Latest / The Prince / Beyond the Horizon - Eugene O'Neill
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: Act one of Beyond the Horizon by Eugene O'Neill. This
- 0:04Speaker 1: is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
- 0:08Speaker 1: public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
- 0:12Speaker 1: LibriVox dot org. Beyond the Horizon by Eugene O'Neill. Act
- 0:19Speaker 1: one characters James Mayo.
- 0:25Speaker 2: A farmer read by Delmar H.
- 0:27Speaker 3: Dolbeer, Kate Mayo, his wife read by Emmy Graymore.
- 0:33Speaker 1: Captain Dick Scott of the Barksundra.
- 0:36Speaker 4: Her brother read by Algi Page.
- 0:40Speaker 5: Andrew Mayo read by David Goldfarb and.
- 0:43Speaker 1: Robert Mayo read by him B. Sons of James Mayo.
- 0:48Speaker 6: Ruth Atkins read by Elisabeth Klett.
- 0:52Speaker 1: Missus Atkins her widowed mother.
- 0:55Speaker 7: Read by R. L. Lipshaw.
- 0:57Speaker 5: Mary reads by Dana Meilinger.
- 1:00Speaker 1: Then a farm hand read by Tod, Doctor.
- 1:04Speaker 8: Fawcett red by Berry Eats.
- 1:07Speaker 1: Narrator read by Tod. Act one seen one scene a
- 1:16Speaker 1: section of country highway. The road runs diagonally from the
- 1:20Speaker 1: left forward to the right rear and can be seen
- 1:23Speaker 1: in the distance winding towards the horizon like a pale
- 1:26Speaker 1: ribbon between the low rolling hills with their freshly plowed fields,
- 1:30Speaker 1: clearly divided from each other checkerboard fashion by the lines
- 1:34Speaker 1: of stone walls and rough snake fences. The forward triangle,
- 1:38Speaker 1: cut off by the road, is a section of a
- 1:39Speaker 1: field from the dark earth, of which myriad bright green
- 1:42Speaker 1: blades of false sown rye are sprouting. A straggling line
- 1:46Speaker 1: of piled rocks too low to be called a wall,
- 1:49Speaker 1: separates this field from the road. To the rear of
- 1:52Speaker 1: the road is a ditch with a sloping grassy bank.
- 1:54Speaker 1: On the far side. From the center of this an old,
- 1:57Speaker 1: gnarled apple tree just butting into lee, strange twisted branches
- 2:01Speaker 1: heavenward black against the pallor of distance. A snake fence
- 2:05Speaker 1: sidles from left to right along the top of the bank,
- 2:08Speaker 1: passing beneath the apple tree. The hutched twilight of a
- 2:11Speaker 1: day in May is just beginning. Their horizon hills are
- 2:15Speaker 1: still rimmed by a faint line of flame, and the
- 2:17Speaker 1: sky above them glows with a crimson flush of the sunset.
- 2:20Speaker 1: This fades gradually as the action of the scene progresses.
- 2:24Speaker 1: At the rise of the curtain, Robert Mayo is discovered
- 2:28Speaker 1: sitting on the fence. He is a tall slender young
- 2:30Speaker 1: man of twenty three. There is a touch of the
- 2:33Speaker 1: poet about him, expressed in his high forehead and wide
- 2:36Speaker 1: dark eyes. His features are delicate and refined, leading to
- 2:39Speaker 1: weakness in the mouth and chin. He is dressed in
- 2:42Speaker 1: gray corduroy trousers pushed into high lace the boots, and
- 2:45Speaker 1: a blue planel shirt with a bright colored tie. He
- 2:48Speaker 1: is reading a book by the fading sunset light. He
- 2:52Speaker 1: shuts this, keeping a finger in to mark the place,
- 2:55Speaker 1: and turns his head toward the horizon, gazing out over
- 2:58Speaker 1: the fields and hills. His lips move as if he
- 3:00Speaker 1: were reciting something to himself. His brother Andrew comes along
- 3:05Speaker 1: the road from the right, returning from his work in
- 3:07Speaker 1: the fields. He is twenty seven years old, an opposite
- 3:10Speaker 1: type to Robert Husky sun Braun's, handsome in a large featured,
- 3:15Speaker 1: manly fashioned, a son of the soil, intelligent in a
- 3:18Speaker 1: shrewd way, but with nothing of the intellectual about him.
- 3:22Speaker 1: He wears overalls, leather boots, a gray flannel shirt opened
- 3:26Speaker 1: his neck, and a soft mud stained hat pushed back
- 3:28Speaker 1: on his head. He stops to talk to Robert, leaning
- 3:31Speaker 1: on the Holy carries. Hey there, Robert turns with a start.
- 3:36Speaker 1: Seeing who it is, he.
- 3:37Speaker 5: Smiles, Gosh, you do take the prize for day dreaming.
- 3:43Speaker 5: And I see you've toted one of the old books
- 3:45Speaker 5: along with you.
- 3:46Speaker 1: He crosses the ditch and sits on the fence near
- 3:49Speaker 1: his brother.
- 3:49Speaker 5: What is it this time poetry?
- 3:52Speaker 1: I'll bet he reaches for the book, let me see,
- 3:56Speaker 1: handing it to him rather reluctantly. Now look how you
- 3:59Speaker 1: don't get it full of glancing at his hands.
- 4:02Speaker 5: That isn't dirt, It's good, clean earth.
- 4:06Speaker 1: He turns over the pages. His eyes read something humph
- 4:10Speaker 1: With a provoking grin at his brother, he reads aloud.
- 4:14Speaker 5: I have loved wind and light and the bright sea,
- 4:18Speaker 5: but holy and most sacred night, not as I love
- 4:21Speaker 5: and have loved thee.
- 4:24Speaker 1: He hands the book back.
- 4:25Speaker 5: Here, take it and bury it. I suppose it's that
- 4:30Speaker 5: year in college gave you a liking for that kind
- 4:32Speaker 5: of stuff. I'm darn glad I stopped at high school.
- 4:36Speaker 5: Or maybe i'd been crazy too.
- 4:38Speaker 1: He grinned and slaps Robert on the back affectionately.
- 4:42Speaker 5: Imagine me reading poetry and plowing at the same time
- 4:45Speaker 5: the team'd run away. I'll bet a picture me flowered
- 4:50Speaker 5: you should have gone back to college last fall, like
- 4:54Speaker 5: I know you wanted to. You're fitted for that sort
- 4:57Speaker 5: of thing, just as I ain't.
- 5:00Speaker 9: You know why I didn't go back. Andy Pau didn't
- 5:03Speaker 9: like the idea, even if he didn't say so, And
- 5:07Speaker 9: I know he wanted the money to use improving the farm.
- 5:09Speaker 9: And besides, I'm not keen on being a student, just
- 5:14Speaker 9: because you see me reading books all the time. What
- 5:17Speaker 9: I want to do now is keep on moving, so
- 5:20Speaker 9: I don't take root in any one place.
- 5:22Speaker 5: Well, the trip you're leaving on tomorrow will keep you moving,
- 5:26Speaker 5: all right.
- 5:28Speaker 1: At the mention of the trip, they both fall silent.
- 5:31Speaker 5: Uncle says you'll be gone three years.
- 5:34Speaker 9: About that.
- 5:35Speaker 5: He figures it's a long time.
- 5:39Speaker 9: Not so long when you come to consider it. You know,
- 5:42Speaker 9: the Sunda sails around the horn for Yokohama first, and
- 5:45Speaker 9: that's a long voyage on a sailing ship. And if
- 5:48Speaker 9: we go to any of the other places, Uncle Dick
- 5:50Speaker 9: mentions India or Australia, or South Africa or South America,
- 5:55Speaker 9: they'll be long voyages too.
- 5:57Speaker 5: You can have all those foreign parts for all me.
- 6:02Speaker 5: I was going to miss you a lot.
- 6:03Speaker 9: Rob, yes, and I'll miss her.
- 6:07Speaker 5: Pa ain't feeling none too happy to have you go,
- 6:11Speaker 5: though he's been trying not to show it.
- 6:14Speaker 9: I can see how he feels.
