The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1919-07-24

we could have told them that we di'
not "act our parts" at all We merel
did what was natural TO US undo
familiar circumstances. We had, nj
our lives, gone to Thanksgiving din
ners with our folks ). What wa
there SO hard about doing il on
STAGE
But the old granny is Mortified b.
the bad manners Of the children
talking right out before their clderl
that way" and as she knocks loudl!
with her crutch, her stentorian voice oi
command rises above the din, demand
ing quiet. So, giggling and nudgint
each other, the Children run to TAX,
their places at their own table.
No sooner has certain quiet fallen
than another knock is heard, and an
other family arrives, buxom matron
gaunt, outstanding father; and swarm
ing. laughing, chattering children, fill
ing the little stage with their sweet
high voices and the brightness of theii
costumes. And then another, and an
other, till the little cabin is full and
every one is seated at the long tables
save the rheumatic old granny who
keeps her splint- -bottomed chair by the
chimney-corner, and the family Of In
dians who silent and dignifed, look
on with certain grim friendliness at
the alien cheer before them.
The savory, smoking, brown turkeys
are taken down from the fire and car
ried with respect to the table; the po-
tatoes are raked out of the ashes; and
the feasting begins. Scrooge himself
would have laughed outright at the
sight of the childrens table, bright
with candles, laughing little faces and
strong white teeth gnawing turkey
bones with hearty, unfeigned relish.
But the old granny again objects to
the noise, and cries out, "Loo-y-here,
them young ones have got to be KEEP
quiet or we can't none Of US relish our
vittles. | tell We whall shut their
Let's make 'em get up, one
by one, and say what they've parned
since last Thanksgiving Day! I'll
warrant We they won't have SO much
to say for themselves il we ask 'em
what eight times seven is, and how
they spell 'multitudinous'"
One boy, stepping shyly to the
front, "does sums in his head till
even Granny is forced to admit that
the schools aren't SO much worse than
those in the reign Of king George the
First, God bless himl7 with defiant
glare around At her degenerate demo-
cratic family. A little maiden, tossing
her curls under her big frilled cap,
steps out and reads aloud in a shrill,
voice, a moral tale from an
old primer. A pair of little girls, too
shy to speak, hold up well-hemmed
towel and loaf of bread as samples
Of their activities, and are roundly
by Granny who, glib and
racy-tongued herself, finds it very "fit
and proper" that girls should know
enough to hold their tongues. One OF
he boys recites stirring and very
,editious ballad of the revolt against
York State insolence, which is said by
he Green Mountain Boy to be favor
te of Colonel Ethan Aliens. A very
my child trots out and hastily gab-
lies through one verse Of hymn by
)r. Watts.
Then comes the dancing, for our
own was always a Church Of England
settlement and never had any Puritan
trictures on dancing. A little boy
md girl, hand in hand, step forward
md dance quaint, bobbing, abrupt
I'D folk-dance. After this, not to be
'utdone by the little folks, quartet
# young people leave their places and
tremendously bow their way through
minuet, the stately grace Of which ex-
ties the scorn of the Green Mountain
Boy, who cries out, "Oh, Equanok,
ONE show 'em what real dancing is
live us the bear dancew And, tower
ng, formidable figure in his paint and
,reat bearskin robe, up rises the In
Ian chief, bringing into the homely
Gene a dark, aboriginal gravity.
In the hushed, slightly startled
'ause, after the end of the wild energy
f his performance, the old granny,
hitting her pipe from one corner of
er toothless mouth TO the other, re-
marks that all this dancing is very
veil, but nothing to the way folks
anced when King George the First,
iod bless =" She was interrupted !
y laughing calls from her descend
nts to "Step out, Granny! Show US
hat dancing used to ber One of the
randsons takes the violin and begins
lifting, old-time dance-tune; and,