The first number on the program was a concert by the world’s greatest artists. Madame Galli-Curci appeared first, accompanied by Lilian with the guitar. The small prima donna had refused to sing anything appropriate to her years. “No, sir, I won’t sing a child’s song. Yes, of course, I know ’em. How could I help it, when we sing them at school? But it has to be a grown-up song or else I won’t be Galli-Curci!”
“Madame Shumann-Heink sings ‘Holy Night’.”
“I wouldn’t call that a child’s song. Besides it is summer now. What songs do you know, Lilian? I can learn anything in two days.”
“Remarkable child!” sighed the councillor who was helping. “Get her anything she wants, Lilian.”
Jo folded her arms and stood calmly to wait what would be done. Lilian came to the rescue, and after trying over a number of songs she found that Jo was familiar with the tune of “O Promise Me”.
This rendered that night in a high childish voice created quite as much of a sensation as the real prima donna could have desired, particularly in respect to the pronunciation of the words and division of syllables. “You-an-dI” and “or-gunn” were especially appreciated by the audience, who were apparently carried away by the effective close, “O, prom-uss me, O, prom-muss me!” Enthusiastic encores brought Jo back several times, but while she handled her train with ease and bowed and smiled with all the graces of the stage, she refused to repeat her effort and had not learned an encore.
After the rest of the artists had appeared, four little girls gave a drill as wooden dolls, while one of the councillors played “Narcissus.” This was Dot’s idea.
The Mother Goose tableaux were especially pretty. They included Old King Cole, Little Boy Blue and other of the well know classics which were quickly guessed by the audience. Little Bo-peep had her crook and was shading her eyes as she looked for her sheep. Simple Simon was fishing in his mother’s pail. The cupboards in the wall which had been a part of the original farm-house kitchen were just the thing for old Mother Hubbard.
“The last two numbers will be charades,” announced Dot. “The first is two words, in one act.”
The curtains were drawn aside, revealing one happy little girl curled up on a rug. She was deeply absorbed in a book, and ate candy from a box close at hand. The audience hesitated, whispered, and finally some one called “Little Content”. That was the right answer, and the curtains closed. When they were again drawn they disclosed the entire group of Juniors sitting upon the floor and laughing. Having been prepared by the previous charade, the audience at once cried, “Laugh-a-lot! Laugh-a-lot!”