THE LANDSWOMAN
December, I 9 I 8
The Land Army Fairisee
A Play in One Act
By
EDITH LYTTELTON
SCENE.-A cottage room in Sussex on Christmas Eve; very poorly
furnished . There are onl11 three chairs, one table, and a dresser
or cupboard against the wall on the left. The fireplace is in
the centre, and a door leading to the back part of the house on
the left of the fireplace. One door on the right. leads to the
garden.
The dirtlect is Sussex, and all the " r' s " should be sounded.
It would, however, be quile eas11 for any players to substitute their
own local words.
CHARACTERS.
A Farm Labourer, very muddy.
His Wife ; poorl11 dressed, but ·
clean.
JENNY BRAKEFIELD
Their Child ; aged about nine.
j\l:ISS NANCY POYNTER
A L.A.A.S. L.A. uniform wilh
armlet badge and G.s.·rwbon.
The V illage Registrar ; ordinary
MRS. :CROCKER
country clothes.
T HE LAND ARMY FAIRISEE
Very small and light.. She wears
a L.A.A.S. smock, bare legs and
list slippers, no hat, but a wreath of
WILL-BRAKEFIELD ..
MRS. BRAKEFIELD , :
g.reen leaves and red bert'ies in her
hair. Her belt ana armlet and
badge are also made of green leaves.
Sh.e carries a shepherd's crook,
decorated with leaves, and ha~ a
little h?rn whistle or pipe slung
round her.
It is six o'clock at night. and very cold. and wet.
When the curtain goes up MRS. BRAKEFIELD enters from the
back door. carrying a tray, which she dumps down on to the
table with a sort of groan. Then she goes to the door into the garden,
opens it, and call•.
• l\IRs. BRAKEFIELD. Now then, Jenny; don't you ~oss 2 about,
no longer; come in to suppPr. There's no more than a drib 3
f.o• anv of us, spite of it being Christmas Eve and all ; but no
cheer comes to poor people like us. And old sow's terrible bad !
[E . ler JENNY. Her clothes are wet: and she seems
n
tP-r.y much excited.
r
Fegs I How slabby 4 ye are. Come here now, your coat.'s all
bumblesome.
·
[MRS. BRAKEFIELD helps the child out of her clothes.
JENN ¥ pays no attention; she is eager to tell
something.
JENNY. Mother, mother, it's Christmas E ve, you know; the
sin~ers 'ull be here to·night. I heard them practisin'-they was
down by )fars Pankhurst's shop." [She comes closer and speaks in
~ ti lnw voice.] )lother, as I come down by the cuckoo gate across
the Dik,' there I sees a !ady comin' along, and behiild her [her
voice grows m!l~tf '-rious]. just close to her I sres a fairisee .
MRS. BRAKEFIELD . Oh I you're ardle-headed, you are I
.F airisees don't trapes about the roads these days .
JENNY. The lady was tall, and she hadn't no frock: she was
all in white, with them spattle-dashes ~ round her legs . . .
~nd the fairi~ee shE" was so high . . . a liddle thing that grig 7
and purty. She had green leaves in her hair. She was d;mcin'
alon~ f!a.nsing f!ay-siugin' she was.
MRS. BRAKEFIELD. Now then! I'll give you a middlin'
bout ' I will. if you doant stop. You be to goo dreckly 9 minute,