Speaker 1: Ola or a Christmas Present for Mother by John D.
Mac donald. Requisites scene a sitting room with fireplace, a
small one or a two burner oil stove hid in
a fireplace. Characters.
Speaker 2: Alta Good read by Devora Allen.
Speaker 3: Henry Good read by T. J.
Speaker 1: Burns.
Speaker 4: Leon Good read by Thomas Peter, Missus Good read by
Phone Ola.
Speaker 5: A Street Waif read by Jasmine Selma.
Speaker 1: Narrator read by Maria Casper. Alta working on a tidy
sighs heavily. Ha Leon whittling a stick, looks up at Alta.
Speaker 4: I say, Alta, isn't that tidy finished? Yet? You must
be taking a lot of pains with it, for you
have been a long time at it.
Speaker 2: That is true, Leona. I have been working on it
a long time.
Speaker 6: You see.
Speaker 2: It is for mother, and I can only work on
it when she is away somewhere. I have quite a
lot to do on it, but I think I can
finish it before mother comes home.
Speaker 4: You had better let Henry and you help you, Alta,
and then you surely will finish it.
Speaker 6: Leon.
Speaker 2: It wouldn't be a tidy if I let you and
Henry get in some of your stitches on it. I
rather think that it would be an untidy instead of
a tidy. I think you had better crack some nuts
for mother and leave me to do.
Speaker 1: This Henry, who has been rubbing some corn off into
the pauper.
Speaker 3: Yes, Leon, you get some nuts cracked and leave sister
to do her fancy work. I'll get about this corn
and have it ready for mother when she gets home.
Speaker 1: Henry pops the corn and Leon cracks nuts.
Speaker 3: By the way, Alta, what do you think mother will
bring you for a Christmas present? A writing pad or
an automobile? He wanted both, but as we're very poor,
you will likely only get one of them. Which shall
it be?
Speaker 2: Now, Henry, Please don't tease me anymore about that automobile.
You know I was only fooling. Besides, there are a
number of things that I need more than I do
an automobile.
Speaker 4: I know what all to wants, Henry. She would like
a half dozen more brothers just like us.
Speaker 2: Come now, Alta, isn't that so No, not at all, Leon.
Two brothers are enough for me, But I would like
a sister to play with you boys tease me so?
Speaker 3: Perhaps Mother will bring you one when she comes home
from her Christmas shopping Tonight.
Speaker 2: You pop your corn, Henry, and I will attend to
my work. I can see that you feel like teasing
me again tonight.
Speaker 1: Henry to Leon.
Speaker 3: I suppose there will be a lot of happy children tomorrow, Leon,
with plenty of candy and nuts and all kinds of presents.
Bill Lark told me they were going to have a
Christmas tree at their church and they were going to
give a present to all the poor in the town.
Speaker 4: Say that will be great, won't it. Still? I'll bet
there will be a lot of children that won't get anything,
and I feel so sorry for them.
Speaker 2: I was reading a story yesterday about a poor little
girl who had no father or mother to care for her.
She had no home but used to sleep in any
hall or doorway that she found open, and one cold
Christmas Eve she froze to death. It made me cry
when I read it.
Speaker 1: Henry dumping the corn from the pauper on the table.
Speaker 3: Well, sister, we have no father, and we are very
poor too, but we have a nice home and enough
to eat, and the very best mother and all the world.
Speaker 2: Dear me, boys, whatever should we do without our mother?
Speaker 1: Knock heard at door, Alter hurries to put tidy away.
Speaker 2: Here comes mother. I'm so glad.
Speaker 1: Goes to door, finds Ola standing there.
Speaker 2: Why little girl, who are you? Oh?
Speaker 6: Please? May I come and I get warm?
Speaker 5: I'm so very very cold, and I have no place
to go. I have no place to sleep, and I'm
so hungry.
Speaker 1: Boys go to door also.
Speaker 3: Come in, Come in and get warm?
Speaker 2: You poor little thing.
Speaker 6: What is your name?
