The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1908-12-17
NOT GUILTY, MY LORD!

ed by a Large Audi enc
Which Went Away Immense
ly Pleased With the Perfor-
nance.
WAS she to Blame?" the at
traction at the Opera House Tues
day evening, was witnessed by
a large crowd that enjoyed the
play immensely. All the charac-
ters took their parts we'll, with |
the single exception of the man
who acted Bruno Severn, one of |
the principal characters. He was
very much of a stick. But all |
the same, the play on the whole
was very good.
There were no programmes,
which left the audience to pick |
it's way through, which didn't
really matter, except to let one
know who was who, and why. |
Briefly, the story, which is full
of human interest, is this: Diana !
Balfour, orphan daughter Of an
artist, is left the ward of Bruno |
Severn, whose life Diana's father
at one time saved. Diana lives
for a year after her fathers
death with her aunt, a simple
minded, frivolous old maid who
is very much bent upon marriage !
Bye and bye Bruno Severn comes
to take Diana to his home, falls
in love with her-or pretends
that he does-and asks her to
marry him. Diana, a simple,
pure child of nature, refuses at
first, but is urged by her aunt to
accept and finally consents, in
her simplicity and pure-hearted-
ness having no conception of the
real meaning of the relation, and
the performance of the marriage
ceremony by Elam (accent on the
lam, please) Washington Pan
cake, J. P, justice of the peace,
closes the first act. An interval
of a year elapses and the second
act reveals Diana in her new
home, tyranized over by her hus-
band and his sister, both cold
blooded, unspeakable wretches
who make her life a hell and de-
ny her even the care Of her in
fant son. Their cruelty and heart
lessness drive Diana to self-as-
sertion, and when she has reason
to believe that her husbands
sister has killed her child with
an overdose Of medicine she de-
nounces them both and leaves,
vowing never to return. After
the lapse of II years the third
act reveals Diana as the happy
wife of Lord CurZon, surrounded
by every luxury. She had fought
her own way in the world and
finally married under the belief
that her husband was dead. Lord
Curzon sends for a young artist
to paint his wife's picture, and
the young artist proves to be
Diana's son. Fast upon the heels
| of the sons appearance come the
, father, who pursues his wife
with the fiendish purpose OF
wrecking her happiness. He goes
to London to see his son, dis
: covers Diana, claims her as his
, wife. Diana denies all knowledge
: of him, he denOunces her to LOrC
Curzon, who demands proof. In
the fourth act the proof is fur
, nished, Severn dies suddenly in
his blind hatred, Lord Curzon's
:. devotion wins the day, he takes
Diana to his heart again-and al.
+ ends happily.
!. Elan Washington Pancake,
f Ephriam and Martha Ann Hop
+ ton supplied plenty Of comedy,
Elan was a whole show in him
+ self. Diana was good, so was
: Lord Curzon, so also was the
maiden aunt; and when the self.
same woman who acted the part
4 of the maiden aunt appeared il
: the role of the sister of Sever
r she was so hatefully perfect ir
Y the part that one wanted to wiring
t her neck. AS observed in the
e outset, Bruno Severn was a stick
s an automaton. He said his line
4 like a machine that was wounC
up, and he looked all the while
like he just hated to be so dev
n ilish and like he wanted tn
e audience to know for sure tina
:, he wasn't really that way at all
q that he hated to do it but he hat
r to play the part.
+ But that criticism aside, tn
i. show was all to the good and on
1t of the largest audiences that eve
r witnessed a play at the Oper
y House went away immensel
u pleased with the performance
=, ~ And everybody went away pre-
! pared to swear, too, that she wa
- not to blame at all, except fC
Il doing so much unnecessary lyin
"a - when simple explanation woul
,e have saved the day-but that, t
20 20 use Kipling's famous phrase,
=, - another story.
so A Too1n infant 1ncc than q do