the sugar-plum tree and the telephone tree. The four children_, KIT,
JOSCELIN, MAYSIE, GILLIAN, _are discovered, with their clothes
somewhat torn and mussed. The girls are seated on a fallen log. An
open and empty lunch-basket lies before them. The boys, armed with
sticks, are moving about. At the rise of the curtain_ MAYSIE _is
sobbing_.
KIT. Cheer up, sis. What’s the use of crying? It isn’t so very late, is
it, Jos? We can’t be many miles from home. We’ve got our compass along,
you know; and all we have to do is to keep due east.
GILLIAN. I’m sick of our old exploring, anyway! (_Sniffling a bit._)
JOSCELIN. You make me tired, Gill! What do we care?
GILLIAN. It was your plan, Jos, and you see how it has come out. I
believe that farmer was telling you a whopper when he said there was a
robbers’ cave in these woods.
KIT. O no, he wasn’t. It is a true story. Tommy Field’s father says it
is. He says people have been hunting for the cave a hundred years, and
that there is treasure----
MAYSIE (_wiping her eyes_). I’d rather have a nice big piece of bread
and molasses than ten million rubies, I would!
JOSCELIN. We may find some checkerberries yet.
(_The roaring of a bear, and the trolling of a song, heard._)
THE GIRLS (_rushing toward the boys_). Oh! Oh! Oh! A bear! What shall we
do?
KIT. Hide--and be quick about it! There--into those thick bushes! (_The
girls hide at rear._) Jos, we’ve got to defend them! Wish I had a gun or
something!
JOSCELIN. I think I had better shin up a tree!
KIT. Not a bit of it. Let’s hide, though.
(_They do so, peeping out from time to time, and flourishing their
clubs. The roaring and singing become louder. The words of the song,
sung in a great, gruff voice, are the following._)
Sing fol de rol de riddle-iddle ay!
I am big, and I am strong,
Happy as the day is long.
The sheep, they follow trusting at my heels.
Upon my shoulders light
The cooing pigeons white,
And in my pockets squirrels find their meals.
Sing fol de rol de riddle-iddle ay!
Sing fol de rol de riddle-iddle ay!
No brazen club for me!
No bloody trickery!
No dragging of a princess by the hair!
No robbing of birds’ nests,
No eating up of guests,
No frightening of peasants at a fair!
Sing fol de rol de riddle-iddle ay!
(_Enter, right, the_ GOOD GIANT GREATBIG, _carrying a blunderbuss, and
arm in arm with the_ KIND BEAR.)
_The_ GOOD GIANT.
Fee--fi--fo--fum!
I smell some boys and girls, I vum!
Be they short, or be they tall,
I’ll hunt them out, and kiss them all!
Come on, Bear! I hear breathings. Don’t be frightened, my dear kids. We
wouldn’t eat you for anything.
KIT (_sticking his head around the tree_). Honestly?
GIANT AND BEAR. Honestly!
GIANT. Come out, all of you. I want to talk with you. (_The children
come forward, the girls more timidly than the boys. The girls scream
when the_ BEAR _offers his paw and hugs them gently. The boys, too, are
hugged, to their amusement._ GIANT _kisses the children_.) How do you
happen to be in the middle of the wood, all by yourselves, at this time
of day?
JOSCELIN. We’re lost. We have been trying to find the robbers’ cave.
Say, are you a real giant?
GIANT. Of course, my boy. Do I appear like a midget? I am not only a
giant, but the last of the giants. My uncle was the famous Two-Headed
Giant, and my fourteenth cousin was slain by Jack the Giant-Killer.
KIT. Is he alive?
GIANT. Very much so, I can assure you. Do you know, he’s my only enemy?
To tell the truth, I’m mortally afraid of him. He’s a terrible boy. He’s
sure death on giants, and will never believe that I’m not as bad as my
relatives. I’m afraid he’ll get the best of me some fine day.
GILLIAN. Please, sir, how can we get home? I want to go, awfully bad!
GIANT. Well, now, little girl, I’ll see that you get home safely, never
fear. But, dear me, you are the first children that I have met in these
deep woods. I generally go about at night to keep out of the way of
Jack, the Giant-Killer, but my wife wanted me to shoot a few eagles for
supper.
JOSCELIN. Can you tell us where the robbers’ cave is?
BEAR. I live in it.
KIT. Is there treasure?
BEAR. O, a few pecks of emeralds; that’s all. I threw most of them away.
They are very uncomfortable to lie on.
JOSCELIN. Where are the robbers?
BEAR. Dead, all except the captain. He has turned honest, and lives with
the Giant.
GIANT (_who has been gazing upward_). Hi! There’s an eagle! (_Raises
blunderbuss. Children stop their ears. He fires. An eagle drops at his
feet._) And there’s a crow! (_Shoots again. A bunch of black feathers
floats down._) I’ve only clipped his tail-feathers! How ridiculous the
bird must look! Listen, children. If you start for home now, it will be
dark before you get there. Why can’t you spend the night at my castle?
KIT. Our parents would----
GIANT. I know. You think your people will be anxious. I’ll telephone
them. (_Goes to the tree at the right, opens a little door in the trunk,
takes down a telephone receiver, and rings the bell._) What’s your
number? Cucumber? (_Rings bell again._)
KIT. No. It’s 333.
GIANT (_speaking into the telephone_). Give me 333. Thank you. Who is
this? Mr. Loring? This is Mr. Greatbig. I found some of your little
relatives lost in the wood, and they are going to stay at my house over
night. Don’t be alarmed. They will come home in the morning. Good-by. I
didn’t give him a chance to say “No.”
BEAR. Are you hungry, children?
MAYSIE. Terribly!
BEAR. Then I’d better shake the sugar-plum tree.
(_Shakes a tree, right. Shower of candy. The children scramble for it.
Clear sound of a horn._)
GIANT (_much disturbed_). Fee--fi--fo--fum! Jack’s horn! Children, I beg
of you to escape with me, or I am done for. Here--up this bean-stalk!
(_A louder blast from the horn._ BEAR _and_ GIANT _boost the boys up
the bean-stalk, left._)
GIANT AND BEAR. Hurry! Hurry!
CURTAIN.