VII Francis Hall Cast in Order of Their Appearance Bill Crompton: the father Bradley Crompton: the little boy Pamela Crompton: the mother Jerry Crompton: Brad's brother Linda Crompton: Brad's sister As curtain goes up, Bill is sitting in the chair at stage left. His feet are sitting on a foot rest. He has no shoes on, and he is scratching his foot with the toe of his other foot. He is reading the sport's page of the newspaper. Bradley enters from stage left hall entrance. He is carrying crayons, paper, scissors and a pine cone. He is making a turkey for Thanksgiving. He starts to cut out a feather then gets up and takes it over to his father after he is finished. He takes the feather and a pine cone over to his father. Brad: (Standing at father's chair) Daddy? Bill: (Continues reading the paper. He turns the page oblivious to Brad.) Brad: (Wiggles his Dad's big toe back and forth) Daddy, will you help me? (He holds up the pine cone) I want to put this feather into the turkey's tail, but I forgot how. Bill: Kuh? Oh! (He puts the paper done.) What turkey? Brad: This one. (He shoves the pine cone into his father's face) 30 Bill: (He ducks his head) Oh, (trying to humor him) That really is a very nice turkey Bradley. Did you raise it this summer? (He doesn't wait for an answer but immediately begins to read the newspaper again) Brad: It's not a turkey now father. (He sticks his head between the paper and his father. But Mrs. Rothburton, our school teacher, told us to make something for our family for Thanksgiving and the pilgrims had a turkey so I'm going to make one for us when we eat dinner together. She showed us how. (He examines the turkey) Boy, she sure is smart. Bill: (Puts down his newspaper and listens tolerantly to Brad.) Brad: But I can't remember how to stick the tail in. (He again shoves the pine cone into his father's face) Help me? Bill: Get your mother to, Bradley. She knows how better than I. Brad: But she told me you could do it better. She said it would break her fingernail. Bill: Then wait until I finish reading the sports Page. (He begins to read the paper again) Brad: Do you want to hear my poem we learned in school? Mrs. Rothburton, told us it was very beautiful and sometimes she even cried when she read it to us. It's all about the things we should be thankful for. Bill: (His head still in the newspaper.) Sure. You cut out another tail and we'll put them in together. Brad: Does that mean you want to hear it? (He waits for an answer but receives none, so he proceeds to recite his poem. This must 31