Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome back to Sleepy Stories. I'm your host, Lucy,
Speaker 1: and my friends and I will be reading you a
Speaker 1: sleepy bedtime story every week to relax you and to
Speaker 1: help you to drift off into a RESTful sleep. From
Speaker 1: time to time, we will also read you a relaxing,
Speaker 1: peaceful meditation that will take you somewhere beautiful and calming.
Speaker 1: Once we have read the stories, we will then read
Speaker 1: them a second time, but this time they will be
Speaker 1: ready even slower. This will help you to relax even more.
Speaker 1: Before we begin, I would like you to close your
Speaker 1: eyes and breathe in and out nice and deeply. Take
Speaker 1: a few seconds to inhale, and then hold your breath
Speaker 1: for a few seconds more, and then release and breathe out.
Speaker 1: Do this a few times if you need to. While
Speaker 1: you listen to the music and you listen to my voice,
Speaker 1: give yourself time to let your body relax and your
Speaker 1: mind settle. It's important that we allow time for us
Speaker 1: to feel safe, cozy, and completely at ease. And now
Speaker 1: it's time for this week's story.
Speaker 2: There lived in Boston a wise and ancient chemist by
Speaker 2: the name of doctor Dawes, who dabbled somewhat in magic.
Speaker 2: There also lived in Boston a young lady by the
Speaker 2: name of Clarabelle Sudds, who was possessed of much money,
Speaker 2: little wit, and an intense desire to go upon the stage.
Speaker 2: So clarabel went to doctor Dawes and said, I can
Speaker 2: neither sing nor dance. I cannot recite verse nor play
Speaker 2: upon the piano. I am no acrobat, nor leaper, nor
Speaker 2: high kicker. Yet I wish to go upon the stage.
Speaker 2: What shall I do? Are you willing to pay for
Speaker 2: such accomplishments? Asked the wise chemist, certainly, answered Clara Belle,
Speaker 2: jingling her purse. Then come to me tomorrow at two o'clock,
Speaker 2: said he. All that night he practiced what is known
Speaker 2: as chemical sorcery, so that when Clarabelle SuDS came next
Speaker 2: day at two o'clock, he showed her a small box
Speaker 2: filled with compounds that closely resembled French bombonds. This is
Speaker 2: a progressive age, said the old man, and I flatter myself.
Speaker 2: Your uncle Dawes keeps right along with the procession. Now,
Speaker 2: one of your old fashioned sorcerers would have made you
Speaker 2: some nasty bitter pills to swallow, But I have consulted
Speaker 2: your taste and convenience. Here are some magic bombins. If
Speaker 2: you eat this one with the lavender color, you can
Speaker 2: dance thereafter as lightly and gracefully as if you had
Speaker 2: been trained a lifetime. After you consume the pink confection,
Speaker 2: you will sing like a nightingale. Eating the white one
Speaker 2: will enable you to become the finest elocutionist in the land.
Speaker 2: The chocolate piece will charm you into playing the piano
Speaker 2: better than Rubinstein, While after eating the lemon yellow bombin,
Speaker 2: you can easily kick six feet above your head. How delightful,
Speaker 2: exclaimed Clara Belle, who was truly enraptured. You are certainly
Speaker 2: a most clever sorcerer, as well as a considerate compounder.
Speaker 2: And she held out her hand for the box. Ahem,
Speaker 2: said the wise one. A check, please, Oh yes, to
Speaker 2: be sure, How stupid of me to forget it, she returned.
Speaker 2: He considerately retained the box in his own hand while
Speaker 2: she signed a check for a large amount of money,
Speaker 2: after which he allowed her to hold the box herself.
Speaker 2: Are you sure you have made them strong enough? She
Speaker 2: inquired anxiously. It usually takes a great deal to affect me.
Speaker 2: My only fear replied Doctor Dawes, is that I have
Speaker 2: made them too strong, for this is the first time
Speaker 2: I have ever been called upon to prepare these wonderful confections.
Speaker 2: Don't worry, said Clara Belle. The stronger they act, the
Speaker 2: better I shall act myself. She went away after saying this,
Speaker 2: but stopping in at a dry goods store to shop,
Speaker 2: she forgot the precious box in her new interest and
Speaker 2: left it lying on the ribbon counter. Then little Bessie
Speaker 2: Bostwick came to the counter to buy a hair ribbon
Speaker 2: and laid her parcels beside the box. When she went away,
Speaker 2: she gathered up the box with her other bundles and
Speaker 2: trotted off home with it. Bessie never knew until after
Speaker 2: she had hung her coat in the hall closet and
Speaker 2: counted up her parcels that she had one too many.