- 6:16Speaker 5: You can bet that I'm not giving any cheers about it.
- 6:21Speaker 1: He puts one hand on the fence near Robert, putting
- 6:24Speaker 1: one hand on top of Andrews with a gesture almost
- 6:26Speaker 1: of shyness.
- 6:27Speaker 9: I know that too, Andy.
- 6:29Speaker 5: I'll miss you as much as anybody, I guess. I
- 6:32Speaker 5: see you and I ain't like most brothers, always fighting
- 6:36Speaker 5: and separated a lot of the time. While we've always
- 6:40Speaker 5: been together, just the two of us, It's different with us.
- 6:44Speaker 5: That's why it hits so hard. I guess it's just
- 6:48Speaker 5: as hard for me.
- 6:48Speaker 9: Andy. Believe that I hate to leave you and the
- 6:52Speaker 9: old folks, but I feel I've got to. There's something
- 6:57Speaker 9: calling me.
- 6:58Speaker 1: He points to the horizon.
- 7:01Speaker 9: I can't just explain it to you, Andy.
- 7:03Speaker 5: No need to rob hell. You want to go, That's
- 7:08Speaker 5: all there is to it. I wouldn't have you missed
- 7:11Speaker 5: this chance for the world.
- 7:14Speaker 9: It's fine of you to feel that way, Andy, Huh.
- 7:17Speaker 5: I'd be a nice son of a gun if I didn't,
- 7:20Speaker 5: wouldn't I When I know how you need this sea
- 7:23Speaker 5: trip to make a new man of you in the
- 7:26Speaker 5: body I mean, and give you your full health back.
- 7:30Speaker 9: All of you seem to keep harping on my health.
- 7:33Speaker 9: You were so used to seeing me lying around the
- 7:35Speaker 9: house in the old days that you never will get
- 7:36Speaker 9: over the notion that I'm a chronic invalid. You don't
- 7:40Speaker 9: realize how I've bucked up in the past few years.
- 7:43Speaker 9: If I had no other excuse for going on Uncle
- 7:45Speaker 9: Dick's ship, but just my health, I'd stay right here
- 7:48Speaker 9: and starting plowing.
- 7:50Speaker 5: Can't be done farming, ain't your nature. There's all the
- 7:54Speaker 5: difference shown in just the way us two feel about
- 7:57Speaker 5: the farm. You well, you like the home part of it,
- 8:01Speaker 5: I expect, but as a place to work and grow
- 8:04Speaker 5: things you hate it. Ain't that right?
- 8:08Speaker 9: Yes, I suppose it is. For you. It's different. You're
- 8:13Speaker 9: a Mayo through and through. You're wedded to the soil.
- 8:17Speaker 9: You as much of a product of it as an
- 8:19Speaker 9: ear of corn is or a tree. Father's the same.
- 8:24Speaker 9: This farm is his life's work, and he's happy in
- 8:27Speaker 9: knowing that another Mayo, inspired by the same love, will
- 8:31Speaker 9: take up the work where he leaves off. I can
- 8:34Speaker 9: understand your out ofude and pause. I think it's wonderful
- 8:37Speaker 9: and sincere. But I well, I'm not made that way.
- 8:42Speaker 5: No, you ain't. But when it comes to understanding, I
- 8:47Speaker 5: guess I realize that you've got your own angle of
- 8:50Speaker 5: looking at things.
- 8:52Speaker 9: I wonder if you do, really.
- 8:55Speaker 5: Sure, I do. You've seen a bit of the world
- 8:58Speaker 5: enough to make the farm seems small, and you've got
- 9:02Speaker 5: the itch to see it all.
- 9:04Speaker 9: What's more than that? Andy? Oh?
- 9:06Speaker 5: Of course, I know you're going to learn navigation and
- 9:10Speaker 5: all about a ship, so as you can be an officer.
- 9:13Speaker 5: That's natural too. There's fair pay in it, I expect
- 9:17Speaker 5: when you consider that you've always got a home and
- 9:19Speaker 5: grub thrown in, and if you're set on traveling, you
- 9:23Speaker 5: can go anywhere you're a mind to without paying fair.
- 9:27Speaker 1: With a smile, that is half said, it's more.
- 9:29Speaker 9: Than that, Andy, Sure it is.
- 9:32Speaker 5: There's always a chance of a good thing coming your way.
- 9:35Speaker 5: And some of those foreign ports or other I've heard
- 9:38Speaker 5: there are great opportunities for a young fellow with his
- 9:41Speaker 5: eyes open, And some of those new countries that are
- 9:44Speaker 5: just being opened up. I'll bet that's what you've been
- 9:46Speaker 5: turning over in your mind under all your quietness.
- 9:51Speaker 1: He slaps his brother on the back.
- 9:53Speaker 5: Well, if you get to be a millionaire all of
- 9:55Speaker 5: a sudden, call round once in a while, and I'll
- 9:57Speaker 5: pass the plate to you. Use a lot of money
- 10:01Speaker 5: right here on the farm without hurting it.
- 10:03Speaker 9: Annie, I've never considered that practical side of it for
- 10:08Speaker 9: a minute.
- 10:08Speaker 5: Andy, Well, you ought to No, I an't.
- 10:13Speaker 1: Pointing to the rival.
- 10:16Speaker 9: Supposing I was to tell you that it's just beauty
- 10:18Speaker 9: that's calling me, the beauty of the far off and unknown,
- 10:23Speaker 9: the mystery and spell of the east which lures me.
- 10:26Speaker 9: In the books I've read, the need of the freedom
- 10:28Speaker 9: of great wide spaces, the joy of wandering on and
- 10:32Speaker 9: on in quest of the secret which is hidden over
- 10:35Speaker 9: there beyond the horizon. Suppose I told you that was
- 10:39Speaker 9: the one and only reason.
- 10:40Speaker 5: For my going, I should say you were nutty.
- 10:44Speaker 1: Prowning, don't, Andy, I'm serious.
- 10:47Speaker 5: Then you might as well stay here, because we've got
- 10:51Speaker 5: all you're looking for right on this farm. There's wide
- 10:55Speaker 5: space enough. Lord knows you can have all the sea
- 10:59Speaker 5: you want by walking a mile down to the beach.
- 11:02Speaker 5: There's plenty of horizon to look at, and beauty enough
- 11:06Speaker 5: for anyone except in the winter. As for the mystery
- 11:10Speaker 5: and spell I haven't met him yet, but they're probably
- 11:14Speaker 5: lying around somewheres. I'll have you understand, this is a
- 11:18Speaker 5: first class farm with all the fixings.
- 11:22Speaker 9: It's no use talking to you, you jump.
- 11:25Speaker 5: You'd better not say anything to Uncle Dick about spells
- 11:28Speaker 5: and things. When you're on the ship. He'll likely chuck
- 11:31Speaker 5: you overboard for a Jonah.
- 11:34Speaker 1: He jumps down from fence.
- 11:36Speaker 5: I'd better run along. I've got to wash up some
- 11:39Speaker 5: as long as Ruth'sma is coming over for supper.
- 11:43Speaker 1: And Ruth, confused, looking everywhere, accepted Robert, trying to appear unconcerned.
- 11:50Speaker 5: Yes, Ruth will be staying too well. I better hustle,
- 11:54Speaker 5: I guess, and.
- 11:56Speaker 1: He steps over the ditch to the road. While he
- 11:58Speaker 1: is talking, who appears to be fighting some strong inward emotion.
- 12:02Speaker 1: Wait a minute, Andy, He jumps down from the fence.
- 12:05Speaker 9: There's something I wanted.
- 12:07Speaker 1: He stops, abruptly, biting his lips, his face coloring, facing
- 12:11Speaker 1: him half defiantly.
- 12:13Speaker 9: Yes, no, no, never mind, it doesn't matter, it was nothing.
- 12:20Speaker 1: After a pause during which he stares fixedly at Robert's
- 12:22Speaker 1: averted face.
- 12:24Speaker 5: Maybe I can guess what you were going to say,
- 12:29Speaker 5: But I guess you're right not to talk about it.
- 12:32Speaker 1: He pulls Robert's hand from his side and grips it tensely.
