A Thanksgiving Dream

Song Specialties for Your Entertainments

Teachers are discovering that no matter how much novelty there is in their entertainment, how well it is arranged, how thoroughly drilled, if they want to hold the active interest of the audience they must use the best of songs. The songs must be real novelties. The words must be interesting as well as decidedly clever. The music must be catchy and abounding in rich melody. With these things in mind we have prepared this list of superior song novelties for our patrons. All are in regular sheet music form.

Price, 35 cents each; 5 for $1.25

WELCOME SONGS

• We’ve Just Arrived from Bashful Town.
• We Hope You’ve Brought Your Smiles Along.
• Come and Partake of Our Welcome Cake.
• We’re Very Glad to See You Here.
• With Quaking Hearts We Welcome You.

CLOSING SONGS

• Mr. Sun and Mrs. Moon.
• Now, Aren’t You Glad You Came?
• We Do Not Like to Say Goodbye.
• We’ll Now Have to Say Goodbye.

Paine Publishing Co., Dayton, Ohio

A Thanksgiving Dream

A One Act Play for
Primary Children
By EFFA E. PRESTON
PAINE PUBLISHING COMPANY
DAYTON, OHIO

[A Thanksgiving Dream]

CHARACTERS

Jack—A small boy.

Pilgrim Maids—Five girls in colonial costume.

Indians—Two boys in Indian costume.

Pumpkins—Any number small boys and girls having huge paper pumpkins pinned on them.

Turkeys—Five children with paper turkeys pinned on them.

Goblins—Any number of small boys wearing hideous false faces.

After each group has spoken it goes off stage. After Jack’s last speech he leaves stage and all the others return and sing the closing song.

If desired the costuming may be elaborate, but it is not at all necessary.

———————
Copyright, 1922, by
L. M. Paine

A Thanksgiving Dream

Jack:

I had the grandest dinner—

Pudding and cake and pie—

Turkey and mashed potato

Ice cream—it makes me sigh

To think that anything was left

Of all that dandy meal,

But I couldn’t eat another bite

So very full I feel.

I guess I’ll take a nap till supper time.

[Yawns, stretches, lies down and sleeps.]

Enter Pilgrim Maids.

All:

We’re Pilgrim Maids of long ago

When all this world was new,

And stories of that far off time

We shall relate to you.

First:

Our fathers came from England here

Across the stormy sea,

And many hardships they endured

To gain their liberty.

Second:

The Indians were our trusty friends

And taught us many things—

To plow—to plant—to fish—to hunt—

And what each season brings.

Third:

A harvest bountiful we gleaned

In 1622

And called the Indians to a feast.

Such fun you never knew.

This was the first Thanksgiving Day—

A day of earnest praise

For peace and plenty granted us

After our weary days.

Fourth:

When I was a little, little girl

My parents went away

And left me to mind the babies.

An Indian came that day

And I pushed the frightened babies

Who were playing on the floor

Under two big brass kettles.

They both began to roar.

It scared the Indians very much

When he saw the kettles run

And he loudly roared “Kettles alive!”

And threw away his gun.

I shot him as he ran away,

They found him just outside.

I kept the kettles many years

And told the tale with pride.

Fifth:

My sister and I scared the Indians away

One night many long years ago

By changing some pumpkins to Jack-Lanterns bright

And waving them to and fro.

In the darkness they thought they were ghosts

And yelling in fright and alarm

They fled to the forest as fast as they could—

So our Jack-Lanterns saved us from harm.

Enter Indians.

Together:

I’m Massoit.

I’m Samoset.

First:

The first Thanksgiving Day

We feasted with the Pilgrim folks

And jolly games did play.

Second:

We brought them turkeys, oysters, deer,

And stayed to eat them all,

And Elder Brewster said we’d have

Thanksgiving Day each fall.

Enter Pumpkins.

All:

We’re the pumpkins your family made into pies

And we really must say that a boy of your size

Ought to be so ashamed of himself—for you ate

Till there wasn’t a piece of pie left on the plate.

We hope you have a stomach ache—an awful stomach ache.

Enter Turkeys.

All:

Gobble, gobble, gobble,

Turkeys sad are we.

This glad Thanksgiving season

Does not with us agree.

First:

Boys talk about Thanksgiving and make an awful fuss—

The feast that is so fine for them is always death for us.

Second:

This boy looks nice and tender, friends—he’s plump as plump can be.

Let’s have a feast ourselves today and eat him fricassee.

Jack:

No-no-don’t eat me—don’t I beg—

Third:

Why not?—You find us tasty.

Jack:

Don’t eat me—think what that would mean,

Oh, please don’t be so hasty.

Fourth:

Don’t listen to his tale of woe—our friends all gobbled loudly.

His father just chopped off their heads and ate them up so proudly.

Fifth:

Oh, let him go. I can’t be cruel. Yes, let him go. Don’t cry.

Second:

You chicken-hearted turkeys, you’ll be sorry by and by.

Enter Goblins.

All:

We are the Thanksgiving Goblins.

We’ll get you unless you take care.

We’re after such greedy young people

So youngster you’d better beware.

We’ll give you such pains in your tummy

You’ll wriggle from sunset till morn,

We’ll pinch you and poke you and pound you—

You’ll wish you had never been born.

Jack:

Please don’t hurt me.

First:

After all that dinner he doesn’t want to be hurt.

Second:

Tell us what you ate.

Jack:

I didn’t eat much—just some turkey—

A leg—and the back—and the wing—

Potatoes and turnips and cranberry sauce,

Ice cream, cake, pie, everything.

Third Goblin:

Come, brothers, let’s pinch him.

[They gather round Jack and pinch him—he screams.]

Mother [calling]: Jack—Jack.

Goblins run. Jack awakes—rubs eyes, yawns.

Jack:

I must have been sleeping—I dreamed funny things

About goblins and turkeys, and pies,

And Pilgrims, and Indians, and all sorts of things,

They were right here in front of my eyes.

I hope that my supper is ready—I’m hungry as hungry can be

I think I dreamed that I ate too much—

But I won’t let a dream worry me.

[He leaves stage in answer to his mother’s calls and the Pilgrim Maids, Indians, Pumpkins, Turkeys and Goblins return in the order named, form group and sing:]

Song—Air: OLD BLACK JOE

1.

We’ve come to warn all the greedy girls and boys.

Heed our advice though your feelings it annoys.

Don’t be like Jack o’er the Gobble-uns and pies

And turkeys, too, will soon appear before your eyes.

Chorus:

Be careful—be careful—

Listen well to what we say

And guard your appetite this glad Thanksgiving Day.

2.

We are but dreams, alas, ’tis all too true,

When you awake we must vanish far from view.

But aches and pains we will bring you while we may

If you are greedy and devour our friends today.

CURTAIN

Entertainments for All Occasions

PAINE PUBLISHING CO. Dayton, Ohio

Entertainments for Christmas

PAINE PUBLISHING CO. Dayton, Ohio

Transcriber’s Note: Obvious punctuation errors repaired.