A "MADAME JARLEY."

N the balmy, indolent days of spring and early summer, when one craves an entertainment that will bring a deal of pleasure out of the least possible exertion and responsibility, try a "Madame Jarley." From the first planning and arranging of characters, through the rehearsals, even to the ringing down the curtain and putting out the lights, it is one continual enjoyment, full of brightness and mirth. The professional Madame Jarley-for she does exist-following the clerical law as laid down by the dominies in the days of our ancestors, divides her discourse usually into four or five heads, having the curtain rise and fall upon the chamber of horrors, of beauty, the historical room, that devoted to Shakespearian characters, and the miscellaneous. It takes more of time and arrangement, however, and is apt to lengthen the entertainment more than is desirable. So we arranged ours as best suited us, taking the characters that would be most effective or easily managed, and would afford some play of words upon them or their names, for, after all, the success of this entertainment depends upon the brightness and cleverness of Jarley herself, who must be quick to catch both a joke and pun, turning them to her own account.

If you are not familiar with the character, take down from the shelf The Old Curiosity Shop, and read again and again the description Dickens has so vividly given. Take Madame Jarley just as she is, with her dreadful grammar and murdering of the king's English, her delightful unconsciousness of it all, and her quaint expressions. Draw as near the worthy old show-woman as your higher education and worldly experience will allow you; then sketch out your speech, with its sly hits and bonmots that are to delight the audience, keeping, when on the stage, the points well in your mind. Should your memory be treacherous, it is well to strengthen it by writing out the order in which the figures shall appear, and the main allusions that will be made to each in turn, then reading and dwelling upon this until the whole plan has become familiar. There must be an entire avoidance of apparent studied care, and the remarks must be given as if entirely impromptu, even although the study cannot safely be dispensed with, as it is not well to depend upon the right expression coming just when needed. One very clever Mrs. Jarley I know of, always having her plan arranged, seems to gain confidence in so doing; for, rarely adhering to it, she delights the listeners by the bright remarks that come, one after another, without hesitation.

Always having had older persons to take the figures, last summer we took a new departure and brought out our characters in miniature. The novelty of the idea, with the perfect manner in which even the smallest child entered into the spirit of it, was simply enchanting. It was

JET CORSAGE TRIMMING.

For pattern and description see Supplement, No. II., Figs. 13 and 14.

in one of the overgrown inns nestled upon the eastern slope of the Catskills, filled to overflowing with riotous children, that the suggestion came to us; and afterward a whole army of mammas, with crotchety people who were not mammas, for the rest and quiet the rehearsals brought to the house, arose and called us blessed.

A few long dining tables of the old-fashioned sort, which we found packed away in the lumber-room, served for our stage. We built it out in the old orchard, with Chinese lanterns suspended among the trees. A large frame covered with coarse black tarlatan, which helped to soften the lights as well as to render more effective some of the costumes, was nailed in front.

Dear little Elise, what a charming Queen Elizabeth she was transformed into! Her wealth of sunny hair with here and there a glint of gold, the baby softness of her skin that the five years of her little life had only aided in its wonderful pink and white, the bewitching dimples that would faintly appear, even though she was every inch a queen, made her simply captivating. It was to prevent the strain of nerve waiting might possibly entail upon her that she was brought out first, but the little maiden's success gave us the enthusiasm that carried us bravely to the end. We dressed her hair in the style of good Queen Bess, and fashioned from a crimson velvet mantle the longtrained robe that opened over a petticoat of cream white, not brocade, but wall-paper that the village store supplied; it was an excellent make-believe, and as there was no strain upon it, was just suited for the purpose. The pattern was floral and in low tones; here and there the artist of the house put touches of white paint for the pearls. A white lace fichu made the ruff, which was held in shape by fine wire tacked around the top.

One can utilize material in a "Madame Jarley" that would not be available in either masquerade or fancy dress entertainments, for the figures, being most of the time motionless, do not parade the deficiencies in the costumes. Children catch an idea and enter into it with more abandon than do adults; they are seldom burdened with self-consciousness-that barrier to all successful acting-and when once the part is explained to them, are very quick in catching the points.

