-10-

highly of themselves. MAMA BEAR
comes to a small obstruction and
PAPA BEAR helps her across most
gallantly, bowing as he proffers
his arm. MAMA BEAR wears a full
yellow hoop-skirt and pantelettes,
a poke bonnet and shawl. PAPA
BEAR wears a green cloth coat
trimmed with gold, and a stovepipe
hat with a long yellow feather.
SUSIE ANN in a pink and white
checked apron, pantelettes, wearing
pink hair ribbons tied on her ears,
leads the way.

MAMA BEAR (as the Three Bears
enter): Yes, indeed, Mortimer.

SUSIE ANN (in an affected, piping
voice): I saw better ones, my dear
paremts, deep in the woods.

PAPA BEAR: Let us pick them, by
all means.

MAMA BEAR (glimpsing a berry bush):
Ah -- a choice berry bush!

-11-

PAPA BEAR (glimpsing another
berry bush, and supposing Mama Bear
referred to it): Richto! My dear!

Backs to each other, MAMA and
PAPA BEAR stoop simultaneously
to pick some berries, and suc-
ceed in bumping themselves off
balance. SUSIE ANN helps them
to regain their feet as they try
to regain their dignity.

SUSIE ANN: Dear, dear ...
Dear Parents!

PAPA BEAR (offering Mama Bear his
arm with exaggerated courtesy): My
dear --- Let us proceed.

As the THREE BEARS exit stage left
the curtain falls.

-12-

## SCENE II

In a woodland clearing, center
stateg is the small cottage of
THE THREE BEARS, surrounded by
a tiny rock"fence"with a picket
gate. Everything suggests
neatness and primness. In
the garden before the house hol-
lyhocks, climbing roses and bor-
der plants add bright
color. Heavy trees and brush
stage right, left and back-
ground suggest the forest.
SNICKERTY NICK, JO-JOHN AND
GOLDENLOCKS enter from stage
left and stand regarding the
cottage.

SNICKERTY NICK: Very tidy --
the BEARS. (Going through the
gate, SNICKERTY goes up to the
door and unpins a note which is
awaiting him there):

SNICKERTY NICK (reading the note):
"Enter, Snickerty Nick, and make
yourself and your friends at home.

-14-

SNICKERTY NICK: Funny! Tsk, tut, tut.
A jackanapes, a scamp! I warn you,
Goldenlocks. ('shooing T-WEE): Now, scoot!

T-WEE: (disconsately twisting his
straw hat in his hands): Aw --
jimininy wilikins!

SNICKERTY slams the door. Sud-
denly T-WEE shows every obvious
indication of being seized
with a brilliant idea. He
turns abruptly from the door,
scampers outside the gate and
running quickly down stage
right, whistles softly. As
an answering whistle is heard
off stage, T-WEE chuckles to
himself, and with a fore-
finger to his lips beckons
off-stage in the direction of
the replying whistle. In
comes diminutive Monkity-Monk,
a mischievous little monkey
half T-WEE'S size. Equipping

-15-

Monkity-Monk with a stick on
which he places his straw hat,
T-WEE indicates in pantomime
that Monkity-Monk should march
back and forth in front of the
wall, holding the hat aloft.
The wall is just high enough
to reveal to anyone watching
from the cottage window the
topof T-WEE's hat were he
wearing it as usual. Chuck-
ling at his own cleverness,
T-WEE sneaks back to the cot-
tage door as Monkity-Monk con-
scientiously parades back and
forth. Just as T-WEE reaches
the door, SNICKERTY NICK sticks
his head out of the window.

SNICKERTY NICK (seeing T-WEE
"marching hat"): Good! At least
that rascal T-WEE is outside the
wall! Now I can have a little
rest before the BEARS comes home.
(Snickerty's head disappears.)

-17-

## SCENE III

The interior of the BEARS' HOUSE
the combined dining and living
room. Up stage left is a door
leading to the bedroom, while
down stage is a fireplace decor-
ated with kettles and brass
platters. Before it, length-
wise, is a long table set with
bowls of parrige. There is a
long wooden bench on either side.
Stage right is the entrance door
and up stage of it the window
from which SNICKERTY NICK observe
the "marching hat" of T-WEE. Down
stage from the window is cup-
board. Three chairs of varying
size are set near the back
wall. As the curtain rises,
SNICKERTY NICK is turning from
the window.