Speaker 2: Then she opened it and exclaimed, why it's a box
Speaker 2: of candy. Some one must have mislaid it. But it
Speaker 2: is too small a matter to worry about. There are
Speaker 2: only a few pieces. So she dumped the contents of
Speaker 2: the box into a bonbon dish that stood upon the
Speaker 2: hall table, and picking out the chocolate piece she was
Speaker 2: fond of chocolates, ate it daintily while she examined her purchases.
Speaker 2: These were not many, for Bessie was only twelve years
Speaker 2: old and was not yet trusted by her parents to
Speaker 2: expend much money at the stores. But while she tried
Speaker 2: on the hair ribbon, she suddenly felt a great desire
Speaker 2: to play upon the piano, and the desire at last
Speaker 2: became so overpowering that she went into the parlor and
Speaker 2: opened the instrument. The little girl had, with infinite pains,
Speaker 2: contrived to learn two pieces, which she usually executed with
Speaker 2: a jerky movement of her right hand and a left
Speaker 2: hand that forgot to keep up and so made dreadful discords.
Speaker 2: But under the influence of the chocolate bonbon, she sat
Speaker 2: down and ran her fingers lightly over the keys, producing
Speaker 2: such exquisite harmony that she was filled with amazement at
Speaker 2: her own performance. That was the prelude. However, the next
Speaker 2: moment she dashed into Beethoven's seventh Sonata and played it magnificently.
Speaker 2: Her mother, hearing the unusual burst of melody, came downstairs
Speaker 2: to see what musical guest had arrived, but when she
Speaker 2: discovered it was her own little daughter, who was playing
Speaker 2: so divinely. She had an attack of palpitation of the
Speaker 2: heart to which she was subject, and sat down upon
Speaker 2: a sofa until it should pass away. Meanwhile, Bessie played
Speaker 2: one after another with untiring energy. She loved music, and
Speaker 2: now found that all she need do was to sit
Speaker 2: at the piano and listen and watch her hands twinkle
Speaker 2: over the keyboard. Twilight deepened in the room, and Bessie's
Speaker 2: father came home and hung up his hat and overcoat
Speaker 2: and placed his umbrella in the rack. Then he peeped
Speaker 2: into the parlor to see who was playing. Great Caesar,
Speaker 2: he exclaimed, But the mother came to him softly, with
Speaker 2: her finger on her lips, and whispered, don't interrupt her, John,
Speaker 2: Our child seems to be in a trance. Did you
Speaker 2: ever hear such superb music. Why she's an infant prodigy?
Speaker 2: Gasped the astounded father. Beats blind Tom all hollow, It's wonderful.
Speaker 2: As they stood listening, the Senator arrived, having been invited
Speaker 2: to dine with them that evening, and before he had
Speaker 2: taken off his coat, the Yale Professor, a man of
Speaker 2: deep learning and scholarly attainments, joined the party. Bessie played on,
Speaker 2: and the four elders stood in a huddled but silent
Speaker 2: and amazed group, listening to the music and waiting for
Speaker 2: the sound of the dinner gong. Mister Bostwick, who was hungry,
Speaker 2: picked up the bombing dish that lay on the table
Speaker 2: beside him and ate the pink confection. The Professor was
Speaker 2: watching him, so mister Bostwick courteously held the dish toward him.
Speaker 2: The Professor ate the lemon yellow piece, and the Senator
Speaker 2: reached out his hand and took the lavender piece. He
Speaker 2: did not eat it, however, for chancing to remember that
Speaker 2: it might spoil his dinner, he put it in his
Speaker 2: vest pocket. Missus Bostwick, still intently listening to her precocious daughter,
Speaker 2: without thinking what she did, took the remaining piece, which
Speaker 2: was the white one, and slowly devoured it. The dish
Speaker 2: was now empty, and Clara Belle Sudd's precious bonbonds had
Speaker 2: passed from her possession forever. Suddenly, mister Bostwick, who was
Speaker 2: a big man, began to sing in a shrill tremolo
Speaker 2: soprano voice. It was not the same song Bessie was playing,
Speaker 2: and the discord was shocking that the Professor smiled. The
Speaker 2: Senator put his hands to his ears, and Missus Bostwick
Speaker 2: cried in a horrified voice. William, her husband, continued to
Speaker 2: sing as if endeavoring to emulate the famous Christine Nilsen,
Speaker 2: and paid no attention whatever to his wife or his guests. Fortunately,
Speaker 2: the dinner gong now sounded, and Missus Bostwick dragged Bessie
Speaker 2: from the piano and ushered her guests into the dining room.
