Lillian Nixon Lawrence

“ Elephant. I am sorry for you. But the lion is the king of the forest. He takes what he will and keeps what he likes. I cannot help you.
Mother Deer. [Goes on.] Can you not help me, Camel? You are always kind and gentle. ”

“ The tiger begged me to let him out of his cage to drink a 163little water. But now that I have let him out he wishes to kill and eat me. Is this right, O Road?
Road. Poor Brahman! How can you hope for anything else? Think of me. Here I am useful to every one. Yet all, rich and poor, great and small, trample on me as they go past. Why do you complain?
Brahman. Alas! Alas! Alas! There is no help for me. [Turns homeward.]
Jackal. What’s the matter, Mr. Brahman? You look very sad.
Brahman. I am sad. As I was walking along the road I came to the tiger in his cage. ”

“ No one to talk to, no one to play with, no trees to climb. Only one friend, the jellyfish with his hard shell. I’d like him better if he hadn’t one. It makes me think of that bad turtle that brought me down here on his hard back. Here comes the old jellyfish now.
Jellyfish. Hello, Monkey, you look sad.
Monkey. So would you if you wanted trees instead of seaweed, and land instead of water, and warm sunshine, and other little monkeys to play with.
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Jellyfish. Poor Monkey! I am sorry for you. But of course you must stay here until they come to get you.
Monkey. Until who comes to get me? ”

“ I can’t bark till I get a new spring.
Mrs. Santa Claus. Come, Elephant and Tiger. I’ll do you next. There, I’ve seen you all. You are now as good as toys can be.
French Doll. Are we to stay in this old attic? ”

“ Do not think of searching for it. The ogre who lives beyond is cruel, and he’ll surely eat you.
Sanja. He’ll not eat an old woman like me. Tee-hee-hee! [They hear a terrible noise. Ogre comes.]
Third Lord Jizu. Here comes the ogre. Get behind me. Be quick!
Ogre. [Deep voice.] Good morning, Lord Jizu! I smell meat.
Third Lord Jizu. Good morning, Ogre. Is it not dumpling that you smell? 154I saw one pass along this road a little while ago.
Ogre. No, indeed. It is not dumpling. What I smell is meat.
Third Lord Jizu. I do not smell it. Are you sure it is not rice dumpling? ”

“ Then East Wind came and 109Snow and Jack Frost, and they nipped my flowers, and hurt my trees, and made my lambs shiver behind the hedges. The goblins who sing in the fire hobs sang and sang till the people turned their backs on me and crouched up to the fire again and began to tell ghost stories.
Columbine. But you must go back now, and fight Jack Frost and scare Winter away. You have had your breakfast, dear, and now like all the world, you must do your work. Yes, dear, you must keep on working till summer wakes up. ”

“ BUNNY RABBIT AND THE LION
Characters—Lion, Rabbit, Mother Deer, Elephant, Camel, Jackal, other animals Scene I—The Forest
Mother Deer. Brave Lion, give me back my little deer.
Lion. I will not. The deer is mine.
Mother Deer. O Lion, it is the only one I have. I beg of you, give it back to me.
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Lion. A lion does not give back what he has taken. Be off, or I will eat you.
Scene II—Another Part of the Forest
Mother Deer. ”

“ Be off, Jack Frost and North Wind. You have kept me waiting too long. Now to work. I must waken the flowers. [Waves her wand.]
Flowers. [Awaken.] Welcome, Lady Spring. We have looked for you long.
Spring. Break into buds, trees.
Trees. [Awaken.] Welcome, Lady Spring. We have looked for you long.
Spring. Waken, animals.
Animals. [Awaken.] Welcome, Lady Spring. We have waited for you long.
Spring. But where are the children? Perhaps they do not know we are here. I must find some way to send them a message. Robin, will you take it?
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Robin. I am too busy building a nest for my little ones. ”

