CHAPTER XVI
THE MARIONETTE SHOW
Do you remember your first party dress? How it gave a glimpse of thethroat and neck, and seemed to sweep the ground all around, although itmerely reached your shoe tops?
Did you feel a thrill of pleasure when the last hook and eye wasfastened and you surveyed yourself in the longest mirror in the house?
So it was with Anne in her pink crepe de Chine. Or was it really Anne,this little vision in rose color with glowing cheeks and sparkling eyes?She stood spellbound before the glass on that memorable Christmas night,and no one disturbed her for awhile. Mrs. Gray and the girls had stolenout so as not to embarrass the young girl who, for the first time, sawherself in a beautiful new silk dress exactly the color of pink rosepetals, which hung in soft folds to the tips of her small pink satinslippers.
"Give her a chance, girls," whispered Mrs. Gray. "We mustn't be tooenthusiastic about the difference. It might hurt her tender littlefeelings. But she _does_ look sweet, doesn't she?"
"As pretty as a picture, Mrs. Gray," answered Grace, kissing the oldlady's peach blossom cheek. "But they are coming. I hear them on thewalk. We must get behind the scenes and see that everything is allready."
The big drawing room of the Gray house was soon full of young peoplewatching the folding doors leading into the library with expectantfaces. In the hall a string orchestra was discoursing soft music and theplace was filled with the hum of conversation and low laughter. Mrs.Gray, seated on the front row, in the place of honor, occasionallylooked about her and smiled happily.
"Why didn't I do this long ago?" she said to herself. "But then, werethere ever before such nice girls as my four adopted daughters?"
Miriam sat near, with the other members of her house party. It had beena source of much discussion whether or not to admit Julia Crosby to thefreshman party. But, since she was Miriam's guest, what else was thereto do?
"We shall be only heaping coals of fire on her head at any rate," hintedJessica, "and that certainly ought to make her feel worse than if shehad been left out."
After everyone was comfortably seated three loud raps were heard frombehind the folding doors. Some one began to play "The Funeral March of aMarionette" on the piano, and the doors slid slowly back.
There was a murmur of surprise and wonder.
Two curtains had been stretched across the door opening above and belowand two hung down at each side, leaving an oblong space in the middle inwhich stood a little doll theater nearly a yard and a half long and ayard high. A row of footlights across the miniature stage presentlyblossomed into light, and the freshman girls smiled as they recognizedsome of those same little bulbs that had served to illuminate thepumpkin face of Miss Leece's effigy. The music ceased and the curtainsrolled back. There sat Cinderella by the kitchen fire, very stiff andstraight, but weeping audibly with her little fists in her eyes. She wasten inches high and, on careful examination, it could be seen that twothreads attached to her arms, and another to the back of her neck, madeit possible for her to move about and use her hands in a remarkablylife-like manner.
Wild applause from the audience. Well there might be, for the scene wasperfect, from the old brick fireplace with an iron pot steaming on thecoals to the rows of shining pans and blue dishes on a shelf at theside, all of which came from a toy shop, along with a little kitchenbench and chairs.
The cruel sisters swept in, dressed for the ball. When they spoke therewere convulsive titters among the guests for the voices of the cruelstep-sisters were those of Nora and Hippy. Anne read the lines ofCinderella so plaintively that Mrs. Gray shed a secret tear or two whenCinderella was left alone in the gloomy old kitchen. When the fairygodmother appeared, in a peaked red hat and a long red cape, it wasJessica who spoke the lines in a sweet, musical voice. How Cinderellarolled out the pumpkin and displayed six white mice in a trap, and how,after a brief interval of total darkness, could be seen through the opendoor a coach of gold in which sat Cinderella in a silken gown, need notbe related here. It all took place without a single slip and the dollswent through their parts with such funny life-like motions that the boysand girls forgot they were not watching real actors.
It was the scene of the ballroom, however, which was the real triumph ofthe evening.