Speaker 2: Mister Bostwick followed, singing the Last Rose of Summer as
Speaker 2: if it had been an encore demanded by a thousand
Speaker 2: delighted hearers. The poor woman was in despair at witnessing
Speaker 2: her husband's undignified actions and wondered what she might do
Speaker 2: to control him. The Professor seemed more grave than usual,
Speaker 2: The Senator's face wore an offended expression, and Bessie kept
Speaker 2: moving her fingers as if she still wanted to play
Speaker 2: the piano. Missus Bostwick managed to get them all seated,
Speaker 2: although her husband had broken into another area, and then
Speaker 2: the maid brought in the soup. When she carried a
Speaker 2: plate to the professor, he cried in an excited voice,
Speaker 2: hold it higher, higher, I say, and springing up, he
Speaker 2: gave it a sudden kick that sent it nearly to
Speaker 2: the ceiling. From whence the dish descended to scatter soup
Speaker 2: over Bessie and the maid, and to smash in pieces
Speaker 2: upon the crown of the Professor's bald head. At this
Speaker 2: atrocious act, the Senator rose from his seat with an
Speaker 2: exclamation of horror and glanced at his hostess. For some time,
Speaker 2: Missus Bostwick had been staring straight ahead with a dazed expression,
Speaker 2: but now catching the Senator's eye, she bowed gracefully and
Speaker 2: began reciting the charge of the light Brigade in forceful tones.
Speaker 2: The Senator shuddered. Such disgraceful rioting he had never seen
Speaker 2: nor heard before in a decent private family. He felt
Speaker 2: that his reputation was at stake, and being the only
Speaker 2: sane person apparently in the room, there was no one
Speaker 2: to whom he might appeal. The maid had run away
Speaker 2: to cry hysterically. In the kitchen, mister Bostwick was singing, Oh,
Speaker 2: promise me. The Professor was trying to kick the globes
Speaker 2: off the chandelier. Missus Bostwick had switched her recitation to
Speaker 2: the boy stood on the burning deck, and Bessie had
Speaker 2: stolen into the parlor and was pounding out the overture
Speaker 2: from the flying Dutchman. The Senator was not at all
Speaker 2: sure he would not go crazy himself presently, so he
Speaker 2: slipped away from the turmoil, and, catching up his hat
Speaker 2: and coat in the hall, hurried from the house. That night,
Speaker 2: he sat up late writing a political speech he was
Speaker 2: to deliver the next afternoon at Fanuy Hall, but his
Speaker 2: experiences at the Bostwicks had so unnerved him that he
Speaker 2: could scarcely collect his thoughts, and often he would pause
Speaker 2: and shake his head pityingly as he remembered the strange
Speaker 2: things he had seen in that usually respectable home. The
Speaker 2: poor woman was in despair at witnessing her husband's undignified actions,
Speaker 2: and wondered what she might do to control him. The
Speaker 2: professor seemed more grave than usual, the Senator's face or
Speaker 2: an offended expression, and Bessie kept moving her fingers as
Speaker 2: if she still wanted to play the piano. Missus Bostwick
Speaker 2: managed to get them all seated, although her husband had
Speaker 2: broken into another area, and then the maid brought in
Speaker 2: the soup when she carried a plate to the professor.
Speaker 2: He cried in an excited voice, hold it higher, higher,
Speaker 2: I say, and springing up, he gave it a sudden
Speaker 2: kick that sent it nearly to the ceiling. From whence
Speaker 2: the dish descended to scatter soup over Bessie and the maid,
Speaker 2: and to smash in pieces upon the crown of the
Speaker 2: Professor's bald head. At this atrocious act, the Senator rose
Speaker 2: from his seat with an exclamation of horror, and glanced
Speaker 2: at his hostess. For some time, Missus Bostwick had been
Speaker 2: staring straight ahead with a dazed expression, but now catching
Speaker 2: the Senator's eye, she bowed gracefully and began reciting the
Speaker 2: charge of the light Brigade in forceful tones. The Senator shuddered.
Speaker 2: Such disgraceful rioting he had never seen nor heard before
Speaker 2: in a decent private family. He felt that his reputation
Speaker 2: was at stake, and being the only sane person apparently
Speaker 2: in the room, there was no one to whom he
Speaker 2: might appeal. The maid had run away to cry hysterically
Speaker 2: in the kitchen, Mister Bostwick was singing, Oh, promise me.
