Evening star., 1930-06-22
By w care Holbrook.

shock that MRS. ChalliS recognized her own
coreopsis and Mrs. PrOctor's choice yellow tulips
among the dandelion green's which were
brought to Mr.. squattulucci. But the real
shock came a few weeks later, when Mr..
Squattulucci was arrested for selling dandelon
wine There was quite fuss about 1t, and MRS.
Challis was obliged to resign from the local
chapter of the w. c. T. U.
Last Summer Mrs. Challis produced a pag-
cant of progress which kept the youngsters
busy well into the dog days. Its ostensible pur-
pose was to celebrate the 165th anniversary
of the purchase of East Teabone from the
Indians in 1854 when Col. Tristram Teabone
had brought the entire tract from Chief Reed
ing Chin for keg of rum.
In fact, the pageant itself was staged upon
the very spot where this important transaction
had taken place-a corner of a cow-pasture
which now belongs to gentleman farmer by
the name of Smitch.
THE Pageant of Progress opened with
rhymed prologue recited by MRS. Challis
who dressed to represent seven out Of a
possible nine muses. She wore long Grecian
robes which were designed to give an effect Of
sendernesS-but not to Mrs. Chalis; she was
a living demonstration of the Einstein theory
that space is curved. The prologue touched
lightly upon most of the important events IN
history from the Palsolithic period to the dawn
of the eighteenth century Then, circa 100 A.
D., MRS. Challis retreated behind O clump Of
elder bushes and the actual pageant began.
Chief Receding Chin and a troupe of his
Indian braves entered and sat down in q circle
in the center Of the cow pasture. (The braves
were members of grade Alb wrapped in blankets
and decorated with war paint) They were
followed by Col. Tristram Teabone and a squad
of British soldiers carrying keg of root beer.
blank verse dialogue between the colonel
and the chief ensued; it more blank than
verse, owing to the fact that the chief kept
forgetting his lines. The colonel gave the keg
to the chief, receiving in return birchbark
deed for the land. Then the Indians all drank
root beer from sanitary paper cups and said
"Ugh!"-which was putting it mildly.
When this ceremony was finished they took
of their blankets On the inside Of each
blanket was a large white letter and the In
dians were supposed to line up with these
blankets and spell East Teabone.
But in the confusion Of the moment they
were able to produce nothing but a stirring
exhortation to Eat Beans, with a superfuous
searching vainly for place in the animated
anagram. o and T, who had drunk too much
lukewarm root beer, were taking no interest
in the proceedings.
Mrs. Challs, somewhat chagrined, showed the
soldiers and savages into the elder bushes as
graciouSly as possible, and announced the Sec
ond scene Of the pageant. 1t was called The
Development Of Agriculture" Seven little girls
from Miss Maulsby's Sunday school class
danced across the pasture, impersonating
wheat, corn, oats, barley, alfalfa and timothy.
cat the last minute Daphne Cohen, Alfalfa's
younger sister, had insisted upon taking part
in the performance, so she was added to the
ensemble, representing Wild Rice) They an
nounced IN Shril uncertain tones that:
We supply the raw material
For your bread and cake and cereal.
Children of the fertile plain
All we ask is sun and rain
Then they sat down the ground, and the
Raindrops (Miss Higgins primary class)
danced around them with watering cans, sing
ing:
Patter, patter little drops,
Failing the farmers crops
The scene might have ended happily as
it started, If Wild Rice hadn't stuck her foot
out and tripped up couple of Raindrops, caus-
ing them to fall on Barley with the effect O
a cloudburst. There we're squeals of rage from
he assorted Cereals, walls from the Raindrop
and exclamations Of disInay from the assembled