“ Ogre. I will show you. Put one grain of rice into the pot. Then take this paddle in your hand. If you want rice for ten persons, stir ten times, in this way. [Stirs paddle about in the water.] See the grain of rice burst into ten pieces. If you want rice for one hundred persons, stir one hundred times. The grain of rice will burst into one hundred pieces.
Sanja. Tee-hee-hee! Tee-hee-hee!
Ogre. This is a magic paddle.
Sanja. Tee-hee-hee! Tee-hee-hee!
Ogre. [To himself.] How strange that she laughs at everything.
157 Scene III—The River Bank
Sanja. ”

“ Jackal. Yes, my lord.
Tiger. And I was in the cage. Do you understand?
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Jackal. Yes, my lord. But please, my lord, how did you get in?
Tiger. How did I get in? Why, the usual way, of course!
Jackal. Oh dear me! My head is beginning to whirl again. Please don’t get angry, my lord, but what
is the usual way?
Tiger. This way. Now do you understand? [Tiger jumps into cage.]
Jackal. Yes, I understand now. And I think we had better leave you just where you are. [Locks cage door.]
169 THE LION AND THE STORY-TELLER
Characters—Lion, Fox, Elephant, Tiger, and Other Animals
Elephant. ”

“ Mrs. Santa Claus. No. Listen to me. You are all to go out into the world to-night. Each one of you must make one little child happy. Go the way you wish, but be sure to find the child that needs you most. I must hurry to another old attic over the way. Good night, toys.
[Toys go away.]
First Mouse. Will each toy try to make some child glad on Christmas morning?
Second Mouse. I hope so. How happy they all looked as they went out!
73 THE NEW YEAR
New Year. ”

“ Turtle. [Slowly.] Yes, I do learn a great many things on the land. Let me think—I am thinking—yes—I believe—yes—I know, I’m sure I know just what will save her life. I have it—a monkey’s heart—the very thing! I heard about it one day as I was resting upon the shore. A monkey’s heart can cure anything!
All the Fish. Wonderful!
Little Fish. Will you go and get one? O Turtle, you know we would go if we could leave our homes as you can. You will go, won’t you?
Turtle. I will go—at once.
123 Scene II—On the Seashore
Turtle. ”

“ Why, Violet, you’ve got some dirt in my eye and on my nice new fur.
Fern. [In basket.] It Serves you right for being so proud. You think yourself better and prettier than others. Something always happens to any one who does that. ”

“ Fox. Believe me, Hunter. [Quietly.] He came here to eat me up, but he saw you coming. He is now behind the bushes. Let me out of this net, and I will take you right to him.
Hunter. Can I believe you?
Fox. Believe me, Hunter. Only let me out, and you’ll see. [Hunter lets fox out.] Come! [Calling out loud.] Now, Sir Tiger, here is the hunter; and, Mr. Hunter, there is your tiger. I have kept my word to both; you must settle the matter between yourselves.
[Fox runs off.]
Hunter. Alas! Alas!
117 TOM AND THE LOBSTER
Place—Among the rocks
Characters—Tom, Lobster
Tom. ”

“ This ogre wants to kill me so that he can get my gold.
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True. Dear me!
Odd Man. If I go to sleep or move away he will try to get at me. I am just worn out for want of rest.
True. Dear me! How can I help you?
Odd Man. Well, if you would stay by me and watch for the ogre, I might take a short nap.
True. I will do that! And you, sir, go to sleep. [Odd Man goes to sleep. Big Black Dog enters.]
Big Black Dog. Good day, little dog. How do you do?
True. I am very well, I thank you; but who are you?
Big Black Dog. My name is Nip, and I 17have come to show you the way out of this cave. ”

“ Please, sir.
Clown. Well, first of all, you make a nice rich brown crust, and you put it over a large dish. Then you cut a round hole from the pie crust. Fill the dish with lettuce and put it out on the lawn.
Spring. On the lawn?
Clown. Yes. Then the rabbits come. They pop down the hole in the crust to eat the lettuce. When the pie is 107full of rabbits, you run from behind a tree, cover the hole in the crust, and then with the dish in your arms, you dash into the kitchen,—pie in the oven, oven hot, fire bright—and, here we are! ”

