<h2 class='c008'>RETURN OF SPRING</h2>
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<div class='line'><span class='sc'>Time</span>—<em>Morning—Breakfast</em></div>
<div class='line'><span class='sc'>Place</span>—<em>A Garden on Mt. Olympus</em></div>
<div class='line'><span class='sc'>Characters</span>—<em>Spring</em>, <em>Columbine</em>, <em>Pantaloon</em>, <em>Clown</em></div>
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<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Columbine.</em></span>
Spring, Spring! Oh, you naughty boy. Why are you here?</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Spring.</em></span>
They didn’t want me, and neither do you.</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Columbine.</em></span>
Oh, you poor dear boy. Come along at once to the fire and have some breakfast.</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Spring.</em></span>
I didn’t come in before, because I thought you wouldn’t want me. [<em>All sit down to
breakfast.</em>]</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Clown.</em></span>
Sausages? I’m tired of sausages; such ages since we had anything else.</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Pantaloon.</em></span>
Ho! ho! ho! [<em>Waves his wand.</em>] <span class="pagenum" id='Page_106'>106</span>We’ll have rabbit pie, then. [<em>Dish
of sausages turns to rabbit pie.</em>]</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Clown.</em></span>
Do you know how they get the rabbits into the pie?</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Spring.</em></span>
[<em>Shakes his head.</em>] No.</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Clown.</em></span>
Would you like to know?</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Spring.</em></span>
Please, sir.</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Clown.</em></span>
Well, first of all, you make a nice rich brown crust, and you put it over a large dish.
Then you cut a round hole from the pie crust. Fill the dish with lettuce and put it out
on the lawn.</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Spring.</em></span>
On the lawn?</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Clown.</em></span>
Yes. Then the rabbits come. They pop down the hole in the crust to eat the lettuce. When
the pie is <span class="pagenum" id='Page_107'>107</span>full of rabbits, you run from behind a tree, cover the hole in the
crust, and then with the dish in your arms, you dash into the kitchen,—pie in the oven,
oven hot, fire bright—and, here we are!</p>
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<span class="pagenum" id='Page_108'>108</span>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Columbine.</em></span>
Don’t you believe him.</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Pantaloon.</em></span>
[<em>To Spring.</em>] Why did you come back?</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Spring.</em></span>
The farmers said I made the buds come out too soon. I only stroked the trees and the
little sticky buds peeped out to kiss my hand. The gardeners were angry because, where I
stepped, the flowers came out too soon, they said, and then—</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Columbine.</em></span>
Never mind, dear. We are all glad to see you.</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Pantaloon.</em></span>
And then?</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Spring.</em></span>
Then East Wind came and <span class="pagenum" id='Page_109'>109</span>Snow and Jack Frost, and they nipped my flowers, and
hurt my trees, and made my lambs shiver behind the hedges. The goblins who sing in the
fire hobs sang and sang till the people turned their backs on me and crouched up to the
fire again and began to tell ghost stories.</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Columbine.</em></span>
But you must go back now, and fight Jack Frost and scare Winter away. You have had your
breakfast, dear, and now like all the world, you must do your work. Yes, dear, you must
keep on working till summer wakes up.</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Spring.</em></span>
Good-by.</p>
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<span class="pagenum" id='Page_110'>110</span>
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