New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-01-27
BY ARTHUR RUBL.


Jim Hawkins had cattle ranch out in
the Bitter Root country. Montana. lie
was an od-fashioned cattleman--monarch
OF all he surveyed and used to taking
what he wanted OF the outdoors and ask
ing leave OF nobody.
lie had come ont into Beaver Creek
Valley when il took fighting to get there,
made his own trails. built his own ford
and ranch house and dug himself out
Of twenty feet OF snow through thirty
years Of Montana winters. Society had
never helped him and he asked nothing
Of society, nor did he intend to obey
when IL came along. after his rough work
was over, with it's twittering forest rang
ers. game wardens and so on.
There are still cattlomen here and there
OF this old-fashoned, sort In the remoter
parts OF the West-men who don't see
why they can't cut timber when they
want IT, who won't move from the ranch
houses they've been squatting I'm for a
generation until the governments new
reclamation dam backs up the water and
browns them out.
There have been n good many editorials
and articles and a few stories written
about this clash between the old-fash-
toned pioneer individualism and the new
gospel Of state and government law ana
the greatest good for the greatest num-
Der but not many plays. 1t is the thor
oughly American and decidedly interest
ing theme of Elizabeth Reads play
Heap Game Watch" presented by the
Stage Society of New York at the
I,vceum Theatre yesterday afternoon.
And the start of It. with old Jim
Hawkins and his men, sweeping the fried
elk steak off the table-they had shot the
elk out Of season-and hastily sncine
bacon and putting 1t on to broil as the
hrisk Young game warden came IN, was
amusing and full of promise. 1t was pleas
ant enough TO get away from Broadway
and the usual dollhouse themes and out
Of doors into mans row so Thoroughly
OF our own country and time.
Miss Reads play scarcely gre" as J..
should with the second and third acts ~
was Hawkinss daughters determination
70 run away with a married man -ne'
IA tber had always done as he wanted w.
she argued. and set his own INSIDE la"
above anv outside law that society tIleu
10 impose on him, and she was he,
fathers daughter-!t was TINS uheApeo.eu
boomerang which opened the old cattle
mans mind 10 the importance OF obedience
to something bigger than indiViuua' "i'.'
and sent him down to the county scat ~
give himself up.
THE method by which the old egoist Is
brought to time is interesting ana not
unnlausible. but the means by when the
outhor reaches her denouement are 100
obvtous and naive. The less important
characters are pecked at rather than de-
vcloped. the drift things are to take Is
coon apparent and the ensuing action
Inning and trickllng rather than rusn-
ING stream. The play as its STANDS Is
not much OF play, although nau
qualities of freshness here and there VI
the dialogue as well as In the tneme'
which made it quite as pleasant as many
we'll made piece of more conventional
! cut.
/ John Cone was quite at home of course
as the old cattleman. Thomas A. WISE
v,ss another. and Ferdinand Gottschaih
tho Young game warden. There
seemed TO be no particular reason loi
playing the latter in quite the conVeh,
tional SILLY ass fashion. monocle ana
all. that Mr.. Gottschalk used, although
he IS SO expert and amusing at that sor'
of thing that one was not especially sorry
| he did II.
The radiant Miss Gail Kane played
the part of the ranchman's rebellious
daughter In a very curious way. indeed
That Miss Kane is good looking NOBODY
can deny and very bright-eyed ana
cheerful but the audience was there to
gee. not Miss Kane as she might appear
il she were to go fishing for crabs and
null ND a bucket of diamonds, but jim
Hawkins's daughter Nance, who first de-
cided TO run away and then decided moi
to and was broken-heartedly crying
But what the hell am I going to do = as
the curtain went down. And Miss Kane
played It all through with-so far as her
| face was concerned-not a ripple OF grle'
or even mlsgiving, bright as one OF th'
new nickels and keen as mink