- 12:36Speaker 1: The two brothers stand, looking into each other's eyes for
- 12:38Speaker 1: a minute.
- 12:39Speaker 5: We can't help those things, Rob.
- 12:41Speaker 1: He turns away, suddenly, releasing Robert's hand.
- 12:45Speaker 5: He'll be coming along shortly, won't you. Yes, see you later.
- 12:50Speaker 1: Then he walks off down the road to the left.
- 12:53Speaker 1: Robert stares after him for a moment, then climbs to
- 12:56Speaker 1: the fence rail again and looks out over the hills,
- 12:59Speaker 1: an expression of deep grief on his face. After a
- 13:03Speaker 1: moment or so, Ruth answers hurriedly from the left. She
- 13:07Speaker 1: is a healthy blonde out of door girl twenty, with
- 13:10Speaker 1: a graceful slender figure. Her face, though inclined to roudness,
- 13:14Speaker 1: is undeniedly pretty, Its large eyes of a deep blue
- 13:17Speaker 1: set off strikingly by the sun bronze complexion. Her small
- 13:21Speaker 1: regular features are marked by a certain strength, an underlying
- 13:24Speaker 1: stubbed fixity of purpose, hidden in the frankly appealing charm
- 13:28Speaker 1: of her fresh youthfulness. She wears a simple white dress
- 13:31Speaker 1: but no hat. Seeing him, Hello, Rob startled hello, Ruth
- 13:38Speaker 1: jumps the ditch and perches on the fence beside him.
- 13:40Speaker 6: I was looking for you.
- 13:42Speaker 9: Andy just left here.
- 13:44Speaker 6: I know. I met him on the road a second ago.
- 13:47Speaker 6: He told me you were here. I wasn't looking for
- 13:50Speaker 6: Andy Smarty, if that's what you mean. I was looking for.
- 13:54Speaker 9: You because I'm going away tomorrow.
- 13:57Speaker 6: Because your mother was anxious to have you come home
- 13:59Speaker 6: and ask me to look for you. I just wheeled
- 14:02Speaker 6: Ma over to your house.
- 14:04Speaker 9: How is your mother?
- 14:05Speaker 1: A shadow coming over her face?
- 14:07Speaker 6: She's about the same. She never seems to get any
- 14:10Speaker 6: better or worse. Oh, Rob, I do wish she'd try
- 14:14Speaker 6: to make the best of things that can't be helped.
- 14:17Speaker 1: She'd been nagging at you again, nods her head, then
- 14:21Speaker 1: breaks forth reneliously.
- 14:23Speaker 6: She never stops snagging. No matter what I do for her,
- 14:26Speaker 6: she finds fault. If only Pa was still living. I
- 14:31Speaker 6: suppose I shouldn't complain this way poor Ma. Lord knows
- 14:37Speaker 6: it's hard enough for her. I suppose it's natural to
- 14:41Speaker 6: be cross when you're not able ever to walk a step. Oh,
- 14:44Speaker 6: I'd like to be going away someplace like you.
- 14:49Speaker 9: It's hard to stay and equally hard to go.
- 14:52Speaker 6: Sometimes there, if I'm not the stupid body. I swore
- 14:56Speaker 6: I wasn't gonna speak about your trip until after you'd gone,
- 15:00Speaker 6: and there I go.
- 15:01Speaker 9: First thing, Why didn't you want to speak of it?
- 15:05Speaker 6: Because I didn't want to spoil this last night you're here,
- 15:09Speaker 6: Oh Rob, I'm gonna We're all gonna miss you so awfully.
- 15:13Speaker 6: Your mother is going around looking as if she'd burst
- 15:16Speaker 6: out crying any minute. You ought to know how I feel, Andy,
- 15:20Speaker 6: and you and I why it seems as if we'd
- 15:23Speaker 6: always been together with.
- 15:25Speaker 1: A ry attempt at a smile.
- 15:27Speaker 9: You and and you'll still have each other. It'll be
- 15:30Speaker 9: harder for me without anyone, but you'll.
- 15:32Speaker 6: Have new sights and new people to take your mind off,
- 15:36Speaker 6: while we'll be here with the old, familiar place to
- 15:39Speaker 6: remind us every minute of the day. It's a shame
- 15:43Speaker 6: you're going just at this time and spring, when everything
- 15:46Speaker 6: is getting so nice. I oughtn't to talk that way
- 15:49Speaker 6: when I know going's the best thing for you. You're
- 15:52Speaker 6: bound to find all sorts of opportunities to get on.
- 15:55Speaker 6: Your father says, I.
- 15:57Speaker 9: Don't give a damn about that. I wouldn't take a
- 15:58Speaker 9: void across the road for the best opportunity in the
- 16:01Speaker 9: world of the kind Paw thinks of.
- 16:03Speaker 1: He smiles at his own irritation.
- 16:06Speaker 9: Excuse me, Ruth for getting worked up over it, but
- 16:09Speaker 9: Andy gave me an overdose of the practical considerations.
- 16:12Speaker 6: Well then if it isn't, oh, Rob, why do you
- 16:16Speaker 6: want to go?
- 16:18Speaker 1: Turning to her quickly in surprise?
- 16:20Speaker 9: Why do you ask that, Ruth.
- 16:23Speaker 1: Dropping her eyes before his searching glance because.
- 16:27Speaker 6: It seems such a shame?
- 16:29Speaker 9: Why?
- 16:30Speaker 6: Oh? Because everything Well.
- 16:34Speaker 9: I could hardly back out now even if I wanted to,
- 16:37Speaker 9: and I'll be forgotten before you know it.
- 16:39Speaker 6: You won't. I'll never forget.
- 16:42Speaker 9: Will you promise me that?
- 16:44Speaker 6: Of course, it's mean of you to think that any
- 16:46Speaker 6: of us would forget so easily. Oh, but you haven't
- 16:51Speaker 6: told me your reason for leaving yet.
- 16:54Speaker 9: I doubt you'll understand. It's difficult to explain, even to myself.
- 16:58Speaker 9: Either you feel it or you don't. I can remember
- 17:01Speaker 9: being conscious of it first, when I was only a kid.
- 17:04Speaker 9: You haven't forgotten what a sickly specimen I was? Then?
- 17:07Speaker 9: In those days, have you with a.
- 17:09Speaker 6: Shudder, let's not think about them.
- 17:12Speaker 9: You'll have to to understand. Well, in those days, when
- 17:16Speaker 9: Ma was fixing meals, she used to get me out
- 17:17Speaker 9: of the way by pushing my chair to the west
- 17:19Speaker 9: window and tell him to look out and be quiet.
- 17:23Speaker 9: That wasn't hard, I guess I was always quiet.
- 17:26Speaker 6: Yes, you always were, and you suffering so much too.
- 17:31Speaker 9: So I used to stare out over the fields to
- 17:33Speaker 9: the hills out there, he.
- 17:35Speaker 1: Points to the horizon, and.
- 17:37Speaker 9: Somehow, after a time I'd forget any pain I was
- 17:40Speaker 9: in and start dreaming. I knew the sea was over
- 17:43Speaker 9: beyond those hills, the folks had told me, and I
- 17:48Speaker 9: used to wonder what the sea was like, and try
- 17:51Speaker 9: to form a picture of it in my mind.
- 17:53Speaker 1: With a smile.
- 17:55Speaker 9: There was all the mystery in the world to me then,
- 17:57Speaker 9: about that far off sea, and there still is. It
- 18:02Speaker 9: called me then, just as it does now. And other
- 18:07Speaker 9: times my mind would follow this road, winding off into
- 18:13Speaker 9: the distance, toward the hills, as if it too were
- 18:16Speaker 9: searching for the sea. And I'd promise myself that when
- 18:19Speaker 9: I grew up and was strong, i'd follow that road,
- 18:22Speaker 9: and it and I would find the sea together. You see,
- 18:26Speaker 9: my making this trip is only keeping that promise of
- 18:29Speaker 9: long ago.
- 18:30Speaker 1: Charmed by his low musical voice telling the dreams of
- 18:32Speaker 1: his childhood, Yes, I.
- 18:34Speaker 9: See, those were the only happy moments of my life. Then,
- 18:40Speaker 9: dreaming there at the window, I like to be all alone.
