SPRING COMES

Southland Times, Issue 23948, 14 October 1939, Page 4 (Supplement)

SPRING COMES

A PLAY FOR YOU TO ACT

CHARACTERS

August is tall, with a suit of bright patched colours, a cap, and shoes with points and bells. Spring looks like a queen, and wears a pale green or pale pink dress like a queen. Little Bird is little and sweet, with a blue cap and a bright blue dress made of ragged pieces like feathers. High Kite wears a - cardboard frame with his arms and face put through and a kite tail trailing after him. Crocus is a meek little person dressed in shades of purple, and she talks with a lisp. Little Green Bud is a tiny boy dressed exactly like a little green bud. Dandelion is someone in fluffy, ruffly yellow. Pussy Willow is very little, but very clever. He wears grey pants and a grey cap and a little grey jacket made of fur, if, his mother has any, or cotton flannel. Miss Month of September is dressed in the prettiest summer dress and bonnet she can find, light, and wears a big bow sash. Frosty wears white with shiny silver frost. He wears big white gloves. Pinky and Pet are two little girls waiting for Springtime. Toddy and Roddy are two little boys waiting for Springtime. The stage must have a curtain to open when the play is about to be- ! gin. On the stage must be a couch or bed of pillows covered with pale green .or something else light and pretty. Spring is asleep. Standing by the head of the bed is Crocus. < Sitting on his heels at the foot is Pussy Willow. Cross-legged at one side, facing Spring, is Dandelion, i Sitting against the wall with feet Straight out is High Kite. Stand- 1 ing against the wall in another spot Is Little Bird. Perched on a very high chair, perhaps a baby highchair, is Little Green Bud. All are intently watching Spring. It is quiet after the curtain opens, alb watching. Then at a door on one side or the other, August looks in —reaches in one hand and shakes a big rattle—capers in, closing the door after him. He ’strikes a pose in the centre of the stage and sings down the scale from “C” to “G.”

August: Hi diddle—diddle for to—wake up—Spring! Pussy Willow: (mimicking August’s pose and tune in a small little voice.) Wake up, Spring! (August takes long steps to the bed, and, bending over Spring, sings again to the same tune.) August: Dandelions and—Little Bird —waiting to—sing! Dandelion: (shaking her head emphatically.) Dandelions don’t sing. August: What of it? Who cares? All we want is to get her awake, isn’t it? (He looks from one to the other, looking last at Crocus.) Isn’t it? Isn’t it? Isn’t it? Crocus: Yeth, thir. August: I’ve beten shivering round here nearly two weeks and not the least sign of Spring waking up! Not the least! High Kite: Sing a little louder. August: (louder, to the same tune.) Hi diddle—diddle for to—wake up—Spring! (Frosty hurries in.) Frosty: What’s the idea of the noise? Let her sleep! Let her sleep! August: Sure! Let you stay round all summer, I suppose. Frost is Frost, and Spring is Spring, and it’s two weeks past your bedtime! Frost hanging round in August! Whoever heard of it? You ought to be melted into a—puddle! (He puffs his cheeks out and holds them that way a long while before he says, “Puddle.”) Pussy Willow: (doing the same.) Puddle! - (Frosty tiptoes to Crocus and reaches out to touch her—laughing—teasing her.) Crocus: (with a little scream.) Oo! Oo! Oo! Don’t frotht me! Don’t frotht me! (She hides behind August. Spring stirs. Frosty hurries to her.) Frosty: (soothingly.) Sh—sh—sh! (Spring stretches, yawns, then sleeps again. Frosty laughs.) There! She’s gone again! Another day or another week for me! (He goes to Dandelion.) Mind your p’s and q’s, Miss Dandelion, and don't come out or I’ll get you! (He goes with long, slinky stps and stretches out white gloves to Little Green Bud who hastily gets down from chair and runs.) Mind your toes! (To Pussy Willow.) Don’t come

