Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1910-04-06
PICTURES AT THE OFERA
HOUSE TONIGHT.
THE COURTSHIP OF MILES
STANDISH.

Niles Standish as We all know, wa!
a man among men, warrior wht
knew no fear in battle, but who wa:
very timid and abashed when it came
TO the wooing of the maid Priscilla
Therefore we see him requesting his
young comrade, John Alden, to go to
Priscilla and give her a bunch of may
flowers as a token of his love. John
goes to her, and sincere in his devo-
ton to his friend, tells her of the
strength Of character and of the no.
bility of the man who has sent him to
her. He pleads, but his pleading has
the wrong effect, for the maid loses
her heart to him But JOHN cannot
understand, and so he goes on urging
the suit of his friend. explaining, per-
suading, speaking OF the courage and
skill of Standish and of all his battles
in Flanders, until finally the truth
dawns upon him as she archly smiles
at him, and withta&remulous voice,
whispers, why don't you speak for
yourself, John?"
Heart-torn betwixt love for the maid
and duty to Standish, John returns
home. At first we find him in despair
as to how to tell his friend the true
gtate of affairs, and then we see
Standish with THE whole naked truth
upon his awakened senses, about to
plunge his sword into the heart of his
young friend: John Alden, you have
supplanted, defrauded, betrayed me,
Miles Standish, your friend. One of
my ancestors ran his sword through
the heart of Wat Taylor; who shall
prevent me from running my own
through the heart of a traitor?"
So he speaks, and Alden, always the
scholar, and yet fearless, awaits the
death blow But the scene is inter
ruDted, for news of an Indian out
rage is reported to Standish, and
buckling on the weapon with which he
had threatened John, he rushes from
his cabin to gather his men for action
and for defense of wives and sweet
hearts.
The scene shiftan2pd We see before
US an assembly ~NQpsn, rugged, war
beaten, determf6,d The council is on,
debate is held as to self-protection, and
determination Of the Indian is decided,
unless they smoke the pipe of peace.
Now let us wander to the Atlantic
shores, where We see the Pilgrims de-
iyering their mail to one who viii
bear it all to the home of their birth
across the ocean, on the vessel May
flower" Again the scene changes, and
we see Miles Standish, after a three
days march, at an Indian encamp-
ment, pitched on the edge of a
| meadow, between the sea and the
forest. A parley ensues between
white and red, wherein Pecksuot tells
Standish that he and his braves will
sweep the whites from their land.
Angered at such a defiance, Standish
grabs the red mans knife and plunges
it into his breast. As he does this,
Wattawamat drives his own knife into
the back of our Plymouth captain. A
fight ensues and the Indians are driven
over the embankment and into the sea.
Fortunately Standish RECEIVERS, and
eventually, after many Eardships and
physical trials, he begins to think of
the maid, Priscilla, more as a daugn-
ter than as one he would wed. So he
goes to her home. He sees her IN the
arms Of the man she loves, John Alden.
He, poor youth, still conscious of that
word "betrayer," the last that his
friend had called him, expects further
rebuke, but he is mistaken, for with
smile of benediction, Standish takes
the hand of the maid and the hand of
the youth, and joining them, smiles
his appreciation of two well-met, we'll
loved, and we'll united