Speaker 2: The professor was trying to kick the globes off the chandelier.
Speaker 2: Missus Bostwick had switched her recitation to the boy stood
Speaker 2: on the burning deck, and Bessie had stolen into the
Speaker 2: parlor and was pounding out the overture from the flying Dutchman.
Speaker 2: The Senator was not at all sure he would not
Speaker 2: go crazy himself presently, so he slipped away from the turmoil, and,
Speaker 2: catching up his hat and coat in the hall, hurried
Speaker 2: from the house. That night, he sat up late writing
Speaker 2: a political speech he was to deliver the next afternoon
Speaker 2: at Fanuy Hall, But his experiences at the Bostwicks had
Speaker 2: so unnerved him that he could scarcely collect his thoughts,
Speaker 2: and often he would pause and shake his head pityingly
Speaker 2: as he remembered the strange things he had seen in
Speaker 2: that usually respectable home. The next day, he met mister
Speaker 2: Bostwick in the street, but passed him by with a
Speaker 2: stony glare of oblivion. He felt he really could not
Speaker 2: afford to know this gentleman in the future. Mister Bostwick
Speaker 2: was naturally indignant at the direct snub, yet in his
Speaker 2: mind lingered a faint memory of some quite unusual occurrences
Speaker 2: at his dinner party the evening before, and he hardly
Speaker 2: knew whether he dared resent the Senator's treatment or not.
Speaker 2: The political meeting was the feature of the day, for
Speaker 2: the Senator's eloquence was well known in Boston. So the
Speaker 2: big Hall was crowded with people, and in one of
Speaker 2: the front rows sat the Bostwick family, with the learned
Speaker 2: Yale professor beside them. They all looked tired and pale,
Speaker 2: as if they had passed a rather dissipated evening, and
Speaker 2: the Senator was rendered so nervous by seeing them that
Speaker 2: he refused to look in their direction a second time.
Speaker 2: While the Mayor was introducing him, the great man sat
Speaker 2: fidgeting in his chair and happening to put his thumb
Speaker 2: and finger into his vest pocket. He found the lavender
Speaker 2: colored bombin he had placed there the evening before. This
Speaker 2: may clear my throat, thought the Senator, and slipped the
Speaker 2: bombin into his mouth. A few minutes afterwards, he arose
Speaker 2: before the vast audience, which greeted him with enthusiastic plaudits.
Speaker 2: My friends, began the Senator in a grave voice. This
Speaker 2: is a most impressive and important occasion. Then he paused,
Speaker 2: balanced himself upon his left foot and kicked his right
Speaker 2: leg into the air in the way favored by ballet dancers.
Speaker 2: There was a hum of amazement and horror from the spectators,
Speaker 2: but the Senator appeared not to notice it. He whirled
Speaker 2: around upon the tips of his toes, kicked right and
Speaker 2: left in a graceful manner, and startled a bald headed
Speaker 2: man in the front row by casting a languishing glance
Speaker 2: in his direction. Suddenly, Clarabelle Sudds, who happened to be present,
Speaker 2: uttered a scream and sprang to her feet, pointing an
Speaker 2: accusing finger at the dancing senator. She cried in a
Speaker 2: loud voice, that's the man who stole my bonbonds. Seize him,
Speaker 2: arrest him, don't let him escape. But the ushers rushed
Speaker 2: her out of the hall, thinking she had gone suddenly insane,
Speaker 2: and the senator's friends seized him firmly and carried him
Speaker 2: out the stage entrance to the street, where they put
Speaker 2: him into an open carriage and instructed the driver to
Speaker 2: take him home. The effect of the magic bonbon was
Speaker 2: still powerful enough to control the poor senator, who stood
Speaker 2: upon the rear seat of the carriage and danced energetically
Speaker 2: all the way home, to the delight of the crowd
Speaker 2: of small boys who followed the carriage, and the grief
Speaker 2: of the sober minded citizens, who shook their heads sadly
Speaker 2: and whispered that another good man had gone wrong. It
Speaker 2: took the Senator several months to recover from the shame
Speaker 2: and humiliation of this escapade, and curiously enough, he never
Speaker 2: had the slightest idea what had induced him to act
Speaker 2: in so extraordinary a manner. Perhaps it was fortunate us