- 18:45Speaker 9: Those times I got to know all the different kinds
- 18:48Speaker 9: of sunsets by heart, and all those sunsets took place
- 18:52Speaker 9: over there he points, beyond the horizon. So gradually I
- 18:58Speaker 9: came to believe that all the one of the world
- 19:00Speaker 9: happened on the other side of those hills. There was
- 19:04Speaker 9: the home of the good fairies who performed beautiful miracles.
- 19:08Speaker 9: I believed in fairies then. Perhaps I still do believe
- 19:11Speaker 9: in them. Anyway, in those days, they were real enough,
- 19:16Speaker 9: and sometimes I could actually hear them calling to me
- 19:18Speaker 9: to come out and play with them, dance with them
- 19:20Speaker 9: down the road in the dust, and the game of
- 19:22Speaker 9: hide and seek to find out where the sun was
- 19:25Speaker 9: hiding himself. They sang their little songs to me, songs
- 19:29Speaker 9: that told of all the wonderful things they had in
- 19:31Speaker 9: their home on the other side of the hills, and
- 19:35Speaker 9: they promised to show me all of them if i'd
- 19:37Speaker 9: only come. Come. But I couldn't come then, and I
- 19:41Speaker 9: used to cry sometimes, and my would think I was
- 19:44Speaker 9: in pain. Ha, that's why I'm going now, I suppose
- 19:51Speaker 9: or I can still leave them calling, but the horizon
- 19:57Speaker 9: is as far away and as luring as ever.
- 20:00Speaker 1: He turns to her.
- 20:01Speaker 9: Do you understand now, Ruth?
- 20:03Speaker 1: Spell bound?
- 20:04Speaker 9: Yes, you feel it?
- 20:06Speaker 6: Ben, Yes, yes I do.
- 20:09Speaker 1: Unconsciously, she snuggles pulse against his side. His arm steals
- 20:14Speaker 1: about her, as if he were not aware of the action.
- 20:17Speaker 6: Oh Rob, how could I help feeling it? You tell
- 20:20Speaker 6: things so beautifully.
- 20:22Speaker 1: Suddenly, realizing that his arm is round her and that
- 20:24Speaker 1: her head is resting on his shoulder, gently takes his
- 20:27Speaker 1: arm away. Ruth, brought back to herself, is overcome with confusion.
- 20:32Speaker 9: So now you know where I'm going. It's for that reason, that.
- 20:39Speaker 6: And one other You've another, then you must tell me
- 20:43Speaker 6: that too.
- 20:44Speaker 1: Looking at her searchingly, she drops her eyes before his gaze.
- 20:48Speaker 9: I wonder if I ought to. You'll promise not to
- 20:52Speaker 9: be angry whatever it is, Her face still averted.
- 20:56Speaker 6: Yes, I promise.
- 20:58Speaker 9: I love you.
- 20:59Speaker 1: That's the the reason, hiding her face in her hands.
- 21:03Speaker 9: Oh Rob, I wasn't going to tell you, but I
- 21:06Speaker 9: feel I have to. You can't matter now that I'm
- 21:09Speaker 9: going so far away, for so long, perhaps forever. I've
- 21:16Speaker 9: loved you all these years, But the realization never came
- 21:18Speaker 9: to I agreed to go away with Uncle Dick. Then
- 21:21Speaker 9: I thought of leaving you. In the pain of that
- 21:23Speaker 9: thought revealed to me in a flash that I loved you,
- 21:27Speaker 9: had loved you as long as I could remember.
- 21:29Speaker 1: He gently pulls one of Bruth's hands away from her face.
- 21:33Speaker 9: You mustn't mind my telling you this, Ruth. I realize
- 21:36Speaker 9: how impossible it always, and I understand, for the revelation
- 21:41Speaker 9: of my own love seemed to open my eyes to
- 21:42Speaker 9: the love of others. I saw Andy's love for you,
- 21:46Speaker 9: and I know that you must love him.
- 21:49Speaker 6: I don't. I don't love Andy. I don't.
- 21:52Speaker 1: Robert stares at her stupid astonishment.
- 21:55Speaker 6: Whatever puts such a full notion into your head.
- 21:59Speaker 1: She suddenly throws her arms about his neck and hides
- 22:01Speaker 1: her head on his shoulder.
- 22:02Speaker 6: Oh, Rob, don't go away, please, you mustn't now you can't.
- 22:07Speaker 6: I won't let you. It'd break my my heart.
- 22:12Speaker 1: The expression of stupid bewilderment is getting way to one
- 22:14Speaker 1: of overwhelming joy. He presses her close to him.
- 22:18Speaker 9: Do you mean that that you love me?
- 22:22Speaker 2: Yes?
- 22:23Speaker 6: Yes, of course I do. What do you suppose?
- 22:27Speaker 1: She lives up her head and looks into his eyes
- 22:29Speaker 1: with a tremulous smile.
- 22:30Speaker 6: You stupid thing, He kisses her. I've loved you right along.
- 22:36Speaker 9: But you and Andy were always together.
- 22:39Speaker 6: Because you never seemed to want to go any place
- 22:42Speaker 6: with me. You were always reading an old book and
- 22:45Speaker 6: not paying any attention to me. I was too proud
- 22:49Speaker 6: to let you see. I cared because I thought the
- 22:51Speaker 6: year you had a way to college had made you
- 22:52Speaker 6: stuck up. And he thought yourself too educated to waste
- 22:56Speaker 6: any time on me kissing her.
- 22:59Speaker 9: And I was thinking what fools me?
- 23:03Speaker 1: Both pid overcome by a sudden fear.
- 23:06Speaker 6: You won't go away on the trip, will you? Rob?
- 23:08Speaker 6: You'll tell them you can't go on account of me,
- 23:10Speaker 6: won't you? You can't go now? You can't.
- 23:14Speaker 9: Perhaps you can come too, Oh.
- 23:17Speaker 6: Rob, don't be so foolish. You know I can't. Who'd
- 23:21Speaker 6: take care of ma? Don't you see I couldn't go.
- 23:24Speaker 1: On her account, she claims to him, imploringly.
- 23:28Speaker 6: Please don't go, not now. Tell them you've decided not to.
- 23:33Speaker 6: They won't mind. I know your mother and father will
- 23:36Speaker 6: be glad. They'll all be. They don't want you to
- 23:38Speaker 6: go so far away from them. Please, Rob, we'll be
- 23:43Speaker 6: so happy here together, where it's natural and we know things.
- 23:46Speaker 6: Please tell me you won't go.
- 23:49Speaker 1: Face to face with a definite final decision.
- 23:52Speaker 9: But Ruth, I uncle Dick.
- 23:56Speaker 6: He won't mind when he knows it's for your happiness
- 23:58Speaker 6: to stay. How can oh rob? And you said you
- 24:05Speaker 6: loved me?
- 24:06Speaker 1: Conquered by the.
- 24:07Speaker 9: Appeal, I won't go, Ruth, I promise you there, don't
- 24:13Speaker 9: don't cry.
- 24:14Speaker 1: He presses her to him, strucking her hair tenderly.
- 24:17Speaker 9: Perhaps, after all, and he was right, righter than he
- 24:21Speaker 9: knew when he said I could find all the things
- 24:23Speaker 9: I was seeking for here at home on the farm.
- 24:28Speaker 9: I think love must have been the secret, the secret
- 24:31Speaker 9: that called to me from over the world's rim, the
- 24:35Speaker 9: secret beyond every horizon. And when I did not come,
- 24:39Speaker 9: he came to me.
- 24:41Speaker 1: He clasped Ruth the hand fiercely.
- 24:43Speaker 9: Oh Ruth, our love is sweeter than any distant dream.
- 24:47Speaker 1: He kisses her passionately and steps to ground, lifting Ruth
- 24:49Speaker 1: in his arms and carrying her to the road, where
- 24:52Speaker 1: he puts her down.
- 24:54Speaker 6: My but you're strong.
- 24:56Speaker 9: Come we'll go tell them at once.
- 24:58Speaker 6: Oh no, don't Rob, No till after I've gone. There'd
- 25:02Speaker 6: be bound to be such a scene with them all together,
- 25:05Speaker 6: kissing her.
