgoer
than the production tomorrow even
ing of La Tocsa by Melbourne Mac
Dowell and Miss Florence Stone. sup
ported by company equal to any
that has ever shared the play with
Mr.. MacDowell. Mr.. Mcdowell has
been identified with the Sardou
drama for many seasons. He stands
today first among the players of the
romantic and legitimate drama and
his creation of lie Baron Scarpia in
La Tosca is described as a feature
of the stage. Miss Stone, who as CO.
star with Mr.. Mcdowell. shares
with him the honors of the play.
comes to us with :, wealth of praiss,
from press and public as to her tai
ent and personal beauty, and is pro-
claimed an ideal Flora Tocsa Brief
~ told the story of La Tosca is as
follows: La Tosca, an Italian girl
of the time of the first Napoleon. is a
singer whose voice gains the ear of
the court and favor of Queen Car
oline. She loves win all the inten-
sity of her race and nature Il young
painter, Mario Cavardossi. One day
young free thinker. arrested on
>uspicion that he was dreaming of
revolution and liberty, escaped and
sought the protection of Mario. The
artist succeeds in affecting the cs-
cape and holds him in a secret place,
in his own country home. La Tosca,
jealousy suspecting that the fugi-
tive of whom she hears is woman.
follows Mario and unconsciousIy
learns her error, but before she can
lover are seized by the police ana
both refusing to reveal the hiding
place of the fugitive, the lover, |
Mario, is tortured in sight and hear
ing of La Tosca until she can bear
the agony no longer and points out |
the hiding place of the fugitive, who
is dragged forth dead, killed by his |
own hand. Mario is condemned to |
death for his part in helping the |
fugitive to escape. The project of |
police, lie Baron Scarpia. offers to
save him at the price of the honor of |
La Tosca. She is driven to a mock |
assent, and having secured, as she |
the safety of her lover, |
strikes the baron to the heart with Il |
dagger. Then she goes to cheer her |
lover with the news of the escape |
which has been cOntrived. The sol |
Ilicrs who are to fire upon him are |
by La ToSca. in accordance
with the direction of the baron, tt
fire blank cartridges. But thu baron
has cheated her with the Pretense
and she sees her lover fall, learning
too late that the muskets were load
ed to kill. Then, in frenzy, she &c
nounces the vile trickSter whom she
has stabbed. confesses her act and
falls across the body of her dead
lover riddled with the shots from the
guns of soldiers. The play is hand
somely mounted and will undoubted-
" be one of the best of the seasons
offerings.