Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-09-12
HOW THE GREAT PLAY WAS
ACTED.

The all-important night for which the
little girls of Miss Muddleson's schoo
had been plotting and planning them
selves for at least two months, had a
last arrived; and the event of the season
the great play OF "Michael Angelo Buon
arotti," as dramatlzed by Lizzie Rollins
was announced to come off that very
evening, without fail.
Such hopeless furry as there had
been all day; such gathering together
of the theatrical wardrobes, to deposit
them in any corner where they could
find resting place; such hurried drill
ing of few who are utterly incapable OF
retaining their FIVE Or six lines in their
heads--amid the general tumult, what
wonder that twelve-year-old stage man
ager should find herself driven nearly
wild by the work to be accomplished; es-
pecially when it is taken into considera-
ton that she was also the dramatist, the
leading actress, the stage carpenter and
the manager Of the wardrooes! 1t was
well that she had an alde-de-camp to
second all her efforts as vigorously as did
Minnie Roland, who had assisted IN pre-
parlng the play, dutifully taking long
part in 1t, and who now worked hard tc
reduce the turbulent dramatic corps to
something like submission and order.
It was large boarding-school. and
the older girls had acted several little
plays with such astonishing success that
the minds and hearts of the Second Di-
vision had been filled with great long
ing to do likewise.
It is true there were more than few
obstacles to be overcome. They had nc
play, no fancy dresses, no one to drill
them, and as a rule, no money to buy
the things they wanted; but all these
difficulties vanished like smoke before
the v1gor and cleverness of one little girl,
the acknowledged leader Of the Second
Division. After many secret consulta-
tations and much debating, it was at last
determined that Lizzie Rollins should
dramatic favorlte story about the boy
hood Of the great sculptor and architect,
Michael Angelo, and that Minnie Roland
should act as secretary, and copy the
parts, which were to be distributed as
Lizzie thought best.
All this took long while, it being q
popularity of Miss Muddleson's school
that although there was plenty OF time
to study lessons, there was very little to
study plays; but by dint Of holding re-
hearsals every day at noon recreation
hour, everybody at last knew what she
was to say, and few had even some
faint idea Of how they were to say it.
Selecting the actors had been no easy
task. Lizzie had modestly declined the
leading role of Michael Angelo, and Civ
en- it to Emma Cullen, fat girl of thir-
teen, who acted nicely and was too pla-
cid to get Hurried under any circumstan-
ces, and could consequently be relied up
on to remember her part. Minnie was
to be the painters father, and Lizzie was
to be an old man-servant, named Urbino,
who supplied the comic element, and
had more to say than anybody else in
the party. To the prettiest girl in the
room, Lille Middleton, was given the
part of Sebastian, Michael Angeles bo-
som friend, solely as tribute to her
charms, for she could not act at all, even
if she cid not forget what she had to
say.
1t may perhaps be noticed that all the
characters were men and boys, which
was rather funny when all the actors
were little girls; but trlfe like that did
not discomfort these children, and having
assigned the different parts, the commit
tee passed on to the momentous question
of dresses.
81 wish we knew SAID Miss Minnie,
thoughtfully, ''what kind of clothes the
people wore IN Italy about that time
None of you girls ever saw picture of
Michael Angelo, I supposed"
Eve had an engraving of his head at
home," suggested Annie Campbell
Had he any kind OF hat on?" in
quired Lizzie, eagerly.
"No, nothing but hair
"Then it's of no use, and you needn't
have mentioned it," was the disconsolate
reply. "Of course Emma will wear her
hair Nobody expects her to leave it off
for the OCCASION; but 1t would have been
something, even to know what kind of
hats they wore
swell, I ana not sure of that" said
Minnie, who was of practical turn, 'sthe
chances are that if we did know, we could
not get up anything at all like them.
We've got 10 make the clothes ourselves
anu | don't believe that any one who will
see us Knows how Michael Angelo really
did dress"
"What will we wear then2" asked an
impatient chorus.
"Why, I think the best thing we can
do" said Lizzie gravely, twill be to dress
all the men
"We are all men, put in Annie, "there
are no women
"Well, then, to dress ourselves all in
short balmoral skirts. They will leek
like something between toga and tun-
mic, and won't be very inappropriate. -
''They will look more like kits than
either,' grumbled disafeeted actor,
land what ever Micheal Angelo might
have been he was not highlander
"Well, what OF that?" burst out Mn
ME, rushing to her friends defence; 'you
can't be sure that he did not wear kits
anyhow! You've no idea what he did
wear, and so now can you go and say
what he didn't?"
This argument, though by no means
sound, was felt to be convincing until a
quiet girl suggested that she thought the
people all wore doublet and hose.
$50 they did!'' said the disaffected
member.
"Well, perhaps then" remarked Lizzie
with cutting agony, perhaps you will
send TO the civ and have five sets of