The First Thanksgiving Day
A One Act Play for Schools
By Agnes Miller
In order to make this play practicable for general use, the scenery and stage-directions suggested have been made as simple as possible. Regarding costumes, it may be said the play can be effectively produced when the children wear ordinary clothes, the Puritan costume being suggested by white caps and deep collars and cuffs for the women characters, and broad-brimmed hats and wide collars for the men. These accessories can be easily made of very inexpensive material, and copied from any of the well-known Puritan pictures. The Indians may either appear in the Indian costumes possessed by so many boys, or, in case these are unavailable, they may be draped in gay blankets and wear feather head-bands, which may be easily imitated.
CAST
SCENE
A room in Governor Winthrop’s house in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The front door of the house opens at center back of stage, and has small windows on each side of it. A door on the left opens into the next room. The room is very plainly furnished, and is evidently used for transacting business. On the right of the front door is a settee, with a chest standing near it, and on the left of the door is a chair. Near the front of the stage, on the right, stands a flour barrel, and beside it, a table with weighing-scales. On the left side of the room there is a chair before a desk covered with papers, etc. Several portraits and old prints hang on the walls.[A knock is heard on the front door. EnterServant,at the left, who crosses to front door, and opens it, disclosingMrs. FreemanandPatience.Mrs. Freemanhas a basket on her arm.]
A room in Governor Winthrop’s house in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The front door of the house opens at center back of stage, and has small windows on each side of it. A door on the left opens into the next room. The room is very plainly furnished, and is evidently used for transacting business. On the right of the front door is a settee, with a chest standing near it, and on the left of the door is a chair. Near the front of the stage, on the right, stands a flour barrel, and beside it, a table with weighing-scales. On the left side of the room there is a chair before a desk covered with papers, etc. Several portraits and old prints hang on the walls.
[A knock is heard on the front door. EnterServant,at the left, who crosses to front door, and opens it, disclosingMrs. FreemanandPatience.Mrs. Freemanhas a basket on her arm.]
Mrs. Freeman.Is the Governor at home?
Servant.Yes, madam; he has just come in.
Mrs. Freeman.Will you let him know that I am here?
Servant.Directly, madam. Please be seated. [Motions themto settee, and exit, left;Mrs. FreemanandPatiencesit down on the settee.Patiencebreathes on her hands, to warm them.]
Patience.[Fretfully.] Mother, do you really think the Governor will give us some more corn? I’m so tired of having nothing good to eat!
Mrs. Freeman.Why, Patience, of course he will if he can spare us any; but you must remember how many sick people there are in the colony, who need it more than we do.
Patience.Yes, Mother, but why can there not be enough for everybody?
Mrs. Freeman.I hope that there may be before long, my dear. We must try to think that our ship with provisions is coming in soon. ’Sh-h! I hear the Governor coming! Now remember your manners! Rise and curtsey as I have taught you.
[Winthropenters at left; bows toMrs. Freeman.She andPatiencecurtsey.]
[Winthropenters at left; bows toMrs. Freeman.She andPatiencecurtsey.]
Winthrop.Good day, Mistress Freeman. I trust that you and all your family are well.
Mrs. Freeman.All well, Your Excellency, and thankful to be so in this season of want and cold. All that we could complain of is that our larder is getting low, so I came to see if I could buy a few pounds of corn.
Winthrop.[Evidently worried, but trying to conceal thefact.] Why, Mistress Freeman, it is about just that matter that I am awaiting tidings. This morning I sent word to the chief of the Narragansetts that we should like to trade with him for corn. I expect that Master Dudley and Master Wilson, who took the message, will be back soon. Can you not wait till their return? If our trade is good, we shall doubtless have plenty of food for all.
[Mrs. FreemanandPatiencesit down on settee.Winthropsits on chair at left.]
[Mrs. FreemanandPatiencesit down on settee.Winthropsits on chair at left.]
Mrs. Freeman.I suppose Your Excellency has, as yet, no word of the good shipLyon?
