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"You found my vocation for me," he said eagerly, "and now I've found yours. We'll have a story-hour in this library hereafter, with bars up to keep the grown-ups out! You're better than the professional I heard at Madison." Catherine looked bewildered, but Alice took her hand and squeezed it. "I knew you could.
We started with a very small group of little folks, and now we tell stories to between 150 and 180 children each week in our building. The story-hour begins at 3 p.m., and children who are dismissed at 1:30 p.m., come directly from school and wait patiently till the children's librarian returns from her station work at 3 p.m.
They seemed possessed to mention him! "We'll be obliged forever if you'll do it," said the other girl, evidently the head librarian. "Can you do it now? The children are waiting." "Certainly," said Phyllis, and followed the younger girl straightway to the basement, where, it seemed, the story-hour was held.
More than this, the story teller can have told three stories instead of one, so that only one-third of the children will clamor for the same book. This last point is important as all who have had story-hour experience know. And it is not always the small library which might better tell its stories in school. Consider the city library which has a story teller who tells stories at a Branch.
I shall not attempt to say how the library people will approach the teacher with their information without offending them, except to remark that tactful lines of approach can be found; and to remark, further, that by setting up a story-hour in her library a librarian does not very tactfully convey to the teachers the intimation that they either do not know their work or willfully neglect it.
Very few of the members of any of these clubs had read much beyond their class books and the same general plan was followed in each, with the result that the library has been successful in creating a love for the reading of books that are worth while. The story-hour has outgrown itself and our limited supply of assistants.
It seemed even easier to interest them in Shakespeare, and they learned quite readily and easily many passages from "As You Like It," "The Merchant of Venice," "Julius Caesar," "Richard II," "Henry IV," and "Henry V." The method I should recommend in the introduction of both poets occasionally into the story-hour would be threefold.
Phyllis could hear, with a faint amusement, that the girl was scolding energetically in Anna Black's own way. The words struck on her quick ears, though they were not intended to carry. "That's what comes of trusting to volunteer help. Telephones at the last moment 'she has a headache, and not a single soul to look after the story-hour! And the children are almost all here already."
When the story-hour came round, he produced a set of sentences he kept slyly up his sleeve for the occasion. "Ask your Uncle Felix; he's better at stories and things than I am. It's his business." This was the model. A variation ran: "Oh, don't bother me just now, children. I've got a lot of figures to digest." But the shortest version was simply, "Run and plague your uncle. I'm too busy."
Phyllis smiled to herself from where she was investigating the card-catalogue. It all sounded so exceedingly natural. Then that swift instinct of hers to help caught her over to the desk, and she heard herself saying: "I've had some experience in story telling; maybe I could help you with the story-hour. I couldn't help hearing that your story-teller has disappointed you."
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