A PLAY WITH THREE VILLAINS SPOILED BY THE LEADING LADY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 801, 5 June 1879, Page 2

A PLAY WITH THREE VILLAINS SPOILED BY THE LEADING LADY.

The play was full of heavy villains, >. the leading lady was the innocent maiden upon whom they had designs, and the trouble was all brought about by her having to read her part. For instance, one of the villains enters, and seizes the leading lady. The latter looks 3 at her manuscript, and reads : " Unhand \ me, villain (business)." Now "business " means that a struggle should j »nßue, but the leading lady, m her agitation, renders it thus, '• Unhand ' me, villain I Business." The fellow stands back abashed at this unexpected B turn, the prompter goes crazy and yells, I. "Take hold of her 1 Helen Blazes ! a take hold of her I" The villain rushes I up to seize the woman, who looks at her r manuscript and shrieks, " Sooner than a submit to your embrace, I will take 1 this knife." There she pauses and looks around for a knife. The promptor by £ this time (is turning handsprings all r over the floor, kicking the wings to pieces tearing his hair and shouting, [ "Oh I Godfrey's cordial ! Why don't " you take the knife I—the1 — the knife, blank it, the knife ! It is m his belt." The a knife is finally Beized, the villian obligingly turning round so that the j woman can conveniently get it. The promptor calms down until a scene is produced, where a villian with a big pistol m his hand is at the door of a 1 chamber to see that the heroine does t . not escape. It is his business to go to sleep, and the lady's business to escape by him, just before the other two vil- ' liana rush m and exclaim, "Aha, here she is !" But she has lost her place, and as the cut-throats rush m and make their exclamation, there she ' is sure enough. Then the promptor j beoomes a drivelling idiot. His load is more than he can bear, and his mind gives way beneath it. He asks to be 1 buried m a retired spot, and sinks to I the floor, while the stage manager throws his hand over his head, waves them wildly m the air, dances a' hornpipe behind the scenes, and yells at the leading lady, " Go off the stage ! thunder and lightning? get off that stage I' 1 The woman is on her dignity 3 by this time, and strides calmly by the villain with the big pistol, who looks at her with open-mouthed wonder, and ■ allows her to. pass him. Theu the other two villains look at her, sheepishly exclaim, "By heavens she has escaped us V and the house gets up and remarks ) as one man, that it's, too thrilling for . any use, and hopes it may be " gormed " r if it isn't the biggest "go "Toledo has \ had four years.