The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-12-03


Victoria Cross, an apostle of the pru.
rent. once published a book called
Lies Shop Window" which was
widely talked about. chiefly because of
us clement OF ugliness Therefore.
Wneh Mr." Cliff Gordon, as he IL
carefully programmed, comes mooch-
ing around and presents a play of the
same name the curious hot foot II 70
the Bijou looking for something that
may need the assistance OF the asbestos
at any minute. Last night the ex
pectant multituGe filled that play
mouse 10 It's very police seats. and
"hdt oid II see? 'I-ife's Shop Win
COW with the blinds closed tight.
All mat goes to make the works Of
victoria Cross salab had been elm
mated. and nothing remained ettb.-
OF lie or Of its shop window. In
short. somebody had double-orosseo
Victoria, and the audience was-w.Ii
disappointed
East Lynne" is an unexpurza,.n
rrehch farce compared with it. and
me Old Homestead" a glittering ex-
position OF gilded wickedness Tba.
was one saddened audience.
IL Is wrong TO say that nothing Of
IKE remained in this play" ~.
oarnyard fowls were real. and there
was fat, round-eyed. living babv
VINO proved that he, she or II was aeve
" acting with that 1endish ingenuity
mat distinguishes all real babte.
ms one remained DelestialIy quiet
"heh u didn't matter in the least
.housh 1t allied with what we later
learned was Machiavcllian malevolence
at the time We thought 1t was lust
/ sheer oabyness. foolishness, ordinary
iofocy that made II smile But when
us mother and IL were hidden in a
tent in redlit secrecy and IT'S father
stood within six feet OF the tent and
demanded of the villain his strayfns
VIE that nisled. erring infant flIed
It's mighty lungs with the Arizona
ozone and let out howl after nowI-
saaccato. crescendo, fortissimo-untfI
the father, the mother. the villain and
the Indian girl doubtless wondered
why great church had ever modified
one Of its sternest tenets.
The first Of the four acts is laid in
England. We know that because the
farmers speak as they do in Way
Down East" The villain enters-"an
English aristocrat' the program has il
and we know him to be an aristoCrzt
in a minute by his striped flannel
trousers, and a villain by his graz
temples and a little stick with which
10 switch his legs. After a lot OF con-
versation, the act draws to a elise
We have been asked by the program
please to remain quiet during a trans
formation scene" during which eight
hours are supposed 10 elapse. and We
certainly do keep quiet. The stage
grows dark, somebody bangs a .hun-
der drum, another flashes some sheet
lightning. and we hear the patter OF
rain while the poor girl is lying on
the hay. Still silence and sympathy:
that hay must be getting wet Then
from the wings two shafts OF light
from slide lamps shoot out and cross,
and. at their intersection. trickleS one
single. shining. futile little stream OF
intermittent drops from the weeping
clouds up in the flies. The house gig
giles the little stream becomes discour-
aged. waivers and stops. and up comes
the sun.
Second act: America. Hot dry. bisz-
ing Arizona. Again comes the villain,
this time ne wears a red sweater, and
heavy corduroy coat and cap. He
doesn't mind the heat: he is a must
clan. so he cuddles his vanished violin
to his chin, turns his bach 10 the
house. and Nose stein. in the first en-
trance. plays -Traumerie" and dreams
again Il don't know whether you ap-
peal to my heart or TO my intellect"
cries the heroine in her agony OF
spirit and then comes in an Indian.
with blue eyes and a Miles;an face.
and it's all or for the moment
And then there are two more acts.
". Douglas Gordon