The gold leaf., 1910-10-20

ton. North Carolina history easily
parallelled this part OF the story, but
with a strange and terrible domestic
variant upon the general theme. Cleo,
an octoroon, was the virtual ruler OF the
veteran campaigner's home. In an out
break of wrath the Major charged her
with having introduced into his home
against his wishes, his young and pretty
ward, Helen WinslOw.
As the story progressed it was seen
that the inevitable outcome, which
Major Norton had vainly endeavored to
prevent, had in reality come to pass.
For the Majors own son, Tom, a boy of
TWENTY-FIVE fell in love with the beauti-
full young girl who was reared in a
Northern convent. Major Norton order
ed the octoroon to get Helen Winslow
out of the house Immediately. In a high
ly dramatic scene she refused and defied
him.
"Touch that bell to enforce those or
ders," she cried, land in five minutes |
shall be down to the newspaper office
with the history of your private life
That editor doesn't love you. He will
spread the tale OF your infamy broadcast
and your campaign for negro disfran-
chisement will be hopelessly wrecked.
What are you going to do? What are
you going to do?" screamed the
octoroon, yield to my terms-grant me
social equality, the right to preside at
your table, to ride in your carriage--Or
fight?'
"FIGHTr' p replied the Major.
This was the finish of the first act, and
q mighty strong and convincing curtain
ending it proved, being greeted with a
big outburst OF applause. r..
The second act showed the same home
two weeks later, and the return of the
Major from a victorious disfranchise-
ment campaign. He had taken young
Tom Norton with him to keep the boy
away from Helen Winslow, and now
that the campaign was over imagined
he could soon release himself from the
clutch of his octoroon housekeeper. But
things had been happening. Unknown
to the father, the son had slipped back
twice to see Helen. The servants had
helped them. Their romance was fact
accomplished. No recourse remained for
the old Major except to call Helen and
tell her the secret that disgraced her.
In one Of the most deeply pathetic
situations of the entire play the Major
informs Helen that her father was a
white man and her mother a negress.
The girl protests passionately and bit
tery against the damning circumstance
that blasts her every hope OF happiness,
her very belief in the goodness of the
Creator ''I4ie to me!' she cries. ''De-
ceive me as you will!'' seeking vainly an
escape from the unutterable horror of
her position. But the knock-down argu-
ment is effective. She agrees to give
Tom up and efface herself rather than
wreck his career by such a terrible
mesalliance.
But just at this point Tom Norton
steps in and asserts himself. From the
middle of the second act to the close OF
the play, the drama turns itself into a
struggle OF life and death between father
and son. Tom Norton discredits the
story. He calls his father liar. A blow
is struck. Finally, towards the ending
of the second act, the father is astounded
he is already secretly married to Helen.
In the final act the father nerves him
self to the disclosure of the whole state
| OF affairs, part of which up to this point
he has studiOusly concealed. He informs
Tom that Helen's mother is Cleo, the
| octoroon, and the boy, putting the bits
of evidence together at once divines the
| rest OF the story, namely, that with
CleO's hidden power over the Ma or the
| latter is Helen's father. Only death can
| wipe out the family disgrace. Father
and son, reconciled by the awfulness of
| their position, make suicide pact. One
of them is to shoot the other and then
turn the weapon against himself. The
| boy tries to perform the double deed,
| but his courage fails Then the father
starts to pick up the weapon. AS he
reaches for it Cleo runs in at the door
| and interposes between the men. She
was Toms nanny nurse. She nursed
| him and her love for him exceeds her hate
| toward the Major. And so at last drop
| ping her lying intrigues, she tells the alb
| sOlute naked truth.
This is the denOuement OF the play,
Helen is really changeling. Cleo had
an infant daughter by the Major which
| died, and she then substituted a white
| girl baby. Helen was the substitute
| baby. She Is pure white, no kin to Tom,
| and the marriage is valid. The Major at
| last is free from the coils, and the
| octoroon is driven forever from the
| white house.
The hOnors of the performance-and
| they were real honors-went to Miss
| Wright and Robert Barton, as the young
lovers, and to Mrs. Charles G. Craig and
| Arthur Pickens, in the order named as
the funny darkies. Miss Wright showed
rare emotional ability and held every eye
| and ear riveted during the progress of
| the scenes. She was always graceful,
| always captivating in appearance, clear
in diction, unforced in sentiment, and in
the tragic moments deeply pitiful fig
ure. Another remarkable performance
was that of Mrs Craig as Aunt Minerva,
a gem of darkey portraiture that fully
redeemed all the promises made about
it in advance. Miss Lydia Knott was
| convincing in her part as the octoroon.
| Hers was the role of the snake in the
| grass, the creature that knows her power
and exercises it in a baleful way John j.
Pearson, as Major Norton, the man who
had SO generously sinned, gave picture
OF a man sorely stricken and unable to
make headway against the yellow peril
that darkened his home. AS whole the
| cast was satisfactory and missed few OF
the able points made by the playwright.
KINGS Dauohters Razaar