out, Pussy Willow, or I’ll make you black and blue! (To Little s Bird, tweaking her nose.) Don’t 3 be building any nests, Little Bird! I’ll frost you out! I have a perfect right as long as she’s sleeps ing! (He stands in centre of stage, looking at them all, then runs 1 off stage, laughing. They all shiver.) - All: Oo! Oooooooo! Frost! t Pussy Willow: (whispering loudly , with a big, long “s”.) Frosssssssst! August: Shiver! Shiver! Shiver! J (He shivers, bends over Spring, speaks out of patience.) I’d like to shake her and shake her and wake her. [ (Each of the others takes a long ; step toward Spring with each of ; the next words, till they are all round her.) All: Take her and shake her and wake her! Take her and shake her and wake her! (September comes dancing in.) September: Hello, everybody! My snowdrops and apple blossoms! Isn’t Spring awake yet! August: Not a wink! High Kite: I’m certainly stiff in i the joints waiting to fly! (Frosty comes bursting in, laughing and throwing white confetti.) Frosty: Whivery, shivery frost and snow! The closer I come the colder you grow! Whivery, shivery. (They all huddle together with frightened little squeals. He catches Little Green Bud and holds him tight.) Frost and snow! The closer I come—(Suddenly Spring sits up, yawns, stands up.) Dandelion: Hello, Springtime! Hurrah! (Little Green Bud, unobserved, goes ' and curls up in a corner. Frost crumples up on the floor. August, High Kite, and Dandelion get him . on the bed where he rolls over • asleep, and that is the end of • him.) Spring: Am I late? .What time is , it? ' August: Fourth week of August. J I’ve had a perfectly terrible time, hanging round on the edge of the ' winter! September: I thought you were ' never going to wake up! J Spring: I must say you all look! extremely lovely! Crocus, Dan-1

delion, Little Bird, aren’t these your very best clothes? Crocus: Yeth, ma’am.

August: (taking a pose and speaking with gestures, Pussy Willow mimicking the pose and every gesture.) There’s a great—(He puffs out his chest and makes it as big as possible.)—a great controversy going on as to, which of us is considered the first sign of Spring. Which of us does the world see first? Which of us is first to give out the news? Pussy Willow says it’s Pussy Willow. High Kite says it’s High Kite. I say it’s the first day of August they wait for. Little Bird says it’s Little Bird, so we’ve decided to settle it once and for all! We’ve put on the gayest clothes we have, and we’re going out to see which one of us they look • at and talk about first. We’re all here, and we’re all dressed up, and we're going to find out which of us the world is really waiting for!

(He pulls a long paper and a big pencil from his pocket, and , checks off as he calls the roll, which he does in a big mechanical voice. Pussy Willow produces a little paper and a little pencil and calls every name after August in a little high voice.) August: Little Bird. Pussy Willow: Little Bird. Little Bird: Present. (He bows as he answers. Each does the same in his turn. August puts the pencil elaborately in his mouth, as he checks off each name. Pussy Willow does the same.) August: High Kitei Pussy Willow: (with a sweep of his hand across the sky, in a very high voice.) Kite. High Kite: Here. August: The month of August. (He bows and answers himself.) Present. Pussy Willow: (bowing.) Pres-int. August: Crocus! Pussy Willow: Cro-kiss. Crocus: Yeth, thir. August: Little Green Bud. (No one answers.) Pussy Willow: (looking all roundj, Bud—bud—bud—bud!

(Spring suddenly sees Little Green Bud in the corner.) Spring: Oh, the Frost must have nipped himl (She hurries to bend over him, gets him up, holds him in her arms, whispers to him, soothes him, pets him, all gathering round anxiously. Finally he answers weakly.) Little Green Bud: Here. August: Dandelion. Pussy Willow: Dandy-line. Dandelion: Present. August: Miss Month of September, Pussy Willow: Miss—ss—ssmonth of Sseptember! September: (with a lovely bow.) Right here! August: Pussy Willow. Pussy Willow: Pussy Willy. (No one answers. He looks all round.) August: (louder and staring at Pussy Willow.) Pussy-Willow! Pussy Willow: (very loudly and looking all round.) Pussy—Willy! August: (standing close to Pussy Willow and speaking very loudly at him.) Pussy Willow! Pussy Willow: (very loudly and looking round, waiting for an answer): Pussy Willy! (He stares last of all at Kite.) High Kite: Don’t stare at me! It’s yourself! Pussy Willow: (looking much surprised—then spreading one hand over his chest, his elbow out stiffly—laughing very mechanically.) Ha, ha, ha, ha! Why, so it is! So it is! (He waggles his head down to the floor in an elaborate bow.) How do you do! August: Earthworm.

