The Washington herald., 1910-09-06
THE NATIONAL.
"The storm.n

yesterday afternoon at the National The
alter. when for the first time on any
stage was produced Langdon McCor-
mick's realistic and poetic melodrama.
THE Storm" II is a play in three acts,
located among the virgin forests Of the
extreme NOrthwest-that stupendOus and
rather weird stage. set by nature at her
widest, where the drama OF life is raw
and without artihciality; where emotions
are primal: where subtleties are not,
but the facts OF life as 1t IS lived face
one hardly. and have in turn 10 be
faced-and fought.
In such setting Mr.. Mccormick. who
IS an old hand at making melodrama.
has sensed the fact that the hyperbole
Of regular melodrama is a triie out of
place: that highfaluting words and ex-
travagant action would not do. He has
built. instead a play that relies for its
appeal and its interest on the verify OF
its emotions on the frankness OF its
moral issue; and. with It all. he has sue
Ceeded in creating a drama with melo-
dramatic tendencies that has, in It's way,
as much and as fine symbolism as ever
was written into the turgid lines OF
drama OF Maeterlinck.
AT the head of the programme OF the
play there Is a quotation from Kipling:
But there is neither east west. border
breed. birth:
When two strong men meet face 20 face tho they
come from the ends Of the earth.
1t IS neither apt nor apropos. For
the two men in this play can not be
described so One is strong; the other
weak.
The first act shows the heart OF the
forest just outside the cabin OF Burr
Winton. He has been forest man all
his life-a brute man. II you will for so
he describes himself. but he is a clean
man, too, as strong men are clean. David
Stewart is a tenderfoot from the East:
man Of some grace and education. and
Winton cottons 10 him and takes him as
his partner. Together they made a bond
of friendship and partner ship; they carve
their initials on one Of the big cedars
that tower 10 the sky as a bond Of what
IS between them It is the beginning Of
winter; the Indians. the trappers. and all
are going ont before the SHOWS come and
the trail closes. These two men are to
stay the winter out together But. at
the last minute. there comes one Jacques
Packard, a French trapper. and his
daughter. Jacques has been caught
smuggling and shot by the Canadian
mounted police The girl Is very pretty
and very innocent Both men are taken
with her. Each has a chance 10 speak
with her alone when il is settled that
her father is so badly wounded that he
must stay with them till the spring comes.
1t is plain 10 see that both fall in love
with her at once. 1t is the younger man,
David Stewart. who seems to have the
greatest appeal, and when he takes her
into the cabin TO see her father Il is 20
leave Burr Winton outside. his back to
one Of the great cedars, while the first
snow OF the season begins to fall II IS
the gate that shuts them all out from
the outside world What drama is 10 be
played between these two men and the
one lone girl must be fought out. men
tally, morally. or physically, amid the
wastes of the frozen North
In the second act Jaques Packard IS
dead. The girl is alone with the two
men. SO far they have got along fairly
well. though. as there is love for the girl
In the soul Of each. the tension is appar-
ent. The girl recognizes little OF f. she
is essentially primitive. She has known
no man but her father. who has told her
all men are rogues. all but Burr Winton.
for when he proves to be kind to her she
says. quite simply:
Now 1 know why my father say you
one Gam good man"
It is quite inofensive because its sin
certify is so marked.
But It is in the second act that the
younger man assails the older for having
fallen In love with Mannette His ideas
OF life he has CLEANED from books To
him Burr Winton is a brute, glorying in
his strength. He insists, as a boy will.
that it is he alone who truly loves the
girl. He has dreamed dreams Of taking
her away in the spring to civilization and
its Joys. He says that Mannette has been
left 20 them as a sacred charge and that
they must cherish her. But already. Sc
cretly. Mannette has made her choice.
She loves Stewart like a brother; adrnires
him and trusts him. but it Is Burr Win
ton that she has kissed and loved. and II
IS he who has made love seem wonderful
10 her. And AT the end Of the act when
night falls IT is Burr Winton 20 whom she
goes.
The third act takes place, as does the
second. inside the log cabin The ten
sion has increased. and already Stewart
feels that he has lost. The realization
has come that there are not enough
provisions to last the winter out.
It also develops that. In the hope OF
getting rid Of Winton, Stewart has been
stealing the provisions and hiding them.
He is such a tenderfoot that there is
scant hope Of his getting to the settle
ments after more food; yet some one must
go. The two men send Mannette to
bed, and they start 10 play a game of
cards to see who shall go. The game is
played squarely and Stewart loses, but
as he loses he draws n revolver and tries
10 kill Winton. The fight is interrupted
by Mannette, and a sort OF peace Is
patched up. but the streak Of yellow
has shown in Stewart. and it shows still
further when he allows Mannette to
think the woRt of winton and Will not
avow the truth. When she has gone TO
bed again he slips into Winton's room
and breaks his arm. but again Man
nette interferes.
Then Il Is that the truth comes out
that she has loved Burr Winton an
along. An Indian comes in to bring the