The Inventor. Introducing the Wishing Box. A Christmas Play

In Short

Set in the cozy, snowbound "Faraway Farm" on Christmas Eve, this lighthearted amateur play follows a weary group of train passengers who take refuge with a stern, hardworking farm woman and her downtrodden hired boy, Abner. The arrival of an eccentric inventor—and his miraculous "Wishing Box"—transforms the evening into a series of comedic metamorphoses. Designed for community performance, the play blends slapstick, period humor, and a sentimental, moralizing look at the universal human impulse to trade one’s current lot in life for a more glamorous or comfortable existence.

The Story

The play opens in the sitting room of Faraway Farm, where Aunt Susan, a woman of firm, industrious habits, keeps her hired boy, Abner, under a constant, demanding schedule of chores. Abner, who dreams of escaping his life of manual labor, finds his only solace in dime novels and daydreaming. Their quiet evening is interrupted by a group of travelers from a snow-stalled train, including a young girl named Edith, a boisterous college student named Tom, two anxious spinsters, two schoolteachers, and a Pullman porter named Rastus.

The group settles in, attempting to make the best of their forced holiday gathering by decorating a Christmas tree and exchanging stories of their travel mishaps and classroom struggles. The humor is underscored by Abner’s constant, off-key whistling and his complaints about his lack of pay and opportunity. The atmosphere shifts when the late-arriving Inventor enters, seeking shelter. He brings with him his signature creation: the Wishing Box, a piece of stage-craft technology that promises to transform the appearance and station of any person who steps inside.

The Inventor posits that human discontent stems from the desire to be someone other than who we are. He invites the guests to test the machine. Aunt Susan wishes for youthful, long hair, shedding her wig to reveal a new braid. The two spinsters wish to be young again and are transformed into girls. The schoolteachers request a year’s vacation, which the Inventor promptly grants in the form of paid leave. When it is Abner’s turn, he sheds his overalls for a checked suit and a derby, becoming a fast-talking soap salesman—a transformation that, while fulfilling his wish to be a gentleman of commerce, turns him into an insufferable peddler who pesters the other guests.

Rastus, who is initially reluctant, is cajoled into the box and emerges as a white-faced version of himself, while Edith becomes a poised young lady, and Tom is outfitted as a stereotypical, cheering college student. As the group revels in their newfound identities, the sound of an approaching snowplow signals that their time at the farm is ending. Before they depart to return to their train, they offer a final, raucous cheer for the farmhouse, the Inventor, and the spirit of the evening. The play concludes on a note of manic, festive energy, leaving the characters in their altered states, having briefly lived out the versions of themselves they felt they were missing.

How It Unfolds

A cold night at Faraway Farm Aunt Susan and the weary Abner attempt to settle in for a quiet evening, only to be interrupted by a storm-bound group of travelers from a nearby stalled train. The visitors quickly take over the room, bringing with them a chaotic, festive energy that disrupts the farm's usual quiet order.

Preparations for the tree The group decides to celebrate Christmas by decorating a pine, leading to a series of comedic interactions between the guests and the put-upon Abner. While the travelers share anecdotes about their lives and professional woes, Abner struggles to complete his chores while dreaming of a more exciting life in the city.

The Inventor’s arrival The late arrival of an absent-minded Inventor provides the catalyst for the play’s central fantasy. He introduces the Wishing Box, a theatrical device meant to allow anyone to step into a new, idealized version of their own life.

The transformation begins The characters line up to test the box, each shedding their old self for something they believe will bring them more happiness. Aunt Susan, the schoolteachers, and the spinsters are the first to experience the magic, finding themselves physically and professionally changed.

The peddler unleashed Abner, eager to escape his life of manual labor, emerges as a high-pressure salesman of perfumes and soaps. His transformation serves as the play’s primary comedic engine, as he begins to annoy the other guests with his persistent, "nifty" sales pitches.

The final curtain The sound of the rescue train arriving forces the party to conclude. With their wishes granted, the travelers offer a final round of cheers before departing, leaving the farm changed by their brief, magical residency.

The People

Aunt Susan is the backbone of the farm, a woman of advanced age who values hard work and frugality. She is suspicious of "new-fangled" ideas, yet she is ultimately a hospitable host who enjoys the company of the strangers.

Abner is the story’s primary engine of discontent. Dressed in overalls and burdened by endless chores, he represents the yearning for social mobility. His transition into a bombastic, suit-wearing soap salesman highlights the absurdity of his own unexamined ambitions.

The Inventor is a figure of gentle, absent-minded chaos. He acts as the facilitator of the play's magic, driven by a pseudo-philosophical belief that every human being is secretly unhappy with their station in life.

Edith, Tom, and the other travelers serve as a cross-section of society. Edith is the wide-eyed youth, Tom is the caricature of college vitality, and the spinsters and teachers represent those looking for the simple gifts of youth or respite from their daily toil. Their desires are largely superficial, reflecting the lighthearted, Christmas-focused nature of the play.

Rastus the porter acts as a foil to the others. He is a pragmatic participant who initially seeks only small comforts, though he is eventually swept up in the Inventor’s game of transformation.

In Its Own Voice

"One of the secrets of the psychological unrest which characterizes the human race is that each person desires, in short, to be someone else."

The Inventor explains his motivation for creating the Wishing Box to his skeptical audience.

"I wish I could be a soap salesman so the girls would take some notice of me, like that feller that comes round here every once in awhile an’ sells perfumery and stuff."

Abner reveals his true desires, which the Inventor immediately facilitates through his machine.

"A college education is an excellent thing but I prefer life in the great mercantile world, and what could be more stimulating to health, happiness and psychological contentment than the dissemination of useful articles?"

Abner, now transformed, reflects the play's satirical take on the "mercantile" ambitions of the era.

What It's Really About

The play functions as a gentle satire of the "grass is greener" mentality. At its heart, it questions whether changing one's external circumstances—be it through clothes, employment, or appearance—actually addresses the internal source of dissatisfaction. By having the characters instantly achieve their desires, the play allows them to see the reality of those wishes, often with humorous results. It poses the question: if everyone could be exactly what they wanted, would anyone actually be happy? The play suggests that the pursuit of a "better" life often ignores the value of the one currently being lived, while simultaneously celebrating the joy of a little holiday escapism.

Why Read It Today

Reading this play today is like stepping into a time capsule of early 20th-century community theater. It possesses a distinct, unpretentious charm, capturing a moment when entertainment was homemade and the stakes were delightfully low. Those interested in the history of amateur dramatics or the evolution of Christmas-themed literature will find it particularly fascinating.

However, readers should be prepared for the realities of its era. The play includes "blackface" performance for the character of Rastus—a common, yet deeply problematic, convention of 1915-era theater that is jarring to modern eyes. Furthermore, the dialogue relies heavily on the "hired boy" and "absent-minded inventor" archetypes, which are played for broad, repetitive laughs. The humor is quite simple, often leaning on puns and physical slapstick rather than wit. If you can approach it as a historical artifact—a snapshot of what families found amusing during a 1915 Christmas gathering—you will find it a warm, if uncomplicated, read. It remains a testament to the era’s desire for simple, moralistic stories that emphasize the importance of gratitude and contentment, even when presented with a touch of the absurd.