ch·aracter paul jennings felicity's terrible day ..... 18 a play in one act by tara mccarthy...
TRANSCRIPT
ch·aracter
.JSCHOLASTIC
Character
NEW YORK • TORONTO • LONDON • AUCKLAND • SYDNEY TeaChing MEXICO CITY • NEW DELHI • HONG KONG • BUENOS AIRES R_e4-0~
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Acknowledgments
"Smart Ice Cream" from UNREAL! EIGHT SURPRISING STORIES by Paul Jennings. Copyright© 1994 by Paul Jennings. Reprinted by permission of Penguin Books Australia Ltd.
FELICITY'S TERRIBLE DAY by Tara McCarthy. Copyright© 2004 by Tara McCarthy. All rights reserved.
"Peddler of Swaffham" by Tara McCarthy. Copyright© 2004 by Tara McCarthy. All rights reserved.
"The Old Field" by from RHYME TIMES RHYME by D.J. Enright. Copyright ©1974 by D.J. Enright. Reprinted by permission of Watson,
Little, Ltd ..
"Alligator on the Escalator" from CATCH A LITTLE RHYME by Eve Merriam. Copyright© 1966 by Eve Merriam, renewed 1994 by Dee Michel and Guy Michel. Reprinted by permission of Marian Reiner for
the author.
ISBN 0-439-65980-9
Copyright© 2004 by Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc. Materials in unit may be used for
classroom use by purchaser. All other permission must be obtained from publisher.
Contents
The Open Window ............. 4 By Saki
Smart Ice Cream .............. 10 By Paul Jennings
Felicity's Terrible Day .......... 18 A play in one act by Tara McCarthy
The Peddler of Swaffham ....... 3 6 A British folk tale
Alligator on the Escalator ....... 44 A poem by Eve Merriam
A Bird came down the Walk .... 45 A poem by Emily Dickinson
The Old Field ................. 46 A poem by D. ]. Enright
The Mouse .................. 48 A poem by Elizabeth Coatsworth
The Open Window
BY SAKI
"M y aunt will be down soon," said the 15-year-old girl. "While you wait, you
must put up with me."
Framton Nuttel tried to find the right thing to
say. He should be polite, of course, but he should
seem to want to meet the aunt very much.
Framton was in the country to cure his nerves.
His sister had wanted him to meet some people she
knew there. "If you don't speak to anyone, your
nerves will be worse than ever," she had told him,
"and some of these people are very nice." Framton
didn't think that visits to strangers would help him
much. He hoped that Mrs. Sappleton, the aunt, was
one of the "nice" ones.
I
THE OPEN WINDOW
"Do you know very many people around here?"
the niece asked. "Hardly anybody," said Framton. "My sister stayed
with friends here about four years ago. She wanted
me to meet some people she liked."
"Then you know almost nothing about my aunt,"
said the girl. "Only her name and address," said Framton. He
wondered if Mrs. Sappleton was married or a widow.
Something about the room made him think that a
man lived there.
"The most terrible thing happened to her three
years ago," said the girl. "It was not long after your
sister was here." "A terrible thing?" asked Framton. Terrible things
seemed unlikely in this quiet country spot.
"You may be wondering why we keep that window
wide open on an October afternoon," said the niece.
She pointed to a large French window that opened
onto a rolling green lawn.
"It's warm for this time of year," said Framton,
"but does that window have anything to do with the
terrible thing?"
"It all started when they went out through that
window, three years ago today," the girl said
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THE OPEN WINDOW
mysteriously. "My aunt's husband and her two young
brothers were going hunting with their little brown
dog. None of them ever came back. They must have
slipped into a swamp and drowned. The worst part
was that their bodies were never found." Here the
girl's voice started to crack. "My poor aunt! She
believes that they will walk in through that window,
just like they used to. That's why she keeps the
window open. "My poor, dear aunt. She always talks about the
way they went out. Her husband had his red coat
over his arm. Ronnie, her younger brother, was
singing an old song, 'My Bonnie Lies Over the
Ocean.' He did that to tease her-it got on her
nerves. You know, sometimes, on a still, quiet evening
like this, I get a creepy feeling. I almost think they will
all walk in through that window .... "
She broke off, shaking her head. Framton was glad
when the aunt came into the room, saying how sorry
she was to be late. "I hope you have enjoyed talking to Vera,"
she said. "She has been very interesting," said Framton.
