Puck, 1877-04 · page 5 of 16
Puck — April 1877 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents a theatrical script titled "The Princess Pennyroyal: A Novel Play of Very Temporary Human Interest," credited to J.L. Spyke as a comedy piece. The cartoon illustrations show characters in Victorian-era costume, appearing to depict a satirical play about royalty and social pretension. The script includes dialogue mocking aristocratic behavior, with characters like "King Charles Frederick Fisher," "La Mettrie," and various nobles engaging in absurd situations—including references to money troubles and marital arrangements. The satire appears to target upper-class vanity and the artificiality of nobility. Without specific historical context identifying the figures or current events referenced, the piece seems a general mockery of pretentious aristocratic society rather than commentary on specific individuals or contemporary political events.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SCENE I. Royal Back- Yard of a Frussian Inn. Enter James Lewis Spyke. J. L. Spvxe,—Shakspeare Daly wrote this funny part—please laugh at everything I do, and excuse my being ridiculous. "I am a comic waiter. (Grimaces.) Enter Count Von Davince Len- DORFF and Miss GEORGIE AGNETE Drew, Count Von Davipce.—This is =my niece. (Mine is not a ‘great part.) Miss Acnete.—This is my uncle. | Lam supposed to be in love with Frederic | Charles Coghlan Trenck. (Exeunt.) Enter Tue Princess FANNY PENNYROYAL and her old Maid. . Princess. —It’s about time somebody put in an appearance. (Retires.) (More grimacing by Spyke.) Enter F, C. Cocu- LAN TRENCK. ZG THE PRINCESS. PENIYROYAL, ‘A Novel Play of Very Temporary Human Interest. “THE GREAT.” and Chamberlain. KING CHARLES FR COUNT VON DAVID LA METTRIE HARL FREDERIC CHARLES Little Fortune. FRANCIS CHARLES COGHLAN TRENCK, his Cousin and Double. J.B. KERNER STUDLEY, a Villain CRISP WOLF VON RAV {mo Looneyparty. wy (10 Spyke).—Gi ~some breakfast. take mush and milk, pork and beans, root-beer and a piece o’ pie. Hurry up! and I'll take you into my service. ro S essir. (Exit. ; . SCENE 1 Coc. TreNck.—Something tells me that I Ruins of the Castle of Lithuania, dreadfully out shail have to poke somebody in the ribs very of repair—(Daby). soon, but I dare say breakfast is ready. Enter the LOONEYPARTY in masquerade costume. | (in going he encounters Princess.) Looneyrarty.—Fee! Fo! Fum!—ah! Princess.—What’s your name? Enter Carvain KERNER STUDLEY. C. Trenck.—Trenck. Ker. (40 audience).—It will not require a vast | PRINCESS.—Go away, you nasty mant amount of penetration to see that Iam a villain | COG. TRENCK.—You mistake. I am not my and spy of the very first water. Ah! Ah! 1 | bominable cousin, Francis, although he looks love the beauteous Princess Fanny Pennyroyal. | like _me—but my breakfast is getting cold. f cfs : Adieu! (Exit) I doubt if my passion is returned, for she adores seep agains Frederic Charles Coghlan Trenck, but no mat-| Z#/er Cartatw Kerner, with large envelope. Ker.— I love you and have your letters. ter. I have some telephonagrams and postal- - yous yor cards, which will compromise -her “some.” | _ PRINCESS.—I hate you and I want my letters. Unless she consents to be mine, and live on a, _ K#®.—You shan't have ’em. sixth-floor flat, without an elevator, I'll expose | Enter Coc. TRENCK, with table-napkin stuck in her to the King. But here are the ‘ Looney- neck, party.” I know the King wants to see them TrENCK.—She shall! about that Five-hundred-thousand-million-dollar —Ab, my rival! Loan, to carry on the war against Austria. Coc. TreNcK.—Give them up! (Exit) Ker.