Speaker 3: Little girl?
Speaker 1: Olah shivering?
Speaker 5: Oh, I'm just Ola.
Speaker 2: Take off your coat and hat, Ola, and come up
to the fire and get warm. You get a chair
for her, Henry, while I get her a hot drink
and something to eat.
Speaker 1: Henry puts chair by fire. Ola starting to remove coat.
Speaker 5: I guess i'd better keep my things on because your
mom might get mad when she sees me. And I
have to scoot cause I get kicked out of lots
of places. Most people don't like poor folks. They say
we steal and lie in lots of other things. But
I don't.
Speaker 6: Here.
Speaker 2: Ola, eat this bread and drink this, and when mother
comes she will give you some more.
Speaker 1: Gives Ola hot drink and bread.
Speaker 3: Why are your father and mother? Ola?
Speaker 5: I haven't gotten them. I am just alone.
Speaker 4: Well, who takes care of you?
Speaker 7: I do it?
Speaker 1: Myself, Henry, coming closer to Ola.
Speaker 3: Why who buys food for you?
Speaker 5: Nobody?
Speaker 6: Only me?
Speaker 1: A'll tak wiping tears away?
Speaker 2: You poor poor little thing. How do you earn money
to buy bread and clothes and shoes?
Speaker 5: I sell matches and papers, and I run errand sometimes
for the butcher man, and sometimes I scrub out the
butcher man's shop. But I don't get much. And sometimes
I sing on the street and I get as much.
Speaker 6: As ten cents.
Speaker 3: Sing for us, Willyola, We would like to hear you.
Speaker 6: Jesus loves me.
Speaker 8: This I know, for the Bible tells me so little
wants to him.
Speaker 5: Long they are week BERTI is strong.
Speaker 8: Yes, Jesus loves me.
Speaker 5: Yes, Jesus loves me.
Speaker 6: Yes, Jesus love me.
Speaker 8: The Bible tells me so.
Speaker 1: Alta calls boys aside.
Speaker 2: Say, boys, let's keep Olah, the poor little thing. She
can be our sister. And I will give her some
of my clothes and shoes to wear, and we can
all take care of her.
Speaker 4: Let's do it, Henry, let's do it. We will give
her to mother for a Christmas.
Speaker 3: Present, all right, we'll do it. When we hear mother coming,
we will let Ola stand in the corner and cover
her up so mother won't see her when she comes in.
Speaker 1: What fun? Alta speaks to Ola.
Speaker 2: Ola, how would you like to live here with us,
have our mother for your mother too? Wouldn't it be nice?
Speaker 1: Ola standing up, looks surprised.
Speaker 6: Oh oh, oh.
Speaker 1: Missus Good knocks at the door.
Speaker 3: Quick, all, La, quick, stand over here, and we will
cover you all up before mother comes in.
Speaker 1: Enter Missus Good.
Speaker 7: Well, my dear children, have you enjoyed yourselves while I
was out chopping?
Speaker 6: Oh?
Speaker 2: Yes, mother, we had a splendid time. The boys were
real good to me and didn't tease much. Mother. Are
all those bundles Christmas presents for us?
Speaker 7: No, dear, don't be inquisitive. Wait until to morrow morning
to see what I have for you.
Speaker 1: Places bundles on the table, Henrietta, Alta.
Speaker 3: I see a riding pad, Alta, but no automobile.
Speaker 1: Alta turns her head away from him. Leon very importantly,
hands in pockets.
Speaker 4: Well, mother, we have a Christmas present for you, and
we're not going to keep you waiting until Christmas morning
for it either.
Speaker 1: Henry excitedly, what do you suppose it is?
Speaker 3: Mother? Give a good guess now.
Speaker 7: Oh, some candy or some fancy work. Isn't that it? Alter?
Speaker 2: No, not fancy work, dear mother. We have something better
than that. Our new presence moves and sings and is
very very useful.
Speaker 1: Missus good smiling.
