THE MARIONETTE SHOW
Do you remember your first party dress? How it gave a glimpse of the
throat and neck, and seemed to sweep the ground all around, although it
merely reached your shoe tops?
Did you feel a thrill of pleasure when the last hook and eye was
fastened and you surveyed yourself in the longest mirror in the house?
So it was with Anne in her pink crepe de Chine. Or was it really Anne,
this little vision in rose color with glowing cheeks and sparkling eyes?
She stood spellbound before the glass on that memorable Christmas night,
and no one disturbed her for awhile. Mrs. Gray and the girls had stolen
out so as not to embarrass the young girl who, for the first time, saw
herself in a beautiful new silk dress exactly the color of pink rose
petals, which hung in soft folds to the tips of her small pink satin
slippers.
"Give her a chance, girls," whispered Mrs. Gray. "We mustn't be too
enthusiastic about the difference. It might hurt her tender little
feelings. But she _does_ look sweet, doesn't she?"
"As pretty as a picture, Mrs. Gray," answered Grace, kissing the old
lady's peach blossom cheek. "But they are coming. I hear them on the
walk. We must get behind the scenes and see that everything is all
ready."
The big drawing room of the Gray house was soon full of young people
watching the folding doors leading into the library with expectant
faces. In the hall a string orchestra was discoursing soft music and the
place was filled with the hum of conversation and low laughter. Mrs.
Gray, seated on the front row, in the place of honor, occasionally
looked about her and smiled happily.
"Why didn't I do this long ago?" she said to herself. "But then, were
there ever before such nice girls as my four adopted daughters?"
Miriam sat near, with the other members of her house party. It had been
a source of much discussion whether or not to admit Julia Crosby to the
freshman party. But, since she was Miriam's guest, what else was there
to do?
"We shall be only heaping coals of fire on her head at any rate," hinted
Jessica, "and that certainly ought to make her feel worse than if she
had been left out."
After everyone was comfortably seated three loud raps were heard from
behind the folding doors. Some one began to play "The Funeral March of a
Marionette" on the piano, and the doors slid slowly back.
There was a murmur of surprise and wonder.
Two curtains had been stretched across the door opening above and below
and two hung down at each side, leaving an oblong space in the middle in
which stood a little doll theater nearly a yard and a half long and a
yard high. A row of footlights across the miniature stage presently
blossomed into light, and the freshman girls smiled as they recognized
some of those same little bulbs that had served to illuminate the
pumpkin face of Miss Leece's effigy. The music ceased and the curtains
rolled back. There sat Cinderella by the kitchen fire, very stiff and
straight, but weeping audibly with her little fists in her eyes. She was
ten inches high and, on careful examination, it could be seen that two
threads attached to her arms, and another to the back of her neck, made
it possible for her to move about and use her hands in a remarkably
life-like manner.
Wild applause from the audience. Well there might be, for the scene was
perfect, from the old brick fireplace with an iron pot steaming on the
coals to the rows of shining pans and blue dishes on a shelf at the
side, all of which came from a toy shop, along with a little kitchen
bench and chairs.
The cruel sisters swept in, dressed for the ball. When they spoke there
were convulsive titters among the guests for the voices of the cruel
step-sisters were those of Nora and Hippy. Anne read the lines of
Cinderella so plaintively that Mrs. Gray shed a secret tear or two when
Cinderella was left alone in the gloomy old kitchen. When the fairy
godmother appeared, in a peaked red hat and a long red cape, it was
Jessica who spoke the lines in a sweet, musical voice. How Cinderella
rolled out the pumpkin and displayed six white mice in a trap, and how,
after a brief interval of total darkness, could be seen through the open
door a coach of gold in which sat Cinderella in a silken gown, need not
be related here. It all took place without a single slip and the dolls
went through their parts with such funny life-like motions that the boys
and girls forgot they were not watching real actors.
It was the scene of the ballroom, however, which was the real triumph of
the evening.