Speaker 2: bonbon had now been eaten, for they might easily have
Speaker 2: caused considerably more trouble than they did. Of course, Clara
Speaker 2: Belle went again to the wise chemist and signed a
Speaker 2: check for another box of magic bonbonds. But she must
Speaker 2: have taken better care of these, for she is now
Speaker 2: a famous vaudeville actress. This story should teach us the
Speaker 2: folly of condemning others for actions that we do not understand,
Speaker 2: for we never know what may happen to ourselves. It
Speaker 2: may also serve as a hint to be careful about
Speaker 2: leaving parcels in public places, and incidentally, to let other
Speaker 2: people's packages severely alone. There lived in Boston a wise
Speaker 2: and ancient chemist by the name of doctor Dawes, who
Speaker 2: dabbled somewhat in magic. There also lived in Boston a
Speaker 2: young lady by the name of Clarabelle Sudds, who was
Speaker 2: possessed of much money, little wit, and an intense desire
Speaker 2: to go upon the stage. So Clarabell went to doctor
Speaker 2: Dawes and said, I can neither sing nor dance. I
Speaker 2: cannot recite verse nor play upon the piano. I am
Speaker 2: no acrobat, nor leaper, nor high kicker. Yet I wish
Speaker 2: to go upon the stage. What shall I do? Are
Speaker 2: you willing to pay for such accomplishments? Asked the wise chemist, certainly,
Speaker 2: answered Clara Bell, jingling her purse. Then come to me
Speaker 2: to my momorrow at two o'clock, said he. All that
Speaker 2: night he practiced what is known as chemical sorcery, so
Speaker 2: that when Clarabelle SuDS came next day at two o'clock,
Speaker 2: he showed her a small box filled with compounds that
Speaker 2: closely resembled French bombonds. This is a progressive age, said
Speaker 2: the old man, and I flatter myself. Your uncle Dawes
Speaker 2: keeps right along with the procession. Now one of your
Speaker 2: old fashioned sorcerers would have made you some nasty bitter
Speaker 2: pills to swallow, but I have consulted your taste and convenience.
Speaker 2: Here are some magic bombuons. If you eat this one
Speaker 2: with the lavender color, you can dance thereafter as lightly
Speaker 2: and gracefully as if you had been trained a lifetime.
Speaker 2: After you can zhome the pink confection, you will sing
Speaker 2: like a nightingale. Eating the white one will enable you
Speaker 2: to become the finest elocutionist in the land. The chocolate
Speaker 2: piece will charm you into playing the piano better than Rubinstein,
Speaker 2: While after eating the lemon yellow bombin, you can easily
Speaker 2: kick six feet above your head. How delightful, exclaimed Clara Belle,
Speaker 2: who was truly enraptured. You are certainly a most clever
Speaker 2: sorcerer as well as a considerate compounder. And she held
Speaker 2: out her hand for the box. Ahem, said the wise one.
Speaker 2: A check please, Oh, yes, to be sure, How stupid
Speaker 2: of me to forget it, she returned. He considerately retained
Speaker 2: the box in his own hand while she signed a
Speaker 2: check for a large amount of money, after which he
Speaker 2: allowed her to hold the box herself. Are you sure
Speaker 2: you have made them strong enough? She inquired anxiously. It
Speaker 2: usually takes a great deal to affect me. My only fear,
Speaker 2: replied Doctor Dawes, is that I have made them too strong,
Speaker 2: for this is the first time I have ever been
Speaker 2: called upon to prepare these wonderful confections. Don't worry, said
Speaker 2: Clara Belle. The stronger they act, the better I shall
Speaker 2: act myself. She went away after saying this, but stopping
Speaker 2: in at a dry goods store to shop, she forgot
Speaker 2: the precious box in her new interest and left it
Speaker 2: lying on the ribbon counter. Then little Bessie Bostwick came
Speaker 2: to the counter to buy a hair ribbon and laid
Speaker 2: her parcels beside the box. When she went away, she
Speaker 2: gathered up the box with her other bundles and trotted
Speaker 2: off home with it. Bessie never knew until after she
Speaker 2: had hung her coat in the hall closet and counted
Speaker 2: up her parcels that she had one too many. Then
Speaker 2: she opened it and exclaimed, why it's a box of candy.
Speaker 2: Someone must have mislaid it. But it is too small
Speaker 2: a matter to worry about. There are only a few pieces.