Winthrop.Not yet. No doubt the date of her sailing was deferred.
Mrs. Freeman.It would seem so, for Captain Pierce sailed last August to fetch us provisions, and here it is now February.
Winthrop.If we were all in health, the delay would not matter so much. But when half our people are too sick to leave their beds, we long to give them some of the comforts they left in England.
[Knock on front door.Servantenters at left, and opens door. EnterMrs. Garrett,who curtseys to the company. ExitServant.]
[Knock on front door.Servantenters at left, and opens door. EnterMrs. Garrett,who curtseys to the company. ExitServant.]
Ah! Mistress Garrett! I was lamenting to Mistress Freeman that we had few English comforts for our sick, but I did not forget that we brought the best nurse in England with us!
Mrs. Garrett.Your Excellency is very kind. I could only wish that I might do more in all the homes where sickness has entered. I thought, however, that you might like to hear that Master Humphrey and his wife are much better of their fever. [Sits at center.]
Winthrop.I rejoice to hear such good news, and I trust that you can give as good an account of your other patients.
Mrs. Garrett.I would that I could, Your Excellency, but what with this biting cold and our poor victuals, it goes hard with them. Is there still no hope of theLyon?
Winthrop.No immediate hope, madam, but I am expecting that we may be able to buy corn from the Narragansetts.
[Knock on the front door. EnterServantat left, opens door to admitDudley,Wilson,the Narragansett chief, and the young brave.DudleyandWilsongreet the company, and, with the Indians, come forward to right center of stage.Servantstands in background, at left of front door.]
[Knock on the front door. EnterServantat left, opens door to admitDudley,Wilson,the Narragansett chief, and the young brave.DudleyandWilsongreet the company, and, with the Indians, come forward to right center of stage.Servantstands in background, at left of front door.]
Dudley.[ToWinthrop.] We have brought the chief back with us, Your Excellency, as you directed, but he does not seem favorable to making a trade. However, we can but try. [DudleyandWilsonthen endeavor to conduct the trade, in dumb show, as follows:Dudleybeckons the chief over to the flour barrel, and indicates to him by gesture that it is empty. He andWilsonthen go to the chest, and take from it several long and showy strings of beads, which they offer to the chief, suggesting by their motions that the Indians may have the beads if they will fill the barrel. The chief shakes his head. Both men urge him in vain for some time.Winthropthen takes a red blanket from the chest, approaches the chief, and offers it insimilar fashion. Finally, afterall three men have persisted in their offers for some time, both the chief and the young brave shake their heads decidedly, and by pointing to their own mouths and showingtheir empty hands, indicate that they themselves have not enough to eat. Upon thisWinthroplays down the blanket upon the table, andDudleyandWilsoncease their offers, in apparent despair. The Indians then file stolidly out of the front door, which is opened for them by theServant.ExitServant.]
[A silence falls on the company. It is broken byPatience,who is frightened, and begins to cry.]
[A silence falls on the company. It is broken byPatience,who is frightened, and begins to cry.]
Patience.[Clinging to her mother’s hand.] Mother!
Mrs. Freeman.Yes, what is it, little daughter?
Patience.If we had only stayed in England, we should have had plenty to eat!
[Mrs. Freemandoes not answer her, but puts her arm around her, and turns toWinthrop.]
[Mrs. Freemandoes not answer her, but puts her arm around her, and turns toWinthrop.]
Mrs. Freeman.Is it not hard sometimes, Your Excellency, for all of us to realize how much more precious liberty is than the comforts we gave in exchange for it?
Winthrop.You speak truly, Mistress Freeman. But we have crossed the sea in safety; we have been kept from harm among the savages; we have founded a colony where freedom is to be the birthright of every citizen. I believe that we have a right to expect to receiveour daily bread. Whatever happens, we must not give up hope. I will proclaim a day of prayer and fasting for to-morrow. We must not lose faith, for all may yet be well.
