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Page 14 Friday, May 4, 1979 Meg opened the door. Young boys and girls swarmed into the hall. Bags containing tap shoes in one hand, costumes swinging from hangers in the other. It was "recital" time, one of the rites of spring. The cloakroom assigned to Meg and her young charges was two doors down; and it was a real squeeze to find space for everyone. Little Wendy was almost in tears. Her mom _ had _ just discovered she was wearing mud-splattered rubber boots over her tap shoes. As she kicked them off, the shoes stayed inside and Wendy scampered sock-footed to the make-up room. Make-up com- pleted, the class filed into their reserved section of the hall for the musical portion of the program. No one seemed to notice that James and Patrick were missing. Running under the sound of music from the stage, was the hum of heel, toe, cross, shuffle and brush as the pupils went over their routines, getting them set even more firmly in their minds. Meg smiled and hugged the wee girl beside her, remember- ing her own first recital. The thrill of being chosen for a solo, the fear of failure and the warm glow of success as the audience applauded. It was time to get ready. This year the older ones would lead off. Slipping out of their seats they hurried to the cloakroom. Suddenly they stumbled into each other as the girls in front aa to an abrupt stop. The Adventures of -Meg By M. M. McCallum The great tap heist "Oh, ohh!" . . . horror and dismay rent the air. "Oh, just look, what a mess", cried Chery] and Marsha. "Well, who did THAT?" said Wendy. That, it was plain to see, was quite a mess. Costumes strewn all around. . Hundreds of sequins crunched underfoot . . . Grass from the skirts festooned the light fix- tures and flower lais were tied together in a solid knot. Hot tears smudged the pretty stage make-up as the girls tried to pick up the pieces. Then came the most horrible discovery of all. The tap shoes were all gone! Every pair, -- no, not quite! Wendy dove into her rubber boots and emerged triumphant, holding aloft one small pair of glistening patent leather shoes. What to do? The show simply had to go on. Meg listened as the teachers quickly formed new plans. No time to look for the shoes. Chery] answered for her group. Of course they would go on as they were. After all they had often practiced in their day shoes. Marsha admitted that it would be harder to express herself as a soloist without the feedback of the taps but, Miss Young assured her that her body expression and personality was so good that it was sure to carry over to the audience. "'Curtain call! !"' A little subdued, the girls filed on stage. The accompanist played a little softer than usual. The spotlight picked up the various colours of blouses and slacks and the crowd settled back. Magic spread and spread. The supple young bodies tapped out a silent dream. Sparkling eyes and sweet smiles found their way into the hearts of the watchers. True to their training, they were a class to be proud of. Now it was Marsha's turn. Hard as it was to do without her shoes, her love of dance showed in every stretch and curve. As she finished, the silence was so thick you could cut it with a knife. All at once thunderous applause exploded and Marsha waved gaily as the curtain descended. The boys corp had their shoes and performed as_ expected. Teachers, parents and little girlfriends gazing adoringly all the while. Since Wendy had the only shoes, she moved out to centre stage. Her single taps sounded clearly. The class behind her shuffled and brushed and Clap- ped. Shadows of Wendy and of each other. And then it was over. But wait, WHO had been the mean trickster? Well! While the girls had been performing Meg and her dog Rex and a policeman had been busy. Yes . . . just as you expect, it was the missing boys James and Patrick, that had done the mischief. But all is well that ends well, and as Meg handed out ice cream and cake she overheard some parents say; "Yes sir, the kids today are really some- thing."' a CASTOR REVIEW NEW HOTEL MANAGERS Claire and Chris Hall are the new managers of the Russell Hotel and are happy to be so by the looks of it. Claire hails from Montreal; Chris, from the Bahamas. They have a little girl, Jennifer. Among other things the couple will be trying at the hotel is '"'good, basic entertainment". Welcome to Russell! (Photo By Rowsell) & Appliances & Refrigeration Repairs to all makes of Major Home Appliances ¢ HOME SERVICE ® 443-3606 Proprietor Yvan Dagenais RES.: 445-5765 KOOL KORN Soft Ice Cream ® Cones ® Shakes ® Sundaes PETERSON"S HARD ICE CREAM a Featuring Monday to Friday: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday: 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. DAIIXY BAIe Hours CLIPAND $AVE_ {$ DOUBLE HEADERS 4 $ B ¢ 45 with coupon Proprietors: Michael Miller and Yvon Bourguignon 85 Mill Street, Russell