Speaker 2: So she dumped the contents of the box into a
Speaker 2: bonbon dish that stood upon the hall table, and picking
Speaker 2: out the chocolate piece. She was fond of chocolates, ate
Speaker 2: it daintily while she examined her purchases. These were not many,
Speaker 2: for Bessie was only twelve years old and was not
Speaker 2: yet trusted by her parents to expend much money at
Speaker 2: the store. But while she tried on the hair ribbon,
Speaker 2: she suddenly felt a great desire to play upon the piano,
Speaker 2: and the desire at last became so overpowering that she
Speaker 2: went into the parlor and opened the instrument. The little
Speaker 2: girl had, with infinite pains, contrived to learn two pieces,
Speaker 2: which she usually executed with a jerky movement of her
Speaker 2: right hand and a left hand that forgot to keep
Speaker 2: up and so made dreadful discords. But under the influence
Speaker 2: of the chocolate bonbon, she sat down and ran her
Speaker 2: fingers lightly over the keys, producing such exquisite harmony that
Speaker 2: she was filled with amazement at her own performance. That
Speaker 2: was the prelude. However, the next moment she dashed into
Speaker 2: Beethoven's seventh Sonai and played it magnificently. Her mother, hearing
Speaker 2: the unusual burst of melody, came downstairs to see what
Speaker 2: musical guest had arrived. But when she discovered it was
Speaker 2: her own little daughter who was playing so divinely, she
Speaker 2: had an attack of palpitation of the heart to which
Speaker 2: she was subject, and sat down upon a sofa until
Speaker 2: it should pass away. Meanwhile, Bessie played one piece after
Speaker 2: another with untiring energy. She loved music, and now found
Speaker 2: that all she need do was to sit at the
Speaker 2: piano and listen and watch her hands twinkle over the keyboard.
Speaker 2: Twilight deepened in the room, and Bessie's father came home
Speaker 2: and hung up his hat and overcoat and placed his
Speaker 2: umbrella in the rack. Then he peeped into the parlor
Speaker 2: to see who was playing. Great Caesar, he exclaimed, But
Speaker 2: the mother came to him softly, with her finger on
Speaker 2: her lips, and whispered, don't interrupt her, John, Our child
Speaker 2: seems to be in a trance. Did you ever hear
Speaker 2: such superb music? Why she's an infant prodigy, gasped the
Speaker 2: astounded father. Beats blind, tom all hollow, It's wonderful. As
Speaker 2: they stood listening, the senator arrived, having been invited to
Speaker 2: dine with them that evening, and before he had taken
Speaker 2: off his coat. The Yale Professor, a man of deep
Speaker 2: learning and scholarly attainments, joined the party. Bessie played on,
Speaker 2: and the four elders stood in a huddled but silent,
Speaker 2: an amazed group, listening to the music and waiting for
Speaker 2: the sound of the dinner gong. Mister Bostwick, who was hungry,
Speaker 2: picked up the bomban dish that lay on the table
Speaker 2: beside him and ate the pink confection. The Professor was
Speaker 2: watching him, so mister Bostwick courteously held the dish toward him.
Speaker 2: The Professor ate the lemon yellow piece, and the Senator
Speaker 2: reached out his hand and took the lavender piece. He
Speaker 2: did not eat it, however, for chancing to remember that
Speaker 2: it might spoil his dinner, he put it in his
Speaker 2: vest pocket. Missus Bostwick, still intently listening to her precocious daughter,
Speaker 2: without thinking what she did, took the remaining piece, which
Speaker 2: was the white one, and slowly devoured it. The dish
Speaker 2: was now empty, and Clara Belle Sudd's precious bonbonds had
Speaker 2: passed from her possession forever. Suddenly, mister Bostwick, who was
Speaker 2: a big man, began to sing in a shrill tremolo
Speaker 2: soprano voice. It was not the same song Bessie was playing,
Speaker 2: and the discord was shocking that the Professor smiled. The
Speaker 2: Senator put his hands to his ears, and Missus Bostwick
Speaker 2: cried in a horrified voice. William, her husband, continued to
Speaker 2: sing as if endeavoring to emulate the famous Christine Nilsen,
Speaker 2: and paid no attention whatever to his wife or his guests. Fortunately,
Speaker 2: the dinner gong now sounded, and Missus Bostwick dragged Bessie
Speaker 2: from the piano and ushered her guests into the dining room.
