The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-03

sounds trivial and commonplace, but
 stage.
 And the few electric moments on the
 stage that preceded the shooting, no-
 body who saw the play will forget
 them. The audience learned the real meaning of life and death fight-the intense tragedy of 1t when men hunt each other down with guns in their hands.
 MT. Farnum is a fortunate young
 man. Fate and MT. Mister put him in book and in a play. MT. Mister did
 not know it, but Dustin Farnum was the man he drew when he was paint ing with his pen the pictures within his brain.
 Mir. Farnum has been a cowboy, we are told. This knowledge explains more things than the fact that he is
 able to draw a gun" quicker than any other man on the American stage. It explains his vitality. his shy strength. his subtle poetry and picturesqueness They come of the lonely night rides with the cattle herd, the fresh green grass under foot and the arched sky overhead sprinkled with stars. Times | like these rouse, nameless hidden thoughts, and in them are born a bet | ter understanding and deeper love of nature, and there comes, too. that rare feeling of comradeship between man and beast, the comradeship of nature and of loneliness.
 The subtle physical and vital strength that comes of all this, was in MT. Farnums work. His indefin-
 able charm Cor the Eastern school teacher was understood. The Virgin | ian's strength was the strength of na- | tufe, and MT. Farnum showed 1t in his
 handsome face and fine physical pro- | portions.
 In the emotional scenes he was IT, reproachable. and in the humorous l scenes he was artistic enough, yet there were times when one thought he overworked the emotional. As deeply as Mir. Farnum Is indebted | to MT. Mister for the character role | In which he has attained fame. equally | as much is he indebted to Kirk La | Shelle for the character of the com pany which Is supporting him. It Is l notable organization, a splendid road | company. There are men in that com- pany who have starred and who have
 starred to good purpose. too. There is. for instance, Frank Monroe. who last season scored local triumph
 as The Earl of Pawtucket," and yet
 he is in this fine company playing the
 subordinate role of Honey Wiggin. But he was playing it to the top notch of its possibilities. A fine portrayal was | this cowboy character. of Mir. Monroe's. Not a whit less meritorious was the | work of that clever character actor | Guy Bates Past as Steve. The finest, | truest piece of emotional portrayal
 seen on the local stage in many days was Mir. Bates picturing the mental | processes of Steve as he Is led out to
 be hanged
 Nobody would care to see a villain
 better played than the way in which | Frank Campeau did Trampas. There | were green laurels of the evening that ! went Mir. Campeau's way.
 Frank Nelson, who is not so well
 known here as the others. did a fine bit of humorous work as Baldey.
 another of. the COW boys.
 Miss Helen Holmes did the Vermont l school teacher who fell in love with, the 1 picturesque Virginian. Miss Holmes. | while pretty and attractive, does not | rely upon her looks for her stage ef- fects. She Is of the petite order and was at first sight a little disappointing but when the occasion called for abil ity. 1t was all there. She went into all the incidents and the very few
 climaxes with fire. with spirit and with intelligence.
 Miss Marie Pettes. who made so fa- vorable an impression here last year
 with The Earl of Pawtucket," had but
 little chance as Mrs. Henry, but what
 she did, she did excellently. The same thing is to be said of Miss Marquita Dwight, as Mrs. ogden. It
 Is pity these fine actresses had not more opportunities.
 4 packed house greeted MT. Farnum and his company. In view of the pneu
 monia weather, 1t was a remarkable | audience.
 The star was given an enthusiastic
 reception. After six curtain calls. he
 came to the footlights and thanked the
 audience for the greeting accorded him
 on his first visit to Montgomery.