[to be continued.]
[A FAIRY FÊTE.]
BY EMMA J. GRAY.
"I'm to be a fairy god-mother to-night," were Mabel's words, as, sitting in the large Indian chair, her eyes glistened with anticipation.
"What will you wear?"
"Oh, one of Millie's old costumes. You may remember that three years ago she took part in the fairies' dream!"
"Yes, I remember."
"Well, by a little alteration the same frock and wings will do for me."
"Are you to have anything to say?"
"I'm to have everything to say. And I'm to wear a crown with a big star in the centre," and up went her hand to indicate the place. "And my wings are showered with diamond dust, and my dress—oh-h, it dazzles my eyes under gas-light! You ought to see the silver spangles!"
"What's the entertainment for, Mabel?"
"Oh, just to amuse people. It is to be given in Mrs. R's—— parlor. Lots of folks will be there. It will be simply gorgeous! You know it's the fad now to have a magician or something to entertain one's friends, and I'm to be sacrificed to-night."
And then up the merry girl jumped to practise a violin solo.
Every reader of Harper's Round Table is familiar with the tales of Hans Andersen and the Brothers Grimm, but it is possible that every one does not appreciate what delightful entertainment they would make. Therefore when Ralph and Margaret wonder what their league could give to replenish the treasury, select an appropriate fairy-tale, and while your committee are making the business arrangements, the persons who are to take part should be busy with rehearsals, so that when the night of entertainment arrives, and the house is packed to overflowing, no one will be covered with shame and confusion of face.
Among many wonderful tales worthy of particular mention is "Little Ida's Flowers," because it is capable of charming representation and necessitates many characters. It may be given at any time of the year.
Characters:
| Little Ida, a short girl. |
| Student, a tall boy. |
| First Fairy. |
| Second Fairy. |
| Privy Councillor, a boy representing a middle-aged man. |
| The Reader, a girl. |
| Yellow Lily, a girl. |
| Blue Crocus, a boy. |
| Flowers, girls and boys. |
| Butterflies, girls and boys. |
Scene First.—A library, showing a table, lamp, easy-chairs, sofa, one very high chair representing a throne. Ida, costumed as a little girl, walks toward the Student, who is seated on the sofa, and holds towards him a bunch of flowers.
Ida. "My poor flowers are quite dead. They were so pretty yesterday, and now all the leaves are withered. Why do the flowers look so faded to-day?"
Student. "Do you know what's the matter? The flowers have been at a ball last night, and that's why they hang their heads."
Ida. "But flowers cannot dance!"
Student. "Oh yes! When it grows dark and we are asleep they jump about merrily. Almost every night they have a ball."
Ida. "Can children go to this ball?"
Student. "Yes, quite little daisies and lilies-of-the-valley."
Ida. "Where do the beautiful flowers dance?"
Student. "Have you not often been outside of the town gate, by the great castle where the King lives in summer, and where the beautiful garden is with all the flowers? You have seen the swans which swim up to you when you want to give them bread crumbs. There are capital balls there, believe me!"
Ida. "I was out there in the garden yesterday with my mother, but all the leaves were off the trees, and there was not one flower left. Where are they?"
Student. "They are within the castle. As soon as the King and all the court go to town, the flowers run out of the garden into the castle and are merry. You should see that. The two most beautiful roses seat themselves on the throne, and then they are King and Queen; all the red coxcombs arrange themselves on either side, and stand and bow; they are the chamberlains. Then all the pretty flowers come, and there is a great ball. The blue violets represent little naval cadets; they dance with hyacinths and crocuses, which they call young ladies; the tulips and the great tiger-lilies are old ladies who keep watch that the dancing is well done and everything goes on with propriety."
No sooner is this last word uttered than a sound of music is heard. Enter two Fairies, who stand one on either side of little Ida, and waving their wands over her, sing:
"Oh, listen, listen! your eyes shall glisten
With pleasure and love and jubilee."
First Fairy. "She looks surprised."
Second Fairy. "She has dropped her flowers."
First Fairy. "She would better sit down."
Second Fairy. "Follow me."
Whereupon Ida follows the Second Fairy's lead, who waves her to a seat by the Student's side, and immediately the fairies walk to the opposite end of the room. As they walk gay music is heard louder and yet louder, and in run the Flowers, as the Student has described, the two most beautiful roses seating themselves on the tall chair which represents the throne.
This scene will allow for a large number of girls and boys, and each should be costumed so that no one can make mistake as to what flower they are exhibiting. When all are in the room dancing begins, and continues for half an hour; as the Flowers retire they make obeisance to the King and Queen. And all having now gone but the Fairies, the King asks the First Fairy to dance with him, and the Queen the Second Fairy to dance with her, and after a short dance they also retire, and Ida and the Student are again alone.
Ida. "But is nobody there who hurts the flowers for dancing in the King's castle?"
Student. "There is nobody who really knows about it."
Ida. "Can the flowers out of the botanical garden get there? Can they go a long distance?"