Pussy Willow: (wiggling finger across the air like a worm.) Earthworm. September: He wouldn’t come. He said he had a lot of digging to do and he didn’t want to take time. August: But did you tell him about the grand dress-up contest to see who will get credit for being the first sign of Spring? September: Yes, I did. And lie only said he had no fine clothes to dress in. He said he couldn’t possibly make himself beautiful. He was only a little worm and no one could possibly notice him beside a Crocus or a Dandelion or a Little Bird, and, of course, ■ that's true. Nobody would bother to look at just a little worm! August: Quite true! Quite true! He’ll never be missed! Well then, as there’s nothing to wait for, why can’t the contest begin? I expect to get three cheers when I step out! “Hurrah, for August! First sign of Spring!” That’s what they’ll say! “Hurrah for August!” That’s me! Pussy Willow: Without a doubt, however, they’ll notice me first! High Kite: Why, I’m the one they’ll notice! I’ll fly so high they’ll have to! Dandelion: But I’m the one they wait for! The First Dandelion. That’s what they all wait to see! Crocus: But ithn’t it me they look for firtht? Little Bird: Of course not! It’s my song! Then you hear them all saying, “Oh, it’s Spring! I hear a Little Bird.” August: All right! Who’s going first! . All: (except Spring who remains in the room.) I am!

(With a rush all try to get out at once, and, in crowding, no one can get out at all! But while they crowd, Little Green Bud gets down on his hands and knees, crawls between their feet, and gets out) August: Green Bud’s gone! He’ll get there first! (With a rush now all the others get out, too! There is a mirror on the wall, and sprays of flowers. Spring hums a little song and puts a chain of flowers round her neck, and some on her dress, and some in her hair. After a moment there is a knock at the door.) Spring: Come in! (In comes Pinky.) Pinky: Good morning! (She curtsys very politely.) Please, if Spring Ilves here, could you tell me when it will be Springtime? I want to know when I can plant my seeds. Spring: Why, it’s Springtime now! Haven’t you seen the signs? Pinky: I saw a Pussy Willow. And I met a Little Green Bud. But sometimes pussies and buds come long before it’s really Spring, so I didn’t pay any atttention. (There is another knock at the door.) Spring: Come in! (In come Toddy and Pet.) Toddy: Please, we want to find out when i it will be Springtime. Spring: It’s Springtime now! Toddy: Oh, goody! Is it really! Spring: Haven’t you seen the signs? Didn’t you see a long-tailed Kite flying? Toddy: Sure. But a kite could fly any old time! Pet: We heard a little bird, but we weren’t sure.

Spring: Did you see a Crocus op • Dandelion? Pet: Yes, we did. But we didn’t dare believe them. We thought they looked as though they were only out to show off their new dresses! (The door opens and in bursts Roddy.) , Roddy: Hello, Springtime! Hurrah! It’s Spring! I’ve seen the first real sign of Spring. (In troop Crocus, Dandelion, Pussy Willow, Green Bud, Little Bird, High Kite, August, and September.) ■„ • Little Bird: It was my song, wasn’t it? Crocus: Did you thee me? (Roddy shakes his head.) 1 Spring: (touching the hand of each one she mentions.) Did August tell you? (Roddy shakes Sis head for every question she asks.) You saw a Dandelion? A Pussy Willow? You saw the Kite fly? You felt the breath of September coming closer? Green Bud: You saw a little teensy weensy—(He measures off with his fingers)—tiny Green Bud? Roddy: No. Not one of those! What I saw was a worm digging —the first real sign of Spring!... All: (exclaiming.) A worm, beginning to dig! Roddy: Yes. You may think tha Spring is coming when you hear a Little Bird sing; you may think the Spring is coming when you see a budding twig! You may think the Spring is coming with a Pussy or a Crocus, but you know the Spring is coming when the worms begin to dig! All: (with hands on hips and heads wagging.) Can you—imagine that! ■ i

Pussy Willow: Imagine that! (Curtain.)