Samantha's Surprising birthday

Scene: The parlor of Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia's elegant town house in New York City on the rainy afternoon of My 26,1906

(Samantha and Cornelia enter. They run in breathless. Samantha carries a plate of cookies and Cornelia carries six small gift boxes. As they talk, they arrange the party table and decorate the room.)

Samantha: Phew! We just made it.

Cornelia: The rain is really coming down hard now. I'm sorry we can't have your birthday party outside in the garden Samantha. But if we did we'd have to ask your guests to sit in mud puddles.

Samantha: I don't think Agnes and Agatha would mind, but I'm sure Grandmary would say it was most improper

Cornelia: Yes indeed! Especially for young ladies wearing their best party dresses. You do look beautiful Samantha.

Samantha(twirls): Thank you!

Cornelia: We'll make the room look beautiful too. Your party will be as much fun inside as it would have been outside.

Samantha: Yes! We can do everything but dance around the maypole. We can't bring that inside.

Cornelia: No, I'm afraid not. But your birthday is in May every year Sam. Maybe next year it will sunny and you can a Maypole.

Samantha: I hope so. Its fun to wrap the ribbons around it. It's sort of like tying a bow on a giant gift.

Cornelia: Oh, that reminds me! Here is a little gift for you from your Uncle Gard and me.

(Cornelia hands Samantha one of the gift boxes)

Samantha: Thank you, Aunt Cornelia. May I open it now?

Cornelia: Oh course!

(But before Samantha opens the gift, Grandmary enters. She carries a wet umbrella and a gift box)

Grandmary: Happy birthday, dear girl!

Samantha: Oh, Grandmary! I'm so glad you're here!

(Grandmary and Samantha hug)

Grandmary: Nothing could stop me, not even the most unpromising weather. Good gracious, I can hardly believe you are eleven years old today! Already a young lady! Here is a birthday gift. I hope it didn't get to wet.

Samantha: Thank you Grandmary. It looks lovely

Grandmary: (laughs) I am sure I don't look lovely. I am sure I look a bedraggled mess!

Cornelia: Come with me, Grandmary. I'll bring you a nice cup of hot tea while you freshen up.

Grandmary: Thank you, Cornelia. Tea is just what I need.

(Grandmary and Cornelia exit. Samantha puts the presents from Grandmary and Cornelia on the table. She does not see Nellie, Bridget and Jenny enter on tiptoe, carrying gift boxes.)

Nellie, Bridget and Jenny(loudly): Happy birthday Samantha!

Samantha(laughs): Oh, you surprised me!

Jenny(thrusting her gift into Samantha's hands): And we have more surprises , too. Look, Samantha. I have a present for you. I choose it by myself and bought it myself and wrapped it myself. Please open it now.

Bridget(elbowing in front of Jenny): No Jenny. I want Samantha to open my present first. Please!

Samantha: Oh, Bridget and Jenny, both your presents look lovely! I can't wait to see what's inside. But it wouldn't be polite to open them before Agnes and Agatha get here. Would it, Nellie?

Nellie: No. We don't want to spoil the surprise for them.

Jenny: Well, you could unwrap my present ansd see what it is and then you could wrap it up again and open it again when Agnes and Agatha get here. How would that be?

(Samantha and Nellie exchange a smile, but do not laugh at Jenny. Samantha hugs Jenny, then puts the presents from Jenny and Bridget on the party table. )

Samantha: I couldn't wrap it as nicely as you did. I think we'd better wait. I'll put the presents on the table here with the party favors.

Bridget: Are those party favors for us?

Samantha: Yes. One for you, one for Nellie, one for Jenny, one for Agnes, one for Agatha.

Jenny: Oooh! Can I open mine now and see what it is and then wrap it again and then....

Nellie(breaking in kindly): No, silly!

Samantha: They're all the same thing, so you'll have to open them all at the same time.

Jenny: Oh, I can't wait till Agnes and Agatha get here!

Bridget: I can't wait either. I didn't know birthdays had so many nice surprises in them.

(Just as Bridget says"surprises" Agnes and Agatha pop out, shoes and stockings in one hand, gift boxes in the other hand. )

Agnes and Agatha(shout):Surprise! Here we are!

Samantha: Hello, Agnes! Hello, Agatha!

Jenny: Hurray! You're here! Now the party can start!

Nellie: How come you're carrying your shoes and stockings?

(Agnes and Agatha exchange a mischievous look. They sit on the floor and put on their shoes and stockings as they talk. The other girls sit on the floor too.)

Agnes: Well, we just couldn't resist...

Agatha: We took our shoes and stockings off and walked barefoot through the puddles.

Agnes(happily): There were some really big puddles on the way here.

Agatha(with relish): Its practically a hurricane out there! The rain is pouring down and the wind is blowing hard.

Agnes: You are lucky Samantha. Your birthday is never dull. This year it's hurricaning and last year that boy Eddie Ryland put salt in the ice cream...

