The Savannah morning news., 1902-03-02


well my dear" said the madame,
bring me tomorrow after school
written permission from your moth
ers, and l will put you in rehearsal.
We can use an extra owl or poppy,
perhaps a cupid" The children went
home as quickly as if they were al
ready winged fairies.
But their Joy soon came to grief
Grandma was quite shocked and scold-
ed them for going to the playhouse.
The story of little Elsie Brown had
no power to move her to write the let
ter to the ballet mistress saying the
children had her consent to become
fairies.
Lets cry" whispered Gypsy. Don't
you member when we were babies
grandma would give us anything we
wanted if we cried hard enough and
long enough" With that the little
mischiefs set up a crying spell that
lasted so long that grandma began
to fear fer their eyes and her own
nerves. When they had spilled almost
every tear they had Dinah went to
grandma.
Let me takes the chillens to the re-
hearsals, Mrs. Blodgett," pleaded the
trusted maid of all work. Use been a
dresser in the playhouse, l knows what
it is, and Use give you my word, des
CiDllen VIII tire SOON OI De-
ing real fairies, for dey's have to work
like downright niggers." That's how
grandma came TO write the note that
finally admitted Hazel and Gypsy to
fairYland. Every day for two long
weeks they went after school to the
playhouse, where for an hour first one,
then another mistress of the ballet put
them through poses until they could
spin on their toes like tops, and fall in
to all sorts of positions like little peo-
pie in pictures they had often seen at
the Metropolitan Museum.
1t was great fun at first, but there
came days when they would rather
have played at home than go over and
over the same thing in their school
clothes in the dingy. drafty theater
with a lot of children they had never
seen before. They were what are
called observation-disclosures practicing
to fill the place of a fairy that might
fall sick or be called away suddenly.
There We're times when 1t seemed as if
nobody would ever get sick and give
them a chance to wear the beautiful
clothes that hung in the presses in the
great dressing room and go upon the
big stage when it was brilliantly IL
Illuminated, and the playhouse filled
with gayly dressed people. They were
beginning to thing as Dinah had said,
that being a fairy wasn't such great
fun after ALL when one day grand
mama got a message from the ballet
mistress telling them to come that
night to the playhouse.
The dressing room was crowded with
children dressing and undressing, and
it seemed that a bevy of magpies had
been let loose so great was the babble.
Maids were making up their little faces
with paints and powders, and pinning
wigs over their real hair. The mistress
of the wardrobe couldn't find tights
small enough for Gypsy's dainty limbs,
and she had to be sewed up in pair
that grandma might have worn, which
made all the other fairies and elfs
laugh merrily. When ii came to wings
the pins had given out, so guess what
the maid did? She fastened them to
Gypsy's bodice with tacks. There's a
tackled fairy for youl" she laughed
But Gypsy, with her own crown of
golden curls-the makeup man said
they were too pretty to cover with a
wig-was a picture upon which the
dressing room Toasted with admira
ton, as she stepped into an empty
space, and to the music that swept
down from the flies, took step or two
to show how graceful she could be in
fairy attire.
pered the girl who had Elsie's place.
AS for Hazel she was hidden in
great white woody pair of pajamas.
and over her dark curls was slipped
a huge OWLS head, through which her
mischievous eyes pceped, seeing more
than did any owl by night or day.
Next time." said Madame Trolly,
you'll be a cupid, my dear, if you
promise to keep your arrows in your
sling
All the girls laughed, and Hazel and
Gypsy wondered why. 1t was great
fun to join the long procession that
went scrambling down spiral stair
case from the dressing room into the
wings. How their blood danced to the
music as they waited the cue!
i Ready" cried the stage manager.
Up went the curtain. and before the
children knew it, they were tripping
like real fairies in Elfland. Every
where was a sea of strange faces, all
intent upon the stage. while the lights
played all sorts of beautiful pranks,
and the music waited everybody and
everything away from this world into
that of sprites and elfs.
For one enchanting week they tripped
in their fairy clothes before the foot
lights. During the waits between the
acts Hazel finished writing THE Ad-
ventures of the Princess Tuda" The
dressing room was much interested
and each girl took turns reading it
until the paper was worn ragged. Then
they called Hazel Genius, a name
which you may now read on the pro-
gramme in great red letters. One
morning when Dina brought the chill
dren to rehearsal Madame Trolly gave
her two envelopes-the real fairies,
first real earnings-four dollars apiece
for eight performances When grand
mamma had counted it with glstening
eyes, it was Tot that led the trio to
Elsie Browns home.
II have been trying to be as good a
fairy as you" said Gypsy to Elsie,
but Madame Trolly says need lots
more study before 1 can fill your
place"
And 1 am still an owl" sighed
Hazel. I'll have to be a poppy. a
train spreader and a Cupid before
can be even as good a fairy as Gypsy
is already. I only wanted TO be a fairy
like you, Elsie, stammered Hazel.
$50 I might save the place for you
Then the children slipped their en-
velopes into Elsie's little work hard
ened hand. When the stage fairy
! drudge grasped the meaning Of the