Student. "Yes, certainly. If they like they can fly. Have you not seen the beautiful butterflies—red, yellow, and white? They almost look like flowers, and that is what they have been."
Once again gay music is heard, and in come the fairies dancing, followed by a train of dancing butterflies, costumed in red, yellow, and white. After dancing for ten minutes the butterflies retire, and the fairies wave their wands to Ida and the Student, and sing,
"We be fairies of the wood,
And spend our time, on doing good."
Then they immediately touch their wands to the floor, and the First Fairy draws a ring at the feet of Ida, and the Second Fairy at the feet of the Student, and then they retire.
Ida. "How can one flower talk to another? For you know flowers cannot speak."
Student. "That they cannot, certainly; but then they can make signs. Have you not noticed that when the wind blows a little the flowers nod at one another, and move all their green leaves? They can understand that just as well as we when we speak together."
Ida. "That is funny." And she laughs.
Enter the Privy Councillor, who has come to pay a visit, and sits down on the sofa by the Student's side.
Privy Councillor. "How can any one put such notions into a child's head? They are stupid fancies!"
Ida. "What the Student told about the flowers seemed very droll." And picking up her nosegay, which had been scattered over the floor, she looks tenderly on it while saying, "The flowers are tired because they have danced all night." And then walking to a table on which stands a doll's bed, she lays them in and puts the coverlet over them. The whole evening through she can not help but think of what the Student has told her.
Scene Second.—Ida's bedroom. Ida in bed. The night-lamp burning on the table.
Ida. "I wonder if my flowers are still lying in the doll's bed? How I should like to know!" She raises herself a little, and looks at the door, which stands ajar. Within lie the flowers. Ida puts her head down on her pillow.
Enter two Fairies. They walk directly to her bed, and stand one on either side of Ida's head, slowly waving their wands over her. Piano music is softly played, and Ida goes to sleep.
An unseen person now reads the following dream, which may be acted as far as is deemed advisable:
"Ida listened, and then it seemed to her as if she heard some one playing in the next room. Now all the flowers are certainly dancing in there! 'Oh, how glad I should be to see it!' But she dared not get up.
"'If they would only come in,' thought she. But the flowers did not come, and the music continued to play beautifully. Then she could not bear it any longer, for it was too pretty. She crept out of her little bed, and went quietly to the door and looked into the room. Oh, how splendid it was!
"There was no night-lamp burning, but still it was quite light; the moon shone through the window in the middle of the floor. All the hyacinths and tulips stood in two long rows. On the floor all the flowers were dancing very gracefully round one another, making perfect turns, and holding one another by the long green leaves as they swung round. But at the piano sat a great yellow lily, which little Ida had certainly seen in summer, for she remembered its manners in playing, sometimes holding its long yellow face to one side, sometimes to the other, and nodding in tune to the music. (Enter a tall girl, representing a yellow lily.)
"No one noticed little Ida. Then she saw a great blue crocus hop into the middle of the table where the doll's bed stood. (Enter a boy, costumed to represent a blue crocus.)
"There lay the sick flowers, but they got up directly and nodded to the others to say that they wanted to dance too.
"Then it seemed as if something fell down from the table. Ida looked that way. It was the birch rod which was jumping down! And a wax doll, with just such a broad hat as the Councillor wore, sat upon it. The birch rod hopped about among the flowers, for it was dancing the mazourka; and the other flowers could not manage that dance because they were too light and unable to stamp like that.
"The wax doll on the birch rod all at once became quite great and long, and said: 'How can one put such things in a child's head? Those are stupid fancies.' And then the wax doll was exactly like the Councillor in the broad hat, and looked just as yellow and cross as he. But the flowers hit him, and then he shrank up again and became quite a little wax doll. That was very amusing to see, and Ida could not restrain her laughter. The birch rod went on dancing, and the Councillor was obliged to dance too; it was no use, he might make himself great and long, or remain the little yellow wax doll with the big black hat. Then the other flowers put in a good word for him, and the birch rod gave over.
"Then the door opened and a great number of splendid flowers came dancing in. (Enter roses of all sorts and Butterflies, dancing.)
"Ida could not imagine whence they had come; these must certainly be all the flowers from the King's castle. First of all came two glorious roses, and they had little gold crowns on; they were a King and a Queen. Then came the prettiest coronations, and they bowed in all directions. Great poppies and peonies blew upon pea-pods till they were quite red in the face. The blue hyacinths and the little white snowdrops rang just as if they had bells. All danced together, and all the flowers kissed one another. It was beautiful to look at.
"At last the flowers wished one another good-night."
No sooner is good-night uttered than the Fairies motion to the flowers to keep perfectly still, and point their wands at Ida.
First Fairy. "She sleeps, her breathings are not heard."
Second Fairy. "Her fragrant tresses are not stirred."
First Fairy. "Hasten hither, King and Queen."
Second Fairy. "Roses, sweet that we employ."
And immediately the quartette step to the front of the stage and sing a good-night song.
At the close of which all dance—even Ida, who wakens by the jollity.
Exeunt.