(_Setting—The sidewalk outside of “Murphy’s Tinement.” Have a couple
of low, wide steps, if possible. The children are gathered on and
around these steps. Use plenty of children—as many as convenient. Small
children from two to six or seven may be used as little brothers and
sisters to those who have the speaking parts. As curtain rises, some
of the children are playing “Button, button,” on the lowest step, and
others are playing “Hop-scotch” at one side. The smallest ones hug
dilapidated dollies, rolled up from rags. One has a small wheel, such
as might have been on a little cart, once. Enter Jimmy and Elsie—hurry
along to group._)
KATIE—Sold out so soon?
JIMMY—Ivery blissid paper av thim. Sure, ’twas the swate face of Ilsie
did it. I do be a thinkin’. An’ ivery sowl that bought a paper, almost,
axed quistions about her. Guess they thought she was a high-born leddy,
and me a stealthy, crapy kidnapper. Shure, an’ she got a foine chanst
to be a leddy, and she wouldn’t take it, at all, at all! Think av that,
now!
CONNIE—How could she get a chanst to be a leddy, when she’s jist a bit
av a colleen?
CLEOPATRA—Ah reck’n he means to be quality. Did some quality lady
wanter stole yer, honey chile?
ELSIE—Lady wanted to take me ’way fum Jimmy. She said, fere was mine
mutter dat her let me does papers to sell? And I wasn’t selling dose
papers at all! Jimmy was selling ’em. And I telled her mine mutter was
to Himmel gone, and mine fader was all loss, and—
JIMMY—And she wanted to take her home to be her little gel, ’n whin I
said we couldn’t spare the sunny face av her, she tried to wheedle her
away! Bad ’cess to her!
ELSIE—And she said I wasn’t Jimmy’s little sister at all, she did!
JIMMY—And she axed, she did, as purry as a cat, could we afford to kape
a growin’ choild that didn’t belong to us, and I says to her, says I,
“Ilsie belongs to the whole tinement, that she does!” And she axed how
that was, and I told her how Mrs. Ferrari slapes her, and Mrs. Omstrom
ates her, and Aunt Bridget washes her, and Mrs. Washington minds her,
and Mr. Opperman buys her bit clothes, and you girls kape her tidy, and
I buy her hair ribbins, and she laughed, and called her a communerty
orphin.
ELSIE—And I telled her I wasn’t no orfing, I was Jimmy’s little sister,
and she laughed some more, and she said I was pretty, and she gaved me
this. (_shows quarter._)
MICKY—Begorra, what a lot av money! It’s a capitalist ye’ll be afther
being, like the Rocky feller.
JIMMY—And thin, bedad, she began to wheedle, and she promised her foine
drisses, and a babby doll, and a cab to wheel it in, and iverything ye
could think about, and more, too, begorry. And thin if she didn’t up
and offer her a Christmas tree!
KATIE—A Christmas tree! Why didn’t she offer her the earth, with a
noice little pick fince around it? And ye wouldn’t lave us for a
Christmas tree, Elsie darlint?
ELSIE—“No,” I said, “Jimmy will buy me a Christmas tree a’reddy.”
MICKEY—Like fun he will! Does she think Jimmy’s a millionair?
JIMMY—And she asked where did we live, and I said, “over at the South
side,” says I, and I mutters “over the lift” to mesilf and says she,
“I’m a coming to see yer mother,” she says. And says I, wid the face av
me as sober as a praste, “Me mither’s me ant, for the rale mither av
me’s over in Ould Oirland in a churchyard, where she’s been iver since
jist before I was born, or jist afther, I forgit which, its so long
ago.”
ELSIE—And she laughed, and said she was going to haf her pretty baby,
yet a’retty, but I won’t with that lady go. I will stay with my Jimmy.
Jimmy won’t let her get me.
JIMMY—Don’t worry the golden braids av yer, Ilsie love. I gave her
shtrate way out at the South side that isn’t there at all, at all, and
bedad, she’ll hunt awhile before she finds that addriss, and whin she
does, it’ll be the wrong one.
ELSIE—(_confidently_) And Jimmy will buy me a Christmas, won’t you,
Jimmy?
JIMMY—Maybe, Ilsie love, a little one.
ELSIE—No, a big one, with a big, big tree.
CAESAR—Dar don’t no trees grow in de city, Ailsie honey, not cut down
ones.
ELSIE—They grow the stores in. Mine fader always did buy me one.
LUIGI—Maybe we mighta, all togetta, buy a leedla one. I could de shoesa
polish, and get some mon’.
CAESAR—An’ I kin hold de gemman’s hosses, ’n run arrantses.
MICKY—Let’s all try hard and see if we can’t get Elsie a little
Christmas tree.
ELSIE—I don’t a little Christmas want. I wants a big Christmas and a
big tree, like mine fader always did me get.