"LET'S GIVE A SHOW!"
Just when it seemed as if a bad accident would happen and that some one
would be hurt by the fall of the roof-window, the man who had been using
the long pole thrust it under the edge of the sliding skylight and held
it there. Then he called:
"I have it! I can keep it from falling until somebody gets up on the
roof and fixes it. Hurry up, though!"
"I'll go up and fix it!" said another usher. "Guess the first snow was
too heavy for the skylight! Keep still, everybody!" he added. "There's
no danger now!"
The man had to shout to be heard above the screams of the frightened and
excited people, but he made his voice carry to all parts of the Opera
House, and finally it became more quiet. Then a man stepped from behind
the curtain and stood on the front part of the stage. He held up his
hand to make the people know he wanted them to be quiet, and when his
voice could be heard he said:
"There is no danger now. There was some, but it has passed. The man will
hold the skylight in place until it can be fastened. And while he is
doing that I wish those who are sitting under it would move quietly out
into the aisles. Don't crowd or rush. You children can pretend it is
like the fire drill you have at school."
"Oh, we do have fire drill at our school, don't we, Bunny?" cried Sue,
in a rather loud voice. Her words carried to all parts of the theater
and many laughed. This laugh was just what was needed to make the people
forget their fright, and soon the place directly under the loosened
skylight was clear. Bunny and Sue, with Uncle Tad and their boy and girl
chums, moved out into the aisle, and soon the men began the work of
fastening the skylight back in place. And you may be sure they fastened
it tight.
While this is being done I will take a few moments to tell my new
readers something about the two Brown children. As you may have guessed,
there are other volumes which come before this one. The first is called
"Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue."
Bunny and Sue lived with their father and mother in a pretty house in
the town of Bellemere. Bellemere was on the seacoast and also near a
small river. Mr. Brown was in the boat and fish business, and he owned a
dock, or wharf, on the bay and had his office there. He had many men to
help, and also a big boy, who was almost a man. The big boy's name was
Bunker Blue, and he was very good to Bunny and Sue. Living in the same
house with the Browns was Uncle Tad. He was Mr. Brown's uncle, but Bunny
and Sue thought they owned just as much of the dear old soldier as did
their father. Besides Uncle Tad, the children had other relations. They
had a grandfather and a grandmother, and also an aunt, Miss Lulu Baker,
who lived in a big city.
Bunny and Sue Brown had many friends in Bellemere. Besides the few boys
and girls I have mentioned there were many others. And there was also
Jed Winkler, an old sailor who owned a monkey, and, lately, he had
bought a green parrot from an old shipmate of his. Jed Winkler had a
sister, a rather cross maiden lady who did not like the monkey very
much. And the monkey, whose name was Wango, seemed to know this, for he
was always playing tricks on Miss Winkler.
The second volume of the series is called "Bunny Brown and His Sister
Sue on Grandpa's Farm." There, you can easily imagine, the little boy
and girl had lots of fun. During their visit to the farm they got up a
circus, and there is a book telling all about it. They had a real tent,
which their grandfather got for them, and in it they and some of their
friends gave a very funny performance.
When Bunny and Sue went to Aunt Lu's city home they had many wonderful
times, and when they went on a vacation to Camp Rest-a-While so many
things happened near the beautiful lake that the children never tired
talking about them.
It was after the children had spent such a happy time in the camp that
they went to the "Big Woods," as Bunny and Sue called them, and, after
that, their father and mother took them on an auto tour, when many
strange things happened. "Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue and Their
Shetland Pony" is the name of the book just before the one you are
reading now, and after many adventures with the little horse the two
children planned for winter fun. Going to the show in the Opera House
was part of this fun.
It did not take very long for the man who had gone up to the roof to fix
the broken skylight. The children could see him away up above their
heads as they sat in the theater, or stood there, for those who had
places directly under the skylight would not use the seats until the
roof-window was fixed.
"There! It's all right now," said the man on the stage. "There is no
more danger. Take your seats and the show will begin."
From all over the Opera House you could have heard delighted "Ohs!" and
"Ahs!" from the children. There was a rustling of programs, a swish of
skirts, several coughs, and one or two sneezes. Then the fiddles
squeaked, there was rumble and boom of the drums, and the orchestra
played the Star-Spangled Banner.
Every one stood up until the national air was ended and then the
musicians began to play a dance tune which was so lively that the feet
of every one, old and young, seemed to be tapping the floor.
Then came a pause, the lights in the Opera House were turned low, and at
last the curtain went up. Bunny Brown and his sister Sue held tightly to
the arms of their seats, lest they might slip out during the excitement
that was to follow. And it was exciting for the children, as you may
easily guess.
