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diff --git a/old/55018-0.txt b/old/55018-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index a2e23f1..0000000 --- a/old/55018-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5462 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Good Times with the Juniors, by Lilian M. Heath - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Good Times with the Juniors - -Author: Lilian M. Heath - -Release Date: July 1, 2017 [EBook #55018] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GOOD TIMES WITH THE JUNIORS *** - - - - -Produced by Chris Curnow, Harry Lamé and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes - - Text printed in italics and small capitals in the original work are - transcribed _between underscores_ and in ALL CAPITALS, respectively. - - More Transcriber’s Notes may be found at the end of this text. - - - - -GOOD TIMES WITH THE JUNIORS - - - - - Good Times - With The Juniors - - By - LILIAN M. HEATH - - [Illustration] - - United Society of Christian Endeavor - Boston and Chicago - - - COPYRIGHT, 1904, - BY GEORGE B. GRAFF - - - - -Preface - - -“Good times” may be either work or play. But work and play--who shall -define them truly? - -Our block houses, toy engines, and dolls once seemed intensely real and -important to us. They are not so now. In the same way, as we grow into -the still larger consciousness, into the “life more abundant,” much that -we now regard as of grave moment will take on a new aspect, and we shall -see that it was only play. But play is blessed, and necessary to the -very growth that discards it. - -A dear enthusiast in certain lines of work, who is himself growing, I am -sure, once publicly expressed the belief that too close (!) an adherence -to the Christian Endeavor pledge results in a kind of “paperdolatry” -tending toward idleness and pauperism. Dear, dear! Can this be true? - -A look around the social and business world of to-day ought to settle -the question. We take the look, and breathe more freely. Endeavorers -here, Endeavorers there, in places of honor and responsibility--what -could our good friend have been thinking about? We must be permitted to -smile, and think that on consideration he will smile, too. In fact, the -smile cure is the best one for this and all other kinds of pessimism. - -Yet we are serious, too. In God’s great kindergarten, where we are all -scholars, learning through our play-work how to live, who shall say -which plays are most--or least--important? - -One thing is certain. He who said, “Of such is the kingdom of heaven,” -was speaking of those whose only conscious motive was _play_--natural, -graceful, happy, loving life-expression. The growth resulting was -involuntary. With the growth came new impulses, new activities, and new -growth. It is the plan, in God’s kindergarten. Brother, if we would -_grow_, let us not be afraid of play! - -To those whose loving ministry among the Juniors finds frequent occasion -for new plans, this little companion volume to “Eighty Pleasant -Evenings” is offered by one who has found both joy and growth in -preparing it. The proportion of the articles original with the compiler -is larger than in any of her previous collections; but ideas from other -sources have been welcomed and utilized whenever they could be made to -fit the Juniors’ needs. - -Credit for specially contributed articles is due to Mr. Vincent Van -Marter Beede, Miss Imogen A. Storey, Miss Mattie Marie Gamble, Miss Ida -M. Parmelee, and Miss Alice Chadwick. The aim has been to make each -evening or afternoon as complete as possible in itself. The games -described are therefore included in the socials and parties, but in -addition to the general table of contents a separate index of games -alone is given, thus helping those who may frequently wish to try new -combinations. - -With a smile and a prayer the writer sends forth this beloved piece of -her own life-expression, knowing that it will reach just the right -hands. - - Yours in Christian Endeavor, - LILIAN M. HEATH. - - - - -Contents - - - Advertising-Carnival 118 - Barrel Brigade 91 - Bells of Bonnydingle, The 155 - Bird Social 101 - Boys’ Book Party, A 113 - Card-Pasting 115 - Cinderella Reception 139 - Climbing the Bean-stalk 116 - Evening with “Ads,” An 42 - Fairy Strawberry Festival, A 104 - Flower-Show, A 41 - For the First of April 75 - Good Giant, The 23 - Good-Luck Social, A 54 - Handkerchief Gymnastics 97 - Holly and Mistletoe Drill 146 - House Book 67 - Indian Festival, An 111 - Jack Frost Reception 150 - Jack-Knife and Scissors Party 62 - “Jap” Social, A 44 - Letter Social 78 - Making Valentines 57 - Mistress Mary’s Contrary Reception 152 - Mysterious Basket-Ball 121 - New Kind of Dinner Party, A 60 - Orange Social 39 - Pansy-Hunt, A 106 - Parlor Athletic Meet, A 69 - Parlor Golf Party 119 - Parlor Mountain-Climb 93 - Pastery Party, A 49 - Pillow-Fight, A 52 - “Polly Pitcher” Social 66 - Puritan Thanksgiving Dinner, A 126 - Rainbow Social 96 - Rainy Fourth, A 108 - Reception at Curlycue Castle 63 - Red-Line Jubilee 16 - Rope Social, A 20 - Santa Claus Drill 11 - Sky-Parlor Reception, No. 1 47 - Sky-Parlor Reception, No. 2 48 - Star Social 141 - Teddy and the Goblin 130 - Tropical Fair, A 71 - Tuffet and the Web, The 81 - Washington’s Birthday 72 - - - - -Good Times With the Juniors. - - - - -Santa Claus Drill. - -BY IMOGEN A. STOREY. - - What would “good times” amount to in any well-regulated Junior society - if they did not begin and end with the Christmas holidays? We begin, - then, with a particularly jolly little drill for Christmas; and, as - the girls so often have these matters all their own way, we will try - for a change letting the boys be foremost this time. They will enjoy - the fun of playing Santa. The Sunday-school primary class, too, must - be drawn upon.--L. M. H. - -An equal number of tiny boys and girls are to be used for the first part -of the drill. They should be dressed in their nightclothes, and each -little one should carry a pillow under his or her arm, and a stocking -hung across the shoulder. - -The stage must be decorated with holly, mistletoe, and other Christmas -greens. A large fireplace should occupy the centre rear, shown in -Diagram B. A decorated motto, “A Merry Christmas” may be placed above -the mantel. The fireplace can easily be constructed of brick-colored -fireproof paper, which can be purchased at any hardware store for a -trifle, and with a piece of chalk from the blackboard the bricks can be -imitated. - -On each side, as shown in Diagram A, should stand a small Christmas tree -trimmed up in the conventional way, with the exception of candles, which -it is better to omit unless great precaution is used to prevent an -accident. On each tree the lower limbs should be supplied with hooks -corresponding with a buttonhole in each stocking, which will enable the -little ones to hang their stockings quickly and securely on the trees. - -The floor should be laid off for the first part as shown in Diagram A. A -different color used in laying off the diagrams for the two parts will -be found a great help, especially to the smaller children. - -[Illustration: DIAGRAM A.] - -The children enter from the rear, girls from the right and boys from the -left, or vice versa, carrying pillows under their outside arms and -stockings across the same shoulder, and follow lines R and L in A. When -they reach the dots shown on these lines, all extend their inside arms -diagonally up at the side, and grasp the partner’s hand. - -When they reach the diagonal lines, they let go hands, and turn on these -lines, as shown by arrows, turning again on the front line. When the -leaders reach lines R and L, a signal from the piano is given to halt. -In halting, each should keep a distance of fifteen inches from the one -in front, the same as in marching. This distance should be kept -throughout the drill. Another signal is now given to face front, all -turning in the direction of the inside arm. They now recite with -gestures: - -“We are going to hang up our stockings” (holding stockings out toward -the audience) - -“On the Christmas tree” (turning the body just a little and pointing to -the trees), - -“And we know old Santa will fill them, - -“For we’ve been good” (girls, pointing to themselves) - -“And we’ve been good” (boys, pointing to themselves) - -“As good as we could be” (all together). - -“Then we are going up to bed” (pointing up), - -“And go fa-a-a-st asle-e-e-p” (recited very slowly, dropping heads on -the pillows). - -“So, when old Santa comes” (heads raised), - -“We won’t be awake to peep” (peep through fingers). The music is now -resumed, the leaders turn to the rear, and follow lines R and L, turning -on the rear line, and again on the side lines shown in A. From the side -lines they turn on the dotted lines, which circle the trees. After -circling the trees a few times, with the common skip step familiar to -all children, a signal is given to halt. The stockings are now hung up, -after which the signal is given to get back into line. - -After circling the trees a few times more, they continue skipping, -following the dotted lines to the side lines, then to the front line. -When the leaders reach the front line, they turn on the diagonal lines, -resuming the march very softly and slowly, marching on their toes. When -the leaders reach lines R and L, all turn and throw a kiss to the -audience, then make their exit on the same lines as on entering, still -on their toes. - -[Illustration: DIAGRAM B.] - -The same number of larger children, all boys dressed like old Santa -Claus, now enter the fireplace from each side, as shown in B, running in -double time on their toes. Each boy except the last in each line should -wear a rein with sleigh-bells on its full length. All should be supplied -with whips. On their backs old Santa’s knapsack should be strapped, -filled with all sorts of things for the stockings. To increase the -merriment, some of the articles should be grotesque and funny. - -They enter, each driving the one in front, following lines R and L, -turning right and left on reaching the front line, as shown by the -arrows in B, then turning again at the next corner as indicated by the -arrows. On reaching the rear they come down the diagonal lines curving -around the trees, shown by arrows, and then to the front line again. -They then run to the rear on lines R and L, and come down the diagonal -lines, circling the trees on the dotted and curved lines, making a -complete circle. After circling the trees a signal is given to halt and -drop reins. - -They now proceed to fill the stockings, first unstrapping their -knapsacks and laying them on the floor. Signal. While the stockings are -being filled, the soft, slow music should not cease, but continue the -same as when the little ones are hanging them up. Each Santa should -stick his whip in the top of a stocking. - -A signal is now given, and the Santas all fall into line, and the -running is resumed. They circle the trees, and follow the diagonal lines -to the front line, then turn on lines R and L, and make their exit the -same as on entering. - -For a Sunday-school entertainment the small Santas can be used to -distribute the presents to the children in the audience after the drill -is over. - - - - -Red-Line Jubilee. - - -It is worth a great deal to have the right kind of memory. Although -there are more bright spots than shadows in our lives, we are apt to -forget this, and let the wrong kind of memory fasten itself upon us -quite unawares. Many would be surprised, if they kept a record, to see -how far the days with at least some gleams of gladness outnumbered the -“days that are dark and cold and dreary.” Try it. For a “red-line -jubilee” you need to begin a year beforehand. At New Year’s, or just -before, each Junior is to be presented with a calendar, and the plan is -as follows: - -All that you need is your calendar, a clean pen, and a bottle of red -ink. Every evening you take out your calendar, and, if the day has been -a happy one, draw a red line all around the date; if it brought you only -some gleams of gladness, make a red dot for every gleam; and, if it was -a day of sorrow and trouble, unrelieved by any brightness, leave the -date blank, with only its own black line surrounding it. Then, at the -very end of the year, hold a “red-line jubilee,” and, see whose calendar -makes the best showing. As every one learns by kindness to others to -make his own happiness instead of being satisfied with any stale, -second-hand variety, the red lines will grow more and more numerous. To -the “red-line jubilee” bring all the calendars for inspection; let -there be a little talk from the pastor and a short programme of songs -and recitations by the Juniors, every one of the cheery kind. Here are -four that will serve as samples if the recitations are to be short -enough so that each Junior can have one: - -I. - - Smile once in a while; - ’Twill make your heart seem lighter. - Smile once in a while; - ’Twill make your pathway brighter. - Life’s a mirror; if we smile, - Smiles come back to greet us; - If we’re frowning all the while, - Frowns forever meet us. - -II. - - There’s help in seeming cheerful - When a body’s feeling blue, - In looking calm and pleasant - If there’s nothing else to do. - If other folks are wearing, - And things are all awry, - Don’t vex yourself with caring; - ’Twill be better by and by. - -III. - - There’s never a rose in all the world - But makes some green spray sweeter; - There’s never a wind in all the sky - But makes some bird-wing fleeter; - There’s never a star but brings to heaven - Some silver radiance tender, - And never a rosy cloud but helps - To crown the sunset splendor; - No robin but may thrill some heart, - His dawn-like gladness voicing; - God gives us all some small, sweet way - To set the world rejoicing. - -IV. - - The little sharp vexations, - And the briers that catch and fret-- - Why not take all to the Helper - Who has never failed us yet? - Tell him about the heartache, - And tell him the longings, too; - Tell him the baffled purpose - When we scarce know what to do; - Then, leaving all our weakness - With the One divinely strong, - Forget that we bore the burden, - And carry away the song. - -If longer selections are wanted, “Cheer Up” and “The Bright Side” from -“Junior Recitations” are both especially suitable. Such a meeting could -be held the last Sunday in the year; or it could be made a sociable -instead of a meeting, and held some evening during the week. In either -case, don’t forget to invite outsiders and share with them the sunshine -that is being made. If on a week-night, the programme should be very -short; and games, with the refreshments, should fill the rest of the -time. Decorate the rooms with red, including red shades over the lights -if possible, and let a large frosted cake suitably marked with red -lettering help to make the occasion memorable. - -Among the games the variation of tag called “red line” could be included -if the room is large. Stretch a red ribbon across the floor in a -straight line, fastening the ends with weights or pins. This serves as a -goal. One of the Juniors who has been chosen “it” cries, “Red line!” and -starts to chase the other players. As soon as he touches one, both -return to the line; then these two, clasping hands, start out again and -touch some one else; then the three do the same; and so on. When there -are four, or any even number, at the line, they may go two by two; but, -whenever the number is odd, they must all run together in one long line. -When all are caught, the game begins again, the first one caught in the -previous game playing “it” as the new game is begun. - -A “red-line hunt” would be fun, and could be arranged by hiding various -small gifts or souvenirs, each tied to one end of a red cord, this wound -and interlaced for some length around furniture, doors, etc., each child -to be given a free end with the task of following the “red line” to its -happy conclusion. Have each parcel wrapped in white tissue-paper and -tied with a red ribbon or a bit of red embroidery silk, to carry out -still further the plan of the evening. The gifts themselves should be -very simple, and should be something equally suitable for boys and -girls. - - - - -A Rope Social. - - -This is best fun when held in a barn, or a large attic, if stairways, -etc., are safe; and it will prove a good opportunity to “rope in” new -members, or at least to make those who are not members wish that they -were. There is no programme, though Christian Endeavor songs at the -beginning and close are in order at every Junior social. Girls may bring -their skipping-ropes; and, if the place admits of swings, by all means -put up several stout ones. Introduce the game of “rope ring-toss,” or -“grommet-pitching,” as it is called by sailors. The rings are made of -rope, with the strands first separated so as the better to weave them -into smooth, firm rings about six to ten inches across. They are made -all of the same size, or of graduated sizes, as preferred. If desired, -they may be wound with ribbon. The game consists in throwing these -“grommets” over an upright stake, or over pegs driven in the wall or in -a board, each peg being numbered. The players have each a certain number -of throws, and the score is kept to see who is most skilful. - -When tired of this, they may play the game of “pink violets,” composed -of a little delightful nonsense and a good deal of running. The song -which accompanies it may be sung to the tune of “Sing a song of -sixpence,” or to any other that it will fit, or to not much of any tune -at all. The words are as follows: - - “Pink, pink violets, and roses bright and blue! - A Junior in a prison--whatever shall we do? - We’ll open the window east, and we’ll open the window west, - And never, never tell if the prisoner does the rest!” - -The children range themselves in a circle, holding a rope to help keep -the circle of a uniform size. One of them, the prisoner, goes inside the -ring; another, the jailer, stands outside. They begin to sing, and at -the words, “We’ll open the window east, and we’ll open the window west,” -the players on first one side, then the opposite, lift the rope high -enough for the prisoner to pass under; but the jailer outside is -watching. The prisoner may take his choice, but must run out at one side -or the other before the song stops, and must try to run once entirely -around the ring before being overtaken by the jailer. Those holding the -rope must neither help nor hinder the runners after the start is made, -and the openings must be at about equal distances from the jailer. If -the prisoner can run clear around the outside of the ring without being -overtaken, he takes his place with the rest, between the two whose “open -window” set him free; the former jailer becomes prisoner, the former -prisoner’s right-hand neighbor becomes jailer, and the game proceeds as -at first. But, if the prisoner is touched ever so lightly by the one in -chase, he is sent back to the centre, where he must remain; the jailer -joins the ring anywhere he chooses; his right-hand neighbor becomes the -new jailer and his left-hand one a new prisoner with privilege of -escape; and so the game continues. Each time only the _new_ prisoner -may run out. Whenever a third of the players are in the centre at one -time, it ends the game. - -After the enjoyment of the games and swings an old-fashioned molasses -candy-pull may complete the festivities, and, as the Juniors vie with -one another in pulling and deftly handling these most fascinating -“ropes” of all as they gradually assume a light golden color, the social -is sure to be voted a success. - - - - -The Good Giant - -A Fantasy in Two Acts and Two Scenes - -BY VINCENT VAN MARTER BEEDE - - -People of the Play - - KIT LORING, _a boy of twelve_. - JOSCELIN STACEY, _a boy of ten_. - MAYSIE LORING, _a girl of eleven_. - GILLIAN STACEY, _a girl of twelve_. - THE GOOD GIANT GREATBIG. - THE THREE HAPPY LITTLE GIANTS. - THE GIANT’S BABY. - JACK THE GIANT-LOVER. - THE SAND MAN. - THE KIND BEAR. - THE OBLIGING OGRE. - THE DEAR DRAGON. - THE HONEST ROBBER. - THE MOTHERLY GIANTESS. - THE FRIENDLY WITCH. - - Time: This Very Minute. - - SCENE: Act I.--The Wood. - Act II.--The Castle of Giant Greatbig. - - -Costumes - -KIT, JOSCELIN, MAYSIE, GILLIAN: Summer clothing, of the present fashion. - -GIANT: A father, uncle, or big brother, tall, deep-voiced. Scarlet -shirt, loose, elephant-colored jacket and knickerbockers, scarlet hose, -rough shoes. Needless to say, he should be stuffed out as much as -possible. A scarlet sash stuck full of swords and daggers. An -alarm-clock, with a brass chain, in his breast-pocket. Beard black and -full, mustache large and fierce, eyebrows corked heavily, nose and -cheeks reddened. Red bandanna bound about his head. He should _not_ look -as if he had just stepped out of a bandbox. - -LITTLE GIANTS: Boys of twelve, the fattest that can be found. No matter -how fat they are, they should be stuffed out, just the same. Fluffy, -light wigs, short gingham frocks, legs bare except for gay-colored -socks,--say of emerald, scarlet, and vivid blue. Low shoes with a strap -across them, after the fashion of French dolls. - -GIANT’S BABY: A boy or girl of ten, well stuffed out. White long -clothes, tight white cap, ruddy face. The Baby should carry a -policeman’s rattle. - -JACK: A trim boy of eleven, handsomely dressed. Brown jacket, slashed -with Lincoln green; long green hose, pointed brown shoes. A gilt belt, -and a sword and a dagger in gilt scabbards. A curling horn slung over -his shoulder. A small brown cap with green feathers. - -SAND MAN: A boy of ten or eleven. Buff or light-gray jacket and -knickerbockers, pointed cap, long white beard, brown stockings, canvas -slippers. A sack, apparently filled with sand, slung over his shoulders. -A sand-pail fastened to a leather belt, and in one hand a child’s -sand-shovel. - -BEAR: A good-sized boy of fourteen, with a gruff voice. A skin of a -polar or black bear thrown about loosely-fitting white or black -clothing. Clumsy shoes. Better still, a regulation costumer’s bear’s -head, a long fur coat, and Indian moccasins of fur. - -OGRE: A boy of twelve. Jacket and knickerbockers in red and white -stripes, red sash, high boots. Huge nose, brown beard, Turkish fez. - -DRAGON: A slim boy of ten or twelve in tight-fitting clothes striped in -orange and red. Gold belt, long claws on hands and feet. If possible, a -rented crocodile’s head; but a head can be constructed of red and orange -cloth sewed over pasteboard, a large cone representing the snout, two -smaller cones the horns. A long, crinkly tail,--orange and red strips -wound about a heavy rope. - -ROBBER: A piratical-looking boy of ten in a green jacket, red -knickerbockers, and top-boots. A blue sash stuck full of weapons, large -mustache, wide felt hat with green plumes. - -GIANTESS: A mother, aunt, or big sister, dressed to look as large as -possible. Yellow gown, a long white apron. - -WITCH: A nimble little girl of nine or ten. Black, pointed cap, black -cape and skirt. - - -Scenery - -ACT. I. SCENE 1. The best trees are real ones, saplings and evergreens, -cut the morning before the performance. Painted scenery of course should -be used to help out. Palms and shrubs can be rented for the evening. A -great many pieces of candy--say, molasses drops wrapped in -tissue-paper--should be laid in the branches of the sugar-plum tree. The -bean-stalk can be made of three good-sized poles, set close together in -openings cut through the stage. The tops should go up out of sight of -the audience and be secured to a platform where actors can hide at the -right time. The poles should be wound with real foliage, or with green -tissue-paper. The trunk of the telephone tree might be a hollow log, in -which a small door is cut. The bell and cardboard receiver are hung -inside the opening. Branches should be skilfully thrust into the top of -the log, to finish the tree. Branches should be heaped also about the -“roots” of all the trees, and the more green things there are scattered -about the stage, the better. The blunderbuss is made by fitting a -cardboard horn to the end of a rifle, shot-gun, or toy gun; but the -entire weapon can be made of wood and cardboard. - -SCENE 2. Before the curtain goes up the bean-poles should be lifted out -of their sockets, and the tops loosened and held in place by ropes in -the hands of actors on the platform above. At the right moment the poles -are allowed to fall. - -ACT II. The fireplace may be cut through sheets of cardboard. A box may -be placed in the opening. The larger the fireplace, the more giant-like -will it seem. It would be a very good thing if some of the little -carpenters in the company could make a huge chair, table, and cradle. - - -ACT I. - - - SCENE 1.