Santa Claus Gets His Wish 2

Santa Claus Gets His Wish 2

SANTA CLAUS. And are the dreams all gone too?

 

SAND-MAN. Not quite. There was one little girl who refused to go to bed

at all, because she is so anxious to see Santa Claus when he comes. I

had two nice dreams picked out for her but I couldn't use them. Well, my

evening's work is over. (_Dropping his bags on the table._) I suppose

you'll be starting soon now.

 

SANTA CLAUS. Pretty soon. But what you told me about that little girl

has put me on my guard. It would never do to let her see me while I am

filling her stocking. So I think I'll sit down by the fire and wait for

a few minutes. She won't be able to keep awake very long. If you see my

Imps around anywhere, send them along in here. Lazy little scamps! It's

time they were helping me to pack up the toys. (_As the_ SAND-MAN _goes

out_, L. _door_, SANTA CLAUS _draws his chair up to the fireplace,

where he sits musing with his eyes half-closed; yawning_.)

I--wish--I--could--know--what the children are dreaming about to-night.

 

(_The two_ IMPS _enter_, L. _door, and tiptoe forward

cautiously_.)

 

FIRST IMP (_whispers_). Is Santa Claus asleep?

 

SECOND IMP. No, he's only thinking. But we could make him go to sleep if

we wanted to. Here's the Sand-Man's bag, and it isn't quite empty.

Wouldn't it be fun to drop some sand in Santa's eyes!

 

FIRST IMP. Hush! He'll hear you.

 

(_They creep up behind_ SANTA CLAUS _and toss the sand in

his face. He yawns again._)

 

SECOND IMP. I think he's almost asleep now. Here are two dreams in the

dream-bag. Let's open them.

 

FIRST IMP. Look out there, clumsy, you're spilling them!

 

SECOND IMP. They were so light I couldn't help it. The fairy powder is

flying all around the room. It's filling the air so that I can't see.

Are you afraid?

 

FIRST IMP. Of course not. There's nothing to be afraid of. Listen! Some

one is coming.

 

(_As the light grows dim, soft, slow music is heard, and

the_ LOLLIPOP _appears at the_ R. _of the stage and moves

slowly across to the_ L., _in time to the music._)

 

SECOND IMP (_whispering_). That looks like one of those red-headed

lollipops that Santa Claus made to put in the children's stockings. Do

you s'pose that one has escaped from the box?

 

FIRST IMP. I don't think it's a real lollipop. Maybe it's only a dream.

See! It's vanishing away.

 

(_The_ LOLLIPOP _disappears._ SANTA CLAUS _stirs in his

sleep, while the music, slightly louder, changes to a

livelier tune. The_ ICE-CREAM CONE _enters through the_ R.

_door and crosses the stage dancing a jig._)

 

SECOND IMP. Oh, how funny! What is it?

 

FIRST IMP. That is an ice-cream cone. All children love to eat them.

 

SECOND IMP. Why, I could make one of those. If I took a tin trumpet from

Santa Claus's toy-shop and piled it full of snow 'twould be just the

same thing, wouldn't it?

 

FIRST IMP. No--for even if you were to eat the snow all up, the tin

trumpet would still be left in your hand. But there's never anything

left of an ice-cream cone. Didn't you notice how quickly this one went,

almost as soon as it came?

 

SECOND IMP. But that is because it was only a dream.

 

FIRST IMP. That hasn't anything to do with it. A real ice-cream cone

wouldn't have lasted much longer. Sh! Who's coming now? (_As the_

ICE-CREAM CONE _disappears the music stops, and the light grows bright

again. The_ LITTLE GIRL _enters at the_ R. _She is wrapped in a muffler

and carries a lighted lantern. Coming toward the front of the stage she

stops in terror on seeing the_ IMPS.) Don't be frightened, little girl.

We're only Santa Claus's imps. We won't hurt you.

 

LITTLE GIRL. Then this really is where Santa Claus lives, and I didn't

make a mistake in the place? Please tell me, is Santa Claus at home? Oh,

there he is asleep by the fire. (_She puts her lantern on the floor and

goes up to_ SANTA CLAUS.) Santa Claus! Dear Santa Claus! Please wake up.

It's getting very late.

 

SANTA CLAUS (_rubbing his eyes_). Why, bless my soul! I must have been

napping. And who are you, my dear?

 

LITTLE GIRL. I'm the little girl who wouldn't go to bed to-night, for I

wanted to sit up to see Santa Claus. But I waited and waited, and you

didn't come. Oh, Santa Claus, don't say that you're not coming at all.

The children would be _so_ disappointed.

 

SANTA CLAUS. The children are happy. They are having sweet dreams. Ah! I

know now what they're dreaming about. Lollipops and ice-cream cones.

They're not thinking much about poor old Santa Claus.

 

LITTLE GIRL. Oh, but Santa Claus, we do think about you very often. We

love you much more than we do the lollipops and the ice-cream cones, for

they just melt away and don't last at all.

 

SANTA CLAUS. And what makes you think that I would last any longer?

 

LITTLE GIRL. Well, you know, Santa, you've already lasted a great many

years.

 

SANTA CLAUS. Kind of a slam on my age, that is. But it's true, every

word of it. I have lasted a great many years, and the best part of it

is, I'm good for as many years more. So if the children are expecting

me, we'd better hurry and be off. (_To the_ IMPS.) Bring along your

harness there, boys; it's time to hitch up the reindeer. Wrap your

muffler around you tight, little girl. We're going to have a cold ride.

Here, isn't this your lantern?

 

LITTLE GIRL. I shan't need the light of the lantern now, for the bells

on your harness are so bright they shine like stars.

 

FIRST IMP. That's exactly what I said when I was cleaning them.

 

SECOND IMP. And I said that their tones were so clear that the children

would believe they were the birds singing in the springtime. I was right

too, wasn't I?

 

LITTLE GIRL. No, you foolish Imp. When the children hear Santa Claus's

sleigh-bells ringing they will smile in their sleep and think that they

are listening to the music of the Christmas carols.

 

(_As the curtain falls the_ IMPS _jingle the bells, while

behind the scenes voices sing "Carol, brothers, carol," or

some other appropriate Christmas song._)

 

 

CURTAIN

 

 

 

 

THE CONJURER

 

A Dramatic Mystery in Three Acts

 

_By Mansfield Scott_

 

_Author of "The Submarine Shell," "The Air-Spy," etc._

 

 

Eight male, four female characters. Costumes, modern; scenery, two easy

interiors. Plays a full evening. Royalty for amateur performance, $10.00

for the first and $5.00 each for subsequent performances by the same

company. Free for school performance. George Clifford, incapacitated for

service at the front, employs his great talents as a conjurer to raise

money for the soldiers. He is utilized by Inspector Steele, of the U. S.

Secret Service, in a plan to discover certain foreign spies. The plan

goes wrong and involves seven persons in suspicion of a serious crime.

Clifford's clever unravelling of this tangled skein constitutes the

thrilling plot of this play, the interest of which is curiously like

that of the popular "Thirteenth Chair." This is not a "war-play" save in

a very remote and indirect way, but a clever detective story of

absorbing interest. Strongly recommended.

 

_Price, 35 cents_

 

 

CHARACTERS

 

INSPECTOR MALCOME STEELE.

GEORGE CLIFFORD.

CAPTAIN FRANK DRUMMOND GLEASON.

LIEUTENANT HAMILTON WARWICK.

COLONEL WILLARD ANDERSON.

DRISCOLL WELLS.

DOCTOR GORDON PEAK.

DETECTIVE WHITE.

MARION ANDERSON.

EDITH ANDERSON.

ELLEN GLEASON.

DOROTHY ELMSTROM.

 

 

SYNOPSIS

 

ACT I.--The home of Colonel Anderson (Friday evening).

 

ACT II.--The office of Inspector Steele (Saturday afternoon).

 

ACT III.--The same as Act II (Saturday evening).

 

 

 

 

THE OTHER VOICE

 

A Play in One Act

 

_By S._ vK. _Fairbanks_

 

 

Three voices, preferably male, are employed in this little novelty which

is intended to be presented upon a dark stage upon which nothing is

actually visible save starlight. It was originally produced at Workshop

47, Cambridge, where its effective distillation of the essential oil of

tragedy was curiously successful. An admirable item for any programme

seeking variety of material and effect. Naturally no costumes nor

scenery are required, save a drop carrying stars and possibly a city

sky-line. Plays ten minutes only; royalty, $5.00.

 

_Price, 25 cents_

 

 

 

 

A COUPLE OF MILLION

 

An American Comedy in Four Acts

 

_By Walter Ben Hare_

 

Author of "Professor Pepp," "Much Ado About Betty," "The Hoodoo," "The

Dutch Detective," etc.

 

 

Six males, five females. Costumes, modern; scenery, two interiors and an

exterior. Plays a full evening. Royalty, ten dollars ($10.00) for each

performance. A more ambitious play by this popular author in the same

successful vein as his previous offerings. Bemis Bennington is left two

million dollars by his uncle on condition that he shall live for one

year in a town of less than five thousand inhabitants and during that

period marry and earn without other assistance than his own industry and

ability the sum of five thousand dollars. Failing to accomplish this the

money goes to one Professor Noah Jabb. This is done despite the

energetic opposition of Jabb, who puts up a very interesting fight. A

capital play that can be strongly recommended. Plenty of good comedy and a great variety of good parts, full of opportunity.