Speaker 2: Mister Bostwick followed, singing the Last Rose of Summer as
Speaker 2: if it had been an encore demanded by a thousand
Speaker 2: delighted hearers. The poor woman was in despair at witnessing
Speaker 2: her husband's undignified actions and wondered what she might do
Speaker 2: to control him. The Professor seemed more grave than usual,
Speaker 2: The Senator's face wore an offended expression, and Bessie kept
Speaker 2: moving her fingers as if she still wanted to play
Speaker 2: the piano. Missus Bostwick managed to get them all seated,
Speaker 2: although her husband had broken into another area, and then
Speaker 2: the maid brought in the soup. When she carried a
Speaker 2: plate to the professor, he cried in an excited voice,
Speaker 2: hold it higher, higher, I say, and springing up, he
Speaker 2: gave it a sudden kick that sent it nearly to
Speaker 2: the ceiling. From whence the dish descended to scatter soup
Speaker 2: over Bessie and the maid, and to smash in pieces
Speaker 2: upon the crown of the Professor's bald head. At this
Speaker 2: atrocious act, the Senator rose from his seat with an
Speaker 2: exclamation of horror, and glanced at his hostess. For some time,
Speaker 2: Missus Bostwick had been staring straight ahead with a dazed expression,
Speaker 2: but now catching the Senator's eye, she bowed gracefully and
Speaker 2: began reciting the charge of the light Brigade in forceful tones.
Speaker 2: The Senator shuddered. Such disgraceful rioting he had never seen
Speaker 2: nor heard before in a decent private family. He felt
Speaker 2: that his reputation was at stake, and being the only
Speaker 2: sane person apparently in the room, there was no one
Speaker 2: to whom he might appeal. The maid had run away
Speaker 2: to cry hysterically. In the kitchen, mister Bostwick was singing, Oh,
Speaker 2: promise me. The professor was trying to kick the globes
Speaker 2: off the chandelier. Missus Bostwick had switched her recitation to
Speaker 2: the boy stood on the burning deck, and Bessie had
Speaker 2: stolen into the parlor and was pounding out the overture
Speaker 2: from the flying Dutchman. The Senator was not at all
Speaker 2: sure he would not go crazy himself presently, so he
Speaker 2: slipped away from the turmoil, and, catching up his hat
Speaker 2: and coat in the hall, hurried from the house. That night,
Speaker 2: he sat up late writing a political speech he was
Speaker 2: to deliver the next afternoon at Fanuy Hall, But his
Speaker 2: experiences at the Bostwicks had so unnerved him that he
Speaker 2: could scarcely collect his thoughts, and often he would pause
Speaker 2: and shake his head pityingly as he remembered the strange
Speaker 2: things he had seen in that usually respectable home. The
Speaker 2: poor woman was in despair at witnessing her husband's undignified actions,
Speaker 2: and wondered what she might do to control him. The
Speaker 2: professor seemed more grave than usual, The Senator's face wore
Speaker 2: an offended expression, and Bessie kept moving her fingers as
Speaker 2: if she still wanted to play the piano. Missus Bostwick
Speaker 2: managed to get them all seated, although her husband had
Speaker 2: broken into another area, and then the maid brought in
Speaker 2: the soup. When she carried a plate to the professor,
Speaker 2: he cried in an excited voice, hold it higher, higher,
Speaker 2: I say, and springing up, he gave it a sudden
Speaker 2: kick that sent it nearly to the ceiling. From whence
Speaker 2: the dish descended to scatter soup over Bessie and the maid,
Speaker 2: and to smash in pieces upon the crown of the
Speaker 2: Professor's bald head. At this atrocious act, the Senator rose
Speaker 2: from his seat with an exclamation of horror and glanced
Speaker 2: at his hostess. For some time, Missus Bostwick had been
Speaker 2: staring straight ahead with a dazed expression, but now catching
Speaker 2: the Senator's eye, she bowed gracefully and began reciting the
Speaker 2: charge of the light Brigade in forceful tones. The Senator
Speaker 2: shuddered such disgraceful rioting he had never seen nor heard
Speaker 2: before in a decent private family. That his reputation was
Speaker 2: at stake, and being the only sane person apparently in
Speaker 2: the room, there was no one to whom he might appeal.
Speaker 2: The maid had run away to cry hysterically in the kitchen.