The first act was the juggler, or the "jiggler," as one of the boys had
called him. He placed a pole on his chin, and on top of the pole a glass
of water. Then with three balls he did a number of odd tricks.
"And all the while, mind you!" exclaimed Bunny, telling his father about
it afterward, "the man held the water, on the pole on his chin and he
didn't drop it once."
"Yes, that must have been wonderful," said Daddy Brown. "If he had
dropped the pole he'd have broken the glass, wouldn't he?"
"And he would have spilled the water, too!" exclaimed Bunny's sister.
"And it was real water!"
"No!" cried Mr. Brown, in fun, making believe he didn't believe this.
"Yes it was, really!" declared Sue, and Bunny nodded his head also.
The juggler did many other tricks, even tossing balls up into the air
and letting them fall in a tall silk hat he wore. The hat had no crown
to it, but it had a funny little door, or opening, cut in front, and as
fast as the juggler would toss the rubber balls into his hat, they would
roll out of the little door in front. My, how the children did laugh!
But the juggler never even smiled.
The next act was that of an old man who, on the programme, was called an
"Impersonator."
"What's that mean?" asked Bunny of Uncle Tad. "Does he do juggles too?"
"No, he dresses up like some persons you may have seen in pictures. He
pretends he's General Washington, or the President, or some great
soldier. He tries to look as much like these persons as he can, so they
call him an impersonator. Watch, and you'll see."
When the "Impersonator" came out on the stage he did not look like any
one but himself. He made a few remarks, but Bunny and Sue did not pay
much attention. They were more interested in what he was going to do.
The man, who wore a black suit, "like the minister's," as Mary Watson
whispered to Sue, suddenly stepped over to a little table, on which were
two electric lights and a looking glass.
The children could not see exactly what the man did. They noticed that
his hands were working very quickly, but he had his back toward them.
All at once his black hair seemed to turn white, and in a moment he
caught up from a chair a coat of blue and gold; he slipped this on. Then
he turned suddenly and faced the audience.
"Oh, it's George Washington!" cried a boy, and the audience laughed.
And, to tell the truth, the man on the stage did look a great deal like
our first president, as you see him in pictures. The man had put a white
wig on over his black hair, and had put on the kind of coat George
Washington used to wear.
I wish I had time to tell you all the different persons this actor made
up to appear like, but I can mention only a few. From Washington he
turned himself into Lincoln, and then into Roosevelt. Then he made up
like some of the French and English generals, and afterward he made
himself look like General Grant, smoking a cigar.
Every one applauded as the man bowed himself off the stage. There was a
thrill of excitement when the next number was announced. A little girl
was shown on the stage. She did not seem much older than Sue, but of
course she was. She began to sing in a sweet, childish voice, and in the
midst of her song a boy dressed in a suit of bright spangles suddenly
appeared from the side. Without a word the boy began turning handsprings
and somersaults and doing flipflops in front of the girl.
Suddenly she stopped her song, stamped her little foot, and in pretended
anger cried:
"What do you mean by coming out here and spoiling my singing act?"
"Why, the man back there," said the boy, pointing behind the scenes,
"told me to come out here and amuse the people," and he seemed, to smile
right at Bunny Brown and Sue.
"He told you to come out and amuse the people, did he? Well, what does
he think I'm doing?" demanded the girl.
"I don't know. I guess he thinks maybe you're making 'em cry!" was the
boy acrobat's grinning answer.
"Well, I like that! The idea!" exclaimed the girl. "I'm going right back
and tell him I won't sing another song in this show! The idea!" and she
hurried off the stage.
"Oh, won't she sing any more?" whispered Sue to Uncle Tad.
"Yes," answered the soldier with a smile. "That's just part of the
act--to make it more interesting."
"Now that she is out of the way I'll have more room to do my flipflops,"
said the boy acrobat, and he started to do all sorts of tricks. But,
just as Uncle Tad had said, the girl was only pretending, for pretty
soon she came back again with a prettier dress on, and she danced and
sang while the boy did handsprings to the delight of Bunny Brown, his
sister Sue, and all the others in the audience.
I haven't room to tell you all that happened at the show that afternoon,
for this story is to be about a show Bunny and Sue gave. But I will
just say every one liked the entertainment, and when Bunny was coming
out, walking behind Sue, he suddenly said:
"I know what we can do!"
"What?" asked the little girl.
"Let's give a show ourselves--like this!" Bunny pointed toward the
stage.
Sue looked at Bunny to make sure he was not joking. Then she answered
and said:
"We will! We'll give a show ourselves!"