Speaker 7: Oh I know. No, you have a canary bird that
moves and sings and is indeed very useful because it
teaches us to be happy all the time.
Speaker 3: No, it's not a canary, mother, because it talks too. Now,
a canary doesn't talk, you know.
Speaker 7: Henry, it must be a parrot. Come now, isn't it
a parrot?
Speaker 3: No, Mother, it's no parrot either.
Speaker 1: Guess again, missus good ponder.
Speaker 7: No, I'll give it up, but I know it must
be something nice. I can tell by your happy faces.
Speaker 2: Bring it out, boys, Bring it out.
Speaker 1: Boys, carry ollah, still covered up, out the middle of
the room in rigid position.
Speaker 7: Oh, what a big present that is, boys.
Speaker 1: Leon as he uncovers Olah.
Speaker 4: Yes, and it can sing and scrub and sell matches.
Speaker 1: Missus good. In surprise, my children, What little girl is this?
Speaker 7: How did you come here?
Speaker 2: Mother? The poor little creature came to our door so
cold and hungry, and we brought her in. We thought
she would freeze to death. And now mother, we want
to keep her, and she is your Christmas present from us.
Speaker 1: Missus Good. As she seats herself in a chair.
Speaker 7: Come here, little girl, and tell me all about it.
Speaker 1: Puts arm around Olah.
Speaker 7: What is your name, dear Olah?
Speaker 1: Ola?
Speaker 2: What?
Speaker 6: Oh? No, not Olla?
Speaker 2: What?
Speaker 5: It's just Ola, that's all.
Speaker 7: Where is your home?
Speaker 1: Ola?
Speaker 5: I haven't got no home.
Speaker 7: But you must live somewhere, and someone must take care
of you. Can it be that you are all alone
in the world.
Speaker 5: I guess I must be, because no one gives me
a home, and I take care of myself. I had
a nice mama once, and she took care of me.
But Mamma was sick a long time, and she told
me one day to always be a good little girl,
and sometime I could come and see her up in heaven,
because she was going there pretty soon. And I guess
she went to heaven because I didn't see her since
they took her away in a carriage.
Speaker 2: Do keep her, mother, and we will all share up
with her.
Speaker 1: Missus Good thoughtfully, three little ones of my own vite
for can I take another?
Speaker 7: And the stranger.
Speaker 1: Draws Ola closer to her.
Speaker 7: Ola. The children say you can sing? Will you sing
for me?
Speaker 6: Jesus loves me.
Speaker 8: He who died heavens gets to open what he will
wash away, my son, let his little child come in. Yes,
Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me.
The Bible tells me, so.
Speaker 7: Ola, would you like to live here with us? And
let me be your mother in place of the one
that's gone to heaven.
Speaker 2: Oh?
Speaker 6: My live here, Oh this lovely.
Speaker 1: House, runs over to the fireplace.
Speaker 6: And be warm all the time.
Speaker 7: Oh yes, yes, yes, Olah, and not only have a
nice warm home, but a warm place in our hearts too. Now,
dear children, I thank you all for your Christmas.
Speaker 1: Present, draws Olah to her, And if you will.
Speaker 7: All come closer, I will read a few verses from
the Bible. Then shall the King say to them that
shall be on his right hand, Come, ye, blessed of
my Father possessed you the kingdom prepared for you from
the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and
you gave me to eat. I was thirsty, and you
gave me to drink. I was a stranger and you
took me in naked, and you covered me sick, and
you visited me. I was in prison, and you came
to me. Then shall the just answer him, saying, Lord,
when did we see thee hungry and fed thee thirsty
and gave thee drink? Or when did we see thee
a stranger and took thee in? Or naked and covered thee?
Or when did we see thee sick or imprison and
came to thee. And the king answering, shall say to them,
all men, I say to you, as long as you
did it to one of these, my least brethren, you
did it to me. Yes, after all, it is more
blessed to give than to receive. And for his sake
I will give this little one a.
Speaker 1: Home curtain end of ollah, or a Christmas present for
mother by John D. Mac donald