"How did those clever children ever do it?" exclaimed Mrs. Gray, aloud,when the curtain rolled back and disclosed the ballroom of the palace,with a drop curtain at the back showing a vista of marble columns andpillars. A gilt chandelier was suspended in the middle, from whichstretched garlands of real smilax. There were rows of little gilt chairsagainst the walls filled with dolls in stiff satins and brocades. Andone large throne chair with a red velvet cushion in it, on which sat theprince, who spoke with the voice of David Nesbit, and entertained hisguests in royal state. After the exciting arrival of Cinderella, Noraplayed a minuet on the mandolin, the tinkling music of which seemed bestsuited to the doll drama, and the prince and Cinderella executed a danceof such intricate steps and low bows that the audience was convulsedwith laughter. There were even suppressed titters from behind thescenes. This dance, which had been devised by Tom Gray and Grace,necessitated two extra threads to manipulate the feet. It was mostdifficult and had required long and tedious practice, but the resultswere quite worth all the time and trouble.
Mrs. Gray laughed till the tears rolled down her cheeks and made apersonal appeal for an encore, which was given; but there was a mishapthis time; Cinderella's threads became entangled and she came near tobreaking her china nose. Audiences are invariably most pitiless whenthey are most pleased, and have no mercy on exhausted actors. At the cryof "Speech! Speech!" the Prince stepped forward and made a low bow.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "we thank you for your approval and ifstrength and breath permitted us, and the lady had not injured her nose,we would gladly dance again for you."
Then came the last scene. The step-sisters made desperate efforts towear the slipper; Cinderella finally retired triumphantly on theprince's arm, and the curtains closed only to open again a few momentslater upon a scene which bore a strong resemblance to Oakdale HighSchool. The fairy godmother occupied the center of the stage while theentire company of dolls were lined up on either side. Cinderella and theprince, each held the end of an open scroll, which bore a printedinscription that could be seen by the audience. It read:
"A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO THE FAIRY GODMOTHER OF THE FRESHMAN CLASS."
A scene of wild enthusiasm followed. The young people gave three cheersfor Mrs. Gray and ended with the High School yell. The actors came outand were cheered each in turn.
Grace, Tom Gray and Reddy had worked the marionettes, it seemed,standing on the back of the table where the theater was placed, whilethe others, sitting on low stools at the sides where they could see andnot be seen, read their lines which had been composed by Anne.
"It wasn't so hard as you might think," said Grace, explaining themarionettes to a group of friends. "Dressing the dolls was easy; weglued on most of their clothes, and we made the step-sisters ugly bygiving them putty noses. Hippy painted the scenery and David suppliedthe electric lights. The threads that moved the arms and bodies weretied to little cross sticks something like a gallows, so that they couldbe held from above without being seen."
But the marionette show was only the beginning of the party. There wasto be feasting and dancing, and, lastly, a big Christmas tree loadedwith presents.
The floors were cleared. The notes of a waltz rang out, and away whirledthe happy boys and girls. Anne and David, who did not dance, retired toa sofa in the library to look on.
"Are you happy, Anne, in your beautiful pink dress?" asked David,regarding her with open admiration.
"How can I help being happy?" she replied. "This is the first prettydress that I have ever had and I never went to a party before, either."
"I never enjoyed a party before," said David, "but I'm enjoying thisone. I hope, for Mrs. Gray's sake, it goes off without a hitch."
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sp; Just then Tom Gray waltzed by with Grace. They stopped when they sawtheir friends, and came back.
"Our efforts are certainly crowned with success," exclaimed Grace. "It'sthe most beautiful ball ever given in Oakdale. Everyone says so. By theway," she added, "get your partners and fall in line for the grand marchto supper."
"I already have mine, all right," declared Tom Gray.
"And I think I have mine," observed David. "She's wearing a pink dressand is just about as tall as a marionette."
Anne laughed and stood on tiptoe to make herself look taller. Suddenlyshe caught the eye of Miriam Nesbit, who was lingering in the doorway,watching the scene with an expression that the circumstances and holidaysurroundings hardly seemed to justify.
"I wonder if the party will go off without a hitch," thought Anne, asthey joined the grand march into the dining room.
When the beautiful, illuminated tree had been disburdened of all itspresents and the guests were well advanced on their supper, Mrs. Grayapproached Anne, carrying an oblong box, neatly done up in white tissuepaper tied with red ribbons. Pinned to the ribbon with a piece of hollywas a Christmas card on which was printed in fancy lettering "AChristmas Thought."
"Why, what is this, Mrs. Gray?" demanded Anne, rather excited, whilemany of the boys and girls gathered around her and some stood on chairsin order to see what the mysterious box contained.
"I know no more than you, dear," replied the old lady. "A man left it atthe door a moment ago, and one of the servants gave it to me. Why don'tyou open it and see?"
Anne hesitated. Something told her not to open the box, but how couldshe help it with dozens of her friends waiting eagerly to see what wasin it?
"Hurry up, Anne, aren't you curious to see what it is?" some one called.
"It looks like flowers," said another.
"Or candy," observed a third.
And still Anne's fingers lingered on the bow of red ribbon. Was thereanyone in the world who could be sending her a box that night? Certainlynot her mother nor her sister, nor any of her friends who had exchangedpresents in the morning. Mrs. Gray evidently had not sent it and therewas no one else in her small list of friends who would have taken thetrouble.
"Anne, you funny child, don't you see we are all waiting impatiently?"said Grace at last.
Anne slipped off the ribbons and opened the package. In the box was someobject, carefully done up in more tissue paper.
"It looks like a mummy," exclaimed Hippy.
Untying the wrappers, Anne held up to the curious view of the others alarge doll.
At first she hardly comprehended what it was and held it out at arms'length looking at it wonderingly. It was dressed as a man in a blacksuit with a long Prince Albert coat, very crudely made on closeinspection, but still cut and fitted to give the right effect. The facehad been cleverly changed with paint and putty, and pinned on the headwas a black felt hat, constructed out of the crown of an old oneevidently, in which had been sewn some lank black hair.
A card was tied around the doll's neck, and some one looking over Anne'sshoulder read aloud the following inscription written upon it:
"Why have imitation actors when you can get real ones?"
Anne gave a gasp.
Who could have played this cruel trick upon her? She knew her fourfriends had never spoken of the happenings of Thanksgiving night, butsuch secrets would leak out in spite of everything, and there may havebeen others in the audience who had recognized her. Moreover, her fatherhimself would not have hesitated to tell who she was, so that it was notdifficult to understand how the story had spread.
But who would have the heart to hold her father up to ridicule in thisway, and to cause her such secret pain and unhappiness? While herthoughts were busy, David had seized the doll and wrapped it up again.He was very angry, but it was wiser to keep silent.
"What was it, dear?" demanded Mrs. Gray, who had not been able to hearthe message written on the card.
"Just a silly trick on Anne, Mrs. Gray," replied David, for Anne was toonear to tears to trust the sound of her own voice.
"Something about actors, wasn't it?" asked Julia Crosby, who washovering near, and before she could be stopped, she had snatched thedoll from Anne's lap. The covers fluttered to the floor and the otherspressed eagerly around to get a glimpse of it.
David leaped to his feet so vigorously that he upset a chair.
"Give that back!" he commanded. "It is not yours."
"Give That Back! It Is Not Yours."]
"I will not," answered Julia Crosby. "Neither is it yours."
"I say you will," cried David, furiously, losing his temper completely.
"Get it if you can!" challenged the girl, darting through the crowd withDavid at her heels.
Suddenly there was a crash, a startled cry and the great fir tree withall its ornaments and lighted candles fell to the floor.