"I hope you don't mind the open window," said
Mrs. Sappleton. "My husband and brothers will be
Ill!
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THE OPEN WINDOW
home soon. They've been hunting, and they always
come in this way. They'll have shot some birds, so
they'll mess up the rug, but that's the way men are,
isn't it?"
She chattered on cheerfully. She talked about
hunting, and how it might be better next winter. To
Framton, it was awful. He saw that Vera's aunt was
not paying much attention to him. Her eyes were on
the open window and the lawn. He was sorry that he
had come to visit on this, of all days.
"The doctors say I should do nothing exciting and
get lots of rest," Framton said, trying to change the
subject. He had not yet learned that few people are
interested in other people's health. "Of course, none
of them agree about what I should eat."
"No?" said Mrs. Sappleton. Then her face grew
brighter, but it was not because of their conversation.
"Here they are at last!" she cried. "They're just in
time for tea. They look as if they were muddy right
up to their eyeballs!"
Framton turned toward the niece, to give her an
understanding look, but the girl was staring out through
the open window. Her eyes widened with fear.
In the gray light, three figures were walking across
the lawn toward the window. They were carrying
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THE OPEN WINDOW
guns under their arms. One of them had a red coat
over his shoulders. A tired brown dog followed close
behind. They drew near the house without making a
sound, but suddenly a young voice began to sing,
"My Bonnie lies over the ocean ... "
Framton jumped to his feet and ran for the door.
Out in the road, a man on a bicycle had to run into a
hedge to keep from running into him.
"Here we are, dear," said the man with the red
coat, coming in through the window. "We're muddy,
but most of it's dry. Who was that who ran out as we
came up?"
"A very strange man, a Mr. Nuttel," said Mrs.
Sappleton. "He only talked about being ill. Then he
ran off without saying good-bye. You'd think he had
seen a ghost."
"It was probably the dog," said Vera. "He told me
he was afraid of dogs and that once he was chased
into a graveyard in India by a pack of wild dogs. He
had to spend the night in a grave that had just been
dug, and the dogs barked and howled and snapped
right above him all night. I'm sure it was enough to
make anyone lose their nerve."
Making up exciting stories on short notice was
Vera's specialty.
'' I
Smart Ice Cream BY PAUL]ENNINGS
W ell, I came top of the class again. One
hundred out of one hundred for Maths.
And one hundred out of one hundred for
English. I'm just a natural brain, the best there is .
There isn't one kid in the class who can come near
me. Next to me they are all dumb.
Even when I was a baby I was smart. The day that
I was born my mother started tickling me. "Bub, bub,
bub," she said.
"Cut it out, Mum," I told her. "That tickles." She
nearly fell out of bed when I said that. I was very
advanced for my age.
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SMART ICE CREAM
Every year I win a lot of prizes: top of the class,
top of the school, stuff like that. I won a prize for
spelling when I was only three years old. I am a
terrific speller. If you can say it, I can spell it.
Nobody can trick me on spelling. I can spell every
word there is.
Some kids don't like me; I know that for a fact.
They say I'm a show-off. I don't care. They are just
jealous because they are not as clever as me. I'm
good-looking too. That's another reason why they
are jealous. Last week something bad happened. Another kid
got one hundred out of one hundred for Maths too.
That never happened before-no one has ever done
as well as me. I am always first on my own. A kid
called Jerome Dadian beat me. He must have
cheated. I was sure he cheated. It had something to
do with that ice cream. I was sure of it. I decided to
find out what was going on; I wasn't going to let
anyone pull a fast one on me.
It all started with the ice cream man. Mr. Peppi.
The old fool had a van which he parked outside the
school. He sold ice cream, all different types. He had
every flavor there is, and some that I had never
heard of before.
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T SMART ICE CREAM
He didn't like me very much. He told me off once.
"Go to the back of the queue," he said. "You pushed in."
"Mind your own business, Pop," I told him. "Just
hand over the ice cream."
"No," he said. "I won't serve you unless you go to
the back."
I went round to the back of the van, but I didn't
get in the queue. I took out a nail and made a long
scratch on his rotten old van. He had just had it
painted. Peppi came and had a look. Tears came into
his eyes. "You are a bad boy," he said. "One day you
will get into trouble. You think you are smart. One
day you will be too smart."
I just laughed and walked off. I knew he wouldn't
do anything. He was too soft-hearted. He was always
giving free ice creams to kids that had no money. He
felt sorry for poor people. The silly fool.
There were a lot of stories going round about that
ice cream. People said that it was good for you. Some
kids said it made you better when you were sick. One
of the teachers called it "Happy Ice Cream." I didn't
believe it, it never made me happy.
All the same, there was something strange about
it. Take Pimples Peterson for example. That wasn't
his real name-I just called him that because he had
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SMART ICE CREAM
a lot of pimples. Anyway, Peppi heard me call
Peterson "Pimples." "You are a real mean boy," he
said. "You are always picking on someone else, just
because they are not like you."
"Get lost, Peppi," I said. "Go and flog your ice
cream somewhere else."
Peppi didn't answer me. Instead he spoke to
Pimples. "Here, eat this," he told him. He handed
Peterson an ice cream. It was the biggest ice cream I
had ever seen. It was colored purple. Peterson wasn't
too sure about it. He didn't think he had enough
money for such a big ice cream.
"Go on," said Mr. Peppi. "Eat it. I am giving it to
you for nothing. It will get rid of your pimples."
I laughed and laughed. Ice cream doesn't get rid of
pimples, it gives you pimples. Anyway, the next day
when Peterson came to school he had no pimples.
Not one. I couldn't believe it. The ice cream had
cured his pimples.
There were some other strange things that
happened too. There was a kid at the school who had
a long nose. Boy, was it long. He looked like
Finocchio. When he blew it you could hear it a mile
way. I called him "Snozzle." He didn't like being
called Snozzle. He used to go red in the face when I
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SMART IcE CREAM
said it, and that was every time that I saw him. He
didn't say anything back-he was scared that I would
punch him up.
Peppi felt sorry for Snozzle too. He gave him a
small green ice cream every morning, for nothing.
What a jerk. He never gave me a free ice cream.
You won't believe what happened but I swear it's
true. Snozzle's nose began to grow smaller. Every day
it grew a bit smaller. In the end it was just a normal
nose. When it was the right size Peppi stopped giving
him the green ice creams.
I made up my mind to put a stop to this ice cream
business. Jerome Dad ian had been eating ice cream
the day he got one hundred for Maths. It must have
been the ice cream making him smart. I wasn't going
to have anyone doing as well as me. I was the
smartest kid in the school, and that's the way I
wanted it to stay. I wanted to get a look inside that
ice cream van to find out what was going on.
I knew where Peppi kept his van at night-he left it
in a small lane behind his house. I waited until about
eleven o'clock at night. Then I crept out of the house
and down to Peppi's van. I took a crowbar, a bucket of
sand, a flashlight, and some bolt cutters with me.
There was no one around when I reached the van.
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n.l SMART IcE CREAM
I sprang the door open with the crowbar and shone
my torch around inside. I had never seen so many
tubs of ice cream before. There was every flavor you
could think of: there was apple and banana, cherry
and mango, blackberry and watermelon, and about
fifty other flavors. Right at the end of the van were
four bins with locks on them. I went over and had a
look. It was just as I thought-these were his special
flavors. Each one had writing on the top. This is
what they said:
HAPPY ICE CREAM for cheering people up
NOSE ICE CREAM for long noses
PIMPLE ICE CREAM for removing pimples
SMART ICE CREAM for smart alecs
Now I knew his secret. That rat Dadian had been
eating Smart Ice Cream; that's how he got one
hundred for Maths. I knew there couldn't be anyone
SMART ICE CREAM
as clever as me. I decided to fix Peppi up once and
for all. I took out the bolt cutters and cut the locks
off the four bins; then I put sand into every bin in
the van. Except for the Smart Ice Cream. I didn't put
any sand in that.
I laughed to myself. Peppi wouldn't sell much ice
cream now. Not unless he started a new flavor-Sand
Ice Cream. I looked at the Smart Ice Cream. I
decided to eat some; it couldn't do any harm. Not
that I needed it-I was already about as smart as you
could get. Anyway, I gave it a try. I ate the lot. Once
I started I couldn't stop. It tasted good. It was
delicious.
I left the van and went home to bed, but I
couldn't sleep. To tell the truth, I didn't feel too
good. So I decide to write this. Then if any funny
business has been going on you people will know
what happened. I think I have made a mistake. I
don't think Dadian did get any Smart Ice Cream.
It iz the nekst day now. Somefing iz happening to
me. I don't feal quite az smart. I have bean trying to
do a reel hard sum. It iz wun and wun. Wot duz wun
and wun make? Iz it free or iz I for?
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Felicity's Terrible Day
A play in one act
BY TARA McCARTHY
Characters:
Felicity, a cat
Madge and Henry, Felicity's people
Thing, a stray dog
Mrs. Cradel, neighbor of Madge and Henry
Grisel, a fierce dog belonging to Mrs. Cradel
Bat, a bat
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FELICITY'S TERRIBLE DAY
NOTE: The actors portraying Felicity, Thing, Grisel,
and Bat can practice moving around like the
nonhumans they portray. All four animals talk just
like people, and indeed talk to people, as you'll see
from the play dialogue.
c ___ s_c_en_e_ 1 __ )
The setting is Madge and Henry's living room, a very comfortable~looking place . Madge and Henry are standing in the doorway, putting on their coats. Felicity is sitting on
the couch, licking her beautiful fur.
Madge:
Henry:
Felicity:
Felicity, we're going for a little walk in
the park.
Maybe you'd like to come with us. We
could put you on your nice long leash,
and you could say "Hi" to the other
little kitties and doggies in the play
area, and ...
(interrupting) No, thank you! I've told
you over and over: I don't like to
Madge:
Felicity:
Henry:
FELICITY'S TERRIBLE DAY
socialize with other "pets," as some
people call us. I'm quite happy staying
here alone.
Okay, little cutie! We'll be back in an
hour or so.
Don't forget to stop at PETSFURYOU
to pick up a toy mouse for me. I feel
like swatting something around.
Will do, sweetie pie!
(Madge and Henry exit.)
Felicity:
(Lights fade.)
(to the audience) Actually ... confidentially ... I don't
like being alone TOO long. But I
wouldn't tell Madge and Henry that.
We cats have to maintain our image as
independent beings, after all. So, I'll
just take a brief nap while my people
are wandering around outside. Then I
won't miss them so much. (Lies down
and closes her eyes) I hope they
remember the mouse.
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FELICITY'S TERRIBLE DAY
( ___ sc_e_n_e_2 __ )
Later that same day. Felicity is pacing back and forth.
Felicity: Where are they, where ARE they,
WHERE ARE THEY?? They've been
gone for hours! Leaving me all alone!
Breaking their promise! I'll never
speak to them again!
Enter Madge, Henry, and Thing. Thing is jumping
around with delight.
Thing:
Felicity:
Madge:
Henry:
Oh, I love it, I love it. What a great
house! Oh, I wanna live here forever!
Hi, kitty. Hi! Hi! Hi! (Licks Felicity's
nose.)
(to Madge and Henry) Good grief!
Where have you been? And what is
this THING you've brought in?
THING? This is a dog, Felicity!
We found him on our way home,
Felicity. And come to think of it,
Madge, THING is actually a sort of
cute name for a dog.
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FELICITY'S TERRIBLE DAY
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FELICITY'S TERRIBLE DAY FELICITY'S TERRIBLE DAY
,I Thing: They found me, me, me! Kiss! Kiss! Felicity: The feeling is definitely NOT mutual,
(Licks noses of Madge and Henry. Until buddy!
the end of the scene, he continues to jump Madge: Now Felicity darling, you'll soon love around trying to kiss Felicity as well as
Thing just as much as Henry and I Madge and Henry.) [ already do. (off stage, sound of phone
Madge: Yes, this adorable dog was tied to a ringing) Henry, would you get the lamppost outside PETSFURYOU! phone, please? (Henry exits.) Abandoned there for two days, the Thing: BONE? Getting a BONE? Yum! Yum! manager said! Can you imagine?
Yum! Oh, thank you! I love bones! Felicity: Yes, I CAN imagine! You should have Felicity: Not a BONE, stupid! A PHONE. (to
left him there! (to Thing) Yuck! Get Madge) Madge, how could you and
AWAY from me! (to Henry) Did you Henry possibly even consider bringing
get my toy mouse? a dummy like this into our home,
Henry: Oops! I completely forgot it, Felicity. which I've worked so hard to organize?
We were so absorbed in rescuing this Henry: (reentering) Madge, our neighbor, Mrs. doggie! I'm sure you understand.
Cradel, is on the phone! She's very Felicity: (pouting) Oh, I understand all right! upset because a bat is flying around in
Never mind me, ol' faithful, tried-and- her apartment. She asked if we could
true me. Just cast me aside for a come over right away and help her get
1:
THING like that! (She swings her paw rid of it.
and scratches Thing's nose.) Madge: Well, I guess so, though I'm a little shy
Thing: Ow! Ow! Ow! But I know you didn't of bats myself.
mean to hit me, because I love, love, Thing: MATS? MATS? I love mats. They're love you!
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Felicity:
Henry:
Thing:
Felicity:
FELICITY'S TERRIBLE DAY
so soft and comfy! I wish I had one
right now!
A BAT, not a MAT, you impossible
ignoramus! A BAT is a mammal that
flies through the air. Some humans are
afraid of them, but personally I don't
find them nearly as objectionable as I
do DOGS!
I'm sure we'll be back in a little while,
my adorable cuties! You two try to
have fun while we're gone. (Henry and
Madge exit.)
(to Felicity) Let's play something! I
know! Let's play "Chase Each Other in
a Circle Until We're Exhausted." I
love that game!
Now get this and get it straight! I am
never going to play with you, and I am
never going to like you. So leave me
alone!
(Thing lies down and sighs sadly.)
(Lights fade.)
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FELICITY'S TERRIBLE DAY
c ___ s_c_en_e_ 1 ___ )
Later that day. Madge, Henry, Mrs. Cradel, and Grisel
enter. Grisel is on a leash.
Note: Throughout this scene, Grisel does a lot of
jumping and snarling at Felicity and Thing, acting
like a really mean dog. Each time, Mrs. Cradel is just
barely able to hold him back by his leash.
Henry:
Madge:
Felicity:
Grisel:
Thing:
Hi, there, little sweeties.
We couldn't capture the bat, so we
brought Mrs. Cradel and Grisel over
here to escape it, while we call the
superintendent. Surely he can get rid
of that little flying critter!
(running to corner of room) Oh, no! Not
Grisel! He has the worst reputation of
any dog in town. Rumor is that his goal
in life is to gobble up every cat alive!
(jumping and growling at Thing) And
every dog, too, for that matter!
Eek! Help! (Thing joins Felicity in the
corner.)
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II
Grisel:
Madge:
FELICITY'S TERRIBLE DAY
Ha, ha, ha, you silly little creeps!
Good idea to run away, 'cause I'm the
meanest, fiercest dog that ever was!
Goodness, Mrs. Cradel! Grisel is
scaring Felicity and Thing to death!
Can't you convince him to quiet down
a bit?
Mrs. Cradel: Oh, I don't think Grisel will actually
hurt them. He just wants to play with
your cat and get acquainted with your
new dog.
Felicity: Play? PLAY? More like SLAY!
Henry: (to Felicity and Thing) Did you hear
that, little honeys? Grisel won't
actually hurt you.
Felicity and Thing: (in unison) We don't believe it!
Madge: I'm going to call the superintendent
right now and get this business over
with! (leaves the room)
(While Madge is briefly gone, there's much growling and
shrieking as Grisel continues to lunge at Felicity and Thing.
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FELICITY'S TERRIBLE DAY
Mrs. Cradel just barely manages to hold him back. Felicity and Thing begin to act protectively toward one another.)
Thing: (to Grisel) Don't you hurt her! She's
my very best friend!
, I
Felicity:
Henry:
Madge:
FELICITY'S TERRIBLE DAY
(to Grisel) Don't you hurt Thing. I sort
of like him! At least, I like him better
than I like YOU!
(to Madge, as she reenters) Is the
superintendent on his way?
I couldn't reach him! The phone rang
and rang, but there was no answer.
Mrs. Cradel: Well, I guess Grisel and I will just have
to stay here for a while.
Felicity:
Thing:
Stay? STAY? SLAY is what this awful
beast will do, if he stays here!
Awful, awful, awful! He's awful!
Puh~leese take him home!
Mrs. Cradel: I am not going home to a BAT! And
as you see, I have my darling doggie
completely under control. As long as I
hold on to his leash, everything will be
just fine. (then, as Grisel breaks away)
Whoops!
FELICITY'S TERRIBLE DAY
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FELICITY'S TERRIBLE DAY
(Felicity and Thing yell and scream as Grisel chases them around the room. The humans, too, yell at Grisel to
stop, but of course he doesn't.)
Bat: (entering, moving slowly, wings flapping, stopping now and then to look around) Wow! Nice house!
(At the sight of the bat, everyone stops chasing and screaming for a moment. Grisel runs to a comer and begins
to quiver with fear.)
Mrs. Cradel: (terrified) Eek! The bat, the bat!
Bat:
Madge:
Bat:
Henry:
What IS the matter, lady?
(upset, to Bat) How did you get in
here?
Simple. Two open windows. One out
of her house (points to Mrs. Cradel),
and one into yours.
Well, we'd like you to leave right now!
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Felicity:
Thing:
Grisel:
Bat:
FELICITY'S TERRIBLE DAY
No, no, let him stay! I wanna play
chase with him!
Me, too. I wanna play chase with him,
too!
(very scared) No, no, get him out! Bats
are scary!
(frowns at Grisel) Scary, are we? Why,
you big, mean, cowardly yuck of a dog! I
heard you through the window. I heard
you scaring Felicity and Thing. Now
you'll find out what it is to be scared!
(Bat dives at Grisel, who yelps and hollers as he runs
offstage, with Bat chasing him.)
Mrs. Cradel: (running offstage after Bat) Help, help!
Help me save Grisel from the bat.
Help! Help ...
(Madge, Henry,Thing, and Felicity laugh and laugh.)
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FELICITY'S TERRIBLE DAY
c __ s_c_e_n_e_4 __ )
Late that night. The lights are dim. Only Felicity and Thing are in the room. They are lying on the couch together.
Thing:
Felicity:
. . . so tell me again what happened,
about Bat chasing Grisel.
I am not going to tell you this story
again. Well, okay, just one more time.
Bat chased Grisel, and Mrs. Cradel
chased Bat, right out our door, and
down the hall into her apartment.
Then Bat turned around and chased
Grisel and Mrs. Cradel out of the
apartment again, and into the
elevator. The elevator went to the
ground floor, they all ran out, and
when last seen they were skittering
and screaming down Main Street, Bat
in hot pursuit, Grisel with his ears laid
back and his tail between his legs.
Thing:
Felicity
Thing:
Felicity:
Thing:
Felicity:
FELICITY'S TERRIBLE DAY
(laughing) Tell it again, please, please,
please!
NO! You are the biggest pest I ever
met. No, wait a minute, I take that
back. Grisel is the biggest pest I ever
met. You're only the second biggest .
So, does that mean you like me a little
bit?
Yeah, I guess so. As they say, the
enemy of my enemy is my friend.
What does that mean?
Never mind. Just snuggle up and go to
sleep.
(Thing and Felicity snuggle up. The lights dim.)
THE END
1
The Peddler of Swaffham
A British folk tale
I n the town of Swaffham, there once lived a poor
man who worked as a peddler to support his
family. Day after day, year after year, the peddler
stood on the streets of the town or at the fair,
begging for money or trying to sell tattered-looking
cast-offs he'd found. That sort of life brought in
hardly any money at all. So the peddler, his wife, and
his children were usually hungry and often sad. And
after such a day of trying fruitlessly to sell enough to
buy his family a meal, the peddler was so exhausted by
bedtime that he would fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.
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THE PEDDLER OF SWAFFHAM
But then suddenly this pattern of sleep was
broken: one night the peddler had a vivid dream in
which he was standing on a bridge in the city of
London (a strange thing, since he had never in his
real life been to London!). In the dream, he was
waiting and waiting on the bridge with high hopes,
because he knew he was soon going to hear joyful
news. But then the dream ended, and the peddler
woke up, not knowing what the "joyful news" was.
In the morning, the poor man told his wife and
children about the dream. What could the "joyful
news" possibly be? The meaning of it was beyond
them, too. So off the peddler went as usual, to the
town's main street and then to the Swaffham fair,
hoping to sell a bag of leaves and some pots of water.
No such luck, of course. The peddler did not make
one sale, and went home as penniless, sad, and tired
as usual. His children and wife had to eat the leaves
for supper.
That night, the peddler lay awake for a while,
wondering mournfully what would ever become of
him and his family. But when he fell asleep, he
cheered up, for the very same dream came to him
again. There he was on London Bridge, feeling
happy, waiting for joyful news-joyful news that,
®
THE PEDDLER OF SWAFFHAM
THE PEDDLER OF SwAFFHAM
once again, was never revealed.
Again and again, night after night, the peddler
had the same dream and talked about it in the
morning, until finally his family was tired of it.
"Listen," said his wife. "P~rhaps this dream of
yours may have some meaning to it. Why not find
out? Certainly your days here are of no value. I think
you should go to London, find the bridge, and see
what happens when you stand there."
At first the peddler thought it was a terrible idea,
for he had never traveled far from home and knew
nothing about London, except that it was very large.
But his wife continued to urge him, and finally he
gave in. Who knows? He might even find a job there
and be able to take money home to his family. Off he
went, waving good-bye to his children and trying to
look cheerful for their sakes.
It was a long journey, with many nights in dark
woods and much searching about for wild things to
eat. But once reaching London, the peddler had no
trouble finding the bridge, for all the world seemed to
be headed there. So there he stood for three days,
waiting for "joyful news." But all that came along were
people who looked at him strangely and moved on.
On the fourth day, a shopkeeper came out of his
THE PEDDLER OF SWAFFHAM
store and walked over to him.
"I've been watching you for all these days,
standing here by yourself and looking expectant,"
said the shopkeeper. "Now, do tell me please what
you want here!" "Well," said the peddler, "it's like this: I've been
having the same dream over and over again. In it, I
receive joyful news as I stand here on this bridge,
though in the dream it's never revealed to me what the
joyful news actually is. I'm hoping that if I wait here
long enough, on the very bridge itself, I'll find out."
The shopkeeper began to laugh. "You silly fellow,
to stand on a bridge for days and days because of a
dream! Why, I had a dream the other night about
going all the way to Swaffham to an orchard on
which a poor peddler lived with his family. In the
dream, I dug a hole under an old oak tree and found a
vast treasure. Now do you think l-or any other
sensible person-would be such a fool as to make the
long trip to Swaffham on the basis of a dream? So, get
on away with you and find something useful to do."
"That I shall!" said the peddler. It will not come as
a surprise to learn that the peddler made the trip back
home much more quickly than he had made the one
to London!
®
THE PEDDLER OF SWAFFHAM
As his wife and children ran out to greet him,
they cried, "And did you bring us a bit of money, or
at least something to eat?"
"Better than that!" exclaimed the peddler. "One
of you get me a shovel, and meet me under the old
oak tree in the orchard."
His family thought he had quite lost his mind in
London to say such a thing, but one of his daughters
ran and got the shovel anyway. The peddler did not
have to dig very far at all before he came to a huge
iron box, which of course turned out to be filled with
a vast treasure: a prodigious amount of gold. The
peddler and his wife wept with joy. Now they and
their children would never again be hungry.
Then, just as the family was about to head back to
their falling-down house with the gold, the daughter
who had fetched the shovel saw a beautiful book in
the hole, just under the place where the iron box had
been. She opened it up. Then she called out,
"Mother! Father! Listen to this!"
Her parents stopped and turned toward her. This
is what the girl read to them:
"Under the iron box doth lie
Another much richer."
Back the family rushed, and dug some more, and
@
--THE PEDDLER OF SWAFFHAM
shortly found
another iron
box. This one
was filled with
even more
gold than the
first one. In
fact, the
second box
was so heavy
with gold that
it took several trips to carry the .. ~~~~~~~~~~~~;:: entire contents to the
falling-down house. "The shopkeeper didn't mention this second box
to me," said the peddler. "Perhaps I am not meant to
have it." So, in the end he divided all the contents of
the second box among the other poor families of
Swaffham. And as you might imagine, the peddler is
remembered most fondly to this very day by all those
who live in the village.
Alligator on the Escalator BY EVE MERRIAM
Through the revolving door Of a department store There slithered an alligator.
When he came to the escalator, He stepped upon the track with great dexterity; His tail draped over the railing, And he clicked his teeth in glee:
"Yo, I'm off on the escalator, Excited as I can be! It's a moving experience, As you can plainly see. On the moving stair I go anywhere, I rise to the top Past outerwear, innerwear, Dinnerwear, thinnerwear Then down to the basement with bargains galore, Then back on the track to the top once more! Oh, I may ride the escalator Until closing time or later, So tell the telephone operator To call Mrs. Albert Q Alligator And tell her to take a hot mud bath And not to wait up for me!"
® -
A Bird came down the Walk
BY EMILY DICKINSON
A Bird came down the WalkHe did not know I saw-He bit an angle-worm in halves And ate the fellow, raw,
And then he drank a Dew From a convenient Grass, And then hopped sidewise to the Wall To let a Beetle pass-
He glanced with rapid eyes That hurried all around,-They looked like frightened Beads, I thoughtHe stirred his Velvet Head
Like one in danger, Cautious, I offered him a Crumb, And he unrolled his feathers And rowed him softer home-
Than Oars divide the Ocean, Too silver for a seam-Or Butterflies, off Banks of Noon, Leap, splashless as they swim.
@
The Old Field BY D. } . ENRIGHT
The old field is sad Now the children have gone home.
They have played with him all afternoon,
Kicking the ball to him, and him
Kicking it back.
But now it is growing cold and dark.
He thinks of their warm breath, and their
Feet like little hot-water bottles.
A bit rough, some of them, but still ...
And now, he thinks, there's not even a dog
To tickle me.
The gates are locked. The birds don't like this nasty sneaking wind,
And nor does he.
®
The Mouse BY ELIZABETH
COATSWORTH
I hear a mouse
Bitterly complaining
In a crack of moonlight
Aslant on the floor-
'Little I ask
And that little is not granted. There are few crumbs
In this world any more.
'The breadbox is tin
And I cannot get in.
The jam's in a jar
My teeth cannot mar.
'The cheese sits by itself
On the pantry shelf.
All night I run
Searching and seeking.
All night I run
About on the floor.
'Moonlight is there
And a bare place for dancing,
But no little feast
Is spread any more.'
®
J r" • • " • • • • • • " .. • .. • • • • "" • • • •
Iii • " • • • • • • il • • • • • • • • • •
"II .. • • • • • • • il • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • • ''Every year I win a lot of
prizes: top of the class, top of the school, stuff like that. I
won a prize for spelling when
I was only three years old. I
am a terrific speller. If you can
say it, I can spell it. Nobody
can trick me on spelling. I can
spell every word there is. ' '
- Smart Ice Cream
by Paul Jennmgs
• •
ISBN: 0-439-65980-9
•
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