A fond memory

why this memory floated up in my mind I don't know. But I thought I would share it.


The School Play
It was l933 and times were hard. Not as hard as they would become later, but hard enough. One thing we had, however, was a good school. It was large enough to seat thirty pupils, and had done so in the past, but when I went there only twelve students sat in the wood desks. Our teacher was strict but thorough, and we had a good education there.
One of the main features of our experience there was the annual Christmas program. Every year, before Christmas vacation, the school put on a play and sang Christmas carols. As the old saying goes, the play is the thing.
One year, we “put on” an excerpt from the book “Mrs. Wigs and the Cabbage Patch” which was perfect because it allowed each student to have a part. My cousin Ruth, being the oldest, played the part of Mrs. Webster, the rich lady with the little sick girl. My sister, next in line, was Mrs. Wigs, with a large family of children, and my cousin Joyce was the oldest child. I was sassy Kitty, always being scolded by Mrs. Wigs. We were well placed and studied hard and practiced diligently.

The story line was simple. Little Evangeline, the little sick girl, was lonely and wanted to have the Wigs children over to her house for Christmas dinner. Mrs. Webster tendered an invitation and Mrs. Wigs scrubbed up her brood and dressed them in their Sunday clothes, and sent them over. Mrs. Webster ushered them into the dining room where a lavish feast was spread before them. The Wigs children oohed and aahed, suitably impressed. I had one line. When Mrs. Webster asked me if I wanted dark or light meat I replied “A little of both, if you please.”
A chorus of “shame, shame,” greeted my remark and a couple of the children pointed their fingers at me. I was supposed to bow my head in shame and put my hands over my face as though I were shedding a tear or two. Mrs. Webster corrected the situation with a polite remark. “That was very genteel. A little of both will be fine.”
It was an ambitious play, and I can’t remember now how it ended. I read the book and enjoyed it very much, and I must say it was ideal for our little group of students. Everyone got a part even if it was only one line
I loved the programs, but failed to shine in the singing of the carols. My voice was deemed too shrill and I was told to just move my lips as though I was singing. To this day I have never learned how to sing melodiously.
bye for now. Keep in touch.