[Transcriber's Note: Bold text is surrounded by =equal signs= and
italic text is surrounded by _underscores_.]
Price 25 Cents
PAINE’S
POPULAR PLAYS
That Awful
Letter
Mac KENZIE
PAINE PUBLISHING CO.
DAYTON, OHIO
NO PLAYS EXCHANGED
New Entertainment Songs
By Edna Randolph Worrell.
These songs can be used in all manner of entertainments. The music is
easy, and both music and words are especially catchy. Children like
them. Everybody likes them. Sheet music. Price 25 cents each. Five
copies, $1.00.
=WE HOPE YOU’VE BROUGHT YOUR SMILES ALONG.= A welcome song that will
at once put the audience in a joyous frame of mind and create a happy
impression that will mean half the success of your entire program.
Words, bright and inspiring. Music, catchy.
=WE’LL NOW HAVE TO SAY GOOD-BYE.= This beautiful song has snap and go
that will appeal alike to visitors and singers. It is just the song to
send your audience home with happy memories of the occasion.
=WE’VE JUST ARRIVED FROM BASHFUL TOWN.= This song will bring memories
to the listeners of their own bashful school days. Words, unusually
clever. Music, decidedly melodious. A capital welcome song, or it may
be sung at any time on the program with assured success.
=MY OWN AMERICA, I LOVE THEE.= A song that will bring a thrill of
patriotism to the heart of every one who hears it. The children and
grown-ups just can’t resist the catchy music. It makes a capital
marching song.
=COME AND PARTAKE OF OUR WELCOME CAKE.= A merry welcome song and a
jolly one, too. The audience will be immediately curious about the
Welcome Cake, and the children will love to surprise the listeners with
the catchy words. Music, easy and tuneful.
=LULLABY LANE.= The music and words blend so beautifully that people
will be humming the appealing strains long after they hear this
charming song. A wonderfully effective closing song, whether sung by
the school or as a solo by a little girl, with a chorus of other little
girls with dolls.
=JOLLY PICKANINNIES.= Words by Elizabeth F. Guptill. Music by Edna R.
Worrell. This spicy coon song will bring down the house, especially if
you use the directions for the motions which accompany the music. The
black faces and shining eyes of the pickaninnies will guarantee a hit.
The words are great and the music just right.
=THE LITTLE BIRD’S SECRET.= Here is just the song for those two
little folks to sing together. They won’t have to be coaxed to sing
it, especially when they find that the whole school is to whistle the
chorus. This is a decided novelty, and will prove a rare treat to your
audience.
=A GARDEN ROMANCE.= This is a dainty little song telling of the romance
and wedding of Marigold and Sweet William. It is just the song for
dainty little girls to sing.
=COME TO THE NURSERY RHYME GARDEN AND PLAY.= Here is something
different for the little folks to sing. The Nursery Rhyme Folk are so
familiar to children, it will be no trick for them to remember the
words. The music has a most captivating swing.
Paine Publishing Company - - Dayton, Ohio
That Awful Letter
_A Comedy for Girls_
BY
EDNA I. MAC KENZIE
Copyright, 1919, by
PAINE PUBLISHING COMPANY
PAINE PUBLISHING COMPANY
DAYTON, OHIO
THAT AWFUL LETTER
CHARACTERS
MARGARET NEILSON—A Snobbish City Girl.
ELIZABETH NORTON—Her Country Cousin.
HELEN MONTGOMERY—Margaret’s Dearest Friend.
EDITH BROWNING—A Friend of Elizabeth’s.
NORA—A Maid of Neilson’s
(This part may be taken by Edith Browning.)
TIME OF PLAYING—_About Forty Minutes._
SCENE I
(_Sitting-room in Neilson’s house, well furnished. Margaret
overdressed, is sitting reading a magazine. She looks up impatiently
and throws it down in disgust._)
MARGARET—(_crossly._) There’s no use in my trying to read or do
anything else when I’m so provoked. I don’t see why dad can’t (_the
bell rings_) Oh, drat that bell! I don’t want to see any person. I wish
people would stay at home. (_Goes and looks out._) Oh! it’s Helen! I
wonder what she wants now. She is always running over and I’m sure I’m
never over there any more than four times a day at the most. (_Helen
comes in and Margaret rushes to embrace her._) Oh Helen, you dear girl!