Everyone: Eeeewwwww!

Agatha: Every year something happens on your birthday.

Agnes: Yes, there is always some great-

Samantha(breaking in, laughing) Distaster.

Nellie(explaining to Agnes and Agatha): We put up a beautiful Maypole in the garden. We were supposed to dance around it at the party today. But now the rain has ruined it.

Agatha: Oh, thats too bad. I love dancing around the Maypole.

Everyone(sadly): Me too.

(Gloom descends. Then Samantha gets up, scoops the five party favor gift boxes off the table, and hands one to each girl.)

Samantha: These will cheer you up. Go on, open them!

Bridget: Our party favors!

(The five girls open their boxes simultaneously. Each girl pulls two long pink ribbons out of her box.)

Everyone: Oooooohhhh, pink hair ribbons! They're beautiful!

Nellie: Thank you, Samantha!

Everyone: Yes, thank you!

Samantha: You are welcome!

(Jenny gets her gift box and puts it in Samantha's lap.)

Jenny: Now you open your presents Samantha. Here, open mine first.

(Agnes and Agatha put their boxes next to Samantha. Bridget and Nellie get their boxes and the boxes from Cornelia and Grandmary and put them next to Samantha.)

Agnes: Yes! Now its your turn. I can't wait for you to opne my present. I know you'll love it. My present it the best.

Nellie: Mine's the most useful!

Bridget: Mine's the prettiest!

Jenny: Mine's something I know you'll like!

Agatha: Hurry up. I'm dying to see what everyone has given you.

Everyone: Me too!

Samantha: Me too! I'll open Jenny's first, because she's the youngest.

(Samantha quickly opens Jenny's box. She pulls out two pink hair ribbons. They are exactly like the party favors. Nobody looks very pleased, except Jenny and Samantha.)

Samantha: Thank you, Jenny. Now I have pink hair ribbons, too, just like all of you. Shall I open your present next, Bridget?

Bridget(noticeably less enthusiatsic than before): Yes, I guess so.

(Samantha opens Bridget's box and pulls out two pink hair ribbons, exactly like the others. Samantha has to think what to say.)

Samantha: Oh! Well! Um...These are very pretty. Thank you! Now I'll open your present Nellie.

Nellie: I'm beginning to think maybe my present won't be so useful after all.

(Samantha opens Nellie's box and pulls out two more pink hair ribbons exactly like the others.)

Samantha(quickly): Thank you very much, Nellie. These will be very useful. I'm glad to have extras, in case some get lost.

Agnes(sighs): Just go ahead and open the presents from Agnes and me at the same time.

Agatha: Yes and you don't have to try and say anything nice.

(Samantha unwraps the gift boxes from Agnes and Agatha and lifts the two lids at once. Sure enough, she pulls out four more pink hair ribbons, exactly like the others.)

Everyone(groans): Not again!

Agnes: Great Caesar's ghost! No one can use this many hair ribbons, not even Samantha! After all, she has only one head!

Nellie: Quick, open your presents from Grandmary and Cornelia. Surely they will be different.

Samantha: That's a good idea. Here, Nellie, you open this one.

(Samantha hands Nellie one of the boxes. The girls open the boxes at the same moment and pull out more pink hair ribbons, exactly the same as all the rest. The stage is awash in pink hair ribbons. The guests slump in despair.)

Everyone(sighs): Oh no!

Agnes: That does it!

Agatha: It's another birthday distaster!

Nellie: Oh, Samatha! Your birthday is turning out to be very disappointing! First the rain spoiled the Maypole, and then you got only one present, over and over again.

Jenny(crying): That was the first present I ever bought for anybody and it was a terrible present!

Samantha: Jenny, Jenny! Don't cry! Your present wasn't terrible. It was a very nice present. I like it. I like all the ribbons.

Agatha: Well, its a good thing you like them because you sure have enough of them! I've never seen so many pink ribbons in my life!

Agnes: What on earth are you going to do with them all?

(Samantha looks around at all the ribbons. She is at a loss. Then she has an idea.)

Samatha: Well I...Well, I could...Let me see..wait! I have an idea! I know what we can do with all these ribbons.

(Samantha climbs up on a chair, holding one end of each ribbon in her hands.)

Samatha: Quick, everyone take two ribbons

(Each girl holds the end of a ribbon in each hand. As they stand, they form a circle around Samantha and surprise! It's a Maypole.)

Samantha(triumphant): You see! We've made a Maypole!

Everyone: Hurray! It's a Maypole!

(The happy girls skip around Samantha, intertwining their ribbons and singing loudly)

Everyone: Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Samantha! Happy birthday to you!

(When the girls are finished, they clap and cheer. Samantha jumps off her chair and all the actresses line up and curtsy. After the applause, Samantha may invite the audience to have party refreshments with the actresses.)


This story was written by Valerie Tripp for American girl Magazine.