Cousin Tom manipulated the instrument and the children heard orchestral
music, plantation songs, comic speeches, and finally the exhibition-day
exercises of a district school, which made them all laugh. After this,
several of the guests were called on to recite or to sing, and as they had
been notified beforehand, they were prepared for the occasion, and exerted
their best elocutionary and vocal efforts.
As her contribution to the entertainment, Patty sang several of Robert
Louis Stevenson's child-songs, which are set to such beautiful music, and
Ruth recited a portion of "The Courtship of Miles Standish."
Then the curtains were drawn, and soon after the lights in the room were
all turned out. Then the curtains flew open again disclosing a white sheet
brightly illuminated from behind.
Somebody read aloud the poem by Richard Barham about "The Knight and the
Lady," while a shadow pantomime representing the action of the ballad was
shown on the sheet.
It was very funny.
Cousin Elizabeth was the Lady Jane, who was "tall and slim," while the part
of Sir Thomas was wonderfully well acted by Cousin Tom, and when that
portly old gentleman, who it seems was a naturalist, went around
"unearthing his worms and his grubs," he looked very funny indeed.
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