will be surprising. If you succeed pretty well, it will be a good exercise to write the story over again, and afterwards to read the stories aloud to see who has done best. SOME PLAYS WRITTEN BY PUPILS 160. This section contains several little plays written by pupils in an elementary school. One of the plays is a girl's understanding of what she saw at a moving-picture show. She did n't know it was one of Shakespeare's plays. You can find it, if you look, in Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare, and can judge whether the girl did her work well or ill. Another one of the plays was written from memory, the pupil who wrote it having seen it acted by amateurs at a settlement house. The others are written from pictures. The different parts are to be assigned to different members of the class, who are to read them expressively; and after all are read you are to try to determine which one came from the moving-picture show, which one came from an amateur play, and which ones were written from pictures. Father Puts the Children to Bed Characters HENRY and HENRIETTA, twins, aged six FRED and FRIEDA, twins, aged four MILLIE, aged two FATHER FATHER Come children! time to go to bed. It's seven o'clock. FRIEDA Who's going to put us to bed? Mother's at the suffragette meeting. FATHER room and get I am. Who do you think? Come here girls and let me help you put your night-clothes on. (Gets the girls ready for bed.) Now you girls go into the into bed. Come here boys, your turn next. to cry.) What is the matter? FRED (Fred begins You don't do it the way mother does. She does it this way. (Shows him how.) MILLIE Oh, father! It is so dark in here. I'm coming out there. (Comes out.) FATHER Now if you children don't go to bed I'll spank you. I don't see why mother could n't stay home where she belongs. Frieda comes running out of the bedroom. FRIEDA Oh, I saw something move under the bed. Well, thank goodness! They are in bed and asleep at last. Don't see why mother could n't stay home and do it herself. The Bright Little Squirrels On an Autumn day two little squirrels Nimble and Quickfoot run up and down the big nut tree. It is late in the season and they are laying up their store of nuts for winter. NIMBLE Come Quickfoot. You know this Saturday and the boys will be sure to come nutting. We shall have to be very busy to get our share of nuts. QUICKFOOT (Has his cheeks full of nuts, so he nods his head and shakes his busy tale as he runs up and down the tree carrying nuts.) Hurry Nimble! I saw some boys coming with bags. We know what that means. NIMBLE Ha, ha! The boys won't find any nuts on this tree. We have just cleaned this tree. When the boys reach the tree there are no nuts. JOHN I do believe the squirrels have carried off all the nuts. It's a shame. Both squirrels run up the tree. They hear what the boys say. I dont think its a shame. winter. NIMBLE We are getting nuts for JACK I will set a trap and catch the squirrels that take away the nuts. QUICKFOOT (Feeling a little frightened.) We shall have to keep our eyes open when they bring the trap. We shall know enough not to be caught. Both run to another tree. The boys set the trap. JOHN Now is a good time to set it. The squirrels are not here. NIMBLE (Running down the tree.) Look! What is that. A box! Come lets see what is inside. They both look in and get caught. QUICKFOOT Oh, dear! This is the trap the boys were talking about. We said we should not get caught, yet here we are. They hear a noise outside. A man walks up and examines the trap. ΜΑΝ Why! Here is Jack's trap. I shall tell him not to set it again. I hear something inside. I will look in and see. (He lifts the door and both squirrels run out.) I will have the boys burn up the trap. They shall not use it again. (Man goes away with the trap.) QUICKFOOT I think we have enough nuts for winter. Let the boys have the rest. All right. The man NIMBLE was so kind to us, I think we ought to thank him. Let them have the rest of the nuts. They run to their hole in the tree. King Lear Characters: A king and his three daughters ACT I I am growing old. I would like to know how each of you loves me, so that I may share my kingdom among you. OLDEST DAUGHTER Oh, father! I love you. There isnt another thing I love so much. SECOND DAughter Oh, father! I love you. There isnt another thing that I love and honor as I do you. YOUNGEST DAUGHTER I love you as a daughter loves a father, not more, not less. KING (Angry with this daughter for her answer.) I will give my kingdom to my two oldest daughters. To you I shall give nothing. I never want to see your face again. ACT II King at palace of eldest daughter KING I can't stay here any longer for the wicked deeds you do to my servants and me. (To servant.) Go and tell my second daughter I am coming to live with her. (They go.) OLDEST DAUGHTER I am glad he's gone. My sister will treat him still worse. |