The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1916-11-16
SPECIALS AT THE IDLE HOUR.
Marguerite Clark in "Wildflower"
Friday, and PavlOwa in "!The
Dumb Girl of POrtici" Monday.

guerite Clark returns to the Idle
Hour Friday in beautiful character
ization of "Wildflower" in four
parts. 1t is delightful tale of sweet
innocence and eternal youth, show
ing the lights and shadows of the
sun-kissed forest and the depths and
shadows of human life. The story
follows:
In the beautiful woodland drama
of "Wildflower," by Mary Germaine,
Marguerite Clark portrays the char
acter of the dainty and beWitching
little forest flower, whose real name
is Lefty. Lefty Roberts, a pretty and
unsophisticated child of nature,
dreams and frolics her time away on
a little farm on the edge Of the
woods, far from the city. One day a
stranger comes, Arnold Boyd, a
wealthy man who has chosen the Sc
clusion of the forest as a rest from
wearisome society duties. He meets
Lefty, and is delighted with her
daintiness and fragile beauty, and at
once makes friends with the shy lit
tie creature of the woods. He thinks
of her only as an interesting child,
however, and when visited by his
BY his own confession "a constant
worshipper at the shrine of woman"
Arnold views with alarm and discom-
fort Gerald's flirtatious attitude to-
v,ord little Lefty Gerald halls Ar
nold's nickname Of "Wildflower," as
!, p.opTiate to Lefty, and begins an
ardent courtship of the child-woman,
whose innocence and ignorance lead
her to mistake the dross for gold. At
ter tempestuous wooing, Lefty is
swept off her feet by the impetuous
Gerald and elopes with him. Arnold
learns of the elopement, and immedi-
ately pursues the pair, reaching them
just after the wedding ceremony has
been concluded. After a struggle
with his brother, Arnolds knocks
Gerald down, and by means of train
and auto spirits Lefty away from
her new-made husband, despite her
desperate efforts to escape, all of
which he thwarts. Arnold takes Let
ty to the old Fifth Avenue mansion
of the Boyds in New York, and intro
duces her there to the members of
the household as his wife, telling
Lefty this course is necessary to pro-
tect her reputation, but not fully ex-
planning why. Even Lettys parents,
who know of the elopement, do not
know which of the Boyds she has
married Overcome by Arnold's ar
guments and masterful manner, Let
ty reluctantly consents to remain in
the Boyd home for time, as Ar
nold's wife in name only" till such
a time as Gerald should come to
claim her, which she is sure will be
soon. The situations which follow
swiftly illustrate in turn Letty's ig-
norance of the world, her natural in
nocence, her unfamiliarity with the
customs and manners of society, her
hot temper, and finally, her generos-
ity and sympathy. The strange secret
that Arnold is guarding from her is
at last revealed, and there is a
mighty REIMBURSEMENT of relations
The stern elder brother, who had at
reputation and guard his own family
honor, now comes to dream only OF
love. There is tremendous renun-
citation on Letty's part, that at first
almost brushes the delicate girl. but
becomes less terrible as she realizes
the noble nature of the man who has
guarded her. At the crisis of the
drama her own strength and char
acter is the determining force; the
wild flower of the woods becomes as
a flaming bush, before which both
men bow in awe of an innocence as
defensive as the strongest armor. AS
Lefty grows to know Arnold better
she finds that the older brother is
not the cruel master she had thought
him, but the finer man of the two,
and at last the dropping little Wild
flower revives and blooms happily in
the garden of Arnold's faithful love.
Usual matinee at 3 O'Clock, first
night show at 7:15. Prices 10 and
Is cents.
On Monday the lavish spectacle,
the supreme of all achievements of
the silent drama, Pavlowa, the in
comparable, in 'The Dumb Girl OF
production which has
been announced for some time and
one which the theatre-goers have
been anxious to see. 1t is a weird,
wild spectacle, staged at a cost ex-
ceeding a quarter of million dol
lars, the most lavish production ever
filmed in the entire history Of NOV
fng pictures. Over 500 people and
more than 900 scenes, in nine parts.
The cast is practically reproduction
of the dramatic personae of the
opera, "Masaniello," as it was given
all over the world generation ago,
but there all similarity ends. The
widest imagination of one who re-
calls the primitive operate produc-
ton will not conceive even the slight
est idea of what genius in film craft,
and woman at that, has accom-
plished within the confines of a mod
ern picture plant ''The Black Crook"
was the title of the spectacle present
ed in our theatres at the time "Masa-
niello'' was the rage. Neither ''The
Black Crook or "Masaniello'' would
do today. The only reason why
Pavlowa chose "Masaniello" as We
hicle was because of the remarkable
character Of "Fenella" and because
the Russian celebrity is the only
woman in the world who could por-
tray the role which has frightened
more singers and caused more of
Juror in it's day than any mind of an
author has ever conceived. 1t is as
Fenella that Paylowa will electrify