—Never. THE | (They fight. Trench runs Kerner through the body a few times, and hands envelope to Princess, who smiles.) ‘TABLEAU. [, THE PRINCESS PF: C Enter Kinc CHARS FREDERICK FisHE! Great.” Kino (dooks round ).—The “Looneyparty!"” Oh! Oh! Enter La MettTRiE HARDEN- BERG as a Looney party (dis- guised, of course,) and more | Looney parties. ACT II. Scene.—A room with a very mysterious blue- glass mirror (Daly). Enter James Lewis Spyke. (He does something with a candle.) La Merrrie.—Well, old « _Kinc.—Methinks I know ~ that voice. SpvKE (to audience).—Continue to split your La Mertrie.—You want | sides whenever I make my appearance. I really money—good; you shall have | hing to do with the plot, but ead it. Five hundred thousand million dollars shall | (ave nothin 10.40 with the Plot the chee, be sent to your tent as soon as I have time to | texs on the shortest notice. I am not quite sure draw a check and get it certified. (Hxewnt.) | whose servant Iam now. I first belonged to SCENE. the inn; then Kerner said he’d engage me. I A Free Pass Below the Ruins (Daly). _| believe that, at the present moment, I am valet Enter Kino and La Merrrie Harpenserc. | to Frederic Coghlan Trenck. (Exit) Kinc.—Am't you a Looneyparty? | Enter Tue Kine and Kerner. La Met.—Oh, dear, no—quite a mistake; it Ker. (fo King).—Let us get behind that blue must have been some other feller. (Zxeunt.) | glass, and you shall see what ou shall see. ry} Kinc.—First let me take a pincl show that I am ‘old Fritz.” (Zakes snuff.) A-tchoo! a-tchoo! (Exeunt,) Enter Freveric CoGHLAN TRENCK and Miss AonetTE Drew. AGnete.—I am supposed to be in love with you—do you think I am? CoGHLAN TRENCK.—Please don’t ask conun- drums. I believe I’m “spoons” on the Princess Pennyroyal; at least, Daly has made me so. So you'd better retire, for I hear the rustle of her skirts. AGNETE retires. Enter THe PRINCESS PENNYROYAL. Princess (40 COGHLAN TRENCK).—What a dear fellow you are! : Cocutan Trenck.—That being the case, you'd better meet me at the Rev. H. W. Beecher’s house, near the camp, and I'll lead | you to the hymeneal altar. Princess.—You bet COGHLAN TRENCK. kiss. : Princess.—Not a bad idea. ( Zhey embrace.) (KinG and Kerner seen looking through the blue glass, and afterwards listen at door.) COGHLAN TRENCK (fo Princess).—I hear foot- steps, Fly! (She flies.) Kine (outside).—It is she, the Princess. (As Kinc and Kerner enter, AGNETE embraces COGHLAN TRENCK. Kine. —) Can our eyes and ears have de- Kerner. J ceived us? It isn’t she. Kinc.—Ah! Agnete, you love this Coghlan Trenck? Acnere.—Of course, I do now, —You shall marry him to-night. R.—Ah! ah! ‘TABLEAU. Suppose you give us a ACT Ill. SCENE 1. The King’s Camp, and other scamps and Bo- hemians knocking around; a Sentinel sentinelling. Daty (in the wings).—Now, then, Rosa and Mauri, go on and dance, there must be some applause to enliven this piece. (They dance.) And you, Syd- ney Cowell, give ’em a gipsy- song; you sing rather flat, but that’s of no consequence. (She sings.) Enter the Kiyc, Crise Woir von Raven, CoGHLAN TRENCK and KERNER. > Kino (to Coghlan Trenck).— I appoint you postmaster for to- night. Kerner.—Good enough. (Exeunt King and Kerner.) Cocutan Trenck.—Crisp, I want to slip away and get married; take care of my post. Crisp.—I'll fix that. (Coghlan Trenck slips away to get married.) Enter four LOONEYPARTIES with five million dollars, more or less, they deposit money in King’s tent. SCENE M1. Enter Francis COGHLAN TRENCK, of the Aus- trian army. Francis C. Trencx.—I am here. Enter KERneEr. KERNER (0 Francis).—You're the image|of your cousin Frederic. I hate him, Pull down your vest” is the pass-word; go in the tent, you'll be mistaken for Frederic, and steal the five million dollars, more or less. (Scene and everything else exeunt.) N.B.— This is a particularly moving scene.