The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-07-19
e-Chuldrun of the Tabul Round. i+t,11 h..irhtS and ladies za

 Let our voy-siz all resound Faith and hope and chariteef'
 The Child King Arthur rose, extend l ed his scepter with the decisive gesture | of 8 semaphore and spake: Each MttuI knight and lady born | Has noble deeds to perform | In thee ehild-woFld of Sk13vullree, No matter how small his share may bs. 1 Let each advance and tell in turn | What claim has each to knighthood earn. 7 The Child Sir MordredI the villain of this piece, rose in his place at the Table Round and piped the only lines ever written by Mrs. Lora Rewbush which | Penrod Schofield could have pronounc- ed without loathing Georgie Bassett, really angelic boy, had been select | ed for the role of Mordred. His per 1 feet conduct had earned for him the sardonfc sobrfquet '"The Little Gentle ] man" among his boy acQuatn tances. i Naturally he had no frfen6Ss.) Hence l the other boys supposed that he had ] been selected for the wicked Nordred i as a reward of virtue. He acclaimed serenely:
 1T night Sir N1orxared the.Ch1ld. and teach ! Lessons of selflshest evil and reach Out into darkness. Thought1esS, uukfnds And ruthless is AIordred and unrehned.' The Child Mordred was properly re- buked and denied the accolade, though, like the others. he seemed to have as- stunned the title already, He made plotter's exit, whereupon Maurice Levy rose, bowed, announced that he night ed the Child Sir Galahad and contin- ued with perfect sang froid: .'I am the purest of the pure. I have but kindest thoughts each day. give my riches to the poor
 And follow in the Masters way, This eItcited tokens of approval from the Child King Arthur, and he bade Maurice stand forth" and come near the throne, command obeyed with the easy grace of conscious merit It was Penrods turn. He stepped back from his chair. the table between him and the audience. and began in high, breathless monotone: CT night Sir Lancelot du Lake the Child, Gentul-hearted meek and mild
 What though I'm but a lfttul child, Gentui-hearted, meek and mild. IL do my share though but-though
 Penrod paused and gulped. The voice of Mrs. Lora Rewbush was heard from the wings, prompting irritably, and the Child Sir Lancelot repeated: T do my share though. but-though but
 tot
 I pray you knight Sir L.ancelot...
 This also met the royal favor, and Penrod was bidden to join Sir Gala had at the throne. As he crossed the stage Mrs. Schofeld whispered to Mar garet:
 tThat boy! He's unpinned his man tie and fixed it to cover his whole cos tune After we worked so hard to make it becomingl''
 Never mind Hell have to take the cape off in a minute" returned Marga- ret She leaned forward suddenly, narrowing her eyes to see the better. .swhat is that thing hanging about his left ankle?' she whispered uneasily. How queer. He must have got tan gled in something.''
 'sWhere?" asked Mrs Schofe1d in alarm.
 = s.F7is left foot. It makes him stun ble. Don't you see? It 1ooks-it looks like an elephants foot."
 The Child Sir LaneeIot and the Child Sir GaIahad clasped hands be- fore their child king. Penrod was con scious of great uplift; in moment he would have to throw aside his man tie, but even so he was protected and sheltered in the human garment of man. His stage fright had passed, fox the audience was but an indistinguish-
 
 zliag lights His most repulsive speech that in which he proclaimed himself s.tot'') was over and done with. and now at last the small, moist hand of the Child Sir Galahad lay within his own. Craftily his brown fingers stole from Matrices palm to the wrist. The two boys, acclaimed in concert: I've are two chu1dr1n of the Tabu1 Round
 Streying kindness all around
 With love and good deeds striving ever
 for the best
 May our Iittul efforts e'er be blest. Two 1ittu1 hearts we offer See, United in love- faith hope and char-Owr'
 The conclusion of the duet.Was mar red The Child Sir Galahad suddenly sttfened and, uttering an trrepressible shriek of anguish, gave brief exhibi- ton of the contortionfst's art. c@He's twistin' my wristi Dern you, leggopl
 The voice of Mrs. Lora Rewbnsh was again heard from the wings. It sound ed bloodthirsty Penrod released his victim, and the Child King Arthur, somewhat diseoncerted, extended his scepter and, with the assistance of the enraged prompter, said:
 Sweet child friends of the Tabul Round. In brotherly love and kindness abound; Sir Lancelot, you have spoken well, Sir Galahad, too. as clear as bell So now pray doff your mantles gay. You shall be knighted this very day.
 And Penrod doffed his mantle.
 Simultaneously thick and vasty gasp came from the audience, as from 800 bathers 1n a wholly unexpected :. surf. This gasp was punctuated irreg- ularly over the auditorium by imper- fectIy subdued screams both of dismay and incredulous joy and by two dismal shrfeks. Altogether it was an extraor- dtnary sound, a sound never to be for gotten by any one who heard it. It was almost as unforgetable as the sight which caused it, the word sight being here used in it's yernacular sense, for Penrod, standing unmantled and revealed in all the medieval and artis- tie glory of the janitor's blue overalls,