SNICKERTY NICK (indicating
the largest char): Yes, now

-18-

I can rest, and that looks
comfortable. (As he crosses
to the chair, T-WEE sneaks in and hides
down stage behind the cupboard. Now
the fun begins, for SNICKERTY NICK no
sooner climbs upon the great fat
chintz-covered chair than it col-
lapses and spills him sprawling
to the floor. Jo-John aadd GOLDEN-
LOCKS can't retain their shouts of
laughter and T-WEE has a hard time
keeping his chuckles to himself.
Angrily, SNICKERTY NICK picks
himself up).

SNICKERTY NICK: Rest! There's
none to be had here! Come along,
JO-JOHN, let's go out (he yawns).
I'm going to play "shut-eye" under a
bush in the garden.

SNICKERTY NICK followed by
JO-JOHN exist through the
door right leading outside.
GOLDENLOCKS remains too con-
vulsed with laughter to be
polite or follow.

-19-

T-WEE (appearing as soon as
Snickerty Nick and Jo-John are
out of sight): I'm not the only
funny fellow (chuckling).
Snickerty's funny, too!

GOLDENLOCKS (surprised): How did
you get in?

T-WEE (pointing to the door):
Same way you did.

GOLDENLOCKS runs to the
window and peeks out.

GOLDENLOCKS (turning from the
window): Your hat is still
outside!

T-WEE (winking): I'm polite, I am ---
I don't wear my hat in the house.
(Suddenly): I'm hungry! What have they
got to eat here?

GOLDENLOCKS (worried as T-WEE crosses
to the table): I don't know. But you
mustn't disturb anything. The Bears wouldn't
like it.

-21-

his lips with one hand, he
pitches the bowl of porrige over
his shoulder with the other.

Seizing a third bowl, he takes a
spoonful and smiles):

T-WEE: Just right!

GOLDENLOCKS: (As T-Wee continues to eat and smack his lips): T-Wee!

Stop that this minute!

Goldenlocks rushes around to
clean up the mess T-WEE has made,
while T-WEE tosses the empty
bowl aside and tries out the
chairs.

T-WEE (avoiding the great fat
chintz-covered chair that was
Snickerty-Nick's downfall, he
selects the middle-sized one): I'll
try this one! (Jumping on it, it
collapses). It's no good!

GOLDENLOCKS (frantically) T-WEE!
Stop it!

-22-

T-WEE (thumping on the tiny
chair with his fist): Too
hard! (He gives it an extra
thump, and it, too, collapses
into wreckage). Haw, haw! This is
fun!

GOLDENLOCKS (desperately trying to put
the little chair together again):
This is terrible!

T-WEE, laughing in glee, grabs
a ladle from its place above
the fireplace and beats on
a copper kettle as he marches
around the table and chants:

T-WEE (chanting):

T-Wee came in to make a call.

Now the Bears won't know this house at all -
Their mush is gone and their chairs won't hold
And Goldenlocks is trying to scold!

As T-WEE sings, GOLDENLOCKS
is doing her best to repair
the little chair. She sticks
the splintered ends of the

-24-

curtsies as she passes her father.

PAPA BEAR (without bothering to notice the signs of destruction): Evidently our dear guests have not arrived.

MAMA BEAR (going to the table to deposit her pail of berries): Oh! Look! Our porridge! (The Three Bears all begin to talk at once.)

SUSIE ANN: Somebody ate up all my porridge.

MAMA BEAR: Somebody broke my dishes.

PAPA BEAR: Somebody sat in my chair.

SUSIE ANN (hastily sitting in her chair to test it, sje just as hastily hits the floor,--- Goldenlocks attempted repair was ineffectual): Ooh! Somebody sat in my chair and broke it!

MAMA BEAR: Somebody threw my kettle down (wailing) and now it's all dented. (showing signs of swooning, Mama Bear sits

-25-

on her chair and it collapses.

