J. C. WILLIAMSON'S NEW DRAMATIC COMPANY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9688, 12 January 1910, Page 5

J. C. WILLIAMSON'S NEW DRAMATIC COMPANY.

'The Cheat." which is to be the I attraction next Monday, when Mr Williamson's strong company ,wi!l appear in Masterton. It is said to be a very fine drama. The theme is a military one, launched on the night of a'regimental dinner of the Guides, bound next day for Afghanistan tor a brush with the valiant hillsmen. The inevitable game of cards for high stakts terminates in an accusation of cheating being levelled against Captain James Blanchard, son of a sterling old British General. Marked cards are discovered, and as the pack came from Blanchard's bag, who was to guess that his despicable cousin, Captain Phillip Rivers, had pricked them off while the backs of the play-j ers were conveniently turned? Onlucky Jim is consequently branded as a cheat by his fellow officers, proclaimed a coward by his father because he cannot and other will not explain the reason of his sudden resignation in the face of a call to arms. A revolver bullet seems tne best way out of all this, until' a girl suggests a better, that he should "make a fight for it." So he becomes a ranker in the fighting Gordons, goes out to the hills with the troops, wins a V.C. for deeds of valour and generally makes a name for himself as Private James. Mean- | while Rivera has developed the drug I habit in addition to his other vices, and has also got himself into bad odour with the Hillsmen for shelling defenceless women in a frontier village. Th? times comes when the fort commanded by Rivers is in a bad way. and simultaneously word comes that English women have been captured by the tribes, and can only escape torture and other horrors by the surrender of Rivers to the Hillsmen's vengeance. He is not man enough to make this sacrifice so ends his ignoble life with a pistol. Private James goes to the Afghans, disguised as Rivers, and surrenders himself to procure the release of the English women, who turns out to be his sweetheart, and her friend who had joined the Red Cross nursing staff. General Blanchard arrives with a relief force in time to prevent his son's heroic sacrifice and all ends happily iu a great spectacular finale. Box plans of reserved seats will be opened at Miss Rive's to-morrow morning.