The Flutter of the Goldleaf; and Other Plays Part 20

_Scene I. The Garden of Joy_

Cho-Cho The Clown Everychild Mother, Father, and dancing children

_Scene II. Sweat-shop_

Father, Mother, three children, Everychild

_Scene III. The Farmstead_

Jim the Father, Mary the Mother, Billie, Tom, and Rosie, their children. Cho-Cho and Everychild

_Scene IV. The Coal-mine_

Joe, Jack, Bert--three old miners and two boys

_Final Scene. Same as first scene_

Cho-Cho, Everychild, Mother, Father. Old group of children and new group with Everychild

PROLOGUE

BY CHO-CHO

Good people!

This is the Play of Everychild With Cho-Cho As Author and Manager.

The play has defects-- It has good points-- And bad points-- Like the world itself-- Like life!

Perhaps the author of the world Is something like me, A little grotesque, A little whimsical, Serious often, Sometimes all the more serious Seen through a Fool's words With cap and jingle of bells.

In this droll world There are lots of children Who are the children of fools-- Like me.

Good people!

I bespeak your patience With Everychild Daughter of a Clown.

SCENE I: _Stage dark as curtain rises. Moderate starlight and quiet music of cradle-song type. Little fairies come out dancing in the darkness with firefly lamps and sing the following cradle song:_

Some one is sleeping Out in the dark Where fireflies glimmer Spark upon spark.

Some little stranger Come from afar Under the glory Of moon and of star.

Deep in the blossoms That drift as they fall Some one is sleeping And stirs not at all.

Sleep, little stranger!

The night is near gone; Sleep, little stranger, But dream of the dawn!

_The dim light reveals a dark figure lying on the mosses at the foot of an old tree. As the light grows gradually stronger the dark object begins to move, to slowly take off one after another of black coverings, revealing a little girl of nine or ten years, dressed in white. She rubs her eyes, looks about wonderingly, and slowly rises to a standing position. Meanwhile the earth grows more luminous and roseate. The birds have begun to twitter now and then before the dawn, and their notes increase in number and variety with the approach of morning. The growing light reveals an orchard of old apple-trees near at hand in full bloom, with petals falling, and hills and mountains lifting and towering upward higher and higher into the blue distance.

A path leads from the orchard up the near hills and toward the heights. The music has grown louder, and is sweet and tender, interspersed with bird notes. A number of children, girls and boys, come out and sing and dance under the blossoms of the apple-trees.

They sing the children's song:_

We are of the sunrise Flower-breath and dew, Travelling wider circles Of blue beyond the blue,

Seeking strength of spirit, Happiness and joy-- Heritage decreed for Every girl and boy.

Music of the moonbeams And the orchard rain, Music of the meadows Waving with the grain,

Mountains in the sunlight, Colors of the flowers, Trailing cloud and shadow-- All of these are ours.

We are of the sunrise Flower-breath and dew, Travelling wider circles Of blue beyond the blue.

_The little girl in the foreground looks with wonder and delight at the entrancing spectacle. She has her side to the audience.

She raises her arms, listens, rubs her eyes, smiles with joy. She touches the gra.s.s, the flowers, the trees, picks up and smells the falling apple-blossoms. She begins to dance like the other children.

One of them sees her and runs toward her with arms outstretched.

The newcomer touches her hair and her hands. They smile at each other. The little girl leads the stranger toward the others and has her join in the dance. The dancing is in the Greek manner. They play with a light, large, bubble-like balloon._

_Little Girl_

What is your name?

_Stranger_

I do not understand.

_Little Girl_

Oh, of course, I forgot. I will lead you to some one who will give you a name.

(_A man and woman have come slowly through the orchard and seated themselves on a bench under an apple-tree. Two or three of the children lead the stranger up to them._)

_Stranger_ (_feeling of the hair and gown of the woman_)

Who are you?

_Woman_ (_smiling_)

I am your mother.

_Stranger_ (_feeling of the hair and face and garments of the man_)

Who are you?

_Man_