Teddy. My! it’s broad daylight, and I’ll bet the folks are all up. (Sits up on one side of the bed; suddenly thinks of the camera, and takes it up.) Wasn’t Santa Claus good, though? (Meditatively.) If I only knew how to use it! (Brightening.) Why, I do! Now who was it showed me how? O, yes! it was the goblin, I do believe; and I’ve been to dreamland. Yes, it all comes to me now, and I’ve resolved that —— (Standing and reciting.)
When there’s something to be bought and you haven’t got the money,
You just write out that little thought,—now that sounds rather funny,—
Just write it nice to Santa Claus, and seal it up right tight,
And when you go to bed you know he’ll bring it sure that night.
Because, you know, ’tis Christmas eve, when Santa always comes,
And brings you lots of things you want—nice cameras and drums;
And when you’re puzzled as to how to work the things you get,
Just go off into dreamland, and you’ll find out, you bet!
’Cause Fun, the little goblin, is always sure to know,
And you can take a trip with him if you are not too slow.
Then you will find out how to do most anything under the sun,
And when you wake up bright again, you’ll know just how ’tis done.
CURTAIN.
Cinderella Reception.
The Juniors come, if they wish, in fancy costumes; the smallest girl can be Cinderella, in pretty slippers, and a trained Empire dress of pink cambric, with her hair piled up on top of her head; and the smallest boy should personate the prince, in a light-blue cambric suit with many bows and buckles. Others may be the cruel stepmother, the proud sisters, the fairy godmother, the king, the queen, and various other distinguished people of the times.
Among the games which might be played is “my lady’s slipper.” One player goes out of the room, and is blindfolded. The rest seat themselves in a line in seats low enough so that their feet all reach the floor. The feet must not be tucked under the chairs, or otherwise disposed of in any way except straight on the floor in front of the seated players. The blindfolded one is then called in, and tries to find out, by lightly stepping on the toes of each, who is the one thus trod upon. Some players can keep perfectly still while this is going on; but many have not the necessary self-control, and the slightest laugh, exclamation, or other noise often reveals the secret. The first one whose identity is thus learned must change places with the blindfolded one, and the game proceeds as before.
Perhaps the children will like to try a “slipper obstacle-race,” which is like the race in the “parlor mountain-climb” except that each Junior wears a paper slipper which must be kept on throughout the race.
“Fairy bowling” is another good game. Cover the dining-room table temporarily with a cloth of bright-colored flannel or other woollen material; arrange across it, near one end, a pasteboard arch, or one of heavy wire wound with ribbon, fastening the ends of the arch to bricks on each side, covered like the table. Prepare a large bowl of suds, made of soap, warm water, and glycerine; and arrange the players, boys on one side of the table and girls on the other, giving to each boy a clay pipe and to each girl a small fan. The boy at the head of the line takes the bowl, blows a bubble, and drops it on the table. The girl opposite tries to fan it under the arch before it breaks. Tally is kept with pink and blue paper disks on little tally cards which may be attached to the fans. Pink means a successful bowling; blue, a failure. As each two players complete their trial, they go to the foot of the line, which moves up to let the next two try. The game may consist of five rounds, or four if there are many players. A ribbon-bedecked pipe and a pretty fan might be the rewards given to the winning bowlers.