--_A clearing in a thick wood. Left, the bean-stalk; right, - the sugar-plum tree and the telephone tree. The four children_, KIT, - JOSCELIN, MAYSIE, GILLIAN, _are discovered, with their clothes - somewhat torn and mussed. The girls are seated on a fallen log. An - open and empty lunch-basket lies before them. The boys, armed with - sticks, are moving about. At the rise of the curtain_ MAYSIE _is - sobbing_. - -KIT. Cheer up, sis. What’s the use of crying? It isn’t so very late, is -it, Jos? We can’t be many miles from home. We’ve got our compass along, -you know; and all we have to do is to keep due east. - -GILLIAN. I’m sick of our old exploring, anyway! (_Sniffling a bit._) - -JOSCELIN. You make me tired, Gill! What do we care? - -GILLIAN. It was your plan, Jos, and you see how it has come out. I -believe that farmer was telling you a whopper when he said there was a -robbers’ cave in these woods. - -KIT. O no, he wasn’t. It is a true story. Tommy Field’s father says it -is. He says people have been hunting for the cave a hundred years, and -that there is treasure---- - -MAYSIE (_wiping her eyes_). I’d rather have a nice big piece of bread -and molasses than ten million rubies, I would! - -JOSCELIN. We may find some checkerberries yet. - - (_The roaring of a bear, and the trolling of a song, heard._) - -THE GIRLS (_rushing toward the boys_). Oh! Oh! Oh! A bear! What shall we -do? - -KIT. Hide--and be quick about it! There--into those thick bushes! (_The -girls hide at rear._) Jos, we’ve got to defend them! Wish I had a gun or -something! - -JOSCELIN. I think I had better shin up a tree! - -KIT. Not a bit of it. Let’s hide, though. - - (_They do so, peeping out from time to time, and flourishing their - clubs. The roaring and singing become louder. The words of the song, - sung in a great, gruff voice, are the following._) - - Sing fol de rol de riddle-iddle ay! - I am big, and I am strong, - Happy as the day is long. - The sheep, they follow trusting at my heels. - Upon my shoulders light - The cooing pigeons white, - And in my pockets squirrels find their meals. - Sing fol de rol de riddle-iddle ay! - - Sing fol de rol de riddle-iddle ay! - No brazen club for me! - No bloody trickery! - No dragging of a princess by the hair! - No robbing of birds’ nests, - No eating up of guests, - No frightening of peasants at a fair! - Sing fol de rol de riddle-iddle ay! - - (_Enter, right, the_ GOOD GIANT GREATBIG, _carrying a blunderbuss, and - arm in arm with the_ KIND BEAR.) - -_The_ GOOD GIANT. - - Fee--fi--fo--fum! - I smell some boys and girls, I vum! - Be they short, or be they tall, - I’ll hunt them out, and kiss them all! - -Come on, Bear! I hear breathings. Don’t be frightened, my dear kids. We -wouldn’t eat you for anything. - -KIT (_sticking his head around the tree_). Honestly? - -GIANT AND BEAR. Honestly! - -GIANT. Come out, all of you. I want to talk with you. (_The children -come forward, the girls more timidly than the boys. The girls scream -when the_ BEAR _offers his paw and hugs them gently. The boys, too, are -hugged, to their amusement._ GIANT _kisses the children_.) How do you -happen to be in the middle of the wood, all by yourselves, at this time -of day? - -JOSCELIN. We’re lost. We have been trying to find the robbers’ cave. -Say, are you a real giant? - -GIANT. Of course, my boy. Do I appear like a midget? I am not only a -giant, but the last of the giants. My uncle was the famous Two-Headed -Giant, and my fourteenth cousin was slain by Jack the Giant-Killer. - -KIT. Is he alive? - -GIANT. Very much so, I can assure you. Do you know, he’s my only enemy? -To tell the truth, I’m mortally afraid of him. He’s a terrible boy. He’s -sure death on giants, and will never believe that I’m not as bad as my -relatives. I’m afraid he’ll get the best of me some fine day. - -GILLIAN. Please, sir, how can we get home? I want to go, awfully bad! - -GIANT. Well, now, little girl, I’ll see that you get home safely, never -fear. But, dear me, you are the first children that I have met in these -deep woods. I generally go about at night to keep out of the way of -Jack, the Giant-Killer, but my wife wanted me to shoot a few eagles for -supper. - -JOSCELIN. Can you tell us where the robbers’ cave is? - -BEAR. I live in it. - -KIT. Is there treasure? - -BEAR. O, a few pecks of emeralds; that’s all. I threw most of them away. -They are very uncomfortable to lie on. - -JOSCELIN. Where are the robbers? - -BEAR. Dead, all except the captain. He has turned honest, and lives with -the Giant. - -GIANT (_who has been gazing upward_). Hi! There’s an eagle! (_Raises -blunderbuss. Children stop their ears. He fires. An eagle drops at his -feet._) And there’s a crow! (_Shoots again. A bunch of black feathers -floats down._) I’ve only clipped his tail-feathers! How ridiculous the -bird must look! Listen, children. If you start for home now, it will be -dark before you get there. Why can’t you spend the night at my castle? - -KIT. Our parents would---- - -GIANT. I know. You think your people will be anxious. I’ll telephone -them. (_Goes to the tree at the right, opens a little door in the trunk, -takes down a telephone receiver, and rings the bell._) What’s your -number? Cucumber? (_Rings bell again._) - -KIT. No. It’s 333. - -GIANT (_speaking into the telephone_). Give me 333. Thank you. Who is -this? Mr. Loring? This is Mr. Greatbig. I found some of your little -relatives lost in the wood, and they are going to stay at my house over -night. Don’t be alarmed. They will come home in the morning. Good-by. I -didn’t give him a chance to say “No.” - -BEAR. Are you hungry, children? - -MAYSIE. Terribly! - -BEAR. Then I’d better shake the sugar-plum tree. - - (_Shakes a tree, right. Shower of candy. The children scramble for it. - Clear sound of a horn._) - -GIANT (_much disturbed_). Fee--fi--fo--fum! Jack’s horn! Children, I beg -of you to escape with me, or I am done for. Here--up this bean-stalk! - - (_A louder blast from the horn._ BEAR _and_ GIANT _boost the boys up - the bean-stalk, left._) - -GIANT AND BEAR. Hurry! Hurry! - -CURTAIN. - - - SCENE 2.--_The same._ JACK THE GIANT-KILLER _is chopping furiously at - the bean-stalk. His horn, his lantern, and his sword lie near at - hand._ - -VOICE OF KIT (_from above_). Too late, Jacky, my boy. We’ve chopped off -our end of the stalk; so we’re safe and sound. - -(_Shower of beans falls on_ JACK.) - -CURTAIN. - - -ACT II. - - - SCENE 1.--_A room in_ GIANT GREATBIG’S _Castle. Rear, left, window; - fireplace, with lighted candle on the mantel, centre; door, right, - rear. Bare wooden floor. Left, a big cradle, containing the_ GIANT’S - _baby. A rocking-chair next the cradle. Right, a rude table, on it a - drinking-mug as large as a bucket. Smoke-stained walls. At the rise, a - ring-around dance is going on to lively music. Those dancing are the_ - GIANT, _the_ BEAR, _the_ DEAR DRAGON, _the_ OBLIGING OGRE, _and the - four lost children. The_ MOTHERLY GIANTESS _stands at right, beating - time with a potato-masher on a chopping-bowl. The door bursts open. - Enter the_ THREE HAPPY LITTLE GIANTS _in great excitement_. - -FIRST H. L. G. O papa! papa! - -(_Dance and music cease._) - -GIANT. What is it, my child? - -FIRST H. L. G. Why, we peeped over the edge of the bean-stalk cliff, and -Jack chopped the stalk down, and it fell on his leg, and he lies there -groaning! - -GIANTESS. The poor fellow! Hub, what are you going to do about it? - -GIANT. We must help the lad. Boys, get the rope ladder. (_They do so._) - -OBLIGING OGRE. Here, give it to me. What is an ogre for if not to be -obliging? Come on, everybody! - - [_Exeunt all but_ GIANTESS. - - _Enter through window, left, the_ FRIENDLY WITCH _and her broomstick_. - -WITCH. Good-evening, Mrs. Greatbig. - -GIANTESS. Goo--good-evening! How you startled me! What have you been -doing to-day? - -WITCH. O, sweeping cobwebs off the sky, so that it will be bright and -pleasant for picnics to-morrow. I cleaned soot out of chimneys to save -work for the poor little sweep-boys, and I gave old men and women -diamond spectacles with gold rims so that they can read without hurting -their eyes. - -GIANTESS. You are a good soul indeed. - -WITCH. O, no, I’m not. I’m just reporting progress. And I dropped -chocolates, and caps with lavender ribbons, through the open windows of -Old Ladies’ Homes. - -GIANTESS. Lovely! lovely! - -WITCH. But the best fun of all was giving a breath of air to fifty poor -women who work in city factories. I rode them on my broomstick three or -four hundred miles or so. One dear thing cracked her funny-bone on the -north star. I didn’t mean to brush by so closely. (_Enter the_ OGRE _and -the_ GIANT, _supporting_ JACK, _whose leg is neatly bandaged. The other -people follow._ JACK _is placed in the rocking-chair, by the fire_.) I -can make his leg well, quick as a wink! (_She touches_ JACK’S _leg with -her broomstick. He pulls off the bandage, and capers about -delightedly._) - -JACK. Thank you, dear Witch. Giant Greatbig, I am more sorry than I can -say that I have hounded you all this time. I never suspected that you -were a good giant. You know the kind of man your uncle used to be. - -GIANT (_shaking hands with_ JACK). Well, now we are good friends, aren’t -we, hey? - -JACK. You know I’m an orphan. I wonder if you would care to adopt me. - -GIANT. A very good plan. I know you will set a good example to my boys, -and make yourself useful generally. - -GIANTESS (_hugging_ JACK). You dear child, you! To think that an hour -ago I dreaded to hear your very name spoken! My! How muscular you are! - -JACK. Dear Mr. and Mrs. Greatbig, I would like to change my name. -Hereafter I wish to be known as Jack the Giant-_Lover_. - - (_All cheer and clap their hands. The_ DEAR DRAGON, _after embracing_ - JACK, _goes to centre and recites_): - - O, once I was a Nawful Thing--a dread to man and child. - I snorted and cavorted till the villagers went wild. - I ate a church and steeple and three hundred pews of people, - And then I waved my crinkly tail, and bellowed, bowed, and smiled. - - Of course I was a favorite when July Fourth came round, - For my firework and my smoke-murk were the finest to be found. - Why, people paid a dollar just to hear my mighty holler, - And when I breathed out ten-foot flames they fell flat on the - ground. - - To shorten my biography, I’ll whisper what befell. - A fire-brigade it was that made me anything but well. - They played the hose, and soaked me, and with their wall-hooks poked - me, - Until I crawled away more wet and sore than I can tell. - - I took a cold, and nearly died. When I grew strong again, - I could no more breathe flames, and roar from my grim mountain den. - I had no great desire, sir, to scorch the fields with fire, sir, - Or to make my meals of churches filled with chubby village men. - -(_Loud rapping heard._) - -GIANT. Come in! - -_Enter the_ HONEST ROBBER. - -ROBBER. Hollo, everybody. Having a tea-party, Mrs. Giantess? - -GIANTESS. O, no. Hub picked up some nice lost children in the wood, and -here they are. Children, this is Rob Highway, the Honest Robber. - - (_The_ HONEST ROBBER _shakes hands with all the children_.) - -GIANT (_drinking from his mug_). Well, Rob, my boy, how have you been -making yourself useful to-day? - -ROBBER. This morning I went to the dog-pound with a furniture-van, and -filled it cram-full of lost puppies--cram-full, children. You never -heard such a growling and yowling in your life. I drove slowly, and -whenever I heard a child crying: “I want my dog! He’s lost!” I’d say, -“Describe him,” and it wasn’t long, generally, before the dog and his -little master were in each other’s arms. - -KIT. Hurrah for you, old man! - -JOSCELIN. What else did you do? - -ROBBER. This evening I have chased seventeen burglars and taken away -their stolen goods from them. - -MAYSIE. Did you keep the things yourself? - -ROBBER. Fie, fie, no! I’m an _Honest_ Robber. I restored the property, -and made a hundred dollars reward. - - (_A distant clock strikes twelve, and the_ GIANT’S _alarm-clock goes - off in his pocket. He takes it out hurriedly._) - -GIANT. Yes, I am correct. Gracious, children, it’s very late for you to -be up! My dear, shouldn’t they go to sleep at once? - -Giantess. Yes, by all means, hub. I’ve been so excited I forgot all -about such a thing as bedtime. - - [_Exit, left._ - -GIANT. I’ll telephone for the Sand Man. (_Goes to the telephone at the -right of the fireplace._) 128 Seashore, please. Hollo, Sandy. Take the -first gust of wind for Castle Greatbig. He’ll be here in a moment, -children. - - (_Enter_ GIANTESS, _left, with green boughs_.) - -GIANTESS (_strewing boughs on the floor_). Sit right down, -chickabiddies. (_The_ LORINGS _and_ STACEYS _and the children of the_ -GIANT _sit down together_.) - -GIANT. Good-night, children. My helpers and I have an important piece of -work to do between now and sunrise. We are going to carry a dozen or two -tenement-houses from the city into the country, and set them down gently -in green fields. - -GILLIAN. Won’t the children be surprised and happy when they wake up! - -BEAR. And in place of the houses we shall lay out a beautiful playground -for the poor children who are left in the neighborhood. Good night, all! - -CHILDREN. Good night! - -JACK. Good night! - -OGRE. Good night! - -CHILDREN. Good night! - -DRAGON. Happy dreams! - -CHILDREN. Good night! - -ROBBER. Good night! - -CHILDREN. Good night! - -WITCH. Good night! - - [_Exit by the window._ - -GIANT. I’ll be back in the morning to see that you get home safely. Good -night! - -CHILDREN AND GIANTESS. Good night! - - _Enter_ SAND MAN, _softly, by door, right, without rapping_. GIANTESS - _nods to him, then blows out all but one candle. The_ SAND MAN _waves - his hand. The children sink back on the boughs. He then casts a little - imaginary sand from his bag into each eye, and goes out as softly as - he came._ GIANTESS _takes up her baby from the cradle, left. It - squalls. She hushes it, seats herself in a rocking-chair, centre, and - sings this lullaby:_ - - B-a, ba, b-o, bo, - B-i, bi, baby bye. - Mamma’s little Giant is tired of all his play, - Tired of all the mischief he has done to-day; - Tired of pulling pine-trees clear up by the roots. - Go to sleep, my Giant, my six-foot Tootsy-Woots! - -(_Children snore._) - -CURTAIN. - - - - -Orange Social. - - -Have bunches of yellow flowers pinned to draperies and in other places -where the romping will not cause breakages. All the other decorations, -as far as possible, should be of the same cheerful hue. Some one may -give a brief talk describing “The Children that Live where Oranges -Grow,” illustrated by stereopticon or by some of the Perry Pictures. -This, if carefully prepared, can be made very interesting to children of -colder climates than those of sunny Italy and our own South. Missionary -features may be introduced if desired. - -After the talk have the decks cleared for action. Did you ever see, or -participate in, a game of orange croquet? If not, you have missed a -great deal of fun. It is merely parlor croquet, with oranges for balls, -umbrella-handles for mallets, and big books placed tent-wise upon the -floor for wickets. An umpire could be improvised out of an orange, a -squash, and four or five sticks or clothes-pins. Cut the features in the -orange-peel with a penknife, fasten the orange head and the squash body -together with a short stick whittled sharp at the ends, insert the -clothes-pins for arms and legs, and your umpire is complete. - -Following the croquet may be the game of “Mr. Woodenhead.” A strip of -orange-colored cambric is stretched on the floor, across the room, to -form a race-course. At one end place a large tray of oranges, at the -other an empty basket. The game is to see who in a given time can carry -the most oranges safely across the room, from tray to basket, with the -aid only of a wooden spoon. A jolly face painted or carved on the -outside of the bowl of the spoon, and a large yellow bow tied on for a -cravat, turns the spoon into “Mr. Woodenhead.” He may be presented as a -souvenir to the winner of the race. - -Refreshments may be sandwiches, lemonade, and orange squares, or other -plain cake with orange icing. As the children are about to go home, they -may be given each a missionary mite-box in the form of an orange, to -fill for the benefit of some mission field; or, if it has not been a -missionary social, a souvenir that would please any child is a little -basket cut out of the peel of an orange, using half, with a strip of -peel from the other half left on for a handle, the basket so made to be -filled with candies. - - - - -A Flower Show. - - -Each boy or girl represents a flower. Every one jots down the names of -the other guests and the names of the flowers which he supposes they -are. The reward for the most names might be a dozen roses, and for the -least a pair of sunflowers, or a bunch of squash-blossoms, or a geranium -growing in a bright-colored tin can. Here are some hints for costumes: - -1. Pennyroyal. An English penny hung from the neck by a ribbon. - -2. Oxeye. A target painted on a card. An arrow is sticking through the -“bull’s-eye.” - -3. Monk’s-hood. A boy wearing a monk’s cowl, or perhaps the complete -dress of a monk. - -4. Goldenrod. The boy or girl carries a brass curtain-rod. - -5. Hop. The boy or girl must occasionally hop on one foot. - -6. Four-o’clock, or Thyme, either one. A clock hung from the neck is set -at four o’clock. - -7. Elder. A boy is made to appear like an old man. His hair is dusted -with flour, and wrinkles are painted on his face. He should lean on a -staff, and wear spectacles. - -8. Broom. A girl dressed like a housekeeper carries a tiny broom. - -9. Rocket (rock it). A girl is rocking her doll in a cradle. - -10. Sage. A solemn, wise-looking boy in spectacles, top hat, and long -trousers. He must frequently peep into a large book. - -11. Sweet-william. A boy named William should wear a necklace made of -lumps of sugar. - -12. Jonquil. A boy named John, wearing quills in every available place. - -When the guessing and refreshments are over, a floral game which might -be added is that of “Red and White Roses.” Sixteen can play. Tie a -narrow strip of cloth to one sleeve of each Junior, eight of the strips -white and eight red, to distinguish the Red from the White Roses. -Appoint a captain from each side, or let one be chosen by “counting -out.” Determine in the same way which side shall move first. Spread a -sheet on the floor; mark it off with black crayon in sixteen squares, -four on a side; and you are ready. The object of each division is to get -four players of its own color in a row, either straight or diagonally. -The first captain begins by placing himself on any square he chooses. -The captain from the other side does the same, and the other players -follow, one from each side moving alternately and trying to secure the -row of red or white roses as the case may be. This game, believed to be -a new one, is likely to prove a favorite. - - - - -An Evening with “Ads.” - - -Set the Juniors to collecting clever pictorial advertisements, omitting, -of course, the liquor and tobacco ones. Each might learn what facts he -can, of general interest, regarding the trade-mark chosen or the -business represented in connection with the pictures he has selected. -Then the Juniors invite their friends, young and old, to a social -“evening with ads.” - -The pictures are pinned by the Juniors to a large sheet previously -fastened to the wall. After they have been thoroughly examined by the -guests, they are taken down and distributed by the Juniors. One picture, -together with paper and pencil, is given to each guest, who is then -requested to write, in verse, a few lines to fit the picture. After this -all are called upon to read what has been written. For example, a -shirt-maker has an advertisement showing the picture of the back of a -man’s head labelled, “This is Tom; meet me face to face,” with the -question, “Am I Irish or Scotch?” written above it. The rhyme produced -to fit it was as follows: - - “Can this be Tom, the piper’s son, - Of pork-abstracting fame? - If so, he must be Irish, sure, - The pig could prove that same! - And Irish linen shirts, you know, - Must be the very best; - So buy your goods henceforth of Tom; - You’ll find they stand the test.” - -The papers are collected and put in a safe place, after which a vote is -taken on the merits of the various effusions. - -The pictures are then again distributed, this time to their owners among -the Juniors, who have been making them a special study, and each Junior -who is prepared tells a fact or two in regard to one of the pictures. -The trade-mark of a certain popular brand of cocoa originated in Holland -more than two hundred years ago, and no doubt the way in which it came -to be chosen would make an interesting story. These incidents will bring -out still other similar facts which the guests may happen to know -regarding the advertisements, and a half-hour or so will thus pass -pleasantly and instructively to all. - -Refreshments may consist of some of the articles advertised, or of -sandwiches, apple salad, small cakes, and lemonade, or, if in the proper -season, hot maple syrup and biscuit at a charge of twenty cents a plate. -If so voted, a more or less extended report of the evening’s -entertainment may be sent to the newspaper; and a marked copy may be -sent to the firm whose unique picture advertisement won the popular -vote. This should be accompanied by a letter of explanation. - - - - -A “Jap” Social. - - -Have you ever seen the pretty little Japanese cottages in Jackson Park, -Chicago, with their quaint decorations looking as if they had been -transported in some really magical way from the land of the lotus -blossom? It was looking at these that gave me the idea of a “Jap social” -for the Juniors. - -Arrange Japanese fans, parasols, and lanterns about the room, lay down -strips or rugs of Japanese matting, and partition off various -cosey nooks with Japanese screens. Have no chairs, but plenty of -cushions instead. As to flowers, they can be chosen from a long -list--chrysanthemums, white lilies and roses, purple Canterbury bells, -cherry blossoms, clematis, yellow and white water-lilies; the pink lotus -and white feathery orchid are not so easy to procure, but might be -imitated, perhaps, with paper. At one such social the walls were -entirely covered with branches of trees sprinkled thickly with cherry -blossoms made of pink paper, representing the beautiful gardens of -Tokyo. - -[Illustration] - -This would be a good occasion for the Juniors to entertain strangers and -“grown-ups,” and charge an admission fee, as it can be made very pretty -and interesting. - -Costumes for the Juniors can be improvised from flowered silk or cotton -draperies with a little basting, a twist here, and a pin there, such as -deft fingers can give. Do not forget the _obi_, or broad sash, the -flowing sleeves, and the fans, for the little girls. One of the boys -might wear a straw rain-coat, which is strictly Japanese, and is made as -shown in the picture. Another boy might be a water-carrier, dressed in -dark-blue cotton and bearing a yoke on his shoulders, from each end of -which hangs a wooden water-pail. - -The bells of Japan have a remarkably musical, silvery tone; tradition -says that the finest have much silver in their composition, which may -account for their deep and wonderful sweetness. Whether this be true or -not, they are much more musical than Japanese music itself. They are not -sounded by a clapper within, but are struck from the outside, by a sort -of wooden arm or battering-ram. This might be imitated, by a little -experimenting. - -Tables should be placed around, containing curios and Japanese ware for -sale, including blotters and other small articles decorated in Japanese -designs, some of which can be prepared by the Juniors themselves; also -real Japanese boxes and trays; the fine Japanese colored photographs -procured from the United Society of Christian Endeavor; and the quaint -Japanese dolls. Coins from Japan, if procurable, will be of interest. - -Among the articles for sale should be the toy called by Japanese -children “Daruma San,” or “Mr. Daruma.” It is a strong pasteboard figure -of an old man in a squatting position, and is so rounded and weighted at -the bottom that it will always bob up in a sitting posture, no matter -how often one may knock it over. Another toy still more interesting is -the “Ukibara.” These perfectly plain-looking little paper sticks are -magical in their possibilities, for when placed in water they act as if -they were alive, unfolding and floating around in the form of brightly -colored fishes, flowers, fruits, animals, and many other pretty and -curious things. Children, and older people, too, will watch them a long -time without tiring of the amusement. They come in envelopes. An outfit -costs fifteen cents, and can also be procured from the United Society. - -Stories and recitations about Japan are in order. A fan drill by a -number of girls would be a pretty feature to introduce, if desired, even -though not new enough to claim space for description here. - -Refreshments might include tea for the grown-up guests, sandwiches for -all, small bowls of rice to be eaten with chopsticks, hot ears of -roasted sweet corn on a pretty Japanese tray, and a variety of sweet -cakes. All should be served on tiny square individual tables about six -inches high; and, if any one complains at being obliged to fold himself -up like an umbrella in order to partake of these delicacies, tell him -that his complaints cannot be understood unless he will consent to -express them in Japanese. But, as every one is extremely polite in -Japan, there will probably be no trouble of this kind. - - - - -Sky-Parlor Reception, No. 1. - - -AN attic is usually a wonderland of delight to any normal child, whether -a reader of Sara Crewe’s charming adventures or not; but it is a -wonderland too little explored. A large, clean, light, old-fashioned -attic may be utilized in turn for a reception-hall, curiosity-shop, -library, work-room, dramatic recital, and romping-ground. Its -possibilities are great, and would fill several afternoons. One such -occasion might be as follows: - -Let the Juniors be received with more or less ceremony by the committee -of large or small folk who are acting as hosts and hostesses. If -old-fashioned costumes are worn by those receiving, it adds to the fun. -After the arrival in the “sky-parlor,” the guests are privileged to have -a sight of any antique relics that have curious stories connected with -them. If a nice grandma can be found to tell the stories, so much the -better; but it is to be hoped that she will not prove too fascinating if -there is to be any work done. - -Tables are placed around in light portions of the attic, spread with -piles of old papers and magazines, and a pair of scissors and a chair -for each child. The Juniors look through the periodicals, and clip -pictures, and perhaps stories also, that they think would be good for -future scrap-book use, placing them in boxes, to be sorted next time. -Rosy apples, nuts, and pop-corn will be acceptable after their arduous -labors, and the Juniors will go home quite ready to come again the very -next Saturday afternoon. - - - - -Sky-Parlor Reception, No. 2. - - -This time a corner of the attic is transformed into a representation of -Sara Crewe’s odd little room, so cleverly and mysteriously changed from -dismal bareness to cosey luxury by the East Indian friend next door. -There should be a cot, cushions, rugs, draperies, quaint Oriental -ornaments, and last, but not least, the three essentials--Sara herself, -her long-suffering doll, and the monkey. A toy monkey will do. The story -may be read--and more or less acted, if desired--for the entertainment -of the children. - -Either before or afterward some of the clippings may be sorted ready for -scrap-books; and a few such afternoons of mingled work and play will be -among the brightest experiences of the Juniors. - - - - -A Pastery Party. - - -Be very mysterious in your remarks about what is to go on at this party, -answering all questions by whispering in the ears of your friends: “Why, -don’t you know what a pastery party is like? I’m really surprised!” - -There is pastry and pastry. A pastery party, to keep the secret no -longer, is a scrap-book party, nothing more. O, but it’s fun! Try it. -Get hold of a lot of illustrated periodicals; the more guests you have, -the more magazines you need. If you can find colored picture cards -besides, all the better. Ask your mother to make enough flour paste to -fill several cups. Fifteen or twenty guests are not too many. A sheet, -an old table-cloth, or neat pieces of wrapping-paper should be spread on -the table or tables. There must be plenty of elbow-room for -scrap-booking. - -A pastery party need not be an expensive affair. I once had three dozen -scrap-books made for about two dollars and fifty cents. This is the way -I went about it: Down at the wholesale wrapping-paper store I bought a -good-sized pile of sheets left over from a large order. The paper was -manila, smooth, and not too thin or too thick. I cannot remember the -exact measurements. At any rate, the old binder up-town cut them into -two sizes, and the smaller size, eight by fifteen inches, is the best -for a pastery party. There should not be more than twenty pages in a -book. My covers were of terra-cotta cartridge-paper. Any medium heavy -paper will do. If you wish to be economical, you can stitch each book -with a single piece of string, punching the holes with a scissors-blade. -The books should be numbered. - -When the guests, seated at the tables, are waiting for the pie (or -something) to be brought on, you and your assistants should enter, -dressed in chefs’ aprons and caps, from the kitchen, first with a -trayful of paste-cups, which you should set on the table in a very -dignified manner, one cup for each guest. Maybe the guests will peer -into their cups, and wonder whether they are expected to eat their -custard without any spoons! As soon as they catch sight of the -mucilage-brushes--which can be procured cheaply at the stationer’s--and -the scissors, they will begin to suspect what is meant by the word -“pastery.” Bring on next the scrap-books and the magazines, and tell -your friends that at the end of an hour of “scrapping” rewards will be -given by three grown-up judges for (1) the neatest and best-arranged -book, (2) for the book containing the largest number of pictures, and -(3) for the book which is filled first. - -The time-limit should be exact. Every person should write down on a -piece of paper the number marked on the cover of his book, and next to -the number his own name. The books should be carried to the judges, who -are seated up-stairs in a room with closed doors. Not until they have -announced the winning numbers will they be furnished with the slips of -paper containing the names to which the numbers belong. By taking these -precautions the contest will be absolutely fair. The scrap-books should -be given next day to the children’s ward of a hospital, or to the -children’s room in a library. Each pastery-cook’s name should be written -in his book, and under the names of the successful competitors should be -set down what rewards they won. - -The rewards might be these: A handsome scrap-book, a bottle of library -paste, and a pair of scissors. While the judges are deciding, the -company might play “Jenkins up!” or cut paper dolls. The refreshments -might be miniature apple-pies, the size of a small saucer, for each -guest. After the party is over ask those guests who did not have time to -paste their books full kindly to do so at home and return them to the -hostess as soon as possible. - - - - -A Pillow-Fight. - - -To prepare for this, the Juniors will be busy collecting “ammunition” -for some time, from all quarters--woods and fields, garden and lawn, -library and sewing-room. When there is enough, they can have their -pillow-fight. In fact, they may need to have several of them. - -First, the various pillows, or cushions, must be made. The girls can -first make the plain, square, muslin foundation bags, and then embroider -covers for them, or they can make the covers by sewing bright ribbons -together in strips, or by crocheting them, or in various other ways to -suit their own taste. Each Junior girl, from the oldest to the youngest, -will want to make one. - -Meanwhile, both boys and girls can collect, prepare, and sort the -materials for filling them. Some can be filled with cotton, with a -little sachet-powder sprinkled in; others, with paper torn into small -pieces; others, with pine needles; others, with dried rose-leaves--or -the rose-leaves, if not very plentiful, may be mixed with bits of paper, -or used with cotton instead of sachet-powder. The clean, fine inner -husks of corn, torn into shreds, and dried, make excellent ones; and a -recent fancy is for pillows filled with dried autumn leaves. I would not -advise feathers; they are not so inexpensive, and are usually too much -trouble when flying about in a room full of people. The other materials -named above are all easy to manage, and still other good ones will be -likely to occur to the Juniors and their friends. - -When the foundation pillows are filled and sewed up, which in itself -will be both fun and work for the whole society, and before the -decorated covers are put on, is the time to have the pillow-fight. -Divide the Juniors into two companies; line them up across the room from -one another, with their ammunition; and if they are normal children they -will need no instructions how to proceed. The pillows are “fired” -merrily back and forth until one company or the other is driven from its -stronghold or has had all its ammunition confiscated by the opposing -forces. It is a good test of the sewing, too; for, unless the stitches -are secure, there _may_ be a sudden shower of rose-leaves, paper -snowflakes, or autumn treasures, when least expected. - -Nuts and apples, or other simple refreshments, will be welcome when the -battle is over. The outside covers are then put on the pillows, and the -last bit of sewing--the one seam left open in the pretty cover--may be -finished if there is time, or taken home by the Juniors to be completed -there. The pillows, when done, may be either sold at a fair or given to -some home for invalids, where there never can be too many or too great a -variety. If the latter plan is adopted, a cheering message, either a -comforting verse from the Bible--the health promises are the best, and -will often do what the doctor’s medicine cannot--or a bit of sunshine -from some bright or restful poem may be written on a slip of paper and -pinned to each pillow. Selecting, writing, and attaching these will make -more pleasant work for the Juniors, which may be done separately or -together. - - - - -A Good-Luck Social. - - -For a late October social, perhaps for a Hallowe’en frolic, this will be -liked by many; but it is good at any time of the year. - -A good-luck fairy, or witch, in a long red cloak and high pointed hat, -should be mistress of ceremonies. If the time is Hallowe’en, the rooms -may be lighted with Jack-o’-lanterns. One doorway may have a portière of -apples hung on strings of different lengths. The tallest Juniors are to -stoop and “bite” for those hanging on the longest strings; the shorter -ones reach for those above, in the same way. In the middle of this -portière hangs a horseshoe, and for the first game let the Juniors each -try to throw three tiny apples between the prongs of the horseshoe. -Those successful in doing so are supposed to have good luck throughout -the coming year. - -Another game that might be played is apple-shooting. Place apples of -distinctive colors, red, yellow, and green, afloat in a tub of water, -and let the Juniors shoot at them with toy bows and arrows. To fire an -arrow into a red apple assures one of good health; to shoot a yellow one -means wealth; and those who succeed in hitting the green ones are to -have some especial piece of great good luck. - -Arrange the chairs in the form of a horseshoe, and seat the Juniors, all -except two--one who goes out of the room, and one who acts as -“reporter,” and must have a good memory. This is the game of “wishes and -compliments.” Each player makes a remark or wish concerning the one out -of the room. For instance, one says, “She wears a wig.” Another, “I wish -she would sing a song.” A third, “She can’t sing a note.” A fourth, “She -can recite beautifully.” A fifth, “I wish she may go to Africa as a -missionary.” A sixth, “She is dreadfully conceited.” A seventh, “She is -the best scholar in her class,” etc. The “compliments” will not all be -of the most flattering kind, and the wishes will be either sensible or -nonsensical ones, as occur to the wishers. Then the reporter calls in -the absent one, tells her that one person has said so-and-so about her, -and asks her to guess from the remark who the person is. She has only -one guess for each remark. As soon as she guesses one correctly, the one -thus discovered must take her place; and so on throughout the game. - -This game might be followed by a number of “good-luck stories,” each -Junior telling the best piece of good luck, as he considers it, that -ever happened to him. - -A hunt for four-leaf clovers, of which there may be a hundred or more -made of green paper and hidden about the rooms, will be enjoyed. The one -who finds the most may be rewarded either by some trifle like a pin-tray -or by a stick-pin in the form of a four-leaf clover or horseshoe; or, if -he is one of the younger Juniors, by a copy of that charming little -book for children, by Mrs. Annie Rix Militz, “The Wonderful Wishers of -Wishing-Well.” - -Again the Juniors may be seated in their horseshoe row, and play the -game of “wishes and results,” which is quite different from the other -wishing game. Each is given a slip of paper and a pencil, and is asked -to write his greatest wish. These slips are then collected and others -passed, on which each player answers the question, “What do you think -would happen if you should have your wish?” These “results” are -collected as were the wishes, and after thoroughly mixing the slips, but -keeping the two sets separate, each set is numbered from one up, and the -wishes and results are then read in pairs, according to number; the -results, as might be expected, often proving amusingly inappropriate to -the wishes. - -Refreshments may be apples roasted and corn popped by the Juniors -themselves, to which may be added nuts, lemonade, and cookies in the -shape of horseshoes and four-leaf clovers. Just before the close, the -good-luck fairy or some other “grown-up” should give a short talk -clearly explaining the truth that every person really controls his own -“luck,” and saying that a magical recipe will be given to each Junior on -starting for home, which, if followed, will keep him always fortunate. -This “recipe,” typewritten and handed to each in an addressed envelope -labeled “Good-Luck Recipe,” is the definition of “luck” given by Max -O’Rell, as follows: - -“Luck means rising at six o’clock in the morning, living on a dollar a -day if you earn two, minding your own business, and not meddling with -other people’s. Luck means the appointments you have never failed to -keep, the trains you have never failed to catch. Luck means trusting in -God and your own resources.” - - - - -Making Valentines. - - -If some of the Juniors wish to surprise their friends, or the inmates of -their pet charitable institutions, with kind thoughts in the form of -valentines, those made by themselves are sure to be most acceptable; and -then, too, it is such fun to make them! - -The materials needed are white and colored paper, including gilt and -silver paper, also paste and scissors. One has first to cut the colored -paper into squares, which may then be folded into quarters and the -quarters into triangles; then cut these into all kinds of intricate -tracery, and they will be pretty when unfolded, for the repetition gives -beauty to the most awkward cutting. Next paste them on a background of -white, and decorate them with mottoes or with tiny doves and hearts, in -gold. - -One little girl even attempted to cut out a Cupid for a very special -valentine, to be given to her grandma; and, although the Cupid was a -little lop-sided, it was still quite imposing. Another wee girl, the -little sister of one of the Juniors, made good use of her kindergarten -skill by _sewing_ a valentine! Her sister prepared it for her by cutting -a heart about three inches across, from a piece of folded paper; using -this as a pattern, she marked around it on a piece of cardboard, made a -small oblong in the centre, for a picture-frame, and pricked the outline -for the five-year-old to sew with blue silk. This was accomplished with -much delight, and with a stamp picture of the giver pasted in the centre -of the oblong was as pretty a valentine as need be. - -One favorite kind, the “window” valentine, was made by taking a square -of paper, doubling it and cutting one straight slit half-way across from -centre to the outside; then folding it once the other way--into -quarters--and cutting off the corner so as, when unfolded, to make a -square opening in the centre, with its corners opposite the sides of the -larger square. While the paper was folded in quarters, a third slit was -cut, parallel with the last one. When unfolded, this brought strips each -side, which were folded back on the outside of the valentine; a picture -was pasted back of the opening, and the valentine looked like this: - -[Illustration: WINDOW VALENTINE] - -Another was made to represent the front of a house, with a “Welcome” -door-mat and a door that opened and disclosed a photograph of the giver. -On the door was inscribed, - - “Open this door, and you will find - One who would be your valentine.” - -Still another represented a dainty lady on horseback just ready to jump -through a paper hoop held by a clown. Underneath was the verse, - - “Jump through this paper hoop of mine, - And find your own true valentine.” - -The paper in the hoop concealed a photograph. Of course it should be -explained to the children that valentines containing photographs are -supposed to be for relatives. - -One of the prettiest surprises of all on the occasion of which I am -speaking, was a wonder-box, made from a piece of heavy paper six inches -across. Fastened securely in a most mysterious way, and with bits of -candy rattling tantalizingly inside, it was a delightful, but not an -easy, task, to open it, even to those who knew how. - -[Illustration] - -The diagram shows by dotted lines exactly where the paper squares must -be folded, and the heavy lines show where it must be cut. The holes are -for the corners, folded small, to be put through, and then straightened -out again. - -This is the way the wonder-box looks when done: - -[Illustration: WONDER-BOX (Closed)] - -It would be as good for a Christmas present as for a valentine. - - - - -A New Kind of Dinner-Party. - - -This was one of the invitations: - - DEAR BERTOL: - - I hope you will not think it odd if I ask you to be either a - table-furnishing or something to eat at my dinner-party. Will you be - kind enough to be served at my house two weeks from to-night; that is, - Tuesday, October sixth, nineteen hundred and three, at half-past - seven? And, if you accept, will you not please let me know what you - choose to be? - - Hungrily your friend, - L. BETTINA ARNED. - - _45 Muscovy Street, - Tuesday, September twenty-second._ - -About thirty children came. Of course there were more girls than boys -(there always are); still, the boys could be discovered without a -microscope. Some of the guests were these: - -1. Mock Turtle (soup). A boy with green cloth slippers on hands and -feet, and a green oval cardboard shield on front and back. He wore green -trousers and stockings, green tissue-paper hair, and green goggles. - -2. Black Bass. A boy in burnt cork dressed like a negro singer. On a -card hung about his neck was drawn a bar of music showing “bass” notes. - -3. Duck. A little girl in a white duck dress. - -4. Turkey. A boy in a fez and Turkish clothes--orange sash, baggy red -jacket and trousers, and pointed shoes. He wore an immense burnt-cork -mustache. - -5. Game. A girl carried a checker-board under one arm and a pachisi -board under the other. - -6. Hare. A girl with her “hair” worn long. - -7. Pear. Two girls kept hold of hands all the evening. - -8. Sole (the fish). A girl wearing a card on which was pasted the -picture of a shoe-sole. - -9. Whitebait. A boy dressed in white (not duck, however). He carried a -short bamboo fish-pole. The hook end of the line was fastened about his -neck. - -10. Chinaware. A girl in Chinese clothes. - -As soon as a guest arrived he was given a numbered sheet and a pencil, -and was told to guess--without exchanging hints with his neighbors--what -everybody else was supposed to be. The reward for the longest list was -an angel-cake, and for the shortest a stick of barber-pole candy, tied -with bright green ribbon. Really, there were two dinner-parties that -evening, for while the lists were being counted Mrs. Arned served -lemonade and crackers. - - - - -Jack-Knife and Scissors Party. - - -The boys all bring their jack-knives, of course, and the girls their -scissors. Other tools and materials, provided by the committee, are a -pile of white pine boards knocked from old boxes; a bundle of -tissue-paper and crape paper; some cardboard; a pot of glue; some wire, -pins, tacks, small nails, and hammers. Rewards are offered to the boy -and the girl who at the end of two hours have made the most useful or -ingenious articles. - -There is a wide range. Wooden spoons, plates, toothpicks, -paper-cutters, dolls, toy boats and sleds, statuettes (!), window-sash -supporters, and tabourettes; tissue-paper lanterns, mats, valentines, -bouquets, and dresses for some of the wooden dolls; these form only a -partial list of the result of one such contest. Ingenious Juniors will -delight in inventing new and astonishing effects in both paper and wood. -“The American Boy’s Handy Book” and “The American Girl’s Handy Book” -would be suitable rewards. After their arduous toil the workers will -appreciate a lunch of sandwiches, fruit, and lemonade. The articles made -may be either given to some charitable institution or saved for a -Christmas tree or fair given by the Juniors. The latter plan will -generally prove more desirable, as only a few of the articles would be -as suitable for inmates of any one institution as they would be for -those of private homes. - - - - -Reception at Curlycue Castle. - - -Invite the Juniors to a reception at Curlycue Castle, giving date, hour, -and street address, but no other particulars. When they arrive, they are -introduced to the Queen--or King--of the Curlycues. This important -personage is dressed in a more or less fantastic costume, in which the -most conspicuous feature is profuse ringlets made of lovely light golden -shavings; and carries a sceptre or wand, which in explaining the games, -etc., is waved about in a style full of curves and curls, peculiarly its -own. - -The Juniors are suitably welcomed, and in a brief address the habits -and customs of the singular, newly discovered race of people called -Curlycues are explained to them, and they are informed that for the next -two or three hours they are to consider themselves as belonging to the -same race. Each is furnished with a long shaving curl, which badge of -honor the newly made Curlycue, whether girl or boy, is expected to wear -throughout the occasion. - -Tell them the Curlycues are expert in shooting at a mark--whether they -always hit it or not; that they have been much troubled by certain small -wild animals called “excuses” which are found in the woods about the -castle; and that occasionally these animals become so bold that they -make themselves great nuisances, creeping into the castle itself, and -hindering the Curlycues about their work and study. Then call all the -Curlycues to an excuse-hunt. - -In a large unfurnished room have a target almost half covering one side -of the room. Have it prepared in advance with drawings of a number of -comical faces, each plainly labelled with the name of some foolish -excuse, such as “I didn’t think,” “He dared me to,” “Just this once,” -“No one will know,” “She did it first,” “He began it,” “I don’t want -to,” “I’m afraid,” “Wait till to-morrow,” “In a minute,” “By and by,” “I -forgot,” “I can’t.” Truly a formidable array! Of course it should be -explained that the most of these are entire strangers to the Juniors, -but as Curlycues they are privileged to hunt them out and shoot them on -the spot. - -Each hunter is supplied with a bow and three arrows, and is told to see -how many excuses he can dispose of. Some excuses count more than others -in the score. This may be arranged at the discretion of the Junior -superintendent. For instance, each excuse might count five, except “I -forgot” and “Wait till to-morrow,” each of which might count ten. If a -hunter has shot a certain excuse, it does not debar the rest from having -a try at the same one if they wish. As in real life, each excuse may -have to be killed several times over. The Curlycue who scores the most -with his three trials is the winner. - -After all have had a chance, and the excuses are pretty well disposed -of, the children will enjoy a “Curlycue drawing-contest.” Give them -paper and pencils, and tell them each to draw a Curlycue; that is, it -must be explained, a single line about two inches long containing one or -more crooks or curves. Exchange the papers, and let each draw a picture, -using in it the line already drawn. Twenty minutes, or a half-hour, if -preferred, may be the time-limit. A small reward may then be given for -the best drawing. - -A lively piano march now calls the Curlycues to their feet. They form in -single file, and follow their leader in a very whimsical and circuitous -march, finally bringing up at the dining-room, where crullers or other -“curly” cakes are served, with milk or lemonade. Or the cakes might be -flat, with chocolate, pink, or white icing decorated with “Curlycues” in -another color. - - - - -“Polly Pitcher” Social. - - -This is a missionary “jug-breaking” in which the mite-boxes, in the form -of tiny gilded jugs or pitchers, are all fastened to various portions of -an imposing rag or pillow doll, the size of a grown person, if possible, -named “Polly Pitcher.” Polly is fond of jewelry, and wears bracelets, -necklace, earrings, and even a nose-ring, all composed of the -mite-boxes. - -As the Juniors know well for what purpose they have been saving, this is -a time for rejoicing and merrymaking rather than for set speeches. After -“Polly” has been despoiled of her treasures there may be, in another -room, a game of “Polly Pitcher bean-bag.” This is the way it is -arranged: - -Have three bean-bags, two of them four inches; the other, five inches, -square; a hoop fifteen inches in diameter, wound with ribbon; suspend -this hoop from the ceiling by a ribbon loop tied to one side, from which -you are to hang a small bell so that it will swing in the centre of the -hoop. - -Each Junior in turn is the “pitcher,” and in this case the bell is -“Polly.” The player takes the three bags, and throws them successively -through the hoop, trying not to disturb “Polly,” who will be sure to -protest every time that she is hit. The two smaller bags are thrown -first, then the larger one. Whenever the player succeeds in throwing a -bag through the hoop without disturbing “Polly” it counts ten; that is, -if the bag is one of the smaller ones. If it is the large one, it -counts twenty. Whenever Polly lets it be known that she is disturbed, it -takes off five from the pitcher’s score. - -If there is time, other favorite games of the Juniors may be introduced. -But usually it will be found that la belle Polly is fascinating enough -to divide the honors about equally with her bejewelled namesake, and -that by the time the refreshments are over and the size of the -missionary fund is announced, the social may close with a few of the -Juniors’ brightest songs. - - - - -House-Book. - - -When my sister was a little girl, she had one play that always gave her -unfailing delight. It was her “house-book” as she called it, and I am -sure the Juniors, especially the younger ones, would enjoy the -fascinating play-work as much as she did, and the “houses” thus -concocted might be given to a children’s hospital, where they would -serve as fairy palaces for the tired little sufferers to dwell in. - -The brown cover of Daisy’s house-book was nothing ornamental; in fact, -the book, to begin with, was a more or less blank one that had already -served its purpose in some commercial capacity. But that did not matter. -You opened it to the first page, and saw the front of the house, -outside, with its piazza and lawn. A hammock was swung somewhere,--I -forget whether it was on the lawn or the piazza,--and some very -distinguished-looking paper-doll people were going up the steps. Then -you turned over the leaf, and found yourself in the parlor, with rug, -chairs, and little tables, a piano, and all complete. Each page was a -room. Going on, you visited in turn the library, dining-room, kitchen, -and, I think, hall and stairs; then you took a peep into several -sleeping-rooms, and of course the most important room in the house was -the playroom, with two children in it, and toys of various kinds and -sizes, scattered about. Generally speaking, the furnishings were in -remarkably good proportion and well arranged; but the house lacked a -cellar. Perhaps it was in Florida, where cellars are seldom indulged in. - -A house-book can be made as simple or as elaborate as one desires. -Pantries, cellar, china-closets, linen-closets, and attic might all be -included; and one could put a cheery-looking cook in the kitchen and a -trim maid with a ruffled apron in the dining-room, besides a large -family of children and the father and mother, and, if you like, the -grandfather and grandmother too. With such a wealth of pictures to -choose from as can be found in the different papers and advertising -sheets, very little need be left to the imagination. By all means set -the Juniors to making house-books, and by the time they have real houses -of their own to furnish, or even before, they will have acquired a very -good idea of what is needed and where to put it. - - - - -A Parlor Athletic Meet. - - -Send the Juniors an invitation reading somewhat like this: - - “You are invited to enter one or all of the athletic events of the - Parlor Athletic Club, on Wednesday evening, November third, at 65 - Sycamore Street. Everybody will break training at the end of the meet. - - “BERTRAND C. FROST, _Field Marshal_. - - “_October twenty-fifth, 1903._” - -As each guest enters the front door, the scorer should put down the -guest’s name, number it, and pin on his back a plainly numbered card. As -he enters the parlor or dining-room, a paper and pencil should be given -to him. The events should be plainly listed on a blackboard. The -announcer should say: “Will each competitor please write his number at -the head of his sheet, and under this the numbers, but not the names, of -the events which he means to enter? The more entries, the better. Hand -your sheets to me.” - -Four judges (grown people are the best) can quickly make lists of the -people entering each event. Then the announcer should clear the field, -and the events should begin as promptly as possible. The following list -may be too long: - -1. Taking the largest bite from an apple hung by a string. The hands of -the competitor must be held behind his back. - -2. Holding the breath the longest without laughing. - -3. Balancing a cane on one finger the longest. - -4. Throwing bean-bags into a hole cut in a board. Fifteen feet is a good -distance. Each competitor should be allowed five bags. - -5. Laughing in the most original manner. - -6. A tickling-match. Two competitors should each be given a feather. One -hand must be held behind the back. An eight-foot circle is drawn. The -winner is he or she who stays the longer in the circle without making a -sound. - -7. Hand-wrestling. Two people stand opposite each other, with legs -braced, and grasp each a hand, holding the other hand behind them. The -point is to jerk or pull your opponent in such a manner that he is -forced to move one of his feet. - -8. Standing on one foot, on a chair, the longest. The right arm must be -held up straight, and not supported. - -9. Sitting down on the floor, and getting up again most gracefully. The -arms must be folded. - -10. Thrusting a cane through a swinging napkin-ring. The fewest thrusts -count the most. - -11. Running up-stairs in the quickest time. Every stair must be used. - -12. “Putting” the balloon. The competitor must stand in a seven-foot -circle, or come up to a line from not more than seven feet back, and -“put” a toy balloon as far ahead as possible. The distance must be -measured from the spot on the floor or ceiling where the balloon first -strikes, to the middle of the putting-edge of the circle or of the -putting-line. - -13. Bending over and touching the ground with the palms of both hands. -The knees must not be bent. The point is to go over as many times as -possible. - -Three places should be counted in each event. A first place should score -three points; a second place, two points; a third place, one point. The -largest reward should be given to the boy or girl having the largest -total score. Be sure to give rewards that either a boy or a girl would -like, for girls have a way of winning them when they have a good chance. - - - - -A Tropical Fair. - - -For decorations use the graceful Florida moss if it can be procured; if -not, tissue-paper orange blossoms are pretty. Palms and similar potted -plants may be placed here and there. Have a pond made of a large mirror -with the frame covered with foliage, and in or on the pond should be a -number of pond-lily needle-books and penwipers; these the Juniors can -easily make of white and green cloth for petals and leaves, with bits of -yellow wool in the centre. There may also be in the pond some -frog-shaped and alligator-shaped boxes made of wood with the bark left -on for the alligators, and finished in both cases to look as lifelike as -possible. - -In the centre or at one side of the room have an orange grove. The -oranges are various small articles, each wrapped in a wad of cotton, -made as nearly round as possible, covered with orange-colored -tissue-paper and tied with a green string to the evergreen trees -composing the grove. Each purchaser is to select the orange he prefers, -paying a trifle for it. - -Besides the pond and the orange grove there may be a lemonade-well -profusely decked with foliage, a booth where real oranges and other -tropical fruits are sold, another booth for cake and candies, one for -fancy-work, one for flowers, and a special one for fans, all having -suggestions of the tropics about them. If the orange scheme is to -predominate, the fancy-work booth should be filled with articles made in -shades of orange, and the cakes, candies, and ices may be flavored with -orange; the booths may be draped in orange and white, and the girls in -charge of them should wear white dresses with orange ribbons. In the -grove should be seats and small tables where refreshments can be served -as ordered. - -This will be found no more trouble to prepare, on the whole, than most -ordinary fairs, and is much prettier. - - - - -Washington’s Birthday. - - -In Miss Alcott’s “Jack and Jill” are described several good tableaux -taken from scenes in the life of Washington. The cherry-tree episode is -delightful; Washington crossing the Delaware, exciting; and the -“Daughters of Liberty,” the “Surrender of Cornwallis,” the pathetic camp -scene, “Washington at Trenton,” the Washington family, and the simulated -statue of the “Minuteman,” all very effective. The detailed description -would take too much space here, but the book is to be found in most -libraries; and, even if it is not obtainable, the subjects may prove -suggestive, and are all within the ability of children or quite young -people. - -Many, however, will prefer games. Did you ever play “cherry-tree blind -man’s buff”? For this you will want twenty or more candied cherries, and -an impromptu cherry-tree, which may be the bough of an evergreen placed -upright in a flower-pot or a box. Tie the cherries to the branches with -bits of silk thread a few inches long. Blindfold the Juniors one at a -time; turn the blindfolded one around three times; give him a pair of -scissors; and tell him to clip all the cherries he can from the tree, -allowing him three minutes for the trial. He must not feel for the tree -with his hands, but simply reach out with the scissors and clip where he -thinks the cherries are. A little box of candied fruit is given as a -reward to the one who succeeded in clipping the most cherries. - -On one occasion of this kind the “yarn-spinning contest” described -originally in the “spinning social” of “Eighty Pleasant Evenings” was -included, the guests each trying to tell the most improbable story. But -instead of the most successful story-teller’s being honored with the -title of “fibmaster-general,” the reward was quite unexpectedly -presented to the one who had told the _poorest_ story, on the ground -that Washington was a poor hand at telling stories and to be like him is -a mark of patriotism worthy of reward. - -“Burying the hatchet” is suggestive of all sorts of peaceful things, -but is in reality quite a lively contest. Divide the company into two -sections. Have ready one of the little hatchet-shaped candy-boxes, to be -had at most confectioners’ about February 22. One division of the -Juniors leaves the room; the other division hides the hatchet; and the -outside party returns, and tries in five guesses to locate it. If -successful, their side wins a point; if not, they win nothing. The two -divisions change places, the first hiders of the hatchet going out of -the room and becoming the guessers. Each side has three turns, -alternating in this way. The side which has then won most points -receives the hatchet filled with bonbons. - -A “Washington quiz” historic in character, might be included, with such -questions as the following: - - 1. In what State was Washington born? - - 2. In what year was he born? - - 3. Did George attend any college? - - 4. Who sent him on his famous journey through the wilderness? - - 5. What position did he hold under Braddock? - - 6. How did he act when complimented first on his military service? - - 7. In what year was he made commander-in-chief of the Continental - army? - - 8. Where did he spend the winter of 1777? - - 9. When was he elected president? - - 10. How long did he hold the presidency? - - 11. Where did he die? - - 12. Did he hold slaves? - - 13. Did he approve of slavery? - - 14. What became of his slaves after their master’s death? - - 15. By whom was he called “First in war, first in peace, and first in - the hearts of his countrymen”? - - ANSWERS.--1. Virginia. 2. 1732. 3. No. 4. Governor Dinwiddie. 5. - Aide-de-camp. 6. Blushed, stammered, and could not speak. 7. 1775. 8. - Valley Forge. 9. 1789. 10. For two terms of four years each. 11. At - Mount Vernon. 12. Yes. 13. No. 14. They were set free. 15. Henry Lee, - in a resolution presented in the House of Representatives. - -Little paper flags tinted red, white, and blue were used in one such -test, the questions being written upon the reverse side. - -For refreshments, serve lemonade with canned cherries dropped into it, -and fancy crackers or cakes in the form of little hatchets. - - - - -For the First of April. - - -Perhaps one of the Juniors has a printing-press; if so, this is a good -chance to use it. - -Print hand bills asking “all the wise people” in town to come to your -entertainment to be given the evening of April 1, naming the hall and -the price of admission. - -Tickets should be distributed when asked for; as the hand-bills should -announce, the tickets of admission are to be at a certain price, payable -at the door as you go out, after the entertainment is over. This plan is -in keeping with the rest of the evening, and is also partly to reassure -any who suspect that an April First entertainment might be so complete a -hoax as not to take place at all. - -Have a poster at the entrance of the hall, warning every one, “Who -enters here must leave all sense behind.” - -The decorations are truly unique. Rugs, strips of carpets, and an -occasional chair ornament the walls, while pictures and posters are hung -up on the floor. A curtain might be gracefully draped along the floor of -the platform. Everything, as far as possible, is in the place usually -assigned to something else. - -Programmes printed all sides up with care, and as unexpected in -typographical arrangement as the furnishings, should be handed around. -The announcement at the top of the page should be in small type, the -rest in larger size; the margin should vary in width from line to line, -each paragraph beginning at the edge of the sheet; and every sentence -must begin with a period and end with a capital. The Juniors, with a -little suggestion now and then, will find this part of the work great -fun, and will learn some things regarding correct rules of printing in -the very effort to break them. - -The first thing on the programme is, of course, the good-night speech, -thanking the audience for their kind attention and generous applause, -and inviting them, before leaving, to partake of refreshments. The menus -that are then passed may contain all sorts of possible and impossible -dishes, but the refreshments themselves must be always something widely -different from what was ordered. For instance, if one orders quail on -toast, coffee, and layer cake, he is likely to get a cheese sandwich, a -pickle, and a glass of water, with the grave assurance that these dishes -were exactly the ones that he ordered. - -After the refreshments the programme is rendered. “A recitation by -little Edith Jones” proves to be some time-honored selection like “Mary -had a little lamb,” or “You’d scarce expect one of my age,” recited in a -childish lisp and high key, by the largest, tallest boy in the society; -in fact, one of the seniors may have to be called upon for this honor, -as he should be, if possible, more than six feet tall. “A patriotic -address by General Wynhart” should be, on the contrary, a particularly -captivating dialogue or duet by two pretty little girls, or a motion -song by several tiny tots. “A violin solo by Signor Grateforio” is a -song by a quartette. “A bass solo, ‘Rocked in the cradle of the deep,’ -by Professor Rorer,” should be a little girl’s lullaby to her doll, very -soft and sweet. “Grand chorus by four hundred voices” may be a violin -solo. And so with the whole programme, ending with the address of -welcome. Aim to have many really fine numbers, but see to it that every -one is something unexpected. - -As the people go out, the spirit of fun will have so thoroughly taken -possession of them that it will be a wonder if there are no buttons or -similar treasures offered as the price of admission, or rather of -escape; but not many would be so mean, and then it need not be accepted, -for, when asked, every one will be obliged to admit that he has had his -quarter’s worth of fun. - - - - -Letter Social. - - -Label each Junior with a letter on his arrival. This may be done by -having ready in advance small cards, each with a letter plainly painted -on it and with a ribbon loop attached, to be pinned on the dress or hung -around the neck. In preparing the letters omit V, X, and Z, and make -several copies apiece of the letters in most common use. - -First, the Juniors may see what words they can form by grouping -themselves according to their letters. For instance, a Junior labelled -with F goes and finds one with O, and together they have made one word, -“of”; then these two group themselves with a third labelled R, and by -rearranging the order they have “for”; then by finding successively T, -H, and U, they have “fort,” “forth,” and “fourth,” etc. No group may -discard a letter once accepted, nor add one that will not make a -correctly spelled word, but they may rearrange the order of their -letters as often as they wish. At the end of a stated time the group -that has the longest word has won the game, which might be known as -“word-building.” - -Another letter contest, with the same labels, is perhaps still more -interesting. It is called the “Alphabetical Question Game.” One of the -Juniors asks another a question. The answer must begin with the letter -worn by the one replying, and must be given before the questioner can -count ten slowly and distinctly. If the one questioned fails to reply in -time, or starts his reply with a wrong letter, the questioner takes his -letter from him and adds it to his own. All players supplied with one or -more letters may go about asking questions in this way, but two must not -question the same player at once, and no one may give the same answer -twice. A player may answer from any of the letters that he is wearing; -and, if a player loses his only letter, he is supplied with another, but -not more than twice. When time is up, the player having the most letters -is the winner. - -A game of “letter tag” is one in which the vowels all chase the -consonants. Each Junior wearing a vowel is given a particular corner for -his “den.” There is also a general goal. At a signal the vowels start in -pursuit of the consonants, all circling the room in the same direction. -Those consonants that escape to the goal without being overtaken are -safe for the first run; those tagged are obliged to return with their -captors to the respective “dens” and remain there until the end of the -game. After a certain number of these runs the vowel that has captured -the most consonants is pronounced Czar, or Czarina, as the case may be. -But this is not all. The players remain where they are. Paper and a -pencil are given to each vowel, and the one that can make the longest -list of words, using only his own letter and his captive consonants, is -the final winner, and receives the reward. - -By this time both vowels and consonants will be ready for refreshments, -which may consist of lemonade and fancy alphabet crackers, or cakes with -lettered icing. A few songs and recitations may be introduced to add -variety; and a pleasing exercise for the close would be “The Juniors’ -Message to All,” given as follows: - -Select eight of the Juniors who are rather slender, about the same -height, and dressed in white. Take off their labels. Placing a large -screen temporarily before them, or closing the sliding doors between -them and their expectant audience, arrange them in front of a dark -curtain or other background in such positions that they will themselves -form letters of white, spelling a short word easily recognized. It is -not very difficult, but you will need to experiment a little. For the -first letter, one Junior stands facing the audience for the upright -part, another sits on the floor just behind, facing the right; for the -second letter, two Juniors curve themselves as completely as possible -around a hoop which they both hold, the open part toward the audience; -for the third, two stand leaning away from each other, with hands or a -string tightly clasped to keep from falling; for the fourth, the same -arrangement as the first except that the standing Junior reaches one arm -straight out at the side, toward the right of the audience, and the -seated one also reaches one arm partly out in the same direction. Remove -the screen when you have them arranged to your satisfaction, and the -other children will recognize, in living letters of white, the word -“LOVE,” which is the Juniors’ message to all. - - - - -The Tuffet and the Web - -A Fantasy in Two Acts and Two Scenes - -BY VINCENT VAN MARTER BEEDE - - “Little Miss Muffet - Sat on a tuffet, - Eating curds and whey. - There came a black spider, - And sat down beside her, - And frightened Miss Muffet away.” - - -People of the Play - - LITTLE MISS MUFFET, _Queen of the Meadow_. - THE BLACK SPIDER. - THE FLY. - THE CRICKET. - THE WISE MOLE. - THREE FIELD-MICE. - SIX LITTLE DAIRYMAIDS. - THREE ELVES, _boys_. - THREE SPRITES, _girls_. - SIX RABBITS, _three boys and three girls_. - -ACT I.--The Meadow. - -ACT II.--The Spider’s Web. - -(_A constant undertone of music throughout the whole play._) - - -Costumes - -LITTLE MISS MUFFET: A dainty little girl of ten, with long hair and a -daisy garland. Short frock of white or sky-blue, bare legs, and socks to -match the frock. White slippers. - -SPIDER: A stout boy of twelve, in tight-fitting, shiny black from head -to foot. Jet ornaments sewed here and there. Black mittens. Swarthy -face, black beard, large smoked goggles, top-hat, the worse for wear. - -FLY: A slim boy of nine, in tight green clothes. A long-tailed coat, -with brass buttons, green long hose, green slippers, rainbow wings. The -wings can be made much as a kite is made. A green skull-cap. - -CRICKET: A boy of the same age as the Fly, but a trifle larger. Plain -loose black jacket and loose knickerbockers, black shoes, black -skull-cap, brown wings. There should be brown patches here and there, as -if the fellow were poor. - -MOLE: A boy of twelve, in gray--very dark gray--flannel knickerbockers -and a gray cloak. Spectacles, fur cap, shovel under one arm. - -FIELD-MICE: Boys smaller than the Mole. Brown, loose-fitting jackets and -knickerbockers, torn black stockings, black tails (cloth wound over -rope). - -DAIRYMAIDS: Six little girls from ten to twelve, in low-necked white -frocks. Bare arms. White stockings, mob-caps and aprons. - -ELVES: Boys from eight to ten, in tightly fitting clothes. One boy in -red, another in white, another in blue. Long hose. Pointed caps, cloth -over cardboard. Wide sashes to match the costumes. - -SPRITES: Girls of the same ages as the Elves. Short frocks, low neck, -short sleeves. Colors of frocks: yellow, violet, and orange. Garlands of -wild-flowers, gold and silver wands. - -RABBITS: Girls and boys of the same ages as the fairies. Boys.--Loose, -light-gray flannel jackets and knickerbockers, and hoods with long ears -which either stand up straight or stand out at right angles. They can be -stiffened with little bamboo sticks. Short gray tails. White stockings. -Girls.--White flannel hoods, ears, jackets, skirts, and stockings. - - -Scenery - -ACT I. Back scene to represent a blue sky. A green carpet should be -spread, and over it grass or hay should be scattered. The tuffet is a -tiny stool made of rough wood; or the stool may be a handsome gilded -one, with a cushion of yellow silk. The Spider should let himself down -from a beam which the audience cannot see. Great care should be taken -that the beam is strong, and the rope securely fastened to the beam and -about the Spider’s waist. - - -ACT I. - - SCENE.--_The Meadow. Music. A birthday party in honor of_ LITTLE MISS - MUFFET, _who at the rise of the curtain is discovered on her tuffet, - centre_. _Left, a number of baskets. Dance of the_ SIX LITTLE - DAIRYMAIDS. - -MUFFET (_when the dance is done_). That was a beautiful dance, dear -friends. Thank you ever so much. I notice that the four-o’clocks at my -feet are opening, so that it is time for our guests to arrive. - -FIRST DAIRYMAID. How fortunate that there are no ugly black clouds in -the sky! - -MUFFET. Please, please do not use the word “black” any oftener than you -cannot help. It reminds me of that horrible, crawly, eight-legged -creature who lives in a--ugh!--in a web! - -SECOND DAIRYMAID. Pardon me, Miss Muffet, but is it true that the Sp---- -I mean that this creature dropped down from a tree the other day and -asked you to be his Queen, and live in his--den? - -MUFFET. Yes, yes, of course, it’s true; but change the subject, I beg of -you. (_Enter_, _left_, FLY; _right_, CRICKET. _They advance toward_ -MUFFET, _glowering angrily at each other. Each kisses a hand of_ MUFFET -_at the same moment_.) I am so glad you could come, both of you. - -FLY (_pointing at_ CRICKET). What is _he_ here for, I’d like to know? - -CRICKET (_pointing at_ FLY). And what is _he_ here for, pray? - -MUFFET. O, I do hope you won’t quarrel--to-day, especially. I think a -great deal of you both; don’t I, Dairymaids? - -DAIRYMAIDS. Of course you do! - -FLY. That’s the worst news I could possibly hear, Miss Muffet. Do you -mean to say that you like that plain black fellow better than you do me? -Why, just look at my wings! I really think you might choose me as your -King of the Meadow! - -CRICKET. How can you listen to such talk, Miss Muffet? That Fly is -nothing but a vain popinjay, strutting and buzzing around! _He_ can’t -sing. I’m the right kind of King for you, every time! - -FLY (_angrily_). Bzzzzzzzzzz! - -CRICKET. There! Did you ever hear a more disagreeable racket? - -MUFFET (_covering her face with her hands_). O, what shall I do? My -birthday party is being spoiled! - -DAIRYMAIDS (_covering their faces with their hands_). Yes, her party is -being spoiled! - - (CRICKET _and_ FLY _disdainfully fold their arms, and turn their backs - on each other. Music. Enter, right, in a dignified manner_, WISE MOLE - _and_ THREE FIELD-MICE. _They bow low before_ MISS MUFFET.) - -MUFFET. How glad I am to see you, Wise Mole, and you dear counsellors, -the Field-Mice! What should I do without you all to guide me when I get -into trouble? - -MOLE. You have evidently been weeping, my dear Queen--and on your -birthday, too! What dreadful thing can have happened? (_Looking about -uneasily._) Surely you have not seen the black Spider again? - -MUFFET AND DAIRYMAIDS. O, no, no, no! - -MOLE. Tell me about it, whatever it may be. - -MUFFET. Why, I cannot make up my mind which I would prefer for a -husband--the Cricket, or the Fly. One has a beautiful song; the other, -beautiful wings. They are both angry, and insist on knowing which one -shall sit upon the tuffet with me. - - (MOLE _and_ FIELD-MICE _put their heads together_.) - -MOLE. It is our opinion that the tuffet is not big enough for more than -one person, so that neither the Fly nor the Cricket can claim your hand. -Come, be friends! (_Putting the hands of the rivals together. They shake -hands not very cordially, while the_ DAIRYMAIDS _applaud_.) - -MUFFET. O goody--goody! Now we can go on in peace! (_Music. Enter, -left_, RABBITS; _right_, FAIRIES. MUFFET _stands up on her tuffet, and -kisses her hands to the newcomers_. CRICKET, _right_; FLY, _left_; MOLE -_and_ FIELD-MICE _right of stage_.) Welcome to my meadow and my party! - -DAIRYMAIDS. Welcome! Welcome! - - (_Music. Dance of the_ FAIRIES _and the_ RABBITS. _The_ DAIRYMAIDS - _stand in a row at rear, clapping time_.) - -MUFFET (_seating herself when the dance is over_). Sit down, my dear -guests, and have some of the curds and whey which the dear Dairymaids -have provided. - - (_Music. The_ DAIRYMAIDS _take out from their baskets, left, spoons, - bowls, and jars of curds and whey. They serve_ MUFFET _first. - Rumbling, thundering music._ SPIDER _lets himself down directly over_ - MUFFET _by means of his “thread” (rope), and lands at side of Queen, - whom he tries to embrace._ MUFFET _and all her guests jump up, - screaming. Stampede, left._ SPIDER, _quite deserted, seats himself on - the tuffet. Low music._) - -SPIDER (_untying the “thread” from his body. The thread is drawn upward, -out of sight_). I’ll have her yet! She’s a pretty little thing. I’m -bound that she shall sit in my parlor and spin for me all day long! My -web shall be the largest and silkiest in the wide world. I have no time -for spinning. I would much rather be eating nice fat flies. I’m hungry -for one at this moment. Ah, but I saw a dainty specimen standing at Miss -Muffet’s side. Burrrrrooooo! I’m furious to think that the Queen and her -guests have escaped me! (FAIRIES _peep out, laughing_.) Who dares to -laugh at Me, the King of the Web? (_The_ FAIRIES _dart out on stage, -right_.) - -FIRST ELF. You’re it for tag, Spider, old boy! - - (_Exeunt_ FAIRIES, _right_. SPIDER _gives chase. Enter cautiously, - left_, MUFFET _carrying her bowl of curds and whey, and_ FLY. MUFFET - _seats herself on her tuffet, looking about fearfully_.) - -MUFFET. Has the horrid thing really gone away? - -FLY (_protectingly, but stammering with fright_). Of c-c-course, Miss -Muffet, I-I will pro-protect you. (_He tries to sit on the tuffet._) - -MUFFET. No, my dear Fly, there is room for only one on the tuffet, you -know. - -FLY. How can I show my great love for you, my Queen of the Meadow? - -MUFFET. By slaying the wicked black Spider, who has devoured so many of -your relatives, to say nothing of dragon-flies, caterpillars, -and--crickets. - -FLY (_drawing his dagger_). I’ll give battle to the monster at once! -I’ll slay him single-handed, and wrap him up like a mummy in his own -web! Farewell! (_Music._ FLY _kisses the hand of_ MUFFET. _Exit_ FLY, -_right_. MUFFET _goes on eating her curds and whey_.) - -CURTAIN. - - -ACT II. - - - SCENE.--_The Spider’s Web. A dark, dungeon-like room. Straw on floor. - Small door at left. Swords and spears hanging on rear wall. - Spinning-wheel, centre. From it radiate many strands of web (colored - string). As the curtain rises, the_ SPIDER _is spinning at his wheel. - Noise of some one coming rapidly up the stairs, left._ - -SPIDER (_jumping to his feet_). Hark! An enemy! - - (_Takes down sword from wall. Brandishing the weapon, he retreats into - a further corner, right, where he squats down. Door bursts open. - Enter_ FLY _with a drawn sword_.) - -FLY. Bzzzzzzzzzz! This is thy last hour, thou foul black Spider fiend! - - (_A terrific encounter with swords. The web is partially cut down. - Finally_ SPIDER _and_ FLY _grapple_. SPIDER _puts_ FLY _on his back, - holds him down, and binds him with web. Just as he picks up his sword - and prepares to give_ FLY _his death-blow, a great trampling is heard - on the stairs, and at a blast from a fairy trumpet enter_ CRICKET, - _followed by_ FAIRIES, RABBITS, MOLE, _and_ FIELD-MICE, _all armed to - the teeth_.) - -CRICKET. At him, my men! And to the rescue of the Fly! - - (ELVES _and_ RABBITS _throw themselves on_ SPIDER, _overcome him, and - bind him, hand and foot, in his web. Meanwhile_, SPRITES _release_ - FLY. _Enter_ MISS MUFFET _and_ DAIRYMAIDS.) - -MUFFET. Poor Fly! To think that I allowed you to attack the black Spider -single-handed! I can never forgive myself! I hope that I have sent aid -in time! Are you wounded? - -FLY. My wings are somewhat snipped; that’s all. - -MOLE (_holding a sword to the_ SPIDER’S _throat_). Will you promise by -your eight legs to spin nothing hereafter but beautiful garments for -Little Miss Muffet, Queen of the Meadow? - -SPIDER (_in a meek, choked voice_). I promise. - -CRICKET. Remember, you are never to spin another web as long as you -live! I don’t care to have any more of my relatives entrapped. - -SPIDER. I promise. - -FLY. Do you promise to eat no more flies as long as you live? - -SPIDER. I do. - -MOLE. Very well, Elves, I appoint you as guards for the black Spider -over night. In the morning I will send around two Roosters whom I know. -For a reasonable salary of corn I am sure they will consent to keep an -eye on him hereafter. - -MUFFET. Dear Fly, I like you all the better now that you have so bravely -bearded the black Spider in his web. Never again will he attempt to sit -beside me! (_Spider groans._) - -CRICKET. But what about me? - -MUFFET. As for you, my dear Cricket, I like you just as much as I do the -Fly, because you have led the expedition which rescued him and captured -that horrid thing. (_Spider groans._) Now, friends all, let us go back -to the meadow, and finish our curds and whey. - -(_Music._) - -CURTAIN. - - - - -A Barrel Brigade. - - -In a little Ohio farming community the children of Junior age have many -bright plans of work, and one of them is a barrel brigade. That is not -what they called it, I think; but the name fits so well that we will let -it stand, and I know that many Junior societies will like the plan. -Probably some of them are already trying it in one form or another, but -for those who have not thought of it here is a new field of usefulness -of the kind that brings “that comfortable feeling” both to the workers -and to those to whom the barrel is a welcome and sometimes unexpected -source of supply. - -The particular barrel brigade mentioned meets regularly, either monthly -or oftener, on Saturday afternoons, for sewing and other business -necessary for their purpose, which is to fill a barrel each year, to be -sent to some poor family or families, either near or far, perhaps to -some struggling missionary’s household where the little ones are more -numerous than the ways of providing for them. - -From the materials at their disposal the children prepare and put in all -kinds of things that they think will add to the comfort of those -receiving them. Take an imaginary peep into one of these barrels, and -you will see something like the following array--if you dig deep -enough!--warm crocheted mittens, babies’ socks, hoods, and even shawls; -children’s clothing, now become too small for some of the rapidly -growing first owners; reading-matter of various kinds; a few toys -sprinkled in here and there, not always new, but so carefully repaired -by the young carpenters, painters, and seamstresses as to look like new -or even better; aprons, holders, and dish-towels; bright home-made rugs, -cushions, and even a patchwork quilt, for some of the little girls are -as fond as were their grandmothers of cutting calico into little pieces -for the sake of sewing it together again. Never mind; this is not so -foolish as it may seem, for the quilt is warm, most of the pieces were -bits left over from gowns, and surely the old-fashioned “quilting-bee” -must have been royal fun for the brigade. - -When all else is packed, a generous storekeeper usually contributes -several pairs of shoes and rubbers, and other small articles, just to -“fill in the chinks.” The shoes, of course, are selected, according to -sizes previously learned, to fit the different pairs of feet that they -are to cover. And, if some larger articles are contributed also, the -hearts of the brigade are still further rejoiced. - -Any Junior society, whether in city or in country, could have a “barrel -brigade,” and with very little expense collect and prepare things so -useful and appropriate for the particular family or persons that are to -receive them that the practical value would prove worth many times the -cost. The barrel’s contents will vary according to the need, and also -according to the materials at hand; but it is hardly necessary to say -that food, if at all perishable, should not be included if the barrel -is to go by freight, as it is likely to be a long time on the way. -Clothing, reading-matter, and many other home comforts can be packed and -sent with safety. - - - - -Parlor Mountain-Climb. - - -Decorate the room with such mountain flowers and foliage as can be -procured, and order in advance of a stationer enough favors for all the -Juniors, each favor, when pulled, to reveal some article of -travelling-costume in crape paper or tissue-paper that will suggest -mountain-climbing. They might all be odd mountain hats of various colors -and kinds, the Alpine predominating; or some of them might be long -travelling-cloaks. - -For the first half or three-quarters of an hour have a stereopticon talk -on the people and scenery of the Alps, giving pictures of Swiss peasants -and their cottages, and interspersing story and incident to add to the -interest. Follow this with a little appropriate music; a “Swiss bells” -instrumental selection and one or two pretty mountain songs like “The -Herdsman’s Mountain Home” would be good. - -Then the Juniors are presented with their “travelling-bags,” as the -favors may be called, and are told to open them by pulling, and that -they will find something to wear while climbing the mountain. When all -are dressed for the climb, the preparations are completed by giving each -an alpenstock, and arranging several hassocks, cushions, big books, -etc., in the path of the prospective climbers; for the “mountain-climb” -proves to be an obstacle race on one foot. - -When this part of the fun is over, there may be a written question game, -involving more mountains. Here is a list that may prove suggestive: - - 1. What mountain in Switzerland is a girl’s name? - - 2. What mountain in North Carolina is a favorite relative of most - Juniors? - - 3. What mountains are full of maps? - - 4. What mountain in Asia is the atmosphere and a small animal? - - 5. What mountain in Wales was pelted by a storm? - - 6. What mountain in Massachusetts reminds you of horseback-riding? - - 7. What peak in Japan is the first syllable of a girl’s name and an - exclamation? - - 8. What mountains are household animals and also destroy life? - - 9. What mountain in the Apennines is something that hurts, and the - exclamation it causes? - - 10. What mountain is a famous university? - - 11. What mountains in Australia are a kitchen stove in good order? - - 12. What mountains, if mixed, would make gray? - - 13. What mountains could blow a loud blast? - - 14. What hills in England are a kind of cloth? - - 15. What mountain in Brazil is a musical instrument? - - 16. What volcano in Sicily becomes a girl’s name by changing one - letter? - - 17. What mountains give light at night? - - 18. What mountain is a Bible character? - - 19. What mountains mean a pleasant day? - - 20. What mountain makes a noise like a college yell? - - 21. On what mountain did you eat your dinner? - - 22. What Irish mountains are very sad? - - 23. What mountain in Oregon is worn on the head? - - 24. What mountain belongs to the baby? - - 25. What mountains in Spain are a good kind of soap? - - 26. What mountain in Palestine is a balm? - - 27. What mountains in Texas could take a scalp? - - 28. What mountains are dangerous to boats? - -Following are the answers: - - 1. Rosa. - - 2. Grandfather. - - 3. Atlas. - - 4. Ararat. - - 5. Snowdon. - - 6. Saddleback. - - 7. Jesso. - - 8. Catskill. - - 9. Corno. - - 10. Harvard. - - 11. Black Range. - - 12. Black and White. - - 13. Big Horn. - - 14. Cheviot. - - 15. Organ. - - 16. Etna. (Edna.) - - 17. Mountains of the Moon. - - 18. St. Elias. - - 19. Fairweather. - - 20. Hooper. (Whooper.) - - 21. Table. - - 22. Mourne. - - 23. Mt. Hood. - - 24. Cradle. - - 25. Castile. - - 26. Gilead. - - 27. Apache. - - 28. Rocky. - -To the Junior who has answered the most questions correctly a reward may -be given, perhaps some pretty little article of Swiss workmanship, a set -of the Perry Pictures comprising mountain views, or a book containing a -good story of mountain life. - -Refreshments served in picnic style may be sandwiches, and berries -supposed to have been “picked on the mountains.” Close the evening with -singing. - - - - -Rainbow Social. - - -After a missionary meeting let the Juniors decide what missionary or -mission field they would like to help; then give to each a mite-box -marked with his own name, to hold missionary pennies. Some months -afterward, have your “rainbow social.” - -Collect the missionary mite-boxes a few days before, and except on the -bottom, where the name is written, they may be gilded to suggest still -further the pot of gold to be found at the end of the rainbow. - -The room where the social is to be held should be decorated with -tissue-paper in rainbow colors. Each Junior should have a rainbow chain, -made of the same material, hung around his neck. The refreshments should -have the rainbow colors, too--oranges, apples, olives, variegated -ice-cream, etc. The “rainbow” feature may be carried out in another way -by asking each one present to tell one bright story or happening, or -sing a verse of some bright song, or recite something cheering. - -Tell the Juniors the story of the pot of fairy gold supposed to be at -the end of every rainbow. Then have your “rainbow hunt,” arranged with -ribbons as in the “red-line jubilee,” except that the ribbons are of -rainbow colors, and at each end is discovered one of their old friends, -the mite-boxes, transformed into a treasure of shining gold. The Juniors -may exchange them, if they wish, among themselves, until each one has -his own; then they are broken and the “gold” inside counted separately -and all together. Close the social with a bright missionary song, and -later, after devoting the money to the object determined upon, tell the -Juniors as much as possible of just how it was used, and why it must -have seemed to those receiving it like “fairy gold” indeed. By this time -the Juniors’ interest in missions will probably be so enthusiastic that -they will want to try it all over again. - - - - -Handkerchief Gymnastics. - - -There are still many girls, even in these hygienic times, who are not -fortunate enough to attend schools that have gymnasiums. For these the -Junior girls may like to help organize a class for the practice of -handkerchief gymnastics. The writer has made a thorough test of every -one of these exercises before recommending them, and knows them to be of -practical benefit. They are similar to those practised daily at Cornell -University. - -More breath means more life, and some of these exercises are especially -good to promote deep breathing. Let each girl come provided with a large -handkerchief and a gymnasium suit, which is easily adapted from an old -dress having a loose blouse; nothing but the skirt will require change. - -[Illustration] - -Standing erect on the ball of the foot, grasp the handkerchief by -diagonally opposite corners, so that the hands will be about an arm’s -length from each other. At the beginning and end of each exercise the -handkerchief is to be only lightly stretched. A towel may be used -instead of the handkerchief if that should be preferred, holding it by -the ends instead of by the corners. - -The following directions will show the different positions to be taken. -Do not overdo the matter; some of the little girls will require frequent -rests, and some will be eager to go on; hence it is sometimes well to -divide them into classes. While most of these positions are easily -understood from the directions, a few are more difficult to describe in -words. We illustrate certain ones. - -[Illustration] - -1. Arms extended straight forward, on a level with shoulder. - -2. From position 1 bend the arms, and rise onto the toes. Extend the -arms and sink back from the toes. Repeat from five to ten times. This -exercise is especially adapted to produce deep breathing. The mouth must -be kept closed. - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -3. From position 1 bend the left leg at the knee, and raise it till it -touches the towel. Same with right leg. - -4. From position 1 extend the left leg sideways and swing the arms to -the left. Return to position 1. - -5. Arms raised high above the head. - -6. From position 5 bend the body at the hips, and lean as far forward as -possible, the body and the arms remaining in a straight line, the head -raised slightly, and the weight of the body resting on the toes. - -7. From position 5 bend and extend the knees, keeping the body upright. - -[Illustration] - -8. From position 5 bend the left arm, and lower sideways the right one, -which is extended. The towel passes across the back. The left hand holds -the upper end of the towel back of the upper part of the arm, close to -the shoulder. Raise the arms back to position and repeat to the left, -the right arm being bent and left extended. - -9. Arms lowered in front of the body. - -10. From position 9 twist the body to the left, the feet remaining -unmoved, and at the same time raise the arms, keeping them extended, -until they are high above the head. In the same way repeat the exercise, -turning the body to the right. - -[Illustration] - -11. From position 5 bend the body forward, swinging the extended arms -as low as possible without bending the knees. - -12. Towel directly in front of the forehead, the head and elbows back. - -13. From position 12, with toes apart, charge forward with the left -foot, keeping the right knee straight, bringing the weight on the -forward foot; return to position by rising on the toes of the forward -foot and giving a slight spring. - -14. From position 5 swing the arms forward, bending the body at the hips -and bending the knees. The feet, with toes apart, remain with the soles -flat on the floor; the arms rest on the knees; and the towel is near the -floor directly in front of the feet and as far forward as possible. - -15. From position 9 the left arm, bent, is raised over the head in order -to raise the towel upward directly behind the back. The right arm -remains extended downward. The towel is raised by bending the right arm -and extending the left. After raising and lowering the towel some five -times reverse the process, the right arm bending above the head and the -left arm extending downward. Finally the towel moves up and down behind -the back, while deep breath is taken and held. - -When the exercises are once learned, they are the best of tonics, and -all the more exhilarating if done to music when the class is together. -The children should also be encouraged to practise them regularly at -home for perhaps five minutes just after the daily sponge-bath. The -older ones especially, whose increased school studies are beginning to -suggest round shoulders, will find the plan a great help. Their lessons -will be learned more quickly and easily because with the blood in active -circulation the brain will be clearer. - - - - -Bird Social. - - -Choose a pleasant, sunny room for your bird social, deck it with green -boughs and foliage, and provide places for a number of cages. Invite the -Juniors all to come, and ask those that have canaries or other pet birds -in cages to bring them. Of course this social must be held in the -daytime, and in mild if not warm weather. If the moving is done gently, -the birds will enjoy the social as much as the Juniors, or even more, -and you will have a gay concert. Let some experienced bird-owner give a -little talk to the Juniors on the best ways of caring for their birds. -It will be likely to save the life of some feathered songster, for not -every one, however careful and tender-hearted, understands just how to -keep the pets happy and healthy, as birds should be when at their best. - -It may interest the Juniors to know that one of King Edward’s latest -fancies is improving the singing of English canaries. He has had fitted -up in Windsor Castle a large aviary to which hundreds of English -canaries have been sent. Here bird-trainers from Germany are busy -improving the voice of the English canary by means of “bird-organs” and -the suggestion found in hearing the better-voiced German canary sing. -The birds pass through a regular course of singing-lessons, and take -from three to six months to “finish.” - -After the talk about caring for birds, which should be so informal that -the children should feel free to ask questions, a little fun is -introduced in the way of a bird-guessing game, conducted as follows: - -Write on a blackboard, or blackboards, part or all of these twenty-four -questions, which are plays on the names of well-known American birds. -The guests should be provided with paper and pencils. Half an hour -should be allowed for the guessing. At the end of that time everybody -should pass his list to his right-hand neighbor and correct the list -which has been handed to him. Some one should read the answers slowly. - -1. The way some English people pronounce a word which means “yell.” -(Owl--howl.) - -2. A letter of the alphabet. (Jay--J.) - -3. The bird that chews its cud. (Cowbird.) - -4. A bad-tempered William. (Crossbill.) - -5. The royal bird that is fond of a hook and line. (Kingfisher.) - -6. A good time in a field. (Meadow-lark.) - -7. The bird that ought to win every race. (Swift.) - -8. The bird that is like a baby before it can walk. (Creeper.) - -9. The bird that Yale ought to like. (Bluebird.) - -10. The bird that whacks everybody. (Thrasher.) - -11. The bird that is almost as important as the Pope. (Cardinal.) - -12. The bird that you mustn’t stroke the wrong way. (Catbird.) - -13. The bird that is “talk.” (Chat.) - -14. The bird that you never ought to do just because you have beaten -your friend at checkers or something. (Crow.) - -15. An unusually small sample of a well known vegetable. (Peewee--pea -wee.) - -16. A bird that is almost “her glove.” (Hermit.) - -17. A bird that can fly when there is plenty of wind. (Kite.) - -18. Where bread is baked. (Ovenbird.) - -19. Something found on a tree and then put in a nest for a certain -purpose. (Nuthatch.) - -20. A bird that is always thieving. (Robin--robbin’.) - -21. A bird that makes good coasting. (Snowbird.) - -22. A bird that spanks an unfortunate boy having a common first name. -(Whip-poor-will.) - -23. The bird that is a sweet-smelling tree. (Cedar-bird.) - -24. The sparrow that the hounds like to chase. (Fox-sparrow.) - -Most of the time will be spent in comparing experiences and pets, and -the Juniors will go away more than ever resolved to be kind to their -little feathered friends, which are among the most beautiful and most -helpless of God’s creatures. - - - - -A Fairy Strawberry Festival. - - -A strawberry luncheon given at the summer home of one of my Chicago -friends reminded me that the Juniors would delight in a strawberry -festival all their own. Where there is a hospitable farm or garden with -a large strawberry-patch, whose owner agrees to give the berries for the -festival if the Juniors will pick them, the way is open. - -Usually in our northern latitudes the strawberries ripen just in good -time for the beginning of vacation, so that without interference with -school preparations the Juniors can pick the berries in the morning -while the dew is still on them. Twenty Juniors, each with pail or -basket, will make short and merry work of the picking. Then the fruit -should be kept in a cool place until afternoon, when it is taken to the -church basement or wherever the festival is to be, and hulled. There -might be a slight reward given to the Junior who picks the most berries, -also to the one who hulls the most, provided that the hulling is done -carefully. - -Cake and ice-cream should be previously engaged, and some of the boys -may call for the cakes at the various homes in the afternoon. The -ice-cream, of course, will be delivered by the dealer, unless that, -also, is home-made and presented. Sugar for the berries must not be -forgotten. - -With a few hints from the Junior superintendent the older girls can -arrange the tables, decorating them as prettily as they please with -flowers and ferns brought by the younger ones; and the boys may help -prepare the checks or tickets, with prices plainly marked. There should -be separate checks for the berries, ice-cream, and cake, so that, -whatever the order, the checks may be ready to send with each plate. - -If the occasion has been well advertised, as it _will_ be--trust the -Juniors for that!--people will come in large numbers; and the Juniors, -previously drilled, may wait on them, the larger ones attending to the -“dishing out” in another room, while the smaller ones, dressed in fairy -and brownie costumes, act as waiters. Two of the Juniors, a boy and a -girl, might serve as cashiers. - -When all have been served, toward the close of the evening there may be -several songs and recitations, ending with a fairy drill, following the -plan of the “holly and mistletoe drill” described elsewhere in the book. -If the room, or at least the wall back of the platform, be decorated in -green or in pink, with roses and ferns in profusion, the drill will -appear to better advantage. - -The Juniors and their superintendent will find plenty of work, as well -as profit and play, in connection with this occasion, as is the case -with most strawberry festivals; but all will enjoy it; and, if thought -out well in advance, the details may be so divided as to make the labor -light. The flower committee of the older society will readily lend a -hand with the decorations if they are asked; and the fancy drill could -of course be omitted, although it is a very pretty feature. If given, it -should be by the smaller Juniors, both boys and girls, in their fairy -and brownie costumes, and all carrying small, light trays instead of -half-hoops. - - - - -A Pansy-Hunt. - - -From the colored plates in flower catalogues, and from advertising and -other picture cards, select those having pansies, the prettier the -better. Let the Juniors help collect them. This in itself would seem to -be a “pansy-hunt,” but it is only the beginning. - -When there are several hundred pansies, not as yet cut out, the Juniors -may meet for their work. The first thing to be done is to cut out the -pansies. This will not take long, and as the fingers fly some one may -read aloud an entertaining story, perhaps a short one by “Pansy”; or, if -that is not at hand, a bright one from the latest _Christian Endeavor -World_ is always in order at such times. - -Next, the pansies are all placed in small, numbered envelopes, ten -pansies in each, preparatory to playing the game of “butterfly -pansy-hunt.” Half of the Juniors go out of the room, and the rest -proceed to hide the envelopes. When called in, the hunting party, who -are the “butterflies,” have a grand rummage, and the “butterfly” that -finds the most pansies is made the leader of the hiding party next time. -The divisions are reversed so that the hiders become the butterflies -each time that the pansies are all found. As the envelopes are numbered, -it is easy to determine when this is the case. Quick wits in thinking of -new places, and sharp eyes for discovering them, are thus kept busy, and -when tired of this game the Juniors may all be seated again around a -long table while the superintendent produces a large pasteboard box with -a pansy-decorated cover. Explaining that pansies mean “thoughts,” and -that this box is full of bright and sweet thoughts to be used for people -who have not quite so much to make them happy as the Juniors, she -invites the children to a new kind of pansy-hunt, which is not entirely -for themselves. - -The box is passed around, and each Junior takes out a handful of the -clippings, which, needless to say, have been carefully gathered by the -superintendent and her friends, so that each one contains a thought -worth reading, and within the comprehension of the Juniors. Selections -found in books could be used also by typewriting them on slips of -paper, and might include a number from the Bible. Several rolls of baby -ribbon, one each of all the different pansy colors, should be in the -box. - -When the Juniors are supplied with a handful of thoughts apiece, give to -each a pen and ink and a package of little cards. These cards should be -a trifle larger than visiting-cards, or just large enough to contain one -of the short written selections and a pansy. Let the children copy on -the cards, in their own handwriting, from the clippings the ones which -they like best; this will leave the original clippings to be used again -for other purposes. Each Junior may write seven, one for each day in the -week, after pasting a pansy on each card; then tie a ribbon a few inches -long through a hole in one corner, leaving one end free, and tie the -free ends of all seven ribbons together so that they can be hung up. If -the ribbons used are as many as possible of the different pansy colors -for each bunch, the effect will be extremely pretty. Some of the more -skilful workers may find that they have time to prepare a second bunch -in the same way. - -These handfuls of thoughts may then be sent where they will be most -appreciated, and the pansy-hunt will have served, at the very lowest -estimate, a double purpose. - - - - -A Rainy Fourth. - - -There are bright possibilities in every cloud, and even a rainy Fourth -of July is no exception. So the Joyville Juniors discovered. Of course, -they were intending to have a picnic, besides enjoying the regulation -fireworks; and here was a cold, steady drizzle, for all the world as if -it were November. - -Great were the lamentations; but just as the “Sultan of Sulkydom” was -about to have everything his own way he was put to rout by a big covered -wagon driven around from one house to another where the Joyville Juniors -lived. There were twenty-three of them in the society; but sixteen -houses contained them all, and fourteen of these were quite close -together; so it was not more than an hour before the last youngsters -were collected and all were landed in the big upper room of Judge -Elsworth’s house. Miss Elsworth, the Junior superintendent, welcomed -them with a certain twinkle of the eyes which made every Junior -instantly conclude that in spite of the rain they would manage to have a -good time. - -“Just wait a minute until the Independence Wizard comes in,” said Miss -Elsworth mysteriously, “and then the best part of the fun will begin.” - -The children were breathless. Presently there were three sharp raps at -the door, and the Independence Wizard was ushered in. - -Two artistically draped table-covers, a wig, mask, skull-cap, and -glasses had transformed Miss Elsworth’s brother into a very presentable -wizard, and after entertaining the children for a half-hour with parlor -magic he produced from apparently nowhere a bundle of bright-colored -tissue-paper, some tinsel, a rubber ball, a large potato, a dried -sunflower stalk, and several other mysterious things, and said: “Presto! -change! The weather is not quite all we expected outdoors; but we are -independent, and will make our own fair weather right here. We will make -our own fireworks, too, and fire them off without even waiting till -night. That is what wizards are good for, if they are Independence -Wizards; and every one of you is going to learn the wizard trade, -beginning this very minute; that is, if you want to. Do you?” - -Of course they did, and the girls were assured that this splendid offer -included them too; for would they not make the very best of witches? - -With the aid of his sister, who had mysteriously disappeared a short -time before, and who reappeared now as the Independence Witch, with a -book of magic all her own in the form of a magazine saved for just such -an emergency, the wizard soon had the children absorbed in making the -charming paper fireworks fully described by Lina Beard in _The -Delineator_ for July, 1902. They can be fired off indoors as well as -outdoors; and the gorgeous comets, brilliant pinwheels, sparkling -calumet with its bright sparks flying all over the hair and clothing of -the experimenters, the sunflower-stalk sky-rocket, and the bamboo pistol -with potato bullets, were all as fascinating as they were harmless. - -After the bright showers indoors had made the revellers quite forget the -dull showers outside, a giant firecracker candy-box was called into -use; and with songs, stories, and a lunch which disappeared so rapidly -as to convince any skeptic of the acquired magical powers of those -present, the fireworks were sorted out, and many of them were found to -be quite uninjured. These were carefully packed in a box for the -Children’s Home, and the Juniors voted that rainy day the best -Independence celebration ever held in Joyville. - - - - -An Indian Festival. - - -Chicago’s one hundredth birthday was the occasion of a celebration -interesting to many thousands, and not the least interesting feature was -the Indian village in Lincoln Park. Picturesque in their typical -costumes, the red men appeared much as their ancestors did a century -ago. From Chief No-zu-kah, the medicine-man in his coonskin cap and red -blanket, who rattled his medicine-bags as he walked, down to -six-year-old Hach-si-acha, the braves and squaws were the centre of -attraction; and this, together with an Indian festival once successfully -given by a wide-awake older Endeavor society, inclines me to think that -the Juniors should have one of their own, improving on all former -undertakings of the kind, and perhaps on nature as well! - -War-paint and feathers, beads, blankets, and moccasins, should be -brought into use for the costumes. Decorate the rooms with plenty of -boughs and foliage, to represent a woodland scene; hang cages of -singing birds from the branches; and have a wigwam in one corner, with a -buffalo robe spread in front of its entrance. Two Junior “Indian” girls -who have learned the now popular basket-weaving, may be seated here at -their work, with finished baskets for sale. One or more flower-girls may -wander about, selling colored grasses and other similar treasures. One -of the Junior boys may represent a medicine-man, and sell roots and -herbs; another may sell bows and arrows to all who wish to test their -skill at the target, which must be so placed that stray shots can do no -damage. A loan exhibition of Indian curios will be instructive, if there -is some one to explain them; and the Indian portraits, in colors, to be -found among the Perry Pictures, will prove interesting. A fancy-work -booth may contain feather fans, dainty bags of beadwork, dolls dressed -as pappooses and squaws, and birch bark made into all kinds of pretty -conceits, from toy canoes to bon-bon-boxes filled with salted nuts -instead of candy. - -The bows and arrows will play a lively part in the evening’s -festivities. A small sum may be charged for each trial, if desired. -Archery is said to be the coming sport; and, if it is indeed soon to be -revived from its centuries of partial sleep, and thus rival golf and -other favorites, one cannot begin to practise too soon! It is certainly -graceful, healthful, and fascinating enough to warrant the revival. - -Refreshments should be nuts and fruits, delicious in themselves, but -served on wooden plates by “Indian” waitresses in the most primitive -manner. A programme might be rendered beginning with a reading from -“Hiawatha” illustrated with tableaux, which the Juniors, with careful -training, can present as well as any one; including also an Indian -hunter’s drill with bows and arrows, in which either boys alone, or -girls alone, or both boys and girls, might take part; and closing with -all the Juniors’ forming in line and uttering a war-whoop, which if not -realistic will be at least startling. - - - - -A Boys’ Book Party. - - -Library parties for grown people are common enough, but the boys should -have a costume book party of their own. The more boys present, the -better. The following suggestions for costumes may be helpful: - -1. “Black Beauty.” A good-looking boy in burnt cork. - -2. “Little Men.” Two or more brothers or friends wearing high hats, -long-tailed coats, etc. - -3. “Pilgrim’s Progress.” A boy wearing a gown and carrying a staff. The -word “Mecca” should be printed on a label fastened to his breast. - -4. “Tom Saw-yer.” A boy whose real name is Tom should raise a telescope -to his eyes every few minutes. - -5. “Rob Roy.” A red-haired boy in Highland costume. The plaid should be -correct. - -6. “Kenilworth.” (Kennel worth.) A boy leading his pet dog. - -7. “Under the Lilacs.” A boy wearing a garland of real or artificial -lilacs. - -8. “Under Drake’s Flag.” A boy wearing the British flag as a turban. - -9. “Merry adventures of Rob-in Hood.” A boy named Robert wearing his -sister’s hood. - -10. “St. Nicholas.” A boy dressed as Santa Claus. - -11. “The Pirate.” A boy dressed as a typical pirate. - -12. “Story of a Bad Boy.” A boy wearing a placard on which is printed -“The History of My Life.” - -13. “Boys of ’76.” Two boys, each wearing a placard marked, “100-24.” - -14. “Recollections of a Drummer-Boy.” A boy with a drum. On a placard is -written, “Forty Years Ago.” - -15. “Sketch-Book.” A boy carrying a drawing-book under his arm. - -Thirty is a good number to be present at a book party. All the guests -should send their book-titles to the host of the evening two or three -days before the party. At the door each boy should be handed a pencil, a -blank sheet of paper, and a numbered card which he should pin to his -back or sleeve. Half an hour should be allowed for guessing the names. -One reward might be a book like Kipling’s “Barrack-Room Ballads,” or -“Seven Seas;” another, a paper-cutter; and, for the shortest list, a -blank book. Ice-cream and cake have nothing to do with books, but -should be served just the same, if possible, to comfort the losers. - - - - -Card-Pasting. - - -A good variation from making scrap-books for a children’s hospital, -especially if the workers happen to be few, is to use large cards, -preparing them like the different pages of a picture scrap-book, but -leaving them separate. Then they can be easily handed from one bed to -another; and, as they can be divided among the different children, they -can be seen by many at once without waiting till enough whole -scrap-books can be filled. Ten Juniors can easily prepare fifty cards in -a single afternoon, but the pictures will be most interesting if weeks -are spent in collecting them. - -Take large white or delicately tinted cards about eighteen inches long -and twelve inches wide. Paste on them gay pictures cut from advertising -cards and other sources, arranging them according to taste. One card -could be a menagerie, or a “Noah’s ark,” with a long procession of -animals winding all around from top to bottom. Such a card once made had -an array that would have astonished Noah. There were dancing bears, and -elephants with howdahs on their backs, and circus horses, and monkeys -dressed like Italian lazzaroni, and pigs with apples in their mouths, -and even a Christmas turkey carried on the heads of three geese. Another -card could be made up entirely of flowers or of flowers, birds, and -butterflies. Another could contain ships, sea-gulls, fishes, and some -shells on a supposed beach at the bottom. Funny groups of people doing -all sorts of things can be arranged. - -Some of the figures can be cut from newspapers or old magazines; if -bright colors are desired, a paintbox can be brought into service, but -usually the uncolored pages are very acceptable mixed in with those cut -from colored plates and cards. - -Sometimes figures cut from stiff cards will not be easy to paste, but by -spreading them (on the wrong side, of course) with a rather thin boiled -flour paste, and letting them lie for a few moments, they become softer -and more pliable. - - - - -Climbing the Bean-Stalk. - - -A barn with a captivating hay-loft, a stout ladder with a vine thickly -twined around it, some croquet-balls, four Indian clubs, a pointer, and -a supply of apples, oranges, and small bags of nuts or cracker-jack, are -all that you will need--except the Juniors, who are most necessary of -all. - -“Climbing the bean-stalk” consists of going up the ladder to the giant’s -castle,--the very same castle, in imagination, explored by the immortal -Jack,--and finding and taking possession of the treasures. This means a -hunt in the hay for the apples and other things previously hidden there. -The pointer, croquet-balls, and Indian clubs may be tucked in to add -variety to the store. - -After the treasures are all discovered and safely brought down the -bean-stalk, the Juniors will enjoy a game of “croquet-bowling.” A -sufficient space should be cleared on the barn floor, and the four -Indian clubs should be set up at one end as pins, three in a row behind -the king-pin. The bowling is then done with the croquet-balls. - -The party may conclude with an impromptu “freak show,” using the -hay-loft as a pedestal from which to display the “freaks.” This is where -your pointer comes in. The amount of fun to be had from a “freak show” -can be best understood if I give you the description of Vincent Van M. -Beede’s, in his own words, only remarking that the barn adds to the -general hilarity, and that one of the Indian clubs would do very well -instead of the suggested andiron. - -“One rainy morning last summer the children and I had great fun getting -up a freak show. As we had not thought out beforehand what we were going -to do, things were all the funnier. Little Marvyn, seven years old, -stood on a table and chose to be Pullaway, the Boy with the Rubber Skin. - -“I was asked to be lecturer, so with a pointer in my hand I explained as -glibly as I could how marvellous a boy this was. Why, he could stretch -out the skin of his cheeks two feet, and then let it snap back again! -(Pullaway now showed his power.) Martin, a handsome fellow of twelve, -was Stickeminus, the Human Pincushion. I showed the (imaginary) audience -that pins had no effect on the feelings of this wonder. ‘I will stick a -pin into his arm this very minute,’ I said. Strange to say, the Human -Pincushion squealed! Fritz, thirteen years old, who has a beautiful -physique, was Lomposo Musculario, the Strong Man. ‘See him lift that -mighty andiron,’ I remarked. ‘It weighs 555⅕ pounds.’ Lomposo puffed and -groaned under his heavy burden. Essie wanted to be the Fat Lady; I -suppose because as a matter of fact she is very slender. It was -surprising how much she succeeded in blowing out her cheeks. Madeleine, -Champion Pie-Eater of the World, gobbled up anywhere from fifty to -seventy-five (imaginary) mince pies, and Jolliby, as Burroo, the One -Armed Wild Man of Borneo, seized my arm in his teeth while I was telling -what a dangerous creature he was. The other freaks set up a chorus of -alarm, and I do not know what would have become of me if Winkles, who -was the _Very_ Wildest Man, had not grappled in deadly combat with -Burroo; and, if Madeleine had not offered them her best (imaginary) -pies, they would, I fear, have devoured each other on the spot.” - - - - -Advertising-Carnival. - - -Having made out a list, for your own convenience, of well-known business -firms, local or otherwise, whose names could be represented by costumes, -let each Junior come dressed to represent one of the firms. For -instance, Marshall Field’s might be portrayed by a boy in a soldier’s -uniform, with dried grasses and other field treasures extending from -pockets and buttonholes; Macy’s, by a girl named May, or dressed as -queen of the May, with a placard attached bearing the letter “C.” The -same letter, worn by a boy carrying a gallon can, a hammer, and a -barrel-hoop, would answer for “Siegel and Cooper.” “Tiffany” might be -portrayed by a picture of two people having a slight quarrel, the -picture being fastened to the costume of a girl named Fannie or Annie, -or to that of a boy carrying a large palm-leaf fan and limping as if one -knee were affected. - -Local firms, however, should predominate, and the utmost secrecy should -prevail in all the preparations. When the evening of the carnival has -arrived in all its glory, give each guest a pencil and paper, and reward -with some gift the one who can without assistance make out the longest -correct list of firms represented. Such an occasion would be interesting -to others besides the Juniors; and a charge for admission might be made, -in which case a light repast should be served, and a fancy march of the -various “walking advertisements” should add to the attractions. - -This occasion might be combined, if desired, with the “evening with ads” -described elsewhere in the book. - - - - -Parlor Golf Party. - - -Most boys and girls are somewhat familiar with golf, and the Juniors -will probably prove no exception. Any kind of “parlor golf” may be -introduced, as simple or as elaborate as you please. Here is one kind -that must be interesting, called “Quiet Go-lol-uf,” and explained by -Vincent Van M. Beede as follows: - -“This game is meant especially for boys and girls who know something -about the royal and ancient game of ‘golf’ sometimes called ‘go-lol-uf’ -just for fun. Seat your friends about a table, pass around pencils and -paper, and then say: - -“‘We are going to play go-lol-uf. I hope you won’t squabble much. This -game is a little different from the outdoor kind. Here you are expected -_not_ to get into a hole. I shall pass to each of you a card on which is -written something about golf. Write your answers on the large sheets; -and don’t forget, please, to write your names at the bottom of the -sheets. Number the answers, of course. At the end of every two minutes I -shall yell “Fore!” and everybody must pass his card to his left-hand -neighbor.’ - -“Here is a list of terms: - -“1. A dancing-party. (Ball.) - -2. A drink. (Tea.) - -3. A box in which to keep the vegetable from which this drink is made. -(Caddie--Caddy.) - -4. A society. (Club.) - -5. The man who rows next the coxswain in a racing-shell. (Stroke.) - -6. A common color. (Green.) - -7. Bold. (Brass(e)y.) - -8. The man who holds the reins. (Driver.) - -9. A number. (Fore--four.) - -10. A guess. (Hazard.) - -11. Used for smoothing clothes. (Iron.) - -12. A story that is not true. (Lie.) - -13. A piece. (Slice.) - -14. Something with which one eats. (Spoon.) - -15. The noise made by an animal that does not like Thanksgiving. -(Gobble.) - -16. A place where hay is kept. (Loft.) - -“The rewards might be a golf-club, a scarf-pin, a score-book, a pair of -balls, or a rubber tee.” - - * * * * * - -Another game of golf is the one played on a table wound with a somewhat -crumpled cloth. Each player is furnished with a pea and a pin by way of -ball and stick. It is very good fun when there are players enough to -make the contest exciting; for the winner is the player who is first to -roll the pea up to goal. The pea that collides with another, or pushes -it, or even touches it, is sent back to the starting-point. - -Other games mentioned elsewhere in the book may be substituted for one -or the other of these, in case not all present are enthusiasts on golf; -but the second one could be adapted to the veriest novice, while -interesting to all. Refreshments of cake and chocolate may be served, -and it would add to the fun if the small iced cakes were decorated with -various golf emblems. - - - - -Mysterious Basket-Ball. - - -Collect the materials, either with or without the Juniors’ help, -beginning some time in advance. When the time comes to have the “ball,” -the more mystery the better. - -Place a large basket or clothes-hamper in the middle of the room. This -is the “mysterious basket” part, and each Junior is then told to help -himself to his “ball,” one of the many bundles wrapped up to look as -nearly like balls as possible, all the way from the size of a baseball -to that of a basket-ball. - -Have ready plenty of scissors, paste, glue, needles, thread, and the -celluloid thimbles that can be bought for a cent or two apiece. As each -“ball” is opened, it proves to hold the materials for making a small -Christmas gift or article for a fair to be given by the Juniors, or for -a Junior fancy-work booth at a “grown-up” fair. - -Many simple and inexpensive articles, both pretty and useful, can be -made by children of Junior age, both girls and boys. If a piece of work -which is all sewing happens to be drawn by a boy, so much the more fun. -The Junior superintendent acts as “umpire,” answering questions and -explaining the rules of the game. A thimble worn on the thumb is “foul,” -even if the fingers _do_ seem to be all thumbs, which is often far from -being the case. - -Here is a partial list of articles which might be made: - -1. Stamp-box, of heavy water-color paper, ready cut out. The one who -draws this bundle will have an easy task; merely to fold the box into -shape, paste the flaps on the inside, decorate the cover with a two-cent -stamp, and tie it in place with a ribbon. - -2. Chamois spectacle-cleaner, cut in any fancy shape; two pieces -buttonhole-stitched around the edge with colored silk, and caught -together with fancy ribbon. - -3. Pocket pincushion made of two pieces of stiff cardboard covered first -with a thin layer of cotton batting, then with wide fancy ribbon; sewed -together around the edge and filled with several kinds and sizes of -pins. - -4. Chinese pen-wiper made of two nutshells glued together to make a -head; a pigtail of braided horsehair; a Chinese costume of red cloth -with several flannel leaves under the loose, short coat; ink features -for the face; and, if one likes, Chinese hieroglyphics in ink decorating -the costume. - -5. Match-scratcher. Cardboard foundation, with a strip of blue paper -pasted across the top to represent sky; a strip of green paper of the -same width, pasted across the bottom for grass; a larger strip of red -paper between, marked off with ink to represent a brick wall; a cat made -of emery paper seated on the grass facing the wall. - -6. Recipe-holder, of two teapots or teakettles cut from celluloid, tied -together with ribbon and decorated with water-colors in lettering or -other design. - -7. Blotter, calendar, and pen-wiper combined. A dozen pieces of colored -blotting-paper tied together with a ribbon; the outer one with a picture -and a small calendar pad pasted on; or there may be a cover made of -white cardboard decorated with gold or silver paper bells, or with -flowers or leaves carefully and _separately_ cut from Japanese -tissue-paper napkins and pasted on. A tiny pen-wiper made of several -circles of chamois is to be tied in one corner. - -8. Cover for a kodak album, made of rough, heavy tan or brown -writing-paper with a target in the centre. The target is made by pasting -four paper circles of contrasting colors, one over the other, each -smaller than the last, the smallest one in the centre being the -bull’s-eye; and printing, each side of the target, in gold or white, the -words “Snap-Shots.” - -9. Court-plaster case of water-color paper, tied together with ribbon, -the cover decorated with a picture, the leaves of court-plaster. - -10. Shaving-paper “snowballs.” These are very pretty, and are made of -many circles of white tissue-paper caught together in the same way as a -ball pen-wiper, and furnished with a hanging loop of red ribbon. - -11. Pen-wipers of several thicknesses of felt, cut out leaf-shape or -flower shape, and held together with a bow and ends of ribbon. - -12. Junior “comfort-powders.” Tie a cheery Bible verse or other pleasant -message in a piece of fringed tissue-paper; then tie fifty-two of these -in a bunch, one for each week in the year. Or the Juniors might combine -in this, and make the powders daily ones. - -Other articles, as simple or more elaborate, will be thought -of in abundance; pretty ironing-holders, hair-receivers, dusters -and duster-bags, sweeping-caps, lamp-mats, dinner cards, -whisk-broom-holders, etc. The work, if well prepared in advance, could -probably be done by the Juniors in an hour at the longest; some of it in -much less. Rewards should be given, not for the most rapid work, but for -that most neatly done. The “umpire” may enlist the aid of one or more of -her friends in preparing the work, giving instructions, and assigning -rewards, especially if there are many of the small workers; and the -Juniors may be allowed to exchange tasks if thought desirable. - -After the work is done, and while the committee is deciding as to its -merits, the “ball-team” may indulge in refreshments in the appropriate -globular form of doughnuts, oranges, or pop-corn balls; after which the -afternoon may close with the award of the gifts and a stirring game of -real basket-ball; or, if it is in the evening, or too late in the season -for this out-of-door sport, try a game of “Little Queen Fluff” instead. -“Little Queen Fluff” is a ball of cotton covered with colored crape -paper. Place the chairs two feet apart in a line across the centre of -the room; arrange the Juniors one opposite each chair, against the wall -on both sides of the room; give one of these balls and a palm-leaf fan -to each; and let them see which can most successfully send his own -particular “Little Queen Fluff” through her castle underneath the centre -of the chair, to the opposite side of the room. The side which gets all -its balls across the room first, fanning them by way of the “castle” -underneath the centre of the chair, wins the game. - - - - -A Puritan Thanksgiving Dinner. - - -This is a combination affair, enlisting Endeavorers of all ages; but the -Juniors’ part in it is an important one. The main idea is to make it a -pleasant occasion, not only for those who would have a Thanksgiving -feast anyway, but for as many as possible who would otherwise go -without. The very poorest should be hunted up and included in the -invitations. - -Let me tell you how the plan was once carried out by a lady and her -little fourteen-year-old niece, whom we will call Priscilla. The writer -says: - -“With the help of kind friends and faithful Bridget we made very much of -a success of our dinner, and many a poor soul was made happy for one day -at least. For several weeks previous, Priscilla and I spent our evenings -by the great fire in the big kitchen, dressing Puritan dolls for the -children, and making other gifts. Priscilla asked old sailor Hogan to -make for her a small model of the Mayflower such as she had seen in -Pilgrim Hall at Plymouth, and after we had stretched the old mahogany -table to its fullest extent, which reached almost the entire length of -the kitchen, and covered it with Grandmother Alden’s white damask -banquet-cloth, Priscilla placed the little ship in the centre on a large -mirror. The frame of the mirror we concealed with sea-sand, shells, and -pebbles; and on one side we placed a large stone which John had carved -into the shape of the dear old rock on which our Pilgrim Fathers landed. -We scattered over all this thin flaky cotton sprinkled with crystallized -alum to imitate snow, and the little Puritan dolls on deck made the -scene very realistic. The body of the ship we filled with our gifts. - -[Illustration: DIAGRAM 1.] - -[Illustration: DIAGRAM 2.] - -“Priscilla made fruit-baskets, and bowls for the nuts and candy, out of -pumpkins. John sawed three large bright yellow ones for her as shown in -the diagrams. After these had been scooped out, using the contents for -pies, and dried thoroughly, we placed them on the table on mats of green -tissue-paper cut in the shape of pumpkin leaves. The effect against the -white cloth was quite pretty. For each of our poorer guests we made an -old-fashioned reticule of yellow cloth tied with green braid. In these -we placed a pair of woollen gloves, two pairs of woollen stockings or -socks, a handkerchief, a cake of soap, and an order for a stout pair of -shoes. In the way of gifts for the other guests there were little -keepsakes such as pumpkin pincushions made of yellow silk and tied with -green ribbons, Plymouth Rock paper-weights, and little models of -Governor Carver’s chair in which we tied yellow pincushions with green -ribbons. There were napkin-rings, needle-books, stamp-boxes, -paper-cutters, and pin-trays, all with engravings of the Mayflower or -some Pilgrim emblem. We had plenty of dinner for all. There was -everything required for a Thanksgiving feast, from the turkey and -cranberry sauce to plum pudding, into which Bridget had put plenty of -plums. All who helped in receiving dressed in Puritan costumes. - -“After the dinner had been eaten and the presents distributed, Miss -Katherine Anderson, one of the teachers in the public school, gave a -little talk, for fear the significance of the occasion might escape some -of the most ignorant; but I am glad to say that there were none except -the very smallest who did not know the history of our Pilgrim Fathers. -The ladies of our old town have decided to give a dinner of this kind -every Thanksgiving.” - -When the Endeavorers are to give such a dinner, the little address would -naturally be by the pastor, and the Juniors’ part of the preparations -might well begin with the “mysterious basket-ball” described elsewhere -in the book. In this case the small articles to be made or decorated -would of course consist wholly of such as would be adapted for gifts at -the dinner, and the Juniors should be told of the plan at the beginning -of their work. They could also help in dressing the Puritan dolls and in -receiving the guests; and, if they wish to do more, they might give a -“Mayflower drill” in Puritan costume. - -An entertainment of this kind could also be given to raise money for the -church or society. In such cases, of course, the philanthropic features -would be omitted, an admission fee charged, and the articles from the -Mayflower sold. - - - - -Teddy and the Goblin. - -(_Teddy’s Dream on Christmas Morn._) - -BY MATTIE-MARIE GAMBLE. - - -The necessary requirements are a cot, a chair, a candle and candlestick, -a large stocking, a small camera, and a large wooden frame with an -opening about five feet square. The frame might be gilded or covered -with yellow Canton flannel, and should have a support at the back of -each side to hold it firmly in an upright position. There should be a -box or platform high enough to be on a level with the lower edge of the -opening of the frame, back of it. - -The stage should represent a scene in the woods, with an abundance of -green foliage; and leaves or green cloth should cover the floor. Near -the back of the stage should be a curtain that could be drawn to each -side, on which are painted trees, etc., to carry out the woods effect. - -Back of this curtain arrange a small sleeping-room, in which are placed -the cot and the chair with the candle on it; and in some prominent place -is hung the stocking, well stuffed, with the small camera peeping out at -the top. - - -Characters. - - TEDDY, _A little boy of ten years_. - FUN, _A little old goblin_. - RED RIDINGHOOD AND WOLF. - OLD WOMAN WITH BROOM. - JACK THE GIANT-KILLER. - THE GIANT. - JACK AND JILL. - TOM, TOM, THE PIPER’S SON. - JACK-BE-NIMBLE. - BO-PEEP. - SIMPLE SIMON. - - -Costumes. - -TEDDY. Long nightgown reaching to just above the ankles, barefooted, and -hair tousled. - -FUN, _the goblin_. A boy of twelve or fourteen years, quite small for -his age. Long beard, pointed shoes that turn up at the toes, long belted -blouse and tight knee pants, stocking cap with tassel. - -RED RIDINGHOOD. Long red cloak and hood and a basket. A large dog may -represent the wolf. - -OLD WOMAN. Pointed hat with brim. Old shoulder-shawl and dress to -ankles, carrying a dilapidated broom. - -JACK THE GIANT-KILLER. Page’s costume and sword. - -GIANT. Very large man. Any fantastic costume. - -JACK AND JILL. Dressed as country children and carrying a pail, Jill -with sunbonnet. - -TOM, TOM, THE PIPER’S SON. Boy about sixteen, tall and slender; short -waistcoat, trousers above shoe-tops, little old hat on back of head; a -pig made of white Canton flannel under his arm. Or, if a small live pig -could be procured, it would add to the merriment. - -JACK-BE-NIMBLE. Small boy in short waistcoat and trousers, with candle -in candlestick. - -BO-PEEP. Shepherdess costume. Long crook with ribbon tied on end. - -SIMPLE SIMON. Trousers to shoe-tops; straight ragged garment extending -almost to knees, and left open at neck; hair tousled. A tin pail and a -rod about two feet in length with long string tied to it and piece of -bent wire attached to the end of string. - -TIME. Just before dawn Christmas morning. - - - SCENE _opens on the little bedroom._ TEDDY _asleep on the cot. Keep - the front of the stage as dark as possible during this scene, with - woods curtain drawn aside, and throw a dim light on the bedroom from - behind the scenes._ - -TEDDY (_waking, sitting up in bed, and rubbing his eyes_). My, but it’s -dark! I wonder if Santa Claus has been here yet. Guess I’ll see. -(_Strikes a match, and lights the candle, holds it above his head, and -peers around. Suddenly seeing the stocking fairly bulging with gifts, he -puts the candle on the chair, bounds out of bed, and makes a dive for -the stocking. When about to take it down, he hesitates._) I know it -ain’t time, but I just _can’t_ wait. I’ll just take _one_ thing out. -(_Reaches up carefully and takes down camera._) My! if it ain’t the -camera I wrote to Santa Claus for. I wonder how it works. (_Turning it -over._) I’ll take Rover’s picture the very first one. (_Dances back to -bed, camera in hand, and, pulling the covers over him, begins examining -it. Yawns several times, and talks in a sleepy voice._) Won’t ma and pa -be (_yawns_) surprised--when--they--see--(_yawns again_)--it, -though?--Wish--I--could---- (_Falls asleep._) - - (_In runs little old goblin, frolics around the room a little, blows - out the candle, and perches himself on the foot of the bed._) - -FUN. Aha! been into your stocking already, have you? and sound asleep -again. Well, well (_then talking to himself_), I will just wake him up -in dreamland, and have a little fun with him. (_Turning to_ TEDDY.) -Well, Master Teddy, how are you? Merry Christmas! - -TEDDY (_very sleepy and still holding on to camera_). How do you -do?--but I--I don’t know you. What is your name? and where am I? - -FUN. That’s so! Why, you are in dreamland; and you don’t know me?--ha! -ha!--well, my name’s Fun. You think that a queer name? Well, I took that -name because, you see, people are always wanting to do things “just for -fun,” and so I thought I would be well taken care of! - -TEDDY. I wish I could take a picture with my new camera just for fun, -but I don’t know how. - -FUN. Is that so? Why, I can take fine pictures. Just come with me into -the woods, and I will show you. (_Jumps down and pulls_ TEDDY, _with -camera, out of bed by the hand_. TEDDY _hangs back as if frightened_.) -O, don’t be afraid. I will take good care of you, and bring you back -again. Come on; we will take pictures of Mother Goose children in the -woods. - -TEDDY. O--real sure ’nough live children? - -FUN. Yes, I should say so. I know them all--Jack and Jill and Red -Ridinghood and---- - -TEDDY (_excitedly_). And Jack the Giant-Killer? - -FUN. Yes--all of them. - -TEDDY. O, let’s hurry! (_No longer holds back, but runs out, pulling_ -FUN _after him. As they leave, the foliage curtains should be quickly -drawn together, leaving only the woods, and the light should now be -turned on that scene. Enter_ FUN _and_ TEDDY, _looking around_. TEDDY -_disappointed_.) I don’t see anybody. - -FUN. Just wait. Now you stand behind the tree and watch. Keep quiet. -(_Enter_ RED RIDINGHOOD _talking to the wolf, the dog. While she is -talking_, FUN _takes the camera, and turns it in her direction. A stout -rubber band can be attached to the camera so that no one can see it, and -he snaps it very loud as he takes the picture._ FUN _turns to_ TEDDY -_and grins_.) I got that one; now we must get ready for the next. -(_Winds screw. At the same instant some one behind the scenes winds an -old clock or something that makes an equally loud sound. This should be -done each time a picture is taken. Just as he is ready for the next_, -TOM, TOM, THE PIPER’S SON, _runs across the stage with pig, and_ FUN -_jumps quickly to snap the camera_. FUN _turns to_ TEDDY _and winks_.) -Nearly lost that one. (_Winds again. After that the rest of the -characters come in, in quick succession, so that all of them are in -almost at the same time, each of course in his or her own way._ SIMPLE -SIMON _should set his mother’s pail down at one side and begin fishing -in it, always looking as silly as possible_. JACK-BE-NIMBLE _places his -lighted candle on the floor, and frequently jumps lightly back and forth -over it. In the meantime the giant has lain down asleep, and_ JACK THE -GIANT-KILLER _has taken his position with one foot on giant’s chest and -sword in hand_; BO-PEEP _has fallen asleep, and so on_. FUN _skips in -and out among them, snapping one picture after another, always winding -after each. Finally he stops_.) I wonder if I have them all. - -TEDDY (_in loud whisper_). You didn’t get the giant. (_Is so interested -that he forgets to keep back, and finds himself in the centre of the -stage._) - -FUN. Why, I forgot Little Bo-Peep! and the dear child is fast asleep. -(_Snaps camera again. At the same time, seeing_ TEDDY, _the children all -begin to laugh and dance around him, having lots of fun_. TEDDY _becomes -frightened, and, burying his face in his hands, cries aloud_. FUN _runs -to him, and when the children see the goblin they all scamper off the -stage_, BO-PEEP _and the giant disappearing with the rest_.) What is the -matter, my little friend? - -TEDDY. I’m so (_sobs_) scared! - -FUN. Scared at what? - -TEDDY. Because they’re all around me. - -FUN. Who? - -TEDDY (_looking up wonderingly_). Why!--why, where are they? - -FUN. You crazy child, who are you talking about? - -TEDDY. Red Ridinghood and Jack the Giant-Killer and--and all the rest! - -FUN. Ha! ha! (_Laughing heartily._) _You_ don’t understand them. Now you -see them and now you don’t. - -TEDDY. Wish I could see them again, but I don’t want them to see me. - -FUN. Well, the pictures are all ready now, and they are fine ones, too. -One hundred times larger than your camera. Think of it! Would you like -to see them now? - -TEDDY. Well, I should say so! - -FUN. All right; here goes. First we will have Little Red Ridinghood. -(_During the performance in the woods the cot, chair, etc., should be -removed and the large frame with platform back of it put directly behind -the foliage curtain. Back of the frame opening and platform should be a -woods background if possible. When_ FUN _announces the subject of each -picture, some one behind the scenes, near the front, should read slowly -and clearly the story or verse describing that picture. Meanwhile, those -characters are taking their positions in the frame, and when ready must -not move. As each story or verse is finished, the curtains are drawn -aside for a minute, showing the picture, and then drawn together again. -Then the next story and its picture, and so on until all are shown. As -each one is presented_, TEDDY _and_ FUN _dance around and clap their -hands, making such exclamations as “O my!” “Isn’t that great?” etc. -Curtain falls on the last picture_. FUN _and_ TEDDY _are again alone in -the woods_.) Here they all come back again, I declare! Too bad they -could not have seen their own pictures. O, well; it doesn’t matter. Why! -where are you going, Teddy? - -TEDDY. I’m going home! (_Runs off the stage._) - -FUN. Wait a minute. (_Talking to himself._) No use. Guess I had better -see if he gets home all right. (_Follows_ TEDDY. _Enter all the children -singing Mother Goose rhymes. While they are dancing and singing, the -large frame is removed, and the cot, etc., are replaced the same as in -the first scene. As the music is finished, they dance off stage. Curtain -opens on bedroom scene._ TEDDY _asleep with camera, and the goblin -perched on bed again_.) Well, the little fellow has had quite a treat, -and it is nearly time for him to wake up; so I must leave him for this -time. (_Jumps down, and as he steals lightly out, kisses his hand to_ -TEDDY.) Good-by, little chap. I hope you will have a fine Christmas day. -Good-by. - - (_A bright light is now thrown on the cot, and_ TEDDY _wakes up_.) - -TEDDY. My! it’s broad daylight, and I’ll bet the folks are all up. -(_Sits up on one side of the bed; suddenly thinks of the camera, and -takes it up._) Wasn’t Santa Claus good, though? (_Meditatively._) If I -only knew how to use it! (_Brightening._) Why, I do! Now who was it -showed me how? O, yes! it was the goblin, I do believe; and I’ve been to -dreamland. Yes, it all comes to me now, and I’ve resolved that ---- -(_Standing and reciting._) - - When there’s something to be bought and you haven’t got the money, - You just write out that little thought,--now that sounds rather - funny,-- - Just write it nice to Santa Claus, and seal it up right tight, - And when you go to bed you know he’ll bring it sure that night. - Because, you know, ’tis Christmas eve, when Santa always comes, - And brings you lots of things you want--nice cameras and drums; - And when you’re puzzled as to how to work the things you get, - Just go off into dreamland, and you’ll find out, you bet! - ’Cause Fun, the little goblin, is always sure to know, - And you can take a trip with him if you are not too slow. - Then you will find out how to do most anything under the sun, - And when you wake up bright again, you’ll know just how ’tis done. - -CURTAIN. - - - - -Cinderella Reception. - - -The Juniors come, if they wish, in fancy costumes; the smallest girl can -be Cinderella, in pretty slippers, and a trained Empire dress of pink -cambric, with her hair piled up on top of her head; and the smallest boy -should personate the prince, in a light-blue cambric suit with many bows -and buckles. Others may be the cruel stepmother, the proud sisters, the -fairy godmother, the king, the queen, and various other distinguished -people of the times. - -Among the games which might be played is “my lady’s slipper.” One player -goes out of the room, and is blindfolded. The rest seat themselves in a -line in seats low enough so that their feet all reach the floor. The -feet must not be tucked under the chairs, or otherwise disposed of in -any way except straight on the floor in front of the seated players. The -blindfolded one is then called in, and tries to find out, by lightly -stepping on the toes of each, who is the one thus trod upon. Some -players can keep perfectly still while this is going on; but many have -not the necessary self-control, and the slightest laugh, exclamation, or -other noise often reveals the secret. The first one whose identity is -thus learned must change places with the blindfolded one, and the game -proceeds as before. - -Perhaps the children will like to try a “slipper obstacle-race,” which -is like the race in the “parlor mountain-climb” except that each Junior -wears a paper slipper which must be kept on throughout the race. - -“Fairy bowling” is another good game. Cover the dining-room table -temporarily with a cloth of bright-colored flannel or other woollen -material; arrange across it, near one end, a pasteboard arch, or one of -heavy wire wound with ribbon, fastening the ends of the arch to bricks -on each side, covered like the table. Prepare a large bowl of suds, made -of soap, warm water, and glycerine; and arrange the players, boys on one -side of the table and girls on the other, giving to each boy a clay pipe -and to each girl a small fan. The boy at the head of the line takes the -bowl, blows a bubble, and drops it on the table. The girl opposite tries -to fan it under the arch before it breaks. Tally is kept with pink and -blue paper disks on little tally cards which may be attached to the -fans. Pink means a successful bowling; blue, a failure. As each two -players complete their trial, they go to the foot of the line, which -moves up to let the next two try. The game may consist of five rounds, -or four if there are many players. A ribbon-bedecked pipe and a pretty -fan might be the rewards given to the winning bowlers. - -Here is a new kind of “slipper-hunt,” which is enjoyable. Tell the -Juniors that there are forty pairs of slippers hidden about the rooms, -and offer a reward to the one finding the greatest number that prove to -be pairs. The slippers should be of different colors, and about three -inches long. They are cut out of cardboard from patterns found in an -illustrated catalogue. - -The plan of a doll Cinderella seated in a pumpkin coach lined with -light blue, with four and twenty chocolate mice harnessed to it with -ribbons and driven by a colored doll coachman, is not new, but is very -pleasing, especially to the younger ones. Refreshments may be -slipper-shaped sandwiches or cookies, lemonade, and the chocolate mice. - - - - -Star Social. - - -If you wish decorative features, the following are attractive, though -not necessary to the success of the social. - -Cut from gilt paper as many stars about an inch in diameter as there are -Juniors. Then take a large star-shaped wire frame, one of those supplied -by florists for Christmas decorations, fill it with evergreen or holly, -if the social is to be held near Christmas time, and suspend it from the -ceiling or chandelier by ribbons, extending from each point upward and -meeting at the centre. From each point of this large star hang a group -of the little stars, by strings or baby ribbon of different lengths, so -that from each point the gilt stars will be hanging in a cluster, some -higher, some lower. Number all the stars, those in each group having a -number of their own. Thus the cluster of stars from one point will all -be numbered 1, those from another point 2, and so on. - -Some of the Juniors are probably taking piano lessons, and making good -progress; or learning to play on other instruments; and of course a -number can sing well. Ask several of the musical ones to come prepared -to play or sing. A few others should have recitations; and two or three -who like to write can each write an original story not more than five -hundred words long. - -As the Juniors come in, give to each of them a pencil and a star-shaped -white card with the words written from the centre towards each point, -“Pictures,” “Music,” “Stories,” “Speaking,” and “Museum.” Ask them to -write their names on the reverse side of their cards; and then to read -what is written on the star-points, and to make a check or cross very -plainly in that point having the name of the thing they like best. The -cards are then collected, and will be, by the way, no slight help to a -new Junior superintendent in learning to understand the tastes of the -children with whom she is to work, even after this particular good time -is over. - -While the cards, after being collected, are examined and sorted, some -game may be played. The “flying star” is a good one. Each player is -supplied with a small empty spool, with a colored paper star pasted over -one end. Half the stars are red, the other half blue, to distinguish -which side the player is on. Arrange twelve berry-boxes, quart size, on -the floor in a hollow square. Mark four of them on the bottom with the -figure 5; four of them 10, and leave four blank. Place a tin cup in the -centre. Let the players stand a few feet away, and they may test their -skill in throwing. Each spool, or “flying star,” landing in the cup, -counts 20; when landing in one of the boxes, it counts whatever that -box is marked. Each side keeps tally, and when all the stars have flown, -the scores are compared to see which side has the larger. - -Next, divide the Juniors into groups for the game “constellations,” -which is really several games in one. The division is made according to -choice as already marked on the cards given out on arrival. Those who -chose “Pictures” are put in Constellation No. 1, and to them belongs the -cluster of little hanging gilt stars marked with that number. Those who -chose “Music” are in Constellation No. 2, and so on. The gilt stars are -taken down and given to the Juniors thus by number, pinned to the dress -of each; and thereby every Junior becomes a “star,” and must prepare to -shine accordingly. As before stated, however, the star decorations are -not absolutely necessary; the Juniors can shine even without being thus -labelled. - -The constellation of “star artists” sit together, and for half an hour -engage in some drawing contest. Perhaps the game of “accidental high -art” is as good as any. Spread a newspaper over a table; let each player -be furnished with two pieces of paper and a pen; and on the table place -a bottle of India ink and a fountain-pen-filler. With the filler let one -drop of ink fall upon one of the pieces of paper belonging to each, and -tell him to press upon it his other sheet of paper. This gives each -player the foundation for two pictures, so that if his first attempt is -not an entire success he can try again. The aim is to make of the -grotesque and shapeless blot, by the help of the pen and imagination, a -picture of some object--animal, tree, landscape, or whatever turns out -to be most feasible. As blots are never twice alike, there is every -opportunity for the fancy and skill of the artist. - -While Constellation No. 1 is thus engaged, No. 2 is in the next room -preparing its musical programme with the help of those who have brought -something to sing or play; Constellation No. 3 is selecting recitations; -No. 4, if this is the authors’ group, is deciding on the order of -reading and perhaps the titles, or any other unfinished part, of its -original stories; and No. 5 is arranging a museum of natural curiosities -in the form of interesting hats, paper-cutters, and other small articles -whose origin and method of manufacture and use they think they can at -least partially describe. - -At the end of the half-hour all the stars gather to listen to the -entertainment provided by each constellation. The “star artists” exhibit -their works of art; the star musicians play and sing; the star authors -read their effusions; the star orators declaim or recite; and the star -museum-directors give their exhibition. A vote of thanks, or some more -substantial reward, may be given to the constellation furnishing the -best entertainment. - -Close the evening with refreshments consisting of cheese sandwiches cut -star-shaped and filled, presumably, with green cheese from the moon; and -glasses of creamy milk fresh from the Milky Way. What star or -constellation could fail to be satisfied with such fare? - -On leaving, each Junior might be given a star-shaped Christmas card as a -memento. - -This plan is capable, of course, like most of those given in this book, -of endless variation. A “surprise constellation,” or some other -preferred, might take the place of any one of those suggested. The -stories, recitations, and music might be given without any previous -arrangement outside, if a thoroughly impromptu programme is desired; but -in most cases a little inkling of what will be expected of them, in the -case of those likely to be called upon, makes the result more -interesting. Some of the musical numbers and recitations could be -humorous, others more serious; but most of them will naturally pertain -to Christmas or stars. The following, once contributed by the writer to -_The New Voice_, might be given by one of the more thoughtful Juniors as -a recitation: - - Star-jewelled was the Night’s dark brow, - As, with a light caress, - Smiling, she saw the wondering Earth - Her promised King confess, - While Hate and Greed shrank back before - God’s Love-thought, born to bless - As the angel choir was singing. - - O glorious Christmas yet to dawn, - When men shall understand, - The lowly manger of the heart - Become a temple grand, - Each cruel wrong and strife depart, - Quelled by an infant’s hand, - While the Christmas bells are ringing! - - Then, Fear-thought, flee! and Hate-thought, die! - As gleams the Star’s clear ray, - Join, World, the wise men’s holy quest; - Put evil far away; - And give till all the earth is blest; - Let Love-thought rule to-day, - Every heart its incense bringing. - - - - -Holly and Mistletoe Drill. - -BY IMOGEN A. STOREY. - - -An even number of small boys of uniform height must be used for this -drill. Usually it will be found necessary for the Juniors to call in the -aid of children outside the society, which will furnish a fine -opportunity to win new members. - -At the rear of the stage a small hut should be constructed of light -framework, and covered with heavy brown paper. The roof and window-sills -of this must be spread with cotton to represent snow. - -On the floor of the stage a heavy white cloth should be stretched, and -in the rear and at the sides boughs of evergreens covered with cotton -should be arranged to represent the woods. - -The floor of the stage must be laid off as shown by diagrams to prevent -mistakes. Half of the children must be dressed in fairylike suits of -white, carrying a half-hoop trimmed with mistletoe and white satin -ribbons, the ribbons tied at each end of the hoop. The others must be -costumed in like manner, only in red, having hoops trimmed in holly and -red ribbons. All must wear green gauze wings. - -When the drill begins, old Santa and his wife should be seen busy in -their little house, fixing toys. If presents are to be distributed, they -must be placed in the hut previous to the beginning of the exercise. The -children enter skipping to music, following the lines shown in Diagram -A, mistletoes on the right and hollies on the left, or the reverse. - -[Illustration: DIAGRAM A.] - -They skip, following lines as indicated by arrows in A, with arms in -upward bend position and hoops arched overhead. When the leaders reach -lines R and L, the skip step is changed to a march, and they join hoops -with partners so as to make a complete hoop with bows at each side. This -is a very easy movement, though it may seem the contrary. Those on the -right extend the inside arm straight to the side, shoulder-high, holding -the end of hoop with the arch down. Those on the left extend their arms -in the same way with the arch up. Each child grasps the end of the -partner’s hoop with his own in the inside hand. - -On the leader’s reaching the front line the first position of the hoops -is resumed by all with skip step. When the side lines are reached, they -turn on the diagonal lines and begin a fancy step, dropping the hoop -down around the neck like a boa. On a change of music drop the hoop, and -advance the inside foot diagonally to inside (towards partner), and -place it on the floor, first count; hop on the advance foot, and swing -the outside leg across in front, bending the knee so that the foot which -is crossed over comes almost as high as the knee of the inside leg, -second count; swing the same foot diagonally forward to the outside -again, and place it on the floor, third count; hop on it, and swing the -inside leg across in front of the outside, fourth count. This step is -called “swing-cross step,” which somewhat explains the movement. On the -leaders’ reaching the front line the skip step with first position of -hoop is resumed by all. On reaching the side lines again, instead of -coming down diagonal lines as before, they turn on the rear lines as -shown in B, and come down the lines R and L in C, with the following -fancy step: - -[Illustration: DIAGRAM B.] - -[Illustration: DIAGRAM C.] - -Advance the inside foot, and touch the toe to the floor, and the inside -arm straight to the side and the outside hand on the chest, the arch of -the hoop up, first count; change the weight to the forward foot, the -hoop arched overhead the same as in skipping, second count; repeat the -same to the opposite side, third and fourth counts. Continue this until -the front line is reached. Then resume the skip step, and follow lines -as before in A. - -When they reach the side lines, old Santa steps to the front door of his -hut, and blows a whistle or horn, and the skip step is changed to a run -on the toes. The players run down the side lines, and turn on the lines -shown in C leading to the hut. When the leaders reach the cross marks on -these lines, a signal from the piano or another blast from old Santa’s -horn is given for them to halt, which should be executed by them -together. After they have halted, old Santa steps down from his door, -and gives another blast, and all should turn facing inside; that is, -towards lines R and L. Old Santa should walk up and down inspecting -them. - -Old Santa, in deep tones: “I have decided to engage you, Mistletoe and -Holly Berry fairies, to do some work for me this beautiful Christmas -night, for I am getting old and lame. Can I depend on you?” - -Fairies all together: “Yes, sir.” - -Old Santa: “I want you to take each child in this audience a gift from -me and my wife. Will you do it?” - -“Yes, sir; indeed we will,” should come in loud, emphatic tones from the -little fairies. Santa should go back to the door of his little hut and -receive the gifts from Mrs. Santa Claus, who hands them out to him. -Santa must call out the names as he gives them to the fairies, as they -file past on lines shown in C, turning on lines R and L, thence down the -steps in the centre. After distributing the gifts they return for more -by side steps as shown in C. In this way the presents, even for a large -audience, can be easily disposed of. - - - - -Jack Frost Reception. - - -The Juniors may wish to give a Christmas tree to the children of some -orphan asylum, combining with this plan a merry time for themselves as -well. If so, a “Jack Frost reception” would be a good way of doing it. - -One of the smaller boys, who is also one of the liveliest in the -society, should be chosen to personate Jack. He should be dressed in a -close-fitting suit of white Canton flannel, the fleecy side out, with -here and there little tufts of cotton batting sprinkled with diamond -dust. Long white stockings, with tiny bells sewed on them, and a few -sprigs of holly, complete the costume. - -Red crape-paper shades should cover all the globes. The tree should be -hung with glittering icicles of rock-candy, and trimmed with tufts of -sparkling cotton snow. An imitation bird’s nest for each guest is lined -with crinkled white tissue-paper, filled with white sugar almonds, and -placed among the branches. Then the presents, which might be toys or -books that the Juniors have outgrown, in small boxes wrapped around with -cotton batting and tied with white thread, make lovely snowballs. Pull -the cotton out between the threads till each box is a fluffy, -ball-shaped mass; then dip them in diamond-dust; label each with the -name of the one for whom it is intended, and hang them with gilt or -silver cord to the tree. Snowballs of all sizes may be made thus, and -those too large to hang on the tree may be piled around the trunk. - -When all have arrived, there may be singing by the Juniors, after which -the “snowballs” are distributed. Jack Frost capers gayly about, ringing -his bells, and tossing the balls to the children, who in turn toss them -lightly about from one to another till each one reaches its owner. The -birds’ nests of almonds and the candy icicles are left on the tree until -later in the evening. - -Refreshments are served at the north pole. On the centre of the -dining-table place an uneven block of ice, and extending up from the ice -have a long pasteboard mailing-tube covered with the imitation snow. A -white toy bear standing on the top of the pole, holding in its mouth a -sprig of dusted holly or evergreen, and several other bears grouped -around its base, complete your north pole, and, to further the arctic -effect, the chandelier may be trimmed with icicles and dusted sprays of -green, and for an added touch of elegance, if desired, there may be Jack -Frost place-cards made in fancy shapes, spread with a thin coating of -mucilage, sprinkled with diamond-dust and the names written in gold or -silver lettering. Of course these are not necessary. A substantial but -wholesome lunch should be served. - -One or two simple games selected from the index in the back of the book -may be introduced if wanted, but the presents and the little feast will -take up most of the time. Finish unloading the tree; close the evening -with the singing of more Christmas songs; and the guests will go away -convinced that the Juniors are not only the happiest people in the -world, but that they are glad to share their pleasures with those not so -fortunate. - - - - -Mistress Mary’s Contrary Reception. - - -Another name for this entertainment would be “A Midwinter Flower Fête.” -It is charming at any time of the year, however, as both the winter and -the flowers can be made to consist wholly of costumes and decorations. - -The guests are received by “Mistress Mary” of Mother Goose fame, with -several “pretty maids all in a row.” The members of this reception -committee should be dressed as for a garden party, in white or light -dresses, large hats, etc. They may be chosen from the Intermediates or -older Juniors, or from the grown-up society; perhaps they might be the -Junior superintendent and Junior committee. - -Entering, the guests find themselves, to their surprise, not in a -garden, but in a world of ice and snow. Cotton sprinkled with -diamond-dust is on all sides, with red berries and evergreen from the -winter woods; tables are spread for a feast in an ice grotto where the -palest of blue and green draperies are combined with mirrors and lights -so arranged as to increase the illusion; and there is a constant tinkle -of invisible sleigh-bells. - -Just as every one begins to shiver, there comes a burst of gay music; -and Mistress Mary’s flower-garden appears in the midst of the wintry -surroundings. It is a striking and pretty contrast. The smallest Juniors -are chosen for this part of the entertainment. While the children are -coming in, some one should sing the time-honored lines: - - “Mistress Mary, quite contrary, - How does your garden grow? - With silver bells and cockle-shells, - And pretty maids all in a row,” - -or, as one version has it, “_flower_-maids all in a row.” The small -Juniors are dressed as follows: The boys in closely fitting suits and -caps of green, trimmed with strings of sleigh-bells and small shells; -the girls in dresses and hats of tissue-paper or crape paper, each girl -representing a flower. The blossoms most easily imitated can be selected -by studying a florist’s catalogue or a botany with colored plates. Some -wild flowers are delightfully suited to the purpose; such as the -buttercup, the daisy, the blue marsh clematis, the pale yellow -adder’s-tongue, the pink swamp mallow, the wild rose, the bluebell, and -the Carolina lily in its brilliant hues of crimson, orange, and brown. -Then there are nasturtiums, asters, morning-glories, sweet peas, and -chrysanthemums; in fact, the list will be found to be a long one. -Ribbons and artificial flowers may be used as trimmings where they will -heighten the effect. - -Each child should carry a basket decorated with the appropriate flower -or with “cockle-shells” or “silver bells,” as the case may be, and -filled with small articles for sale. A fancy drill is given on entering; -and, if desired, some appropriate flower songs or recitations may be -added. Then the contents of the various baskets should be offered for -sale. - -If any of the guests do not understand where the “contrary” part of the -entertainment comes in, ask them if they ever knew a flower-garden so -contrary to nature as to grow in such surroundings before their eyes. Of -course, the Juniors are never contrary in any other way. - - - - -The Bells of Bonnydingle - -In Two Acts - -BY LILIAN M. HEATH - - -Characters. - - DOROTHY DOT, _A dear little girl under a magic spell_. - SIR DISMAL DUMPS, } - THE BUGABOO MAN, } _Two enemies of children_. - QUEEN OF THE COSEY CORNER, _The children’s fairy friend_. - FAIRY BRIGHT-THOUGHT, _Chief counsellor of the Queen_. - WEST WIND, _Friend to_ DOROTHY. - DOROTHY DOT, _Grown larger, after the spell is broken_. - OLD WOMAN WITH BASKET. - CAROL, } - AVIS, } _Friends and playmates of_ DOROTHY’S. - FRANK, } - ROY, } - REALLYWISH, } - JUSTNOW, } _Brownies_. - I CAN, } - I WILL, } - Six, eight, or more SUNSHINE FAIRIES. - - -Costumes, etc. - -DOROTHY DOT, _while small_. Girl of nine or ten, small for her age; -dainty modern dress. - -SIR DISMAL DUMPS. Boy of fourteen, or older; antique court costume of -gray and dark green. - -THE BUGABOO MAN. Boy of fourteen, same style of dress as Dismal Dumps, -but colors red and dark blue. Wears a mask. - -QUEEN OF THE COSEY CORNER. Girl of fourteen; trained white spangled -dress, crown, and wand. - -FAIRY BRIGHT-THOUGHT. Girl of ten; short white spangled fairy dress, -with wings. - -WEST WIND. Girl of fourteen who can sing well; flowing rose-colored -robe, long gray mantle. - -OLD WOMAN WITH BASKET. Girl of twelve or thirteen; brown or purple skirt -to ankles, gingham waist, small red shoulder-shawl, sunbonnet. - -DOROTHY DOT, _grown taller_. A well-grown, bright-looking girl of -thirteen, closely resembling the small Dorothy. Dress apparently the -same, only longer. - - CAROL. Girl of eleven or twelve. Ordinary dress. - AVIS. Girl of eleven. „ „ - FRANK. Boy of twelve. „ „ - ROY. Boy of eleven. „ „ - -REALLYWISH, JUSTNOW, I CAN, and I WILL. Boys of ten; Brownie costumes. -(“I Will” should have the strongest voice.) - -SUNSHINE FAIRIES. Girls of eight or nine; flowing hair, short fairy -dress of bright orange-yellow, made still brighter by a liberal use of -spangles. Wings. - -COSEY CORNER. Prettily draped and cushioned couch in one corner of rear -of stage. - -SUNSHINE TREASURE-BOX. First act, a box about the size of a small but -deep trunk, labelled on the front in plain lettering, “Sunshine.” - -SUNSHINE TREASURE-BOX. Second act, box of same shape, but very large; if -possible, nearly four feet deep; with same label in same position on -front, in letters of the same shape but larger. Have blocks of wood -nailed inside for steps. The lid should be on hinges, and the whole back -of the box, except at the very top, is sawed out, leaving it open. The -curtain hangs at the rear of the stage, with a large opening immediately -behind the box, so that Sunshine Fairies and others can easily pass into -the box from behind the scenes. Foliage, rocks, and stumps for seats, -and other playground accessories. Have a stump and a particularly soft -rock against the outside of the box, to serve as steps. - -CHANGE OF COSTUME. In the second act, near the close, Sir Dismal Dumps -and the Bugaboo Man should change quickly while in or back of the -Sunshine-Box, from their former costumes to suits of spangled -orange-yellow cambric, made in similar style. - - -ACT I. - - - SCENE.--_A playground, with_ CAROL, AVIS, ROY _seated on rocks and - stumps, talking. Music as curtain rises. Music stops._ - -AVIS. Did you say that she _never_ could grow any larger? - -FRANK (_entering_). What’s that? _Who_ never could grow any larger? - -CAROL. Why, don’t you know? It’s Dorothy Dot. Dear little Dorothy! It’s -all because she was enchanted when she was only seven years old, by that -dreadful enemy of all Sunshine people--Sir Dismal Dumps! - -FRANK. O yes, I remember. He _is_ a rascal--that Dismal Dumps. He put -one of his magic spells on her--he and his Bugaboo Man together--so she -never could grow any larger unless ---- - -ROY. Yes, she never could grow any larger, unless ---- - -AVIS. Unless what? Do tell me all about it. - -CAROL. I thought you knew, Avis. Unless the key is found, the key to -Dorothy’s magic treasure-box. The Sunshine Fairies are shut up in the -box, and until they are let out we children will all have lots of -trouble because of that horrid Dismal Dumps and his Bugaboo Man. - -FRANK (_walking about, his hands in his pockets, looking as if thinking -very hard_). This _is_ a puzzle that gets me! The box that holds the -Sunshine Fairies is locked, and Dismal Dumps stole the key, and keeps -it hidden away. But say, wasn’t there something about the _box_ growing, -too? - -ROY. Why, yes. You see, it’s a magic box, and was meant to grow larger -all the time, just as Dorothy was meant to grow larger herself. But, -when the key was stolen, it--the box, I mean--stopped growing, and _she_ -stopped growing, and now ---- - -ALL (_coming forward and singing; tune, “The Red, White, and Blue”_). - - O sad is the plight of our playmate, - While under the dark, cruel spell; - No peace can she have, night or morning, - For foes watch her footsteps too well. - When found is the key to her treasure, - How gladly our chorus we’ll sing! - When forth come the bright Sunshine Fairies, - The bells of Bonnydingle will ring. - O the bells, bonny bells, how they’ll ring! - O the bells, bonny bells, how they’ll ring! - When forth come the bright Sunshine Fairies, - The bells of Bonnydingle will ring. - - (_Enter_ DOROTHY, _running_.) - -DOROTHY. O Carol, Avis,--all of you! I’m _so_ afraid! When I started to -come over here, I was sure I heard Dismal Dumps and the Bugaboo Man -talking, just around the corner, and I ran as fast as I could, to get -away from them. I’m afraid they’ll be here, yet. (_Looking around -uneasily_). But (_brightening_) I must tell you the good news. I’ve -seen the Brownies! - - (_All crowd around her._ FRANK _and_ ROY _give a surprised whistle_.) - -AVIS. _Have_ you, Dorothy? - -CAROL. And will they help us plan what to do? - -DOROTHY. Yes, they said they would help. Here they come, now. - - (_Enter Brownies, running, skipping, and capering in various ways, - which lively antics they must keep up at intervals all through the - play. Coming forward and facing the audience, they sing, each one in - turn; tune, “Yankee Doodle.”_) - -REALLYWISH. - - Kind friends, my name is Reallywish; - I serve the people gladly. - Whenever they are true to me - They cease to mourn so sadly; - For, don’t you see? they go to work - To make their wish come true, sir! - And when they smile instead of shirk - There’s little they can’t do, sir. - -JUSTNOW. - - And my name, if you’d know it well, - Would save you much debating; - For it’s Justnow, and when I’m called - I never keep folks waiting. - I hasten gladly on my way, - As fast as I can run, sir! - And when I work, and when I play, - ’Tis very quickly done, sir. - -I CAN. - - They call me by the name I Can; - That name I’ll never alter. - I’m bound to do what any man - Should try, nor will I falter. - Brave thinking helps to bring success; - I’m every one’s good friend, sir! - Whate’er I try, I’ll carry through, - And push it to the end, sir. - -I WILL. - - And I, the last, am called I Will, - And never should you doubt me. - Some call me stubborn, but I’d like - To see them do without me! - For ships I sail and houses build, - And every lesson learn, sir! - Make haste and call me to your aid, - If you would comfort earn, sir. - -AVIS (_clapping her hands_). O what dear Brownies! And so you will help -us to get rid of that hateful Dismal Dumps and the Bugaboo Man we’re so -afraid of! What shall we do first? - - (_Brownies, puzzled, look up at the ceiling, down at the floor, and in - various corners, as if for an idea._) - -REALLYWISH. I really wish, my friends, O yes, I really wish I knew---- - -JUSTNOW. Just now, exactly what is best for us to plan and do. - -I CAN. But, if each one of us will only think and say, “I can----” - -I WILL (_emphatically_). We’ll conquer Dismal Dumps and his Bugaboo Man! - -CHILDREN AND BROWNIES (_all together_.) We’ll conquer Dismal Dumps and -his Bugaboo Man! - -ROY. Here they come, now! (_Children huddle close together and look -frightened, yet resolute. A few strains of very doleful music, from -behind scenes. Enter_ SIR DISMAL DUMPS _and_ BUGABOO MAN, _right_.) - -DISMAL DUMPS (_scowling fiercely_). Well, here’s a pretty howdy-do! -Don’t these children know they shouldn’t loiter around like this? -They’ll be too late to have any dinner when they get home! Besides, -there’s all their next week’s lessons not learned. - -BUGABOO MAN. Well, the lessons are so hard they won’t be able to learn -them anyhow; so what difference does it make? - -DISMAL DUMPS. Then they’ll all grow up without knowing anything. In -fact, no matter how hard they try, they’ll never amount to anything. - - (_Children whisper together during this conversation. Brownies - gesticulate as if giving directions. All nod their heads in consent, - and approach_ DISMAL DUMPS.) - -CHILDREN AND BROWNIES (_singing; tune, “Maryland, My Maryland”_). - - Listen to the children’s plea, - Dismal Dumps, O Dismal Dumps! - If you’d go and leave us free,-- - Dismal Dumps, O Dismal Dumps,-- - We would be so very good, - Learn our lessons as we should, - We’d surprise you; yes, we would, - Dismal Dumps, O Dismal Dumps! - - But before you leave the land, - Dismal Dumps, O Dismal Dumps, - If you’d kindly understand, - Dismal Dumps, O Dismal Dumps, - _Please give back the treasure-key_; - Set the Sunshine Fairies free! - We would, O so grateful be, - Dismal Dumps, O Dismal Dumps! - -DISMAL DUMPS (_haughtily, folding his arms_). What impertinent nonsense -is this? Actually asking for the key to the Sunshine-Box! I’d laugh at -the very idea, if it weren’t against my principles ever to laugh at all, -or even smile. Bugaboo, what do you think of this ridiculous idea? They -want us to give up the key! - -BUGABOO MAN (_laughing loudly_). Ha! ha! ha! ho! ho! ho! As if we would -give it up! - -DISMAL DUMPS. There, you young rascals, you have your answer. But you -_never_ will have the key! - - (DOROTHY _begins to cry, and goes slowly out, left_, AVIS _and_ CAROL - _with her, trying to console her_. DISMAL DUMPS _and_ BUGABOO - _converse confidentially, right_. BOYS _and Brownies consult, left_). - -BROWNIES (_coming forward and then towards left, singing; tune, “Jingle -Bells.”_) - - Come along, come along, - Children one and all! - Hasten to the Cosey Corner ere the shadows fall! - Dorothy, Dorothy, - Trouble yet will end. - In the Cosey Corner we shall find the children’s friend! - - (_Repeat, as they go out, left, followed by boys._ DISMAL DUMPS _and_ - BUGABOO MAN _come forward at centre_, DISMAL DUMPS _looking more than - usually glum_.) - -BUGABOO MAN (_persuasively_). Cheer up, old fellow! You certainly got -the best of it, as you generally do when you have _me_ to help you! - -DISMAL DUMPS (_shaking his head dolefully_). That’s all very well, -Bugaboo, but what we should do if those children should ever get ahead -of us and manage to open that box, I’m sure I don’t know. I can’t bear -the sound of bells, and those Sunshine Fairies would be too much for us -both. - -BUGABOO MAN. That’s so; we never could live in the same country with -them. Of course not! But there’s no danger! Nobody can open the box but -that insignificant little Dorothy Dot, and _she_ can’t without the key. -Come on, now; let’s find some one else that we can make unhappy. I -heard a woman saying she was afraid it was going to rain. Let’s tell her -it certainly will. There’s a big black cloud coming up, now. - -DISMAL DUMPS (_brightening a little_). And I heard a man complaining of -hard times. Let’s go and make them all the harder. We can do it. - -BUGABOO MAN. Of course we can; we always do. Come on. (_Links his arm in -that of_ DISMAL DUMPS, _and hurries him along till in the latter’s -effort to keep up he stumbles over a rock and drops the key. Neither of -them sees it._) Be careful; you might break your bones sometime over -these stones. Hurry, or we’ll be too late. (_Exit both, right._) - - (_Enter_ OLD WOMAN, _left, with basket. Sees key. Stops, and picks it - up._) - -OLD WOMAN. Well, I never! What careless person has dropped a key, I -wonder? I’ll just put it in my basket for safe keeping while I look. -(_Exit right._) - - (_Enter_ AVIS, CAROL, DOROTHY, FRANK, ROY, _and Brownies, left, on - their way to the Cosey Corner. The Brownies are carrying the Sunshine - Treasure-Box. They place it at the rear of the stage, with the - labelled side forward; then all approach the Cosey Corner, singing; - tune, “John Brown.”_) - - Queen of the Cosey Corner, let us in, we plead, - We’ve come to ask your counsel, for we’ve dire distress, indeed! - We know you help the troubled, and we’ve come to tell our need, - O Fairy, hear our call. - ’Tis the Brownies and the children, - ’Tis the Brownies and the children, - ’Tis the Brownies and the children, - O Fairy, heed our call. - - (_Curtains slowly part at the corner of the stage, right, displaying a - “cosey corner” where the Queen is seated in state. She rises and comes - forward._) - -QUEEN. You poor children! I know your trouble before you tell it. You -wish to get rid of Dismal Dumps and the Bugaboo Man; you want the key to -this dear little girl’s treasure-box, so you can let the Sunshine -Fairies out. Is that it? - -CHILDREN. Yes, and so Dorothy Dot can grow. - -QUEEN. That is right. Be seated, all. Now, for a few moments keep -perfectly still. (_Children seat themselves on stumps, etc._) I cannot -give you the key at once, but I will call my chief counsellor, Fairy -Bright-Thought, and then I shall be able to advise you. Keep very quiet, -now, or she cannot come. Brownies, see if you can keep still for two -whole minutes. It will be good practice for you. (_The_ QUEEN _resumes -her seat. The Brownies give a final excited caper; then seat themselves -on the treasure-box. All are silent. Soft music for three or four -minutes; then_ FAIRY BRIGHT-THOUGHT _emerges from behind the draperies -of Cosey Corner, and whispers in the ear of the_ QUEEN. _The children -start up, but seat themselves again. After a moment_, FAIRY -BRIGHT-THOUGHT _disappears again behind the draperies. Music stops._) -Listen, children and Brownies! I have a secret for you. The spell is -already partly broken, for--just think!--_Dismal Dumps and the Bugaboo -Man have lost the key!_ Now Dorothy Dot can grow! (_The children begin -dancing and the Brownies capering with delight._) But wait! (_All -stop._) It is true, Dorothy Dot can grow, and so can her treasure-box; -but until she has the key the Sunshine Fairies must still be prisoners, -and you are not yet rid of Dismal Dumps and his Bugaboo Man. Now, this -is what you must all do. Search for the key everywhere. As for Dorothy, -she can go away for a while with the kind West Wind, to a beautiful home -on the prairies, where she will not be troubled by Dismal Dumps and the -Bugaboo Man. Then she can grow all the faster, and meanwhile you can all -be looking for the key. But, mind you, the key will be found at some -moment when you are doing a kind act; and, when you want Dorothy, you -must call her. Now away with you! Good-by! (_Retires into Cosey Corner, -with curtains drawn together._) - -CHILDREN. Good-by! Thank you! Good-by! - - (_Enter_ WEST WIND, _who approaches_ DOROTHY _slowly, singing; tune, - “Wind of the Western Sea.”_) - - Breathe and grow, breathe and grow, - Child of the Sunshine Land! - Grow, grow, breathe and grow; - Life is for thee most grand! - Over the prairies wide and free, - List to the West Wind’s call to thee, - Child of the Sunshine Land! - Come, my little one; come, my pretty one, come! - - (_Wraps_ DOROTHY _gently in her mantle, and leads her slowly away_, - DOROTHY _waving her hand in farewell. The children and Brownies - respond by waving caps and handkerchiefs. Exit_ DOROTHY _and_ WEST - WIND. _Music, same tune, continued instrumentally, as curtain falls._) - - -ACT II. - - - SCENE.--_Same as before, but larger box in place of the one left at - the rear of the stage._ - - (_Enter_ CAROL, AVIS, FRANK, ROY, _and Brownies. The children examine - the box, being careful not to lift the lid; the Brownies come - forward._) - -REALLYWISH. I _really wish_ I knew why we haven’t found the key. - -JUSTNOW. Perhaps _just now_ we’ll find it, if we’re good as good can be. - -I CAN. We won’t give up and say it can’t be done; I know it _can_. - -I WILL. And we’ll conquer Dismal Dumps and the Bugaboo Man! - -ALL. Yes, we’ll conquer Dismal Dumps and the Bugaboo Man! - - (_Enter_ OLD WOMAN _with basket. Stumbles and drops basket, scattering - wares._) - -OLD WOMAN. Oh, dear, dear! I didn’t see that stone! - -AVIS (_running up to her_). Did you hurt yourself? You didn’t _quite_ -fall, did you? - -OLD WOMAN (_beginning to pick up wares_). No, but just look at my spools -of thread, and buttons, and all my whole basketful of things--scattered -all over the ground. - -CAROL. Too bad! Never mind, we’ll pick them up for you. (_To_ ROY.) She -looks tired. (_To_ OLD WOMAN.) Suppose you sit down on this rock and -rest, and we’ll ---- (OLD WOMAN _sits down_.) - -ROY. Yes, we’ll have them all picked up in a jiffy. - - (_The Brownies_, ROY, _and_ CAROL _pick up the various articles, - while_ FRANK _and_ AVIS _put them into the basket and arrange them_.) - -OLD WOMAN. Bless your kind little hearts! There, now they’re all right -again, and I must be going. I’m quite a bit rested, too. Thank you, -thank you. (_Rises, and starts to go._) - -ROY (_hastening after her with the key_). Wait, wait! here’s your key! - -OLD WOMAN. Key, is it? But it’s not mine. I picked it up not long ago at -this very spot. No telling who dropped it; one can only guess. - -CAROL (_eagerly_). Perhaps that’s Dorothy’s key! (_The children and -Brownies crowd around to look._) - -OLD WOMAN (_indifferently_). Well, keep it and ask Dorothy, whoever she -may be. I don’t know anything about it. Only persons in sight when I -picked it up were an old curmudgeon dressed in gray,--the -crossest-looking fellow you ever set eyes on,--and a queer-looking man -with him dressed in red, for all the world like a circus clown. I -couldn’t catch up with them, they were going so fast. - -AVIS (_clapping her hands_). It is, _it is!_ - -ROY. Hurrah! - -FRANK. Whoop! (_The Brownies express their delight in the most fantastic -capers yet. The_ OLD WOMAN _sets down the basket, looking interested_.) - -CAROL. Hark! the Bells of Bonnydingle! (_Ringing of bells, while all -listen._) - - (_Enter_ DISMAL DUMPS _and_ BUGABOO MAN, _talking excitedly. Bells - stop ringing._) - -DISMAL DUMPS (_to_ BUGABOO MAN). It was all your fault! - -BUGABOO MAN (_fiercely_). Don’t you dare to say it was my fault! _I_ -didn’t lose the key. You dropped it yourself! - -DISMAL DUMPS. You made me drop it, anyhow. And now did you hear those -bells? That means the key is found, and we’re done for if we can’t get -it again. (_Seeing the children._) Quick, Bugaboo, _here’s_ the key. -Make ’em give it up! (BUGABOO MAN _starts towards the children, who -retreat slowly_.) - -OLD WOMAN (_to_ BUGABOO MAN, _stepping between him and the children_). -It’s _my_ opinion you’re a thief, sir! you and the gentleman in gray, -there; and you won’t get that key again, I can tell you! - -BUGABOO MAN _and_ DISMAL DUMPS (_together, advancing nearer_). Won’t we? - -OLD WOMAN (_taking off sunbonnet, and flapping it vigorously at_ DISMAL -DUMPS). Shoo! Shoo! (DISMAL DUMPS _retreats hastily_. BUGABOO MAN -_advances towards the group._ OLD WOMAN _still more vigorously, flapping -at_ BUGABOO MAN.) _Scat!_ (BUGABOO MAN _runs backward so fast he almost -tumbles down_. DISMAL DUMPS _and_ BUGABOO MAN _consult, at a safe -distance. The children come forward a little._) - -CAROL. O, I wish Dorothy would come! - -ALL THE REST. So do I! - -REALLYWISH. Why, we’re forgetting what the Queen of the Cosey Corner -told us. If we _really wish_ Dorothy would come, why don’t we bring her? - -JUSTNOW. Why, of course. Let’s call her back just now! - - (_Bells begin ringing joyfully again._ DISMAL DUMPS _and_ BUGABOO MAN - _turn first one way, then the other, confused, and place their hands - over their ears as if they could not bear the sound. Bells continue - ringing very softly, while the children and Brownies sing; tune, - “Bring Back My Bonny.”_) - - Our playmate is far o’er the prairies, - But never a heart was more true; - She’ll come on the wings of the morning, - O Dorothy, welcome to you! - West Wind, West Wind, - Bring back our bonny, to-day, to-day, - West Wind, West Wind, - Bring back our bonny, to-day. - - (_Bells still ring, as softly as possible. The children listen. - Instrumental music behind scenes, very soft at first, but gradually - growing louder,--“Home, Sweet Home.” Enter the taller_ DOROTHY, _and_ - WEST WIND. _Children rush to meet_ DOROTHY, _holding up the key. The - music stops, but bells still ring, while_ DOROTHY _takes the key, goes - to the box, and unlocks it, followed gleefully by Brownies. Sunshine - Fairies emerge from the box, assisted, if necessary, by_ WEST WIND, - _the_ OLD WOMAN, _and_ DOROTHY. _The fairies skip about delightedly; - then, seeing_ DISMAL DUMPS _and the_ BUGABOO MAN, _start to chase them - both_. DISMAL DUMPS _and_ BUGABOO MAN _run around in evident terror, - trying to escape. At last both jump into the box. Brownies instantly - slam down the lid, and sit on it. Bells ring out more loudly for a - minute or two, then subside as music begins. Chorus of Brownies, - children, and Sunshine Fairies, all but Brownies dancing around_ - DOROTHY _and_ WEST WIND; _tune, “Marching through Georgia.”_) - - Welcome home, our playmate dear, this happy festal day! - O, kind the West Wind’s care of you while you were far away. - But now we have you with us, and we hope you’ve come to stay, - For Sunshine rules Bonnydingle! - Hurrah! hurrah! the merry bells do ring, - Hurrah! hurrah! our voices gladly sing; - Nevermore shall frowns and tears their sorrow to you bring - For Sunshine rules Bonnydingle! - - (_Bells ring loudly again during the refrain, which is repeated. - Throughout the song, Brownies wave caps, arms, and feet as - enthusiastically as possible, without leaving their post on the - Sunshine-Box._) - - (_Enter_ QUEEN _from her Cosey Corner. Bells and music cease._) - -QUEEN (_kissing_ DOROTHY). Welcome home, Dorothy dear! How you have -grown! So our plan was a success. But suppose we listen to Fairy -Bright-Thought again. She has still another message for us. (_All are -quiet. Soft music for two or three minutes. Enter_ FAIRY BRIGHT-THOUGHT, -_who whispers in the ear of the_ QUEEN, _as before. Music stops._) My -chief counsellor advises a strange thing. She says, “Open the box.” Will -you do it? - - (_The Brownies get down from their perch, looking puzzled. The - children slowly approach the box._) - -ROY. But won’t the Bugaboo Man---- - -AVIS. And won’t Dismal Dumps---- - -DOROTHY. Never fear. What harm can they do us now? Poor old Bugaboo Man -and poor old Dismal Dumps! I’m sorry for them. It was when I was little -that I was so afraid of them. Besides, as we all know, whatever advice -comes from the Cosey Corner must be safe to follow. Come, I’m going to -open the box! - - (FRANK _and_ CAROL _help her to raise the lid. Out come_ DISMAL DUMPS - _and the_ BUGABOO MAN, _but completely transformed, in new and - glittering costumes, and with smiling faces. Both come forward._) - -DISMAL DUMPS. I found, when I once got into the Sunshine Box, that I -couldn’t be dismal any longer! - -BUGABOO MAN. And _I_ found that it isn’t half so much fun to frighten -children as it is to amuse them! - -BOTH. So we are both going to be sunshine people ourselves, like all -good Juniors. - -DOROTHY (_shaking hands with them_). I’m so glad! Now we’ll all be happy -ever after. - - (_Bells begin ringing again. Music. March of all the characters, and - final tableau._) - -CURTAIN. - - -VARIATION OF “THE BELLS OF BONNYDINGLE” FOR CHRISTMAS. - -To adapt the play to Christmas, where there are gifts to be distributed, -omit the final march, and, instead, add the following bit of dialogue -after Dorothy speaks for the last time: - -BUGABOO MAN. And to prove that we _really wish_ to be Sunshine -people---- - -DISMAL DUMPS. We will look into that wonderful treasure-box again _just -now_,--for it’s Merry Christmas,--and see if we can’t find something to -make these good people all the happier. - -BOTH. We _can_, and we _will_! (_Going to the box, they reach in and -take out present after present, handed up to them by two persons -concealed, one behind the box, and one in it. The presents are marked -with the names of those for whom they are intended, and as fast as taken -out by the transformed_ DISMAL DUMPS _and_ BUGABOO MAN, _who read the -names aloud, they are handed to_ DOROTHY _and the other children, who in -turn pass them to the Brownies_, FAIRY BRIGHT-THOUGHT, _and the Sunshine -Fairies, to distribute among the audience_.) - - - - -Index of Games - - - Accidental High Art 143 - Alphabetical Question Game 78 - Apple and Horseshoe 54 - Apple Shooting 54 - - Bean-stalk Raid 116 - Bird-Guessing 102 - Burying the Hatchet 73 - Butterfly Pansy Hunt 106 - - Cherry-Tree Blind Man’s Buff 73 - Constellations 143 - Croquet Bowling 117 - Curlycue Drawing-Contest 65 - - Excuse-Hunt 64 - - Fairy Bowling 140 - Flying Stars 142 - Four-Leaf-Clover-Hunt 55 - Freak Show 117 - - Grommet Pitching 20 - - Juniors’ Message to All 80 - - Letter Tag 79 - Little Queen Fluff 125 - - Mountain-Climb 93 - Mountain Quiz 94 - Mr. Daruma 46 - Mr. Woodenhead 40 - My Lady’s Slipper 139 - - Orange Croquet 39 - - Pink Violets 20 - Polly Pitcher Bean-bag 66 - - Quiet Go-lol-uf 120 - - Rainbow Hunt 97 - Red and White Roses 42 - Red-Line Hunt 19 - Red-Line Tag 19 - - Slipper-Hunt 140 - Slipper Obstacle-Race 139 - - Table Golf with Pins and Peas 121 - - Ukibara 46 - - Washington Quiz 74 - Wishes and Compliments 55 - Wishes and Results 56 - Word-Building 78 - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes - - - Inconsistent lay-out, spelling, hyphenation and punctuation have been - retained, except as mentioned below. - - Changes made: - - Some obvious typographical and punctuation errors have been corrected - silently; the lay-out of stage directions in the plays has been - standardised. - - p. 32: SCENE II. changed to SCENE 2. - - p. 87: _Spider_ gives chase changed to SPIDER gives chase - - p. 135: _Nearly_ lost that one. changed to Nearly lost that one. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Good Times with the Juniors, by Lilian M. 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