Regaining her feet with the
assistance of Papa Bear, she
moans: It's burglars. Look
at our nice house! And I thought
the world was civilized.

PAPA BEAR (grabbing an old blunderbuss from above the cupboard, he starts from the bedroom door): Stand back, wife and child!

At this moment the entrance
door stage right opens and
SNICKERTY NICK comes in
followed by JO-JOHN.

SNICKERTY NICK: (In consternation)
What's the matter?

MAMA BEAR (still wailing): Burglars!
They've wrecked our house.

SUSIE ANN: And they broke our chairs
and ate our supper.

PAPA BEAR (as an after-thought)
blunderbuss still pointed towards

-26-

the bedroom, he addresses

Snickerty Nick over his

shoulder): Welcome, Snickerty

Nick -- (a pause, during which he
clears his throat) to a troubled
house. Now --- I shoot!

SNICKERTY NICK: Wit! Don't fire!

The burglars may have Goldenlocks
in there!

MAMA BEAR (aghast): Is Goldenlocks
here?

JO-JOHN: We left her here while we
went out to wait for you.

SNICKERTY NICK: And we fell asleep
under a bush in your garden.

PAPA BEAR (walking with measured
and menacing stride towards the door):
I shall proceed --- with caution.

Aiming his blunderbuss, he
opens the door and exits into
the bedroom. All follow him,
unconsciously imitating his

-28-

## SCENE IV.

The bedroom of the BEAR's house.
Three beds are set lengthwise,
one alongside of the other, stage
left. The largest bed is near
the back wall, the middle-sized
bed is next to it and the small
bed is nearest the audience.

The neds are covered with bright
quilts and there are bright
chintz curtains at the window in
the back wall. Now the beds are
sadly mussed and as PAPA BEAR
enters, followed by the others,
GOLDENLOCKS, on her knees peering
under the tiniest bed for T-WEE,
is out of sight.

PAPA BEAR No one here!

SUSIE ANN: Oh, look, somebody's
mussed up my nice little bed!

MAMA BEAR: And mine!

PAPA BEAR (regarding a great mound)

-29-

under his quilt): Looks like
somebody's sleeping in mine!

Blunderbuss aimed he approaches
his bed to investigate. At this
moment GOLDENLOCKS gets up from
her knees and tearfully addresses
her hosts.

GOLDENLOCKS: Oh dear --- Oh dear Bears ---

SUSIE ANN (accusingly): Goldenlocks!

What have you done! Aren't you
ashamed!

MAMA BEAR: Goldenlocks, I'm sur-
prised.

PAPA BEAR: Shocking, that's what
it is. Shocking!

GOLDENLOCKS: I didn't do it ---

T-Wee did -- Oh, Snorkerty Nick, be-
lieve me ---

SNICKERTY NICK: Of course -- that scalawag
did it!

-33-

## SCENE V.

Same as Scene III. As the curtain rises T-WEE is leading them a merry chase. Finally SNICKERTY NICK catches him and the others help hold him.

SNICKERTY NICK (breathless):

Aren't you ashamed?

T-WEE (suddenly crying: Yes ---

but it was fund.

MAMA BEAR: You've spoiled our house.

SUSIE ANN: You've eaten our supper.

PAPA BEAR: You've broken our furniture.

GOLDENLOCKS: And you've caused the bears to blame me for something I didn't do.

SNICKERTY NICK: I warned you, my dear!

Bad playmates will always get you into trouble.

-34-

T-WEE: I'm not bad -- I'm sorry ---

GOLDEN LOCKS: Of course, you are.

T-WEE: And the Bears have a golden egg to make them feel better.

MAMA BEAR: Now T-WEE, get busy while I prepare some more supper for my guests.
There's a bucket of soapsuds and a mop next to the door. Now mop up the floor where you spilled the porridge ---

Dutifully and penitently T-Wee does as he is told.

PAPA BEAR: (With a grand gesture) Be seated at the festal board, my dear guests. We shall eat berries while we await porridge.

MAMA BEAR is busy at the fireplace with kettles and spoons as the others seat themselves at the table.

T-WEE (mopping): I'm still hungry ---