Speaker 2: Mister Bostwick was singing, Oh, promise me, The Professor was
Speaker 2: trying to kick the globes off the chandelier. Missus Bostwick
Speaker 2: had switched her recitation to the boy stood on the
Speaker 2: burning deck, and Bessie had stolen into the parlor and
Speaker 2: was pounding out the overture from the flying Dutchman. The
Speaker 2: Senator was not at all sure he would not go
Speaker 2: crazy himself presently, so he slipped away from the turmoil, and,
Speaker 2: catching up his hat and coat in the hall, hurried
Speaker 2: from the house. That night, he sat up late writing
Speaker 2: a political s he was to deliver the next afternoon
Speaker 2: at Fanuy Hall, But his experiences at the Bostwicks had
Speaker 2: so unnerved him that he could scarcely collect his thoughts,
Speaker 2: and often he would pause and shake his head pityingly
Speaker 2: as he remembered the strange things he had seen in
Speaker 2: that usually respectable home. The next day, he met mister
Speaker 2: Bostwick in the street, but passed him by with a
Speaker 2: stony glare of oblivion. He felt he really could not
Speaker 2: afford to know this gentleman in the future. Mister Bostwick
Speaker 2: was naturally indignant at the direct snub, yet in his
Speaker 2: mind lingered a faint memory of some quite unusual occurrences
Speaker 2: at his dinner party the evening before, and he hardly
Speaker 2: knew whether he dared resent the Senator's treatment or not.
Speaker 2: The political meeting was the feature of the day, for
Speaker 2: the Senator's eloquence was well known in Boston, so the
Speaker 2: big Hall was crowded with people, and in one of
Speaker 2: the front rows sat the Bostwick family, with the learned
Speaker 2: Yale professor beside them. They all looked tired and pale,
Speaker 2: as if they had passed a rather dissipated evening, and
Speaker 2: the Senator was rendered so nervous by seeing them that
Speaker 2: he refused to look in their direction a second time.
Speaker 2: While the Mayor was introducing him, the great Man sat
Speaker 2: fidgeting in his chair and happening to put his thumb
Speaker 2: and finger into his vest pocket. He found the lavender
Speaker 2: colored bombin he had placed there the evening before. This
Speaker 2: may clear my throat, thought the Senator, and slipped the
Speaker 2: bombin into his mouth. A few minutes afterwards, he arose
Speaker 2: before the vast audience, which greeted him with enthusiastic plaudits.
Speaker 2: My friends, began the Senator in a grave voice, this
Speaker 2: is a most impressive and important occasion. Then he paused,
Speaker 2: balanced himself upon his left foot, and kicked his right
Speaker 2: leg into the air in the way favored by ballet dancers.
Speaker 2: There was a hum of amazement and horror from the spectators,
Speaker 2: but the Senator appeared not to notice it. He whirled
Speaker 2: around upon the tips of his toes, kicked right and
Speaker 2: left in a graceful manner, and startled a bald headed
Speaker 2: man in the front row by casting a languishing glance
Speaker 2: in his direction. Suddenly, Clarabelle Sudds, who happened to be present,
Speaker 2: uttered a scream and sprang to her feet, pointing an
Speaker 2: accusing finger at the dancing senator. She cried in a
Speaker 2: loud voice, that's the man who stole my bonbons. Seize him,
Speaker 2: arrest him, don't let him escape. But the ushers rushed
Speaker 2: her out of the hall, thinking she had gone suddenly insane,
Speaker 2: and the senator's friends seized him firmly and carried him
Speaker 2: out the stage entrance to the street, where they put
Speaker 2: him into an open carriage and instructed the driver to
Speaker 2: take him home. The effect of the magic bonbon was
Speaker 2: still powerful enough to control the poor Senator, who stood
Speaker 2: upon the rear seat of the carriage and danced energetically
Speaker 2: all the way home, to the delight of the crowd
Speaker 2: of small boys who followed the carriage, and the grief
Speaker 2: of the sober minded citizens, who shook their heads sadly
Speaker 2: and whispered that another good man had gone wrong. It
Speaker 2: took the Senator several months to recover from the shame
Speaker 2: and humiliation of this escapade, and curiously enough, he never
Speaker 2: had the slightest idea what had induced him to act
Speaker 2: in so extraordinary a manner. Perhaps it was fortunate the
Speaker 2: last bonbon had now been eaten, for they might easily
Speaker 2: have caused considerably more trouble than they did. Of course,
Speaker 2: Clara Belle went again to the wise chemist and signed
Speaker 2: a check for another box of magic bombonds. But she
Speaker 2: must have taken better care of these, for she is
Speaker 2: now a famous vaudeville actress. This story should teach us
Speaker 2: the folly of condemning others for actions that we do
Speaker 2: not understand, for we never know what may happen to ourselves.
Speaker 2: It may also serve as a hint to be careful
Speaker 2: about leaving parcels in public places, and incidentally, to let
Speaker 2: other people's packages severely alone.
Speaker 3: At sutt A