Mousie and the hidden treasure: a nonsensical burlesque playlet [drama]

Title

Creator

Intal, Artemio

Language

English

Source

Young Citizen, 7 (9) September 1941

Year

1941

Subject

Satirical plays

Theater

Comedy

Drama

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

THE YOUNG CITIZEN SBPT&MBER., 1941 READING TIME FOR YOUNG FOLKS MOUSIE AND THE HIDDEN TREASURE A N onsensicnl Burlesque Piny/et By ARTEMJO INTAL THE PLAYERS Mousrn, a young, strong sailor-mouse. Mousrn's DAD, a big mouse who owns a cabin. - PIRATES. SCENE I Place: In the cabin of Mousie's father. There is "a table in the m_iddle of the room, on top of which is a lighted lantern. On a wall hangs a picture of Mousie's ·grandfather in pirate's garb. (Mousie's father is frantically searching the wooden chests that are scattered about the cabin. · Suddenly he begins to shout and jump.). Mousrn's DAD:. (Excitedly) _I've found it! I've found it! (M ousie, who is outside, hears his father shouting; goes inside to see what the matter is.) . Mousrn: What's the matter, dad? What's happening to you? Why are you so excited? Mousrn's DAD: I've found it! I've found the treasure-map your grandfather told me ab'out. MousiE: What did you say, dad? Did ... did you say a treasure-map? Oh, oh! Show it to me, will you, dad?" Mousrn's DAD: Here it is, son. It's the map, the very map. We'll soon be richrich ! MOUSIE: Not so loud, d.ad. Somebody might hear ·you. (Together they lean on the table and study the map, which is yellow with age. 'Then Mo1uie's father speaks.) • MOUSIE'S DAD: Yes, my son. Before your granddad died, he told. ·me of the loss of his treasure map. During his years of piracy he accumulated great riches which he buried on an island. Your grandfather was a pirate, you - know. One day he discovered the loss of the treasure map, but he knew it was somewhere in his cabin. He searched the whole cabin but could find no trace of it. Now that we have the map, our first job is· to locate the treasure. Then you and I will be rich. · MOUSIE: (Sniffing) I love the seal It's good to be out on the ocean. I love to hear the waves pounding against the ship. You'll soon love the sea, dad. Sure, you will. CURTAIN SCENE II (M ousie and his father are aboard a ·small vessel which they have bought secretly. The ship is piled high with provisions. Mousie's father is walking on the deck toward M ousie looking at the water.) Mousrn's DAD: (Tapping his son on the shoulder) All this will be a danger: ous undertaking. There are pirates that sail the seas. · ·MOUSIE: Maybe that's right, dad. By the way, where is the treasure buried? MOUSIE'S DAD: I don't know. Butaccording to this map, it lies far to the north. Let's direct our course straight to the north until we reach a gap between the mountains.'We'll have to pass through it. In the course of our. trip we'll reach an island ... (At that same ti1ne a pirate's craft is . SEPTEMBER, 1941 THE YOUNG CITIZEN 317 sailing serenely on the waters not very far from the vessel of M ousie and his father. Aboard the pirates' captain is talking to his men.) CAPTAIN: Meil, be on the watch for passing' vessels. Our provision is running low and our water is becoming scarce. PIRATES: Aye, aye, sir. (The lookouts scan the water with glasses. They shout when they see Mousie's· craft.) PIRATE: There's a vessel off the port bow, captain: (The sails are put up and the pirates brandish their swords. Closer and closer comes the pirates' vessel to Mousie's ship. When they reach the craft they clamber aboard, shouting lustily.) CAPTAIN: Take them alive. (M ousie and father are too unneroed by the sudden attack t~ resist. Quickly Mousie's dad hides the· treasu~e-map. Soon they are prisoners. Then the pirates take them to their captain.) CAPTAIN: Ho, ho, ho! (Turning to his crew) Take them to the hold and load what they have on our vessel. (M ousie and his father are taken to the hold. Night comes.a71d they hear the plunderers on deck laughing and drinking wine. Busily the prisoners are planning a way to escape.) MousIE: Dad, we'll rot in this ship if we don't escape. MousIE's DAD: That's right. Say! the guard is sleeping. We had better slip away before he wakes up .. (The two prisoners make their way to the deck with the arms they got from the sleeping guard. .Exercising every precaution, they slip. by the guards on deck and lower themselves off the ship's side. A moment later they are swimming towai·d their ship which is not far away. They reach the ship without any difficulty.) MOUSIE'S DAD: Hoist the sails, son, before they discover our escape. (Mousie puts up the sails. ·The "!'ind blows ·and carries their craft away from the plundering pirates'· craft.) MOUSIE'S DAD: That gang of pirates took everything with them. All I found was a jug of water and a couple of biscuits. CURTAIN SCENE III (The two treasure seekers are on the island where the treasure is buried.) MousIE'S DAD: Here is the stone all right .. Pick up that shovel,'son. (Holding the map in one hand, a spade in the other.) The map says walk one hundred paces north. (They begin measuring till they count the hundred paces.) Then tifiy paces west. Yes, this the place. Dig over there, son, while. I dig here. MOUSIE:. Nothing over here, dad. MousIE'S DAD: Go on, son. Dig deeper. ·(They dig and dig again. After working for quite a long time 'M ousie cries excitedly.) MOUSIE: Something hard in this part, dad. Can it be the treasure? Listen~ Come here, dad. Here they ar,e. Ther~· are two of .them. MousIE's DAD: Didn't I tell you so, son? Now the treasure is ours. I can't believe it, but we are rich. Ha, ha, ha! (They haul the heavy chests to the surface, open them and·discover that th·ey are full of gold. Suddenly Mousie looks toward the sea.) · MousIE: Daddy, daddy, look! It's the pirates' ship. What shall we do? Whitt shall we do? MOUSIE'S DAD: Put the treasure back! · ·(Please turn- to page 334.) 334 THE YOUNG CITIZEN SBPTBMBBR, 1941 GREEDY HERON PIED PIPER JERUSALEM (Continued from page 315) (Continued from page 322) (Continued from page 324) "Get out of my way, and the children went on One of the famous places you!" ordered the Crab. their way to the mountain of J erusalein is known as "No, sir,'' said the Heron is called the "Street of the the Wailing Place ·of the proudly. "I have eaten the Children." In this street Jews. This is a wall o~ very Frog; I have eaten the old there is set up a large stone. ancient stones, once supMudfish, and I have eaten On its side is cut the date posed 10· have been a part the old Snake. 'Yhat is t~ "June 26, A.D. 12 a4." Tha; of the temple erected by stop me from eatmg·you? is the day on which the Solomon but nqw kno~n to But b~fore the Heron P.iper is said to have lead belong ~o later· tllll.es. could finish what he was th b d . 1 Every Friday ] ews gather saying, the Crab raised up U e h oys an t; sf aw:y. at this wall, kiss the ancient his two mighty pinchers, P 1 e.stre.et a itt e art er stones, mourn the loss of and pinched the· Heron's th.ere is a statue of the ] erusalem, and pray. There neck. Piper. are Hebrew carvings on Every year, when · the these ston·es · · these are the twenty-sixth of ] une comes prayers of pilgrims. SOME QUESTONS the around, all the. people who Except for its memories I. Do you think Heron was polite? live in ·Hamelin have a of the past, ] erusalem is l;leron great holiday in memory of not an attractive city today.· the children who followed The streets are narrow and the Piper. dirty, shut in by the high 2. What did the do to the Frog? MOUSIE On that day, the whole ?loomy walls of the build(Gontinued. from page 317) town is full of rats again. mgs, and often ONerarch~d, (They bury _the treasure But these are not live rats. so that they seem almost hke again; cover it with soil and Instead they are little cakes. passages through caves. run toward a clump of trees and co~kies made into the The houses are square and nearby. They climb a tall shape of a rat. And all the ~at-topped, with few outone). . stores in town have for sale side courts .. The streets are MOUSIE: (E:mfedly) r 1 fl 1.k h h crowded with traders, begL k d di Th , 1tt e utes, 1 et e one t e gars and p·1gr· s and oo , a e y v e p· 1 d , 1 1m changed theii course. They iper P aye · . travelers from all o:ve_r the aren't coming here. The. boy~ and girls .of world. M o u s I E'S DAD: Sure Hamelin sull love _music, Old ] erusalem is buried enough, son. I thought they and they sing and play it deep in the ground; modern would land and ·make us all the year round. But no Jerusalem is partly an old prisoners once more-with one is ever allowed to sing Crusaders' town with Mothe treasure we found. or play . any music on the hammedan additions, and MousIE: Let's get down. street through which the par'tly an uninteresting It's safe now. Then we can children followed the travel resort, but to the folget the treasure again and Piper, so long ago. That lowers of.two faiths Jerusasail for home. is to be a silent street for- lem will •ever be a sacred CURTAIN ever. city.

Media