- 25:06Speaker 9: As you like, little miss common sense.
- 25:09Speaker 6: Let's go.
- 25:09Speaker 1: Then she takes his hand and they start to go
- 25:13Speaker 1: off left. Robert suddenly stops and turns as though for
- 25:16Speaker 1: a last look at the hills and the dying sunset.
- 25:18Speaker 1: Flush looking upward and pointing, see the first star. He
- 25:25Speaker 1: bends down and kisses her tenderly.
- 25:27Speaker 6: Our star, yes, our very own star.
- 25:32Speaker 1: They stand for a moment, looking up at it, their
- 25:34Speaker 1: arms around each other. Then Ruth takes his hand again
- 25:37Speaker 1: and starts to lead him away.
- 25:39Speaker 6: Come Rob, let's go.
- 25:41Speaker 1: His eyes are fixed again on the horizon as he
- 25:43Speaker 1: half turns to follow her.
- 25:45Speaker 6: We'll be late for supper. Rob shakes his.
- 25:47Speaker 1: Head impatiently, as though we were throwing off some disturbing thought.
- 25:52Speaker 9: All right, we'll run then, come on.
- 25:55Speaker 1: They run off, laughing as the curtain falls. Seem to
- 26:01Speaker 1: the sitting room of the Male Farmhouse about nine o'clock
- 26:04Speaker 1: the same night. On the left, two windows looking out
- 26:07Speaker 1: on the fields. Against the wall between the windows an
- 26:11Speaker 1: old fashioned wall at desk in the left corner rear
- 26:15Speaker 1: a sideboard with a mirror in the rear wall. To
- 26:17Speaker 1: the right of the sideboard, a window looking out on
- 26:20Speaker 1: the road. Next to the window, a door leading out
- 26:24Speaker 1: into the yard. Further right, a black horse hair sofa
- 26:28Speaker 1: and another door opening on a bedroom in the corner.
- 26:32Speaker 1: A straight backed chair in the right wall. Near the middle,
- 26:35Speaker 1: an open doorway leading to the kitchen. Further forward, a
- 26:39Speaker 1: double hitter stove with coals cut up, et cetera. In
- 26:42Speaker 1: the center of the newly carpeted floor. An oak dining
- 26:45Speaker 1: room table with a red cover. In the center of
- 26:48Speaker 1: the table, a large oil reading land. Four chairs, three
- 26:53Speaker 1: rockers with crocheted titties on their backs, and one straight backed,
- 26:56Speaker 1: are placed about the table. The walls are paper in
- 27:00Speaker 1: dark red with a scrolly figured pattern. Everything in the
- 27:03Speaker 1: room is cleaned, well kept, and in its exact place,
- 27:07Speaker 1: Yet there is no suggestion of primness about the whole. Rather,
- 27:10Speaker 1: the atmosphere is one of the orderly comfort of a
- 27:13Speaker 1: simple harder and prosperity enjoyed and maintained by the family
- 27:17Speaker 1: as a unit. James Mayo, his wife, her brother Captain
- 27:23Speaker 1: Dick Scott, and Andrew are discovered. Missus Mayo is a slight,
- 27:27Speaker 1: round faced, rather prim looking woman of fifty five who
- 27:30Speaker 1: had once been a school teacher the labors of a
- 27:33Speaker 1: farmer's wife, a bent but not broken her, and she
- 27:35Speaker 1: retains a certain refinement of movement and expression far into
- 27:38Speaker 1: the Mayo part of the family. Whatever of resemblance Robert
- 27:43Speaker 1: has to his parents may be traced to her. Her brother.
- 27:46Speaker 1: The captain is short and stocky, with a weather beaten
- 27:49Speaker 1: jovial face and a white mustache, a typical old salt,
- 27:53Speaker 1: loud of voice, and given a gesture. He is fifty
- 27:55Speaker 1: eight years old. James Mayo sits in front of the table.
- 27:59Speaker 1: He wears spectacles, and a farm journal which he has
- 28:01Speaker 1: been reading, lies in his lap. The captain leans forward
- 28:05Speaker 1: from a chair in the rear, his hands on the
- 28:06Speaker 1: table in front of him. Andrew was tilted back on
- 28:09Speaker 1: the straight back chair to the left, his chin sung
- 28:12Speaker 1: forward on his chest, staring at the carpet, preoccupied and frowning.
- 28:17Speaker 1: As the curtain rises. The captain is just finishing the
- 28:20Speaker 1: relation of some sea episode. The others are pretending an
- 28:23Speaker 1: interest which is belied by the absent minded expressions on
- 28:26Speaker 1: their faces.
- 28:30Speaker 4: On that mission, woman, she hails me on the dock,
- 28:32Speaker 4: as I was coming ashore, and she says with all
- 28:36Speaker 4: a silly face all screwed up, serious as judgment, Captain,
- 28:40Speaker 4: She says, would you be so kind as to tell
- 28:43Speaker 4: me where the seagulls sleeps at nights? Blow me if
- 28:47Speaker 4: them were at our exact words.
- 28:49Speaker 1: He slaps the table with the palm of his hand.
- 28:51Speaker 1: The others four smiles.
- 28:54Speaker 4: Ha, Ain't that just like a fool woman's question? And
- 28:59Speaker 4: I'll oaks her serious as I could, Mom says, I
- 29:04Speaker 4: I couldn't rightly answer that question. I ain't never see
- 29:07Speaker 4: the seagull in his bunk yet the next time I
- 29:10Speaker 4: hears one snaring, I says, I'll make a note of
- 29:13Speaker 4: where he's turned in and write your letter about it.
- 29:16Speaker 4: And then she calls me a fool, real spiteful and
- 29:20Speaker 4: takes away from me quick. Ha ha ha. So I got
- 29:26Speaker 4: rid of her that way.
- 29:28Speaker 1: The other smiled, but immediately relapsed in new expressions of gloom, again,
- 29:32Speaker 1: feeling that he has to say something.
- 29:34Speaker 3: But when it comes to that where do seagulls sleep?
- 29:36Speaker 4: Dick slapping the table, listen to a James another one. Well,
- 29:44Speaker 4: if they don't beat all hell, excuse me for cussing.
- 29:47Speaker 2: Keith with a twinkle in his eyes, they hits their wings.
- 29:52Speaker 2: Katie and spreads him out on a wave for a bed.
- 29:55Speaker 4: Then they tells a fish to whistle to him when
- 29:58Speaker 4: it's time to turn out.
- 30:00Speaker 3: Oh, with a forced smile, You men, folks are too
- 30:03Speaker 3: smart to live, aren't you?
- 30:05Speaker 1: She resumes her name. Mayo pretends to read his paper,
- 30:08Speaker 1: Andrew stairs at the floor, looks from one to the
- 30:11Speaker 1: other of them with a puzzled air. Finally is unable
- 30:14Speaker 1: to bear the thick silence a moment longer.
- 30:17Speaker 4: You folks, look as you are sitting up with the cops. God, almighty,
- 30:21Speaker 4: there ain't anybody dead, be there.
- 30:24Speaker 2: Don't play the dun stick. You know as well as
- 30:28Speaker 2: I do. There ain't no great cause to be feeling chipper.
- 30:32Speaker 4: And there ain't no cause to be wearing mourning either.
- 30:35Speaker 4: I can make out.
- 30:36Speaker 3: How can you talk that way, Dick Scott, When you're
- 30:39Speaker 3: taking out Robbie away from us in the middle of
- 30:41Speaker 3: the night, you might say, just to get on that
- 30:43Speaker 3: old boat of yours on time. I think you might
- 30:46Speaker 3: wait until morning when he's had his breakfast, appealing to
- 30:49Speaker 3: the others hopelessly.
- 30:50Speaker 4: Ain't that a woman's way of seeing things? For you? God,
- 30:54Speaker 4: I'm mighty Keith. I can't give orders to the tide
- 30:57Speaker 4: that's gonna be high, just when it suits me to
- 30:59Speaker 4: app that I ain't getting no fun out of missing
- 31:02Speaker 4: sleep and leaving here at six bells myself on the
- 31:06Speaker 4: Sunday Ate an old ship leastways not very old. And
- 31:11Speaker 4: she's good. She ever was your boy robert'll be safe
- 31:15Speaker 4: aboard her as he'd be at home in bed.
