Both children:
"We never could endure to part
From you who lie so near our heart."
The next Holiday excited great laughter and applause as he came forward. It was Aleck, in powdered wig, velvet coat, knee breeches, silk stockings, and shining shoe-buckles. In one hand he carried a small hatchet. The occasion was almost too much for him, and he spoke his lines with difficulty:
"My very great importance
To see you cannot fail,
I point a useful moral
And adorn a thrilling tale.
And with my honored hatchet
I'm sure you'll ever find
I make a good impression
Upon the youthful mind."
Girl and boy:
"Indeed, we do not doubt you;
We could never do without you."
Washington's Birthday was of course followed by April Fool's Day. This part was taken by Fred Ames, in a suit of figured chintz, with cap and bells. He recited:
"Don't think I'm the one to be laid on the shelf;
I have a few words now to say for myself.
To nonsense each one at some time must give vent;
To furnish you with an excuse I am sent.
To give you a day without precept or rule,
In which you may each be a gay April Fool."
The children:
"Though not the most important on the list,
We know, dear April Fool, you would be missed."