We were obliged to make a wig for the little boy who took the part of old Father Time. A piece of flesh-colored chintz was rounded, then fitted and shaped into a tight-fitting skull-cap; leaving the crown bare, we commenced just above the edge to sew on the long straggling locks of snowy whiteness. A piece of the chintz served as a foundation for the flowing beard, which was to be kept in place by narrow elastics passing over the ears. The dress for Father Time may be either white or gray, as preferred, using in the one case a sheet for drapery, and in the other a blanket or shawl. Do not omit the scythe,

which for accidents' sake should not be a large one, but a small sickle, or, to be more amusing, a toy one.

"Polly, put the kettle on," is another very taking figure. The dress should be a short one of chintz, with a fancy apron, and pretty high-crowned cap for the head.

When we repeated our wax-works, as we did at the Tip-top House later on, for the benefit of the unfinished church in the village, Madame Jarley did not explain this figure as she did the others, but a chorus of fresh young voices behind a screen at one side of the stage sang the ditty.

Mary, the unfortunate Queen of Scots, was personated by a beautiful black-eyed child, whose sad face at once suggested itself for the character: a black velvet walking dress did duty for her, with crêpe lisse and lace to lighten the effect and fill in the front of the turned-in bodice. A little corner of velvet formed the pointed headdress that, bordered with pearls, was shaped into imitation of the one given in the pictures of the Queen.

William Penn, with clothes of drab and broadbrimmed hat, held in his hand the famous treaty; knee-breeches and silver buckles relieved the plainness; and as many good puns can be made, exclusive of the relative might of the sword, the figure is a favorite one; as is also King Alfred, the hero of our childish days, who, when put in motion, slowly and absently turns the oaten cake before him. The Jasper Packlemerton of the original we altered somewhat by giving him a baker's dozen of wives instead of the fourteen he really possessed; they all shared the same fate, except the last, who had wooden feet-the soles being so hard he could make no impression, and died himself out of pure chagrin. Choose for him a meek-looking boy whose gentle face affords no suggestion of such wickedness. In his left hand hangs an enormous stocking, well filled out and shapely, which, when in motion, he gently raises, tickling the sole with the fingers of his right.

Madame Jarley's attendants should wear calico dressing-gowns, and must be both large and strong enough to bring out the figures as called for. They wander among the figures, which are placed with an eye to effect in the background, each with his watchman's rattle and long feather duster, if so inclined, flaunting the latter innocently into the face of some unfortunate who finds it extremely difficult to keep a sober countenance. Once poor Father Time, I remember, fairly brought down the house by his frantic attempts to keep quiet on hearing one of the asides of the page; he shook and swayed from left to right, up and down, until the rest of the waxworks were fairly demoralized. Little Nell, too, in her own gentle way, passes from one to the other. But Madame herself must not appear when the curtain first rises. She should be stout; if not, naturally, then padding must supply the deficiency. An old poke bonnet or green calash adds to her costume, as, with long stick in her hand, and almost breathless, she climbs the steps at the side and appears in front, announcing in high-pitched voice the wonderful collection that at great pains and expense she has gathered together-figures so life-like that every audience before which they have been presented could not believe them of wax, but thought them real flesh and blood.

She calls her attendants by name, and designates the figure desired; one on each side, they lift it out from the others, first raising the forearms that their hands can take it under the elbows. The wax-works must not offer the slightest aid, but be perfectly lifeless, even going over on the floor if the right hold is not obtained. So, too, the face must be devoid of expression. When each one is placed to suit Madame Jarley, one of the attendants, using the rattle at the side not turned to the audience, puts the figure in motion. Its movements at first should be jerky and uncertain, growing swifter and more limber until ready to run down, when the jerky motion is resumed, and the figure soon becomes lifeless and quiet. The pages carry it off and prop it against the wall, bringing on another.

At one entertainment Jarley herself ran down, and to the delight of every one was wound up, passing off the stage, her face working and stick moving as if describing her valuable collection. The latter had been wound up just before, and were placed in position that they, each making its own peculiar motion, might pass off the stage immediately behind her.

Two reflectors, one on each side of the frame, may be added to the usual arrangement of lights for tableaux. Calcium-lights can often be burned to advantage, the disagreeable odor not being so apparent in the open air. The characters here given are suggestions only, and either those in The Old Curiosity Shop itself can be taken, or one can launch out on the vast sea of fact and fiction, picking up boldly some of the many with which it is covered.