“ Then four fishes got out.
Lion. Come, come, sir, you are not telling me anything new.
Fox. O King! Each lot of fishes was different from the rest.—Then the hole grew a little larger and—
Lion. But, wherein is the wonder?
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Fox. Why, your majesty, what can be more wonderful than for fish to escape in lots, each lot greater than the other by one?
Lion. [Impatiently.] How long will it take all those fishes to get out?
Fox. O King Lion, it was a large net—there were thousands and thousands of fishes in it.—Then the hole grew a little larger and—
Lion. Stop, stop! I can not stand this. ”

“ In the first place, you have the weather to attend to. You see the seasons have a way of running into each other and getting mixed, if you don’t keep a sharp lookout on them. The months, too, are a troublesome set. ”

“ Tiger
Jack-in-the-box
Woolly Dog
Mrs. Santa Claus
First Mouse. Christmas is here again. The air is full of the smell of good things to eat!
Second Mouse. It’s a gay time for us. I know there’ll be plenty of crumbs around now.
First Mouse. I wish Christmas came every night. But look at those old toys in the corner. I wonder why they look so sad.
French Doll. Look sad, do we? No wonder. It’s Christmas Eve and we 66don’t like to be here in the dark and cold. It isn’t fair!
Christmas Eve in an Attic ”

“ Their value in arousing interest, in stirring the imagination, in quickening literary appreciation and power of interpretation, has been so clearly demonstrated as to make them permanent textbooks in the elementary schools, and more particularly in the primary grades. ”

“ Then I send them to the little children who have no other Christmas toys. I knew I’d find some old toys in this attic! Come here, all of you. Let me see what each one needs. Please, only one at a time! [Toys come about Mrs. Santa Claus.] Now, French Doll, I’ll begin with you. There! I’ve washed your face and combed your hair. You’re as good as new.
First Mouse. She does look fine!
Mrs. Santa Claus. Now, Tin Soldier, what can I do for you?
Tin Soldier. Give me a new red coat, 71and mend my leg. Oh, yes, and I’d like a new gun, too.
Mrs. Santa Claus. Here you are, sir. ”

“ He said I might have 43whatever I wished for, and I wished for berries. Aren’t you glad?
Gretchen. Foolish boy! Why didn’t you ask for something better? If he could fill your pail with berries just for the asking, he could do far greater things.
Hans. But don’t you like the berries, Gretchen?
Gretchen. When we eat them there will be nothing left. Go back and tell the fox that you wish to have the cupboard always full of food.
Hans. Be satisfied, dear sister. We are quite happy as we are.
Gretchen. No, I will not be satisfied. You must do as I tell you.
44 Scene III—In the Woods
Red Fox. ”

“ Lion. There, do you see? The sky is not falling. A little acorn fell upon a leaf. It made the noise that frightened you. Let us go back now, and tell the other animals.
26 MABEL AND THE GREEN LIZARD
Characters—Grandma, Mabel, Lizard, Wolf Scene I—Mabel’s Home
Mabel. Grandma, may I go to the woods to pick some berries for supper?
Grandma. Yes, but be sure to come home before dark. There are animals in the woods, Mabel. They prowl around after dark.
Mabel. Oh, I’m not afraid. I’ll come home before night.
Scene II—In the Woods
Mabel. ”

“ Scene IV—In Front of the Burrow
[Bunny Rabbit and all the animals. Lion watching in the distance. Only Elephant and Camel see him.]
Bunny Rabbit. Elephant, do you think the lion should keep the little deer?
Elephant. The lion is king of the forest, and he should keep the little deer.
Bunny Rabbit. Camel, what do you say?
Camel. Dear me. What can I say? It is all wrong. But I’m sure he
should keep what he stole.
Bunny Rabbit. How you tremble, little jackal! What do you say?
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Jackal. ”