- 31:17Speaker 1: Here, her lips trembling.
- 31:20Speaker 3: I wish Robbie weren't going.
- 31:22Speaker 1: Looking at her over his glasses.
- 31:25Speaker 3: Kitty, well, I do wish he wasn't.
- 31:28Speaker 4: He shouldn't be taken it so hard. As far as
- 31:31Speaker 4: I can see, this Vige will make a man of him.
- 31:34Speaker 4: I'll see to it he lies to navigate and study
- 31:36Speaker 4: for a mateestificate right off, and I'll give him a
- 31:39Speaker 4: tray for the rest of his life if he wants
- 31:40Speaker 4: to travel.
- 31:42Speaker 3: But I don't want him to travel all his life.
- 31:44Speaker 3: You've got to see he comes home when this trip
- 31:46Speaker 3: is over. Then he'll be all well, and he'll want
- 31:49Speaker 3: to marry and settle down.
- 31:51Speaker 1: Right here, Andrew sits forward in his chair with an
- 31:54Speaker 1: abrup movement, staring down at knitting in her lap.
- 31:57Speaker 3: I never realized how hard it was going to be
- 31:59Speaker 3: for me to have Robbie go, or I wouldn't have
- 32:02Speaker 3: considered it a minute.
- 32:03Speaker 4: It ain't no good going on in that way, Kate.
- 32:06Speaker 4: Now it's all settled.
- 32:08Speaker 3: It's all right for you to talk. You've never had
- 32:10Speaker 3: any children. You don't know what it means to be
- 32:13Speaker 3: potted from them. And Robbie my youngest.
- 32:16Speaker 1: Too, Andrew Brown's and fidgets in his chair suddenly turning
- 32:20Speaker 1: to them.
- 32:21Speaker 5: There's one thing none of you seem to take into
- 32:24Speaker 5: consideration that rob wants to go. He's dead set on it.
- 32:29Speaker 5: He's been dreaming over this trip ever since it was
- 32:32Speaker 5: first talked about. It wouldn't be fair to him not
- 32:35Speaker 5: to have him go.
- 32:37Speaker 1: A sudden thought seems to strike him.
- 32:39Speaker 5: At least, not if he still feels the same way
- 32:42Speaker 5: about it he did when he was talking to me
- 32:43Speaker 5: this evening.
- 32:45Speaker 2: And he's right, Katie, that ends all argument.
- 32:49Speaker 1: You can see that looking at his basilver watch.
- 32:52Speaker 2: I know what's happened to Robert. He's been going long
- 32:55Speaker 2: enough to wheel a widow to home. Certainly he can't
- 32:58Speaker 2: be out dreaming at the stars his last night.
- 33:02Speaker 3: Why didn't you wheel missus Alkins back tonight? Andy? You
- 33:05Speaker 3: usually do when she and Ruth come over.
- 33:08Speaker 1: Avoiding her eyes.
- 33:09Speaker 5: I thought maybe Robert wanted to tonight. He offered to
- 33:13Speaker 5: go right away when they were leaving.
- 33:16Speaker 3: He only wanted to be polite.
- 33:18Speaker 1: Gets to his feet.
- 33:20Speaker 5: Well, he'll be right back, I guess.
- 33:23Speaker 1: He turns to his father.
- 33:25Speaker 5: Guess I'll go take a look at the black cow, Pa,
- 33:28Speaker 5: see if she's ailing.
- 33:29Speaker 2: Annie, Yes, better, had son.
- 33:32Speaker 1: Andrew goes into the kitchen on the right. As he goes.
- 33:34Speaker 4: Out, there's a boy that'll make a good, strong, seafaring
- 33:38Speaker 4: man if he had a mind to.
- 33:41Speaker 2: Don't you put no such fool notions in Andy's head, Dick,
- 33:44Speaker 2: or you and me are gonna fall out.
- 33:47Speaker 1: Then he smiles.
- 33:48Speaker 2: You couldn't tempt him, no ways. Andy's a male bred
- 33:54Speaker 2: in the bone, and he's a born farmer, and a
- 33:56Speaker 2: damn good one too. He'll live and right here on
- 34:01Speaker 2: this farm like I expect to, and he'll make this
- 34:05Speaker 2: one of the slickest, best paying farms in the state too.
- 34:09Speaker 2: Before he gets through.
- 34:10Speaker 4: Seems to me it's a pretty slick place right now.
- 34:14Speaker 1: Shaking his head, it's too small.
- 34:17Speaker 2: We need more land to make it amount too much,
- 34:20Speaker 2: and we ain't got the capital to buy it.
- 34:23Speaker 1: Andrew enters from the kitchen. His hat is on and
- 34:25Speaker 1: he carries a lighted lantern in his hand. He goes
- 34:28Speaker 1: to the door in the rear, eating out, opens the
- 34:30Speaker 1: door and pauses.
- 34:31Speaker 5: Anything else you can think of to be done?
- 34:33Speaker 2: Pah, no, nothing I know of.
- 34:37Speaker 1: Andrew goes out, shutting the door.
- 34:39Speaker 3: What's come over Andy tonight? I wonder he acts so strange.
- 34:44Speaker 2: He does seem sort of glum and out of sorts.
- 34:47Speaker 2: It's count of Robert Leevian. I suppose to Scott Dick.
- 34:52Speaker 2: You wouldn't believe how them boys of mine sticks together.
- 34:56Speaker 2: They ain't like most brothers. They've been sick as these
- 35:00Speaker 2: all their lives. Would narry a quarrel I can remember.
- 35:04Speaker 4: No need to tell me that. I can see how
- 35:06Speaker 4: they take to each other.
- 35:08Speaker 3: Pursuing her train of thought, did you notice, James, how
- 35:12Speaker 3: queer everyone was at supper? Robert seemed stirred up about something,
- 35:16Speaker 3: and Ruth was so flustered in giggly and Andy sat
- 35:20Speaker 3: there dumb, looking as if he'd lost his best friend.
- 35:23Speaker 3: And all of them only nibbled at their food.
- 35:26Speaker 2: Yes, they was all thinking about tomorrow, same as us.
- 35:30Speaker 1: Shaking her head.
- 35:32Speaker 3: No, I'm afraid something's happened something else.
- 35:35Speaker 2: You mean about Ruth. Yes, I hope her and Andy
- 35:40Speaker 2: he'd had a serious falling out. I all is sort
- 35:45Speaker 2: of hoped they'd hitch up together. Sooner or later, would
- 35:50Speaker 2: you say, Dick, and when do you think them two
- 35:53Speaker 2: would pair up? Well?
- 35:55Speaker 1: Nodding his head approvingly.
- 35:56Speaker 4: The sweet oldsome couple laid me it'd be a good
- 36:00Speaker 4: thing for Andy in more ways than one.
- 36:03Speaker 2: I ain't what you'd call calculating generally, and I believe
- 36:08Speaker 2: in letting young folks run their affairs to suit themselves.
- 36:12Speaker 2: But there's advantages for both of them in this match.
- 36:16Speaker 2: You can't overlook in reason that Atkins farmers right next
- 36:21Speaker 2: to arm Tying together, they'd make a Jim Dandy of
- 36:24Speaker 2: a place with plenty of room to work in, and
- 36:28Speaker 2: being a winner with only a daughter and laid up
- 36:31Speaker 2: all the time to boot missus Atkins can't do nothing
- 36:35Speaker 2: with the places that ought to be done. She needs
- 36:38Speaker 2: a man, a first class farmer, to take hold of things,
- 36:42Speaker 2: and Andy's just the one.
- 36:44Speaker 3: I don't think Ruth loves Andy.
- 36:45Speaker 2: You don't.
- 36:47Speaker 6: Well.
- 36:48Speaker 2: Maybe a woman's eyes is sharper in such things, but
- 36:52Speaker 2: they're always together, and if she don't love him now,
- 36:56Speaker 2: she'll likely come round to it in time.
- 36:58Speaker 1: As Missus Mayo shakes her head.
