Act III. Alice, the Hatter, the March Hare, the Dormouse

Epilogue. Alice and the White Rabbit.

Here we have made from six important incidents, in the two stories about Alice, a marionette play of three acts, with a cast of thirteen characters. This play might be called _The Adventures of Alice_.

Possibly you and your friends are much interested in heroes and heroines and would prefer a hero play made from such stories as:

_The Book of King Arthur and His Noble Knights_—MacLeod _Sohrab and Rustum_—Arnold _The Boys’ Iliad_—Perry _The Boys’ Odyssey_—Perry _Adventures of Ulysses_—Lamb _Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy_—Colum _Robin Hood_—Pyle _The Tales of Troy and Greece_—Lang _Stories of Charlemagne_—Church _The Story of Roland_—Baldwin _Seven Champions of Christendom_—Johnson _Beowulf_—Cartwright _Sigurd, the Volsung_—Morris _Joan of Arc_—Boutet de Monvel _Ivanhoe_—Scott _Daniel Boone_—White _Norse Stories Retold_—Mabie _The Cid_—Wilson _Britain Long Ago_—Wilmot-Buxton

Instead of hero plays you may be interested in plays of adventure. The list of excellent books of adventure is a long one, as you know. Here are just a few that are waiting to be turned into wonderful marionette plays:

_Robinson Crusoe_—Defoe _Boy’s Froissart_—Lanier _The Wonder Book_—Hawthorne _The Boys Percy_—Lanier _Otto of the Silver Hand_—Pyle _Black Arrow_—Stevenson _Tales from the Alhambra_—Irving _William Tell_—Schiller _Treasure Island_—Stevenson _Men of Iron_—Pyle _The Story of the Canterbury Pilgrims_—Darton _The Lance of Kanana_—French _The Book of Bravery_—Lanier _The Last of the Mohicans_—Cooper _With Spurs of Gold_—Greene _The Golden Perch_—Hutchinson _Captains Courageous_—Kipling

Let us take one of these, Howard Pyle’s _Men of Iron_, a story laid in England in the time of King Henry IV. The list of important incidents is a long one.

1. Myles parting from the old servant.

2. Myles presenting his father’s letter to the Earl of Mackworth.

3. Myles meeting with Gascoigne.

4. Myles meeting with Sir James Lea.

5. Myles at play with the boys.

6. The ball flies over into the ladies’ garden.

7. Myles and Lady Alice in the garden.

8. Myles, discovered by the Earl of Mackworth, learns that the Earl is befriending him.

9. Arrival of King Henry at Devlin Castle.

10. The knighting of Myles.

11. Myles’ challenge to the Earl of Alban, his father’s deadly enemy.

12. The combat between the Earl of Alban and Myles.

13. The triumph of Myles and his request for the hand of Lady Alice.

When you have studied the story of _Men of Iron_ and made your list of important incidents, you will find that four acts are sufficient for your play: