Elizabeth F. Guptill

“ Elsie—We cannot up and down the aisles march, Katie.
Katie—Yis, ye can. Jist ye follow the laders, and we’ll march up and down the imaginary aisles, as grand az ye plaze. Riddy, now. (All take places, the girls, in order-of size, behind Katie—the boys behind Jimmy.) This is the kay, now. Sound it. (All do so, and the march and song begin. [A] Tune: “Wave, Old Glory.” As they sing, they march up and down the “imaginary aisles.”)
SONG.
We are happy little children, at the Christmas time,
See us gaily marching, marching, while our voices chime. ”

“ The girls carry garlands of evergreen while the boys carry wreaths of the same. After a spectacular drill and fancy march they all sing a beautiful Christmas song, which accompanies the drill. Following the song they wind a spiral to the center of the stage, unwind same and march off. Complete instructions are given. It is the best Christmas drill ever published; easy to produce and decidedly novel. Price, 15 cents.
PEARL’S CHRISTMAS. Original, pleasing and interesting Christmas dialogue with an excellent moral, for 3 boys and 4 girls. ”

“ We’ve got up this shindy fer the orphin in our midst, little Islie, bliss the blue eyes av her! who belongs to ivery one av us, and fer our own little childher as well—the poor little spalpeens that we’ve chated out av a Christmas ivery year because we wasn’t Carniggy’s. We’re a [11] holdin’ it here in McCarthy’s fore room, be the razin that it’s the biggest room in the tinemint, with the ixciption of Opperman’s, which he ginerously offered, but which was so cluttered ’twould have taxed the patience av a saint to thry to pick it up. ”

“ Ivery buddy do be a saying so, and I won’t have a second hand Christmas, Jimmy, I won’t. And little cud she know av the high cost of living. She wud have a big tree, and she would have it to-night. Bedad, if’t had bin one av me own little spalpeens, I’d have given her a taste av me hand, where it wud do the most good, but ye can’t spank an orphin, and I was that distracted I didn’t know what to do, but Jimmy, he says, says he, pert as an eyster, “We’ll [9] have it the roight night, Ilsie, if it’ll bitter suit yez. And we won’t have no second hand tree, nuther,” says he. ”

“ The children are gathered on and around these steps. Use plenty of children—as many as convenient. Small children from two to six or seven may be used as little brothers and sisters to those who have the speaking parts. As curtain rises, some of the children are playing “Button, button,” on the lowest step, and others are playing “Hop-scotch” at one side. The smallest ones hug dilapidated dollies, rolled up from rags. One has a small wheel, such as might have been on a little cart, once. Enter Jimmy and Elsie—hurry along to group. ”

“ Bridget—Sure and he will. It’s not mesilf will stand in his loight, and he desarves all the good things he’ll get. It’s sorry we’ll be to lose him and Ilsie too. Bedad she’s the babby av the whole tinemint—but—Whisht there, Connie! ye musn’t wape. There’s the three to be loighted, and all the prisints and the candy and apples. All roise, now, and say Wilcome, and we’ll be afther lighting thot three. (All rise, and shout heartily.) Welcome, welcome to Elsie’s father! Rah! Rah! Rah!
Elsie—I want the candles to light. Jimmy did say I might! ”

“ The author has brought out with skill the humorous incidents that help make up the life of the country girl and woman, while the fashionable woman of the city, who is interested in parties, teas and golf, is just as truthfully depicted. ”

“ Micky—Begorra, what a lot av money! It’s a capitalist ye’ll be afther being, like the Rocky feller.
Jimmy—And thin, bedad, she began to wheedle, and she promised her foine drisses, and a babby doll, and a cab to wheel it in, and iverything ye could think about, and more, too, begorry. And thin if she didn’t up and offer her a Christmas tree!
Katie—A Christmas tree! Why didn’t she offer her the earth, with a noice little pick fince around it? And ye wouldn’t lave us for a Christmas tree, Elsie darlint?
Elsie—“No,” I said, “Jimmy will buy me a Christmas tree a’reddy.” ”

“ Strauss—Den dis tree you shall have, mine Elsie, and New Years’ Day we will one big tree have, mine country blace out at, and all these shall come, who have mine Elsie bin goot to, aretty.
Jimmy—Are you going to take Elsie away, sir?
Elsie—I can’t from Jimmy away go. Mine Jimmy must with us go, mine fader. I vos Jimmy’s little sister.
Mr. Opperman—It vos dot Chimmy dot did find her crying the street in, and pring her here.
Mr. Strauss—And you cared for her? You did not let her to the Orphan asylum go? But you are poor people. How you do it? ”

“ Opperman. You one German was, too. You know the German kinder do always one big Christmas tree have. Mustn’t I have one?
Opperman—Vell, vell, leedle Madchen, I vos sure von Cherman, but I vos von Cherman Chew a’retty. Der Chews no Christmas do keep, nor drees.
Elsie— (beginning to cry) I must have one big Christmas tree. I must. And no one wants me my tree to have but Jimmy.
Jimmy—There, there, Ilsie, don’t spoil the swate eyes av yez wid cryin’, ans we’ll think up a way somehow. (Mrs. McCarthy, Mrs. Ferrari, Mrs. Omstrom, and Mrs. Washington come out and seat themselves on the steps.) ”

“ The whole world is keeping the Christmas Day.
Bridget—Bless the swate heart av her! She remimbered thot from last year!
Elsie—I always did say it at my Christmas tree, and then I did mine hymn sing.
Mr. Opperman—Sing it now for us, aretty. (Elsie sings Martin Luther’s cradle hymn, which begins, “Away in a Manger.”)
Katie—Nixt is a Christmas flag drill, as given at school, wid variations. Yez see, we do it at school wid the Shtars and Shtripes, but we made these Christmas flags at school and the teacher fixed the worruds over, and made the hull thing as Christmassy as ye plaze. ”

“ Children— (enthusiastically) Merry Christmas, iverybody! (The grown people have followed the children into the room. There should be improvised seats of boxes, barrels, and boards. They seat themselves, and look expectantly at Elsie.)
(Elsie buries her face on Jimmy’s shoulder and begins to cry.)
Jimmy—Fhwat ails yez, Ilsie darlint? Tell Jimmy fhwat’s the matter av ye!
Elsie—It—it is not one Christmas tree, aretty. It—it is not one tree at all.
Jimmy—Sure it is. Don’t yez see the green on the branches av it?
Elsie— (looking up a minute) They is not no branches at all.
Pat—Thin what be they? ”

“ Fig. 5.—Girls, now in inner circle, march around one way, boys the other. When they have gone around once this way, they wind the “grand right and left,” crossing flags with each one met; passing to the right of the first one met, and to the left of the next one met. Continue thus around circle.
Fig. 6.—Boys step back, making larger circle, girls step in between boys, making one large circle. March around once, flags waving, [14] then all face centre. All march in toward centre, flags held high and forward. ”

“ Connie—We aren’t Irish and Naygurs and Swades and sich, mither, we’re Americans, ivery wan av us. Tacher says so.
Pat—And so yez are, God bliss yez, ivery one. Sing thot song ye larned in school—“My Own America, I Love but Thee.” [B]
Mickey—That ain’t a Christmas song, feyther.
Pat—It’s good enough fer Christmas or any other day in the year. Sing it. Pipe up, Katy gurl. (Katy does so, and they sing.)
Mr. Opperman— (at close of song) Dot vos von goot song, for certain.
[15]
Katie—Nixt is a recitation by James Terence O’Neal. ”

“ Chloe—Yo ottah call it a quahtette, honey. Dat’s de stylish name. (Pompey plays his banjo, and they all sing. Any of the old Southern Darkey songs will do—not the ragtime coon song of to-day.)
Katie—Nixt is a ricitation by our esteemed frind and fellow bachelor, Mr. Fritz Opperman.
Mr. Opperman—Bud I don’t vos knew any Gristmas biece, aretty. I voz von Jew, you see, Miss Kadie.
Katie—But yez kin say some dandy ones. Niver moind the Christmas part, Mr. Opperman. Jist spale off a funny one. (Mr. Opperman recites any comic poem in Dutch dialect.) ”

“ Every dialogue in this book is decidedly to the point and easy to prepare. They will delight young and old alike. Contents: Is There a Santa Claus? 2 small children, Santa Claus and chorus; Herbert’s Discovery, 2 boys; The Christmas Dinner, 2 little girls, 1 larger girl and 2 boys; Playing Santa Claus, 1 small and 2 larger boys; A Double Christmas Gift, 2 small girls, 2 larger girls, and 3 boys. Price, 15 cents.
EVERGREEN AND HOLLY—SONG AND DRILL. By Elizabeth F. Guptill. A drill for any even number of boys and girls, or all girls. ”