I’m so glad to see you. I was just wishing you would come over. Do take
off your hat and stay awhile. I’ve just been so mad I could boil over
or bite somebody or do something awful.
HELEN—Why, what is the matter with you? What are you mad about?
(_Aside, It seems to me she is always in hot water or a stew about
something._)
MARGARET—Well, sit down and I’ll tell you about it. (_They sit down
on a couch._) It seems that dad has some country relations somewhere
in the backwoods. He’s had them ever since he was born but he’s just
remembering them now. Well, it seems that there’s a girl about my age
and dad was looking over some old photos last night and came across one
of her when she was six years old. That picture put him into the notion
that he would like to see that girl and nothing will do but I must
write and ask her up.
HELEN—That won’t hurt you, will it? I think it would be nice to have a
girl visiting you. I know when Marian Staddon was visiting me, we had a
dandy time—parties, dances, and heaps of things.
MARGARET—Yes, but can’t you get anything into your head? This is a
cousin from the _backwoods_ and just imagine the kind of figure she’d
cut in our set! Why, she’ll likely have the oddest clothes and speak
most horrible English and, and—not know beans. And then that would
spoil all our plans for getting in with Edith Browning. The Brownings,
you know, are such an aristocratic family and are the whole cheese
since they moved to the city. I’m just crazy to get in with them, but
of course if they saw me with that girl, that would spoil everything.
Edith would know that my father had sprung from common ordinary farmers
and we have just succeeded in making people think we had very important
ancestors.
HELEN—(_aside_) Gee! but isn’t she some snob. Well, nobody is deceived
I can vouch for that. (_aloud._) I know Edith Browning is the whole
thing just at present. I’ve met her several times and think she is
lovely, (_pause_) not a bit stuck up, you know. Of course we want to
get in with her, especially this winter when Beth Norton is going to
visit her, for everybody will be having parties and things for her.
MARGARET—And pray, who is Beth Norton?
HELEN—Don’t you know? Why, she is the girl that all the girls at
Erskine College were just crazy about. Why, they say there’s never
been a girl there before who was as popular. And act! Why, she took
the chief parts in all their plays and the girls said she had any
professional actress beaten all to pieces. Oh yes, we must manage to
get in with them if we can. Now about your cousin, say, why can’t you
have her up for just a couple of days and keep her out of the way?
MARGARET—Dad is bound that I’ll invite her up for two weeks anyway. I
can generally manage him pretty well, but this time he’s as obstinate
as a mule. I’m glad I didn’t inherit his bad qualities.
HELEN—(_aside_) I think she has all of his and some of her own to boot,
(_aloud_) I have an idea. Write her such a letter that if she has any
sense at all she’ll know she’s not wanted and then perhaps she won’t
come.
MARGARET—(_jumping up_) That _is_ a good idea! Let’s write it now. What
shall we put into it? (_goes to a table where there is paper and ink,
sits down to write_)
HELEN—(_going to the table_) Tell her that,—oh, I don’t know. You
ought to be good at that sort of thing. (_Margaret looks up sharply_).
Writing letters I mean. You can write such splendid ones, you know.
(_Margaret writes awhile while Helen looks over her shoulder._)
MARGARET—(_rising_) There, that ought to do the trick. What do you
think of it?
HELEN—Well, if she can’t take the hint from that that she’s not wanted,
she must be as dense as a—a fog! (_goes to put on her hat._) I must go
for I promised to stay only a few minutes. Good-bye (_goes towards the
door_) I hope your cousin won’t be too boorish if she does come.
MARGARET—Good-bye. We’ll trust to luck. (_Helen disappears. Margaret
comes to centre of stage_) Well, that letter _is_ a good stunt, but my,
wouldn’t dad be angry if he knew! But I’ll chance it that he doesn’t
find out. Now for a toast. (_Pretends to drink._) Here’s to the refusal
of my invitation to my country cousin.
CURTAIN