WISHING MAN (_after a pause, drawls_). Well? DUMPLING _and_ TOOTSY (_frightened, down R._). Well? (_They look at each other, pause, then repeat._) Well! SNOOKUMS (_comes in front of them, stands facing the_ WISHING MAN, _arms akimbo_). Well? WISHING MAN. Well, I'm here. DUMPLING. Who's here? WISHING MAN. Why, _I_ am here. You said you would like to see me and so I have come. _I'm_ here. TOOTSY. Are you the Wishing Man? WISHING MAN. That's my name. (_Sings to the tune of "Wearing of the Green." He sings briskly, shaking head in time and dancing a step or two._) I'm the friend of all the children, And I'll help you if I can, Just tell me what your wishes are, For I'm the Wishing Man. I have wishbones on my fingers, I have myst'ry in my eyes, My clothes are trimmed with horseshoes, And they're stained with magic dyes. My pocket's full of rabbits' feet, And clover leaves and charms, For luck I've got a big black cat All tattooed on my arms, I'm a friend of all the children, And I'll help you if I can, So tell me what your wishes are-- For I'm the Wishing Man. I come from a distant country Away up near the pole, But the things that I am telling you, You mustn't tell a soul. I know every witch and goblin, And if you would believe! I have fortunes in my pocket-book, And wonders up my sleeve. When any little boy or girl Says, "Wishing Man, appear!" I jump right up from underneath, And here I am, my dear! I'm a friend of all the children, And I'll help you if I can, So tell me what your wishes are-- For I'm the Wishing Man. DUMPLING. And can you really grant us anything we wish for? WISHING MAN. I can, if it's a good wish--and if you all agree on the same thing. TOOTSY. Anything in the wide, wide world? WISHING MAN. Well, pretty nearly anything. Would you like some new toys? TOOTSY. Oh, no, thank you. This is Christmas, you know, and we got ever so many toys. SNOOKUMS. Ever so many toys. WISHING MAN. I don't see what you called me for. You seem to have everything you want. DUMPLING. Oh, no, we haven't. We've made a wish, and we're all agreed on it. WISHING MAN. Are you sure it's a good wish? DUMPLING. Oh, yes, it's an awful good wish. You see, we want to be great big children so we can stay up late at night and go to Aunt Clara's dinner parties. That's our wish. We want to be the biggest children there are anywhere. WISHING MAN (_laughs heartily_). Oh, ho, ho, ho! That's the funniest wish I ever heard since I've been in the wishing business. So you want to be the very biggest children there are anywhere, do you? TOOTSY. Yes, sir; that's just what we want. I want to be a great, big, tall little girl. WISHING MAN (_laughing_). A great, big tall little girl, hey? DUMPLING. And I want to be a great, big, big, _big_ little boy.