Universal Weekly (1917-1934)

12 -THE MOVING PICTURE WEEKLY Mary at her mother's grave. w AR times and the consequent scarcity of men to do the work of the world are forcing women into farming, so that they and the fighters may be fed. We look upon this situation as a new thing, but "The Plow Woman," the Butterfly Picture which was made by J. G. Alexander from the novel of Eleanor Gates, and produced by Charles Swickard, shows us that the splendid pioneer women of America, whose fearlessness and indomitable persistence in the face of overwhelming odds was so largely instrumental in making this country what it is to-day, knew what it meant to plow and sow, to reap and thresh, in the days when the flag contained fewer stars than it does now. The story of one of these mothers of the race, who sacrificed herself for her family, is well told in this fine picture, in which Mary MacLaren is starred in a congenial role. Quaint costumes of the seventies, uniforms of our frontier soldiers, Indians in feathers, settlers in coonskin caps and ■ butternuts," hunters and frontier characters, make up the varied personages who play their parts in the development of the story. Andy MacTavish was a pioneer, a stem. God-fearing Scotchman who held that women were but slaves to men, and that they needed no education. He was power supreme over his little daughi H ter Mary and his wife, whose ^ * failure to present him with a son had damned her in his eyes. When she gave birth to another girl baby, Andy became so violent that the little woman passed away, leaving only Mary to care for the new child, named Ruth. She did this with every bit of energy and love in her whole being. Mary had first met Jack F r a s e r, the pride of the army surgeon's heart, when she rushed for the doctor when Ruth was bom. They had become great friends. Womanhood found Mary MacTavish still a willing slave to the little sister whom she mothered. She sacrificed her life to Ruth, who was content to rest in the shadow of her sister's protection. Lieutent Jack Fraser of "B" Troop, continued to be the brother to Mary and also to Ruth, who adored the big fellow. But seeing the look of love in Ruth's eyes, Jack immediately confessed his love for her. They forgot to tell the older girl of their discovery, and for that reason she herself kept on loving Jack. The railroad was CAST. Mary MacTavish Mary MacLaren Andy MacTavish Harry de More Ruth MacTavish Marie Hazelton Lieut. Jack Fraser L. C. Shumway Surgeon Eraser Kingsley Benedict Buck Mathews Hector V. Sarno Bill Mathews Eddie Polo Mary, as a child Clara Horton Jack, as a child George Hupp Trooper Tommy Burns planning to build through this country, and the squatters were urged to protect their land by filing their claims at the government office in Bismarck, as there were many claim jumpers. Andy MacTavish decided to do so, but he found that Buck Mathews and his brother Bill, Sioux half-breeds and new arrivals, known the length and breadth of the Indian country as "badmen," 'You are a cruel woman."