the Prince's palace. You
shall be a princess.

_Cinderella._ Good-by, dear sisters! Good-by, dear mother! I am going to
the Prince's palace.

THE PIED PIPER

PERSONS IN THE PLAY--MAYOR, FIRST COUNCILMAN, SECOND COUNCILMAN, THIRD
COUNCILMAN, TEN CITIZENS, PIPER

SCENE I.--_The Mayor's Office_

_Mayor and Councilmen, sitting around a table.--Citizens come in._

_First Citizen._ Our Mayor is a noddy!

_Second Citizen._ Look at our corporation sitting in the gowns we pay
for, and doing nothing!

_Third Citizen._ See here, how the rats made a nest in my Sunday hat!

[Illustration]

_Fourth Citizen._ When I was cooking dinner the bold rats licked the
soup from my ladle!

_Fifth Citizen._ They are so bold they are always fighting with the dogs
and cats!

_Sixth Citizen._ Yes, and they kill them, too!

_Seventh Citizen._ My baby cried in his sleep, and when I went to him
there was a big rat in his cradle.

_Eighth Citizen._ What are you going to do about it, Mr. Mayor?

_Ninth Citizen._ You'd better wake up, sirs! Don't go to sleep over
this!

_Tenth Citizen._ I tell you, you'll have to do something to save us from
this army of rats!

_First Councilman._ What _can_ we do?

_Second Councilman._ I'm sure we've tried everything, but every day the
rats grow worse and worse.

_Third Councilman._ I'm sure it isn't very pleasant for us to have the
city overrun with the creatures!

_Mayor._ I'd sell my ermine gown for a guilder! It is no easy thing to
be mayor and I wish I was a plowboy in the country! Try to think of
something to do.

_First Councilman._ It is easy to bid us rack our own brains!

_Second Councilman._ I'm sure my head aches trying to think.

_Third Councilman._ I've wondered and thought, till I've no thoughts
left.

_Mayor._ Oh! if I only had a great big trap! Yes, a thousand big traps!
Bless us, what noise is that? Is it a rat?--Come in!

[Illustration]

[_Enter Piper._]

_First Councilman._ Who is this who dares to come into the Mayor's
office without an introduction?

_Second Councilman._ Hasn't he a funny coat?

_Third Councilman._ But what a pleasant face! He smiles all the time.

_Mayor._ He looks like the picture of my grandsire. What is your name,
and your business, my man?

_Pied Piper._ Please your honors, my name is Pied Piper. My business is
to play upon my pipe. I can charm with the magic of my notes all things
to do my will. But I use my charm on creatur