"How did those clever children ever do it?" exclaimed Mrs. Gray, aloud,
when the curtain rolled back and disclosed the ballroom of the palace,
with a drop curtain at the back showing a vista of marble columns and
pillars. A gilt chandelier was suspended in the middle, from which
stretched garlands of real smilax. There were rows of little gilt chairs
against the walls filled with dolls in stiff satins and brocades. And
one large throne chair with a red velvet cushion in it, on which sat the
prince, who spoke with the voice of David Nesbit, and entertained his
guests in royal state. After the exciting arrival of Cinderella, Nora
played a minuet on the mandolin, the tinkling music of which seemed best
suited to the doll drama, and the prince and Cinderella executed a dance
of such intricate steps and low bows that the audience was convulsed
with laughter. There were even suppressed titters from behind the
scenes. This dance, which had been devised by Tom Gray and Grace,
necessitated two extra threads to manipulate the feet. It was most
difficult and had required long and tedious practice, but the results
were quite worth all the time and trouble.
Mrs. Gray laughed till the tears rolled down her cheeks and made a
personal appeal for an encore, which was given; but there was a mishap
this time; Cinderella's threads became entangled and she came near to
breaking her china nose. Audiences are invariably most pitiless when
they are most pleased, and have no mercy on exhausted actors. At the cry
of "Speech! Speech!" the Prince stepped forward and made a low bow.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "we thank you for your approval and if
strength and breath permitted us, and the lady had not injured her nose,
we would gladly dance again for you."
Then came the last scene. The step-sisters made desperate efforts to
wear the slipper; Cinderella finally retired triumphantly on the
prince's arm, and the curtains closed only to open again a few moments
later upon a scene which bore a strong resemblance to Oakdale High
School. The fairy godmother occupied the center of the stage while the
entire company of dolls were lined up on either side. Cinderella and the
prince, each held the end of an open scroll, which bore a printed
inscription that could be seen by the audience. It read:
"A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO THE FAIRY GODMOTHER OF THE FRESHMAN CLASS."
A scene of wild enthusiasm followed. The young people gave three cheers
for Mrs. Gray and ended with the High School yell. The actors came out
and were cheered each in turn.
Grace, Tom Gray and Reddy had worked the marionettes, it seemed,
standing on the back of the table where the theater was placed, while
the others, sitting on low stools at the sides where they could see and
not be seen, read their lines which had been composed by Anne.
"It wasn't so hard as you might think," said Grace, explaining the
marionettes to a group of friends. "Dressing the dolls was easy; we
glued on most of their clothes, and we made the step-sisters ugly by
giving them putty noses. Hippy painted the scenery and David supplied
the electric lights. The threads that moved the arms and bodies were
tied to little cross sticks something like a gallows, so that they could
be held from above without being seen."
But the marionette show was only the beginning of the party. There was
to be feasting and dancing, and, lastly, a big Christmas tree loaded
with presents.
The floors were cleared. The notes of a waltz rang out, and away whirled
the happy boys and girls. Anne and David, who did not dance, retired to
a sofa in the library to look on.
"Are you happy, Anne, in your beautiful pink dress?" asked David,
regarding her with open admiration.
"How can I help being happy?" she replied. "This is the first pretty
dress that I have ever had and I never went to a party before, either."
"I never enjoyed a party before," said David, "but I'm enjoying this
one. I hope, for Mrs. Gray's sake, it goes off without a hitch."
Just then Tom Gray waltzed by with Grace. They stopped when they saw
their friends, and came back.
"Our efforts are certainly crowned with success," exclaimed Grace. "It's
the most beautiful ball ever given in Oakdale. Everyone says so. By the
way," she added, "get your partners and fall in line for the grand march
to supper."
"I already have mine, all right," declared Tom Gray.
"And I think I have mine," observed David. "She's wearing a pink dress
and is just about as tall as a marionette."
Anne laughed and stood on tiptoe to make herself look taller. Suddenly
she caught the eye of Miriam Nesbit, who was lingering in the doorway,
watching the scene with an expression that the circumstances and holiday
surroundings hardly seemed to justify.
"I wonder if the party will go off without a hitch," thought Anne, as
they joined the grand march into the dining room.
When the beautiful, illuminated tree had been disburdened of all its
presents and the guests were well advanced on their supper, Mrs. Gray
approached Anne, carrying an oblong box, neatly done up in white tissue
paper tied with red ribbons. Pinned to the ribbon with a piece of holly
was a Christmas card on which was printed in fancy lettering "A
Christmas Thought."
"Why, what is this, Mrs. Gray?" demanded Anne, rather excited, while
many of the boys and girls gathered around her and some stood on chairs
in order to see what the mysterious box contained.
"I know no more than you, dear," replied the old lady. "A man left it at
the door a moment ago, and one of the servants gave it to me. Why don't
you open it and see?"
Anne hesitated. Something told her not to open the box, but how could
she help it with dozens of her friends waiting eagerly to see what was
in it?
"Hurry up, Anne, aren't you curious to see what it is?" some one called.
"It looks like flowers," said another.
"Or candy," observed a third.
And still Anne's fingers lingered on the bow of red ribbon. Was there
anyone in the world who could be sending her a box that night? Certainly
not her mother nor her sister, nor any of her friends who had exchanged
presents in the morning. Mrs. Gray evidently had not sent it and there
was no one else in her small list of friends who would have taken the
trouble.
"Anne, you funny child, don't you see we are all waiting impatiently?"
said Grace at last.
Anne slipped off the ribbons and opened the package. In the box was some
object, carefully done up in more tissue paper.
"It looks like a mummy," exclaimed Hippy.
Untying the wrappers, Anne held up to the curious view of the others a
large doll.
At first she hardly comprehended what it was and held it out at arms'
length looking at it wonderingly. It was dressed as a man in a black
suit with a long Prince Albert coat, very crudely made on close
inspection, but still cut and fitted to give the right effect. The face
had been cleverly changed with paint and putty, and pinned on the head
was a black felt hat, constructed out of the crown of an old one
evidently, in which had been sewn some lank black hair.
A card was tied around the doll's neck, and some one looking over Anne's
shoulder read aloud the following inscription written upon it:
"Why have imitation actors when you can get real ones?"
Anne gave a gasp.
Who could have played this cruel trick upon her? She knew her four
friends had never spoken of the happenings of Thanksgiving night, but
such secrets would leak out in spite of everything, and there may have
been others in the audience who had recognized her. Moreover, her father
himself would not have hesitated to tell who she was, so that it was not
difficult to understand how the story had spread.
But who would have the heart to hold her father up to ridicule in this
way, and to cause her such secret pain and unhappiness? While her
thoughts were busy, David had seized the doll and wrapped it up again.
He was very angry, but it was wiser to keep silent.
"What was it, dear?" demanded Mrs. Gray, who had not been able to hear
the message written on the card.
"Just a silly trick on Anne, Mrs. Gray," replied David, for Anne was too
near to tears to trust the sound of her own voice.
"Something about actors, wasn't it?" asked Julia Crosby, who was
hovering near, and before she could be stopped, she had snatched the
doll from Anne's lap. The covers fluttered to the floor and the others
pressed eagerly around to get a glimpse of it.
David leaped to his feet so vigorously that he upset a chair.
"Give that back!" he commanded. "It is not yours."
[Illustration: "Give That Back! It Is Not Yours."]
"I will not," answered Julia Crosby. "Neither is it yours."
"I say you will," cried David, furiously, losing his temper completely.
"Get it if you can!" challenged the girl, darting through the crowd with
David at her heels.
Suddenly there was a crash, a startled cry and the great fir tree with
all its ornaments and lighted candles fell to the floor.