[Wilson,who has been standing by the table, crosses to the barrel and glances into it.]
[Wilson,who has been standing by the table, crosses to the barrel and glances into it.]
Wilson.See, there is still some corn in the bottom of our last barrel. May not this be a sign that we shall be fed until help comes, even as we read in the Scriptures that the widow’s handful of meal lasted till the famine was past? [As the company nod approval to his words, there is a knock on the front door.Servantenters at left, and opens door to admitRoger Clap.Clapis wild-eyed and shivering, and looks distractedly about until he seesWinthrop.Servantstands at left of door.]
Clap.[Impetuously crossing stage toWinthrop.] Your Excellency, my wife is dying, and my children have been without food for two days. Can you give me nothing for them?
[Winthropgoes to barrel, and scoops out a small portion of meal.]
[Winthropgoes to barrel, and scoops out a small portion of meal.]
Winthrop.[Sadly.] This is the last of our corn. [Looks atMrs. Freeman.]
Mrs. Freeman.[Promptly.] Let Clap have it, by all means. What say you, neighbors?
All.Yes, let him have it, to be sure!
[Winthropputs meal in a dish, which he is about to hand toClap,when there is a knock on the door. It opens before theServantcan reach it, andSamuel Garrettrushes in.]
[Winthropputs meal in a dish, which he is about to hand toClap,when there is a knock on the door. It opens before theServantcan reach it, andSamuel Garrettrushes in.]
Samuel.[ToWinthrop,breathlessly.] Your Excellency, theLyonhas come! [The company are startled and surprised, and scarcely believe him.]
Winthrop.Boy, is this the truth? How do you know?
Samuel.Indeed, Your Excellency, it is nothing but the truth! I was down on the shore, when I looked across the bay, and saw a great ship entering the harbor. And as I ran up to bring you word, I heard a man saying that Captain Pierce was even now being rowed ashore.
[Before any one can speak, there is a loud knock on the door, and as theServanthastily opens it,Captain Pierceappears on the threshold.Winthroprushes to meet him, and seizes him by both hands.]
[Before any one can speak, there is a loud knock on the door, and as theServanthastily opens it,Captain Pierceappears on the threshold.Winthroprushes to meet him, and seizes him by both hands.]
Winthrop.Never was man, or ship, more welcome! William Pierce! Thank Heaven!
[The others crowd aroundPierce,and greet him with joyous and grateful exclamations.]
[The others crowd aroundPierce,and greet him with joyous and grateful exclamations.]
Pierce.[ToWinthrop.] Your Excellency, I have the honor to report the safe arrival of theLyon!
Winthrop.An hour ago we had well-nigh given you up!
Pierce.We have met with many unforeseen delays on our voyage.
Wilson.Did you meet with storms?
Pierce.Many of them, one so severe that one of our sailors was washed overboard. But our greatest delay was caused by our meeting a dismasted bark, which we must needs tow back to Bristol. We could only imagine what you must suffer in our absence. I, too, thank Heaven we have arrived!
Dudley.Have you provisions aboard?
Pierce.Yes, verily, a goodly store. We have wheat, peas, and oatmeal; we have beef and pork and cheese and butter! [Great relief and thankfulness shown by the company.]
[ToWinthrop.] If Your Excellency will ask a few men to volunteer to go down to theLyonand help us unlade her, we shall have everybody fed within the hour.
[ToWinthrop.] If Your Excellency will ask a few men to volunteer to go down to theLyonand help us unlade her, we shall have everybody fed within the hour.
Samuel.[Eagerly.]Iwill volunteer!
[All laugh.Piercepats him on the shoulder.]
Pierce.You shall come down to the ship with me. There is plenty for smart lads to do as well as men.
Winthrop.Friends, I will now proclaim not a day of fasting and prayer, but one of praise and thanksgiving for our deliverance. However great the destiny that may await our colony, struggling here in the wilderness, this day must never be forgotten!
[Curtain]