- 37:00Speaker 2: You seem mighty fixed in your opinion, Katie. How'd you know?
- 37:05Speaker 3: It's just what I feel?
- 37:06Speaker 1: A light breaking over him?
- 37:08Speaker 2: You don't mean to see.
- 37:10Speaker 1: Missus Mayo nods.
- 37:12Speaker 2: Shucks, I'm losing my respect for your eyesight, Katie. Why
- 37:18Speaker 2: Robert ain't got no time for Ruth except as a friend.
- 37:21Speaker 1: Sh The door from the yard opens and Robert enters.
- 37:25Speaker 1: He is smiling happily and humming a song to himself,
- 37:28Speaker 1: But as he comes into the room, an undercurrent of
- 37:30Speaker 1: nervous uneasiness manifests itself in his bearer.
- 37:33Speaker 2: So here you be at last, Robert.
- 37:36Speaker 1: Comes forward and SIPs on Andy's chair. Mayo smiles Charlie
- 37:40Speaker 1: at his wife.
- 37:41Speaker 2: What have you been doing all this time? Counting the
- 37:44Speaker 2: stars to see if they all come out right and proper?
- 37:47Speaker 9: There's only one I'll ever look for any more.
- 37:49Speaker 2: Pau You might have even not wasted time looking for
- 37:53Speaker 2: that one your last night.
- 37:55Speaker 3: You ought to have worn your coat a sharp knight
- 37:58Speaker 3: like this, Robbie.
- 38:00Speaker 4: A mighty kate you treat Robert as if he was
- 38:03Speaker 4: one year old.
- 38:04Speaker 1: She notices Robert's nervous uneasiness.
- 38:07Speaker 3: You look all worked up over something, Robbie.
- 38:09Speaker 6: What is it?
- 38:10Speaker 1: Swallowing hard, looks quickly from one to the other of them.
- 38:13Speaker 9: Yes, there is something something I must tell you, all
- 38:18Speaker 9: of you.
- 38:19Speaker 1: As he begins to talk. Andrew enters quietly from the rear,
- 38:22Speaker 1: closing the door behind him and setting the lighted lantern
- 38:25Speaker 1: on the floor. He remains standing by the door, his
- 38:28Speaker 1: arms folded, listening to Robert, with a repressed expression of
- 38:31Speaker 1: pain on his face. Robert is so much taken up
- 38:34Speaker 1: with what he is going to say that he does
- 38:36Speaker 1: not notice Andrew's presence.
- 38:38Speaker 9: Something I discovered only this evening, very beautiful and wonderful.
- 38:42Speaker 9: It's something I didn't take into consideration previously because I
- 38:46Speaker 9: hadn't dared to hope that such happiness could ever come
- 38:48Speaker 9: to me. You must all remember that fact, won't you.
- 38:52Speaker 2: Let's get to the point, John.
- 38:54Speaker 9: Well, the point is this, Pa, I'm not going. I mean,
- 38:59Speaker 9: I hadn't go tomorrow with Uncle Dick or at any
- 39:03Speaker 9: future time either.
- 39:06Speaker 3: Oh, Robbie, I'm so glad.
- 39:08Speaker 2: You ain't serious me. You Robbie seems to me. It's
- 39:13Speaker 2: a pretty late hour in the day for you to
- 39:14Speaker 2: be upset and all your plans so sudden.
- 39:17Speaker 9: I asked you to remember that until this evening, I
- 39:19Speaker 9: didn't know myself. I never did a dream.
- 39:23Speaker 2: What is foolish nice Shore talking of.
- 39:27Speaker 9: Ruth told me this evening that she loved me. It
- 39:32Speaker 9: was after I'd confessed I loved her. I told her
- 39:36Speaker 9: I hadn't been conscious of my love until after the
- 39:38Speaker 9: trip had been arranged and I realized it would mean
- 39:42Speaker 9: leaving her. That was the truth. I didn't know until then.
- 39:47Speaker 1: As if justifying himself to the others.
- 39:50Speaker 9: I hadn't intended telling her anything, but suddenly I felt
- 39:54Speaker 9: I must. I didn't think it would matter because I
- 39:57Speaker 9: was going away, and I thought she loved someone else.
- 40:02Speaker 1: His eyes shining, And then.
- 40:04Speaker 9: She cried and said it was I she loved all
- 40:07Speaker 9: the time, but I hadn't seen it.
- 40:10Speaker 1: Rushes over and throws her arms.
- 40:11Speaker 3: Aby him, I knew it. I was just telling your
- 40:13Speaker 3: father when you came in. No, Robbie, I'm so happy
- 40:16Speaker 3: you're not going kissing her.
- 40:19Speaker 9: I need be glad.
- 40:20Speaker 2: Ma. Well, I'll be damned you do beat all for
- 40:24Speaker 2: getting folks minds all tangled up, Robert and Ruth too,
- 40:28Speaker 2: whatever got into her of a sudden, Why I was thinking?
- 40:32Speaker 3: Never mind what you were thinking, James. It wouldn't be
- 40:34Speaker 3: any use telling us that now, and what you were
- 40:37Speaker 3: hoping for turns out just the same, almost, doesn't it?
- 40:40Speaker 1: Beginning to see this side of the argument.
- 40:42Speaker 2: Yes, I suppose you're right.
- 40:44Speaker 1: Katie, scratching his head in puzzlement.
- 40:46Speaker 2: But how it ever come about? It? Do beat anything
- 40:50Speaker 2: ever I heard?
- 40:51Speaker 1: Finally, he gets up with a sheepish grint and walks
- 40:53Speaker 1: over to Robert.
- 40:54Speaker 2: We're glad you ain't going hi, man I, for we'd
- 40:58Speaker 2: have missed you terrible. That's certain, insure, And we're glad
- 41:02Speaker 2: you found happiness. Ruster. Fine girl, she'll make a good wife.
- 41:07Speaker 9: Do you thank you?
- 41:09Speaker 2: Pap?
- 41:09Speaker 1: He grips his father's hand in his his face tense
- 41:12Speaker 1: and drawing, comes forward and holds out his hand, forcing
- 41:15Speaker 1: a smile.
- 41:16Speaker 5: I guess it's my turn to offer congratulations. His annette with.
- 41:21Speaker 1: A startled crime, and his brother appears before him. So
- 41:23Speaker 1: suddenly hebby what.
- 41:28Speaker 9: I didn't see you? Were you here?
- 41:30Speaker 5: When I heard everything you said? And here's wishing you
- 41:34Speaker 5: every happiness you and Ruth. You both deserve the best
- 41:39Speaker 5: there is.
- 41:41Speaker 9: Taking his hand, Thanks Eddie, it's fine of you two.
- 41:45Speaker 1: His voice dies away as he sees the pain in
- 41:47Speaker 1: Andrew's eyes, giving his brother's hand a final grip.
- 41:50Speaker 5: Good luck to you both.
- 41:53Speaker 1: He turns away and goes back to the rear, where
- 41:54Speaker 1: he bends over the lantern, fumbling with it to hide
- 41:57Speaker 1: his emotions from the others. To the captain, who had
- 42:00Speaker 1: been too flabbergasted by Robert's decision to say a word, what's.
- 42:03Speaker 3: The matter, Dick, aren't you going to congratulate Robbie?
- 42:07Speaker 4: Of course i'd be.
- 42:08Speaker 1: He gets to his feet and shakes Robert's hand. Look
- 42:11Speaker 1: to you, boy, stands beside Robert as if you wish
- 42:15Speaker 1: to say something more, but doesn't know how to go
- 42:17Speaker 1: about it.
- 42:17Speaker 9: Thanks Uncle Dick.
- 42:19Speaker 4: So you're not coming on the Sunda with me?
- 42:21Speaker 9: I can't, huncle, not now. I wouldn't miss it for
- 42:25Speaker 9: anything else in the world under any other circumstances. But
- 42:30Speaker 9: you see, I've found a bigger dream. I want you
- 42:34Speaker 9: all to understand one thing. I'm not going to be
- 42:37Speaker 9: a loafer on your hands any longer. This means the
- 42:41Speaker 9: beginning of a new life for me in every way.
