Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-01-04

: drawing out of the gifts from the hold
will be u tame affair for an evenings
entertainment.
/ viii give a brief outline of a musi-
cal drama which can be worked up,
according to the supply of vocalists,
snd two puppets will be sufficient for
the proposed performance. A puppet
is worked on the Punch principle that
is to say, it consists of head. with a
hole at the neck, into which the fore
finger is thrust, the coat, which is fast
ened round the neck of the puppet,
falling over the hand, and tine thumb
and second finger fitting into the
sleeves. The two heads required are
those of the Captain of the ship and of
Cabin Boy. They would be cut out
of wood. and painted, and their size
will depend on the size of the ship.
Rough coats can be made of odd pieces
of fur or flannel, and need not be of
any particular shape, as only the head,
shoulders, and arms of the figure are
shown. The ends of the sleeves can be
tied up to represent sailors mIttens. as
their tingerless gloves are called; but
they must be stiffened, as otherwise
they will hang loose from the tips of
the thumb and second finger. The
performers required are bass for the
captain, a treble for the cabin boy, and
q sailors chorus of male voices. Tho
vocalists stand close to the back hang
ing, and the operator, who is to work
the puppets, takes his place below the
ship, IN such a position that he can
raise his hands easily just above the
bulwarks.
As the curtain draws up the captain
will be heard singing an effective sea
song, such as "a life on the ocean
wave" AS the last verse is finishing,
the puppet captain will push aside the
canvas covering between the masts,
and exhibit his head and shoulders
over the bulwarks. He will then de-
liver little speech.
Cdpt1in.-A merry Christmas to
you oil, my heartiesl I'm the skipper
of the stout whale ship Happy Return,
and here We are all laid up snug to
keep oar Christmas near the North
Pole. But a merry Christmas We
mean to have, don't we my lads (tt,r'a-
ing round as If 10 speak 10 the men
behind hinl).
Sditors.-Aye, aye sirl That we do.
Then follows sailors chorus, such
as one of those in "Pinafore."
The chorus over, the captain calls
the cabin boy, and the other puppet
appears by his side.
Cabin Boy.-Aye, aye, Sri
CGpt7in.-Well Jack, my lad, how
do you find yourself this Christmas
time, fit and fourishing?
Cabin BOy.-Well, Sir, lUGs think
ing about Christmas at home, and
mother-and was dreaming last night
as ! heard our church bells ringing.
Chimes may be played behind the
scenes while the boy continues to speak
about his home, and then some such
song as ClaribePs "Village Bells" may
be sung. This scene between the cap
tain and the cabin boy may be con-
tlnued for some time, and then the
captain ends with some such words as
these-"Cheer mp, my lad, stick to
your duty, and some day you'll be
skipper of whaler, I'll wager"
The cabin boy can finish with an ap-
propriate song, and then goes below.
The captain also announces his in
tention of turning in," but makes a
little speech before he does so, saying
that he has not forgotten his friends at
home, but as he cannot get to them,
he invites them to come and pay his
ship visit, and to do him the favor of
unloading the cargo. Another song
for the captain can be introduced
here.
When the captain has disappeared,
the operator below slides off the can
vas so as open the hold, and prepares
to hook on the various articles of
cargo, and the audience come up IN
order to the ship, and draw out their
presents. The ship having been
emptied, the captain can appear again
to wish his friends good night, and
then. while blue or red light accord
ing to the character of the scene) is
burning, the chorus of sailors sing
Hail Columbia" and the curtain
drops. ALE.