Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1890-08-20
AN EVENING WITH BRYANT.
THE LITTLE PEOPLE OF THE SNOW.
Arranged On Isa6eI .Smithson.

THE LITTLE PEOPLE OF THE SNOW.
arranged Gy Isabel ISnlithsOn.
In the way of evening amusements
for Summer resorts nothing gives more
general pleasure than theatrical enter
tainments; but even the simplest of
plays requires considerable expenditure
of time and money, and implies the
possession of talents which are not al
ways found in "A limited circle.
! The presentation of little scenes like
the following Is simple and easy, re-
quiring only one or two good recita-
'uog.lsts or readers, and a few tasteful
and willing helpers.
The following has been arranged for
us by Miss Isabel Smithson, whose
contributions to WIDE 4tCake, Home
Journal, Epoch, and other periodicals
of high literary standing, are attracting
favorable notice.
| This poem admits of illustration, the
extent and beauty of which need be
limited only by the taste, ingenuity
and resources of the managers. The
stage should be as wide and deep, and
the performers as numerous as posi-
BILE. In the same scenes, hills and
4
thrown over pieces of furniture of diff
ferent heights, four trees are to be dec
grated with cotton-wadding, and the
latter substance is to be thrown on the
floor which must first be covered with
| white sheets In the GLORIOUS Hall
| (which Is the largest of the scenes) sew
eral yards of the palest pink, green,
and blue game are to be fastened to-
gether Mt the ceiling, and brought down
to the floor, spreading out as rays of
light. The little people," are to be
as small and light as possible (all eirls)
with yellow hair (or wigs dressed IN
plain loose white gowns girt in at the
waist, and with low necks and short
sleeves; their feet and legs bare or
covered with white stockings only.
The snow scenes are to be separatel
from the foreground, by large white
game screen covering the entire back
ground, and very bright light is
to be thrown upon the snow-scenes,
leaving the foreground in shadow.
Characters.
Uncle John-Alice, Willy, Eva, Eva's
parents and three or four other peas
ants, Traveller, Snow maiden, and a
crowd of little people of the snow"
SCENE |.
a garden in Summer. Shrubs and
potted plants, standing about. A rustic
bench on left of foreground. Enter
Uncle John, with Alice and Willy cling
ing TO his arm:
ALICE-One of your old-world stories,
Uncle John.
Such as you tell US by the winter-fre,
Till we all wonder-it has grown SO
late.
UNCLE JoHS-The story of the witch
| 90 1aa+h
Two children in her mill? Or will
you have,
The tale of goody Cut-purse?
ALICE-Nay, now nay. Those stories
are too childish, Uncle John;
Too childish even for little Willy here,
And L am older, two good years,
than he.
No, let us have tale of elves that
ride by night
With iinglng reins Or, gnomes of
the mine;
Or water-fairies; such as you know
how TO spin,
Till WHY'S eyes forget to wink,
And good Aunt Mary, busy as she is,
Lays down her knitting. [They sit
on bench
CSCLE JoHs-Listen to me then:
Twas in the olden time long, long.
ago;
And long before the great oak at our
door
Was yet an acorn. On a mountain
side
Lived, with his wife, cottager. They
dwelt
Beside a glen, and near a dashing
brook,
4 pleasant spot in spring, where first
the wren,
Was heard to chatter, and among the
grass
flowers opened earliest; but when
Winter came
That little brook was fringed with
other iiowers-
) White flowers with crystal leaf and
stem. that grew,
In clear November nights. And, later
st.ll.
, That mountain-glen was filed with
dIifted SHOWS,
l From side to side that one might
walk across.
, " bile, many fathom deep, below.
the brook,
t s5.ng t. itself, and Ieaped and trot-
tel on
, Unir"zen. IN its pebbles towards the
, ya,e.
2 One little maiden, in that cottage
3 hoIae
| D4elt with her parents, light OF
= hear. and limb,
, Bright, restless, thoughtless fitting
her e and there,
Like sunshine on the uneasy ocean
wRyes,--
= And sometimes she forgot what she
q was bid.
= As Alice does, (pats her cheek
h Eva was the name of this young
t maidn,
o Now twelve Summers old
q Nov ym must know that in those
early times