- 42:43Speaker 9: I'm gonna settle right down and take a real interest
- 42:46Speaker 9: in the farm and do my share. I'll prove to
- 42:49Speaker 9: your pather I'm as good a man as you are,
- 42:52Speaker 9: Andy when I want to be.
- 42:54Speaker 2: That's the right spirit, Robert ain't. None of us doubts
- 42:58Speaker 2: your willingness. But he ain't never learned.
- 43:01Speaker 9: Then I'm gonna start learning right away. You'll teach me,
- 43:04Speaker 9: won't you?
- 43:05Speaker 2: Of course I will, boy be glad to only you'd
- 43:09Speaker 2: best go easy at first?
- 43:11Speaker 1: Who has listened to his conversation in mingled consternation and amazement.
- 43:15Speaker 4: You don't mean to tell me you're gonna let him
- 43:17Speaker 4: stay do your James, Why things being as they be,
- 43:22Speaker 4: Roberts free to do as he's.
- 43:23Speaker 3: A mind to let him the very idea?
- 43:27Speaker 4: Then all I got to see is you're a soft,
- 43:29Speaker 4: weak willed critter to be permitting a boy, and women too,
- 43:33Speaker 4: to be laying your course for you wherever they damn pleases.
- 43:37Speaker 2: It's just the same with me as it was with you, Dick.
- 43:41Speaker 2: You can't order the tides on the seas to suit you,
- 43:44Speaker 2: and I ain't pretending I can regulate love for young folks.
- 43:49Speaker 4: Love they ain't old enough to know love when they
- 43:52Speaker 4: sided love. I'm ashamed of you, Robert, to go letting
- 43:57Speaker 4: a little hugging and kissing on the docks earlier chances
- 44:00Speaker 4: to make a man out of yourself. It ain't common sense,
- 44:04Speaker 4: no sir ee, it ain't not by a hell of
- 44:07Speaker 4: hers side.
- 44:08Speaker 1: He pounced the table with his fists in exasperation, laughing
- 44:12Speaker 1: provokingly at her brother.
- 44:14Speaker 3: A fine one you are to be talking about love, Dick,
- 44:17Speaker 3: an old cranky bachelor like you.
- 44:19Speaker 1: Goodness sakes, exasperated by their joking.
- 44:23Speaker 4: I've never been a damned fool like most. If that's
- 44:25Speaker 4: what you're steering at cell.
- 44:27Speaker 3: Groups, aren't they, Dick? Goodness gracious, Dick, you do act silly,
- 44:33Speaker 3: flying into a temper over nothing.
- 44:35Speaker 1: She laughed. Robert and his father chuckle. Scott's putters with annoyance.
- 44:40Speaker 4: Nothing Is that what you call it? Nothing? You were
- 44:44Speaker 4: talking as if I wasn't concerned?
- 44:46Speaker 2: Nohow?
- 44:46Speaker 4: And is he a business? Seems to me I've got
- 44:49Speaker 4: a right to have my say. Ain't I gone to
- 44:51Speaker 4: all sorts of trouble getting the staped Kevin Oll cleaned
- 44:54Speaker 4: out and painted and fixed up? So is that robbery?
- 44:57Speaker 4: Yours would be comfortable, ain't I made all a agents
- 45:00Speaker 4: with the owners and stucked up with some special grub,
- 45:03Speaker 4: all on Robert's account.
- 45:04Speaker 9: You've been fine, Uncle Dick, and I appreciate it, truly, of.
- 45:08Speaker 2: Course we all do. As Dick.
- 45:11Speaker 4: There are for you to say, don't this and don't that,
- 45:14Speaker 4: But you ain't seeing things from my side of it.
- 45:17Speaker 4: I've been counting sure on having Rabbit for company on
- 45:19Speaker 4: this VGE, to sort of talk to and show things
- 45:22Speaker 4: to and teach kinda. And I got my mind so
- 45:26Speaker 4: sick on having him. I'm gonna be double loansome this viche.
- 45:29Speaker 1: He pounds on the table, attaching to cover up this
- 45:32Speaker 1: confession of weakness.
- 45:33Speaker 4: Down all this silly loving business anyway. But all this
- 45:37Speaker 4: talk ain't telling me what I'm to do with that
- 45:39Speaker 4: staved cabinat fixed up so painted white on a brand
- 45:43Speaker 4: new mattress in the bunk, new sheets and blankets and things.
- 45:48Speaker 4: And Chip's building a book teach So's Robert could dig
- 45:50Speaker 4: his books along with a sliding bar fixed cross a
- 45:53Speaker 4: mine so they couldn't fall out no matter how she rolled.
- 45:57Speaker 4: What do you suppose my officers are gonna think when
- 45:59Speaker 4: there's nobody comes about to occupy that Steve cabin, and
- 46:03Speaker 4: the men that did the whack on it, well, they.
- 46:06Speaker 1: Think, he shakes his finger indignantly.
- 46:09Speaker 4: They're liable as not the suspicion it was a woman
- 46:12Speaker 4: I planned to ship along, and that she gave me
- 46:14Speaker 4: the go by the last moment.
- 46:16Speaker 1: He wipes his perspiring brow and anguish at this thought.
- 46:19Speaker 4: God almighty, they're only looking to have the laugh on
- 46:23Speaker 4: me for something like that. They're liable to believe anything,
- 46:26Speaker 4: those fellows is.
- 46:28Speaker 2: With a win well, and there's nothing to it but
- 46:32Speaker 2: for you to get right out and hunt up a
- 46:34Speaker 2: wife Somers for that spick and span cabin. She'll have
- 46:38Speaker 2: to be a pretty one too to match it.
- 46:41Speaker 1: He looks at his watch with exaggerated concern.
- 46:44Speaker 2: You ain't got much time to find her, Dick, as
- 46:47Speaker 2: the other smiled.
- 46:48Speaker 4: You can go to thunder.
- 46:49Speaker 1: Jimmel comes forward from where he's been standing by the door,
- 46:53Speaker 1: rear brooding. His face is set in a look of
- 46:56Speaker 1: grit determination.
- 46:57Speaker 5: You needn't worry about that spare cabin on, Dick, if
- 47:01Speaker 5: you a mind to take me in Robert's place.
- 47:04Speaker 1: Turning to him quickly, Hebbie he sees it once the
- 47:07Speaker 1: fixed resolve in his brother's eyes, and realizes immediately the
- 47:10Speaker 1: reason for it.
- 47:11Speaker 9: Hebbie, you mustn't.
- 47:14Speaker 5: You've made your decision, Rob, and now I've made mine.
- 47:18Speaker 5: You're out of this, remember.
- 47:20Speaker 1: Hurt by his brother's tongue.
- 47:22Speaker 5: But Andy, don't interfear Rob. That's all I ask, turning
- 47:27Speaker 5: to his uncle. You haven't answered my question, Uncle Dick.
- 47:30Speaker 1: Clearing his throat with an uneasy side glance at James Mayo,
- 47:34Speaker 1: who was staring at his elder son as if he
- 47:36Speaker 1: thought he had suddenly gone mad.
- 47:38Speaker 4: Hm, ofcause I'd be glad to have you Andy.
- 47:42Speaker 5: It's settled. Then I can pack the little I want
- 47:44Speaker 5: to take in a few minutes.
- 47:47Speaker 3: Don't be a fool, Dick. And he's only joking with you.
- 47:49Speaker 4: Sada Della's joking, and who's not in this house.
- 47:52Speaker 5: I'm not joking, Uncle Dick. You needn't be afraid. I'll
- 47:56Speaker 5: go back on my word.
- 47:58Speaker 1: Hurt by the insinuation fee Andrew's won, Abbie, Eddie, that
- 48:03Speaker 1: isn't fair.
- 48:04Speaker 2: Seems to me. This ain't no subject to joke over,
- 48:07Speaker 2: Not for Andy.
- 48:09Speaker 1: Father.
- 48:10Speaker 5: I agree with you, Pah, and I tell you again
- 48:13Speaker 5: once and for all, that I've made up my mind to.
- 48:16Speaker 1: Go, dumbfounded, unable to doubt the determination in Andrew's voice.
- 48:21Speaker 5: Well, why, Son, why I've always wