SCENE.--_The Class-room. A table. Chairs arranged in semi-circle; an
easy chair for Grandma Gregg. Screen in one corner. Chairs or couch upon
which to lay wraps and hats. Otherwise an ordinary room. Tea things on
the table._
(PAULINE, _center of stage, with pail, broom, dusting rag, scrubbing
brushes and mop, is discovered on hands and knees scrubbing. As curtain
rises she rises to her knees, throws scrubbing brush and soap into the
pail, gets up with difficulty and mops the floor. She is singing._)
PAULINE. (singing) "All alone, all alone, nobody here but me. All alone,
all alone, nobody here but me, All alone, all--" (_she stops mopping and
leans on the mop handle_) Here it is now two weeks I've been workin' out
my tuition in this Academy of Household Science for Young Ladies, and
'tis nothin' but scrub, scrub, mop, mop, sweep, sweep, from mornin' 'til
night! I see plenty of work, but none of that tuition has come my way
yet "Wanted," says the advertisement, "a young lady to work out her
tuition in an academy." It says that, "Grandma Gregg's Flushing Academy
of Household Science," it says, "fits the young ladies for to occupy
properly their positions at the heads of their homes," it says, "It
will be a fine thing for you, PAULINE," I says, "to be tuitioned in an
Academy," so I come, (_mops_) "We'll begin your lessons right away,"
says Grandma Gregg, "take th' scrub brush an' a pail of water an' some
soap an' scrub th' cellar." I've been scrubbin' ever since. I don't care
much for the higher education when there is so much scrub in it.
(_mops_)
(GRANDMA GREGG _enters_. PAULINE, _not seeing her, goes to table and
examines tea things, books, etc._)