The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-10-31
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ADJUSTMENTS;
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. + oIks."

county, as7s foa S but its rur picture is
at all suggestive Of the simple ltfe.ssaFar,
far froniait.. A sWeekNon "a city avenue,
withsits Whizzing selaetric ears, Intrusive
automobiles and throigs Of people would
be restful and commonplace tin compari-
son with a few days. stay in the little
Illinois village Of Red OAK in 1857, accord
ing to G. T. Darcy. Imagine such gayeties
the next, and on the third, oh, JOY, g
3picnics DOWN the river with a real steam
Boat to carry the 1nerrymakers, accom-
panied by a band, to such bucolic amuse-
ments as a creased pole,> a. creased pig
and sack races. Tangled In and around
all these happy rustic gatherings is a
threatened tragedy caused by the pres
ence Of Dan F<intren and his band Of
guerilla horsethieves in the river bottoms.
Altogether, Mr.. Dazeys melOdrama is a
good play, and a very clean one, with all
the thrills that srightfully belong to- a
melodrama judicially distributed thru the
four acts, and altho the characters are
those always found in rural play they
are SO well drawn by author and actors
that you do not mind meeting them
again
? Edwin Arden makes Of John Selby, the
hero and youngest captain In Illinois, a
very manly and helpful young fellow,
who rescues everybody, including himself,
from every danger, captures the villains
and wins his sweetheart. And when the
curtain falls you are as sure that he has
a seat in the next Legislature as tho you
heard him take the=@oath Of office. Jo-
| seph Smiley, as the rival candidate, Paul
! Niles, is most unpleasantly, dictatoria
and artful, but Is finally brought to JUS
! tice by his rival and q little red book
containing full evidence of his betrayal
of his friends and ne1ghbors which he un-
wisely has in his pocket. Joe Hawkins
the shiftless fisherman and fiddler, fits
! Archie Boyd like a. glove, and his honely
humor is infectious. Thomas Ince does
very we'll as Walter Clayton the brother
| of the heroine, who ran away from home
and became entangfed In the Kintrel
gang and who allows himself to be res
cued from the threatened lynching fol-
horse stealing. Charles Newton as S
| Heckle, the storekeeper, with his cack.
| ling laugh, Arthur Sanders as old Ma
| Niles, the richest man of the village, anc
| William H. Burton as Squire Andrews, al
| rivals for the favor Of the Widow Selby
form a trio Of amusing village characters
Kate Lester is very serene and moth
erly as Mrs. selby, the object of the at
| tentions Of the three cronies. Mar.
| Ryan Is charming as Ruth Clayton. .Wht
came from St. Louis to find her brother
and is invited to stay with the selbys ant
be "ies home folks Matte Ferguson
as Polly Hopkins, the hired girl Of tn
period. was as much a member of tn
family as servant and took her part |,
4 the merry-makings with funny energy
Mabel Brownell is Sis Durkin, the bot
4 tomite, who helps the hero untangle tn
snarl There are round dozen boys an,
girls who play and squa bible, go a-fishin
and a-swimmin' In true child fash
ion. The costumes are in the quain
style Of the late sixties and the Wome
manage their hoopskirts with astonish
Ing ease. OF course, there is a quartet
quartet is a necessary feature Of rura
melodrama-but this, one sings the oil
war songs that meant 50 much to tn
American people Of that period. in
manner that makes them really a par
OF the play. IF. r. Sterrett