Show Santa Claus again, this time out-of-doors, on his sled drawn by
swift reindeers; but the reindeers have stopped, for Bo-Peep stands
before them, her shepherd's crook leaning over her shoulder, her sheep
all around, and they, as also Po-Beep, gazing at the presents--sled,
Santa Claus's pack, hat, beard, miniature tree, full stockings, and all.
Bo-Peep wears the regular shepherdess costume, the sheep are toy sheep
on wheels. The bells should jingle loudly until Bo-Peep appears.
_Tableau Sixth_.--The Christmas tree.
A large tree filled with toys; leaning against it is a ladder, which
Mother Goose climbs, and then unfastens the various gifts. Her children
are all grouped around the bottom, and impatiently await the arrival of
their presents.
_Tableau Seventh_.--The Christmas dance.
Mother Goose and her children dance around the Christmas tree. Waltz
music is played; they dance once around, when the curtain is drawn.
_Tableau Eighth_.--Mother Goose's children eating their Christmas
supper. A long table covered with a white cloth, and decorated with
lighted candelabra, flowers, bonbons, fancy cakes, china, silver, and
cut glass. All the children are seated around, Mother Goose at the head,
and to her right her son Jack, then Jack's wife, then a boy, then a
girl, and so on around. Each child is in the act of eating, drinking,
lifting a cup, a candy, or indicating some natural movement at a supper
table; their heads should be turned as though they were in conversation.
_Tableau Ninth_.--Mother Goose and her family in a well-arranged group
now stand and sing a jolly good-night song. This song may be acted by
those on the stage, but the singing is done by an unseen chorus.
Follow this with two tableaux, opposite in meaning.
_Tableau One_.--The empty stocking. A poverty-stricken-looking
room--bare floor, a hard wood chair and table (on the table stand a few
pieces of cheap china), a window with a broken pane, in which a bunch of
paper or canton matting is stuffed to keep out the snow; a small
kerosene lamp, the light from which comes dimly. A poorly clad and as
poorly fed appearing little girl; one of her thin hands rests on the
table, while the other holds an empty stocking, on which the child sadly
gazes.
_Tableau Two_.--Bless you honey-bugs! Yo' feels gay.
This also is a plainly furnished room, but it is trimmed with Christmas
greens, a large star and tree being particularly conspicuous. There are
several colored children running around, some dancing, with toys in one
hand and a full stocking in the other, others taking things off a little
tree, others again eating sugar plums, or striding across the bare door
in eager pursuit of a dropped cornucopia or cinnamon cake. Their
dusky-faced mammies, meanwhile, laugh at them through the half-open
doorway.
And thus tableau might be described after tableau, but a few hints may
be helpful.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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