The Washington herald., 1911-01-31
THE BEL.ASCO.

Dou~las Fairbanks in "The Cub"
Down in Letcher County. KY. where
green-clad hills rub shoulders under the
bluest of skies, Judge White owned
couple of fine, fat pigs He was extremely
fond Of these household pets. and they
spent many happy hours romping around
in the combination parlor and dining,
room of the judges cabin But one day
old Noah Renlow rode down from his
mountain home and annexed one OF the
porcine brothers, whereupon Judge White
swore to get him." The process of ac-
quiring Noah consisted in hiding behind
a stump on the roadside, accompanied by
light battery Of portable artillery, and
puncturing Noah's anatomy with sundry
leaden pellets of A caliber as he rode by
in the moonlight. The transaction re-
suited most satisfactorily for the Judge
and fatally for the pig poacher.
This happened-really happened-about
fifteen years ago. Since then-until every
thing was settled peacefully by Douglas
Fairbanks at the Belasco Theater last
night-it has been the mission of every
distant relative of the two principals to
the porker incident to cause the sudden
site faction.
At the time of the opening OF Thompson
Buchanan's farcicaI satire, ''The Cub"
twenty-one Removes and Whites had
shuff1ed of this mortal coil in violent
fashion in honor of the sacred purloined
pig. The blood feud had been in a stage
of comparative quiescence for several
years. owing to the scarcity of Renlowe
targets for the White gunner, but the
pleasantries had broken out afresh, and
''Marse Henry Watterson. of the Louis
vile Courier Journal, had decided to send
reporter to the scene of the bulletfeSt.
According to the cub reporters own
confession. his assignment to the big
story came about through the absence
on vacation of the papers star reporter
You don't want a reporter on that
job. anyway" said 'Marse Henry" to his
managing editor. You want id
fool
So the Cub packed several valises full
of glad ''rah-rah'' garments and evening
clothes and took the train to the noun
tains
He reaches the White camping ground
at Whitesburg just as the old judge and
number of White faction leaders have
decided upon a war of determination on
the Removes. The Cub arrives on a
donkey-a capital actor of a donkey, rem
dered not in the least Sef-conScious by
the glare of the footlightS. With the
brashness of youth the Cub leads Judge
White to believe he was sent especially
TO see that the White faction received
fair treatment in the newspapers, and he
is welcomed as a blood brother Prompt
ly he falls in love with Alice Bentley.
one of the Removes. but who during the
lull in the feud had been permitted to
live in WhiteSburg as a Schoolmarm.
The first act closes with an alarm. The
Removes are coming Several Whites
start up the trail with their guns loose.
but the leader calls them back, and
handing the Cub huge colt says: Let
the kid have a chance at 'em first" The
curtain falls upon violent effort on the
part of the kid to depart hence
The second act discloses a function
called THE Truce Dance Here both
factions gather. glare. dance, and drink
moonshne whisky by the dipperful out
of huge buckets. and talk feelingly and
succinctly of what a melee there will he
when the festivities are over and they
can meet at guns points on the highway
outside.
Steve Oldham. the Cub. is present in
full evening dress. officiating as floor
committee" Being a peaceable young
chap of pleasant. if somewhat brash,
manners he views the prospective en-
counter with comic dismay. but he has
been branded as 'White.' and it's up
TO him to make good. He unwillingly
Lecomes entangled in "A betrothal with
grotesque specimen of mountain girl.
daughter of a White leader the county
coroner. and extremely anxious to cause
occasion for his official services. This
complication results in more serious
one. when, at the close of Virginia
reel. the Cub is forced by country dance
tradition to choose girl and after a
moment of painful embarrassment takes
the little Renlowe school-teacher in his
arms.
He is now an outcaSt from both fac
tions, and when he turns up at the Rem
lowe cabin in the third act his death iS