said quietly, "It certainly is lonely here. I
believe I'll make those villagers think a wolf
has come to eat the sheep. Then perhaps they'll
come down here, and I'll have a little company
and some excitement." Then he jumped around
frantically, waving his yardstick-shepherd's
crook, and shouted to the villagers, "Wolf!
Wolf!"

The villagers came rushing down to the pasture
land, asking excitedly, "Where's the wolf? Has
he killed many of the sheep?"

"Oh, oh, oh," laughed the boy, "there wasn't
any wolf. I certainly did fool you that time."

"I don't think that's very funny," said one of
the villagers.

"Well, we might as well go back to our work,"
said another. Then they went back to the
village.

After they had gone, the boy said, "I guess
I'll try that joke again."

If the teacher puts much direct discourse in a story of this kind when
she tells it to the pupils, the task of dramatizing will naturally be
made easier.

Some stories lend themselves in the most natural manner to
dramatization. An interesting example of such a story may be found among
the tales dealing with the Wise Men of Gotham. These Wise Men are
referred to in one of the best known of the Mother Goose rhymes. It
would seem that the inhabitants of Gotham, in the reign of King John,
had some reason of their own for pretending to be mad, and out of this
event the legends took their rise. The number of fishermen may be
changed to seven or some other number to suit the number in the acting
group. Here is the story:

On a certain time there were twelve men of
Gotham that went to fish, and some stood on dry
land. And in going home, one said to the other
"We have ventured wonderfully in wading. I pray
God that none of us come home to be drowned."
"Nay, marry," said the other, "let us see that,
for there did twelve of us come out." Then they
counted themselves, and every one counted
eleven. Said the one to the other, "There is
one of us drowned." They went back to the brook
where they had been fishing and sought up and
down for him that was drowned, making great
lamentation.

A stranger coming by asked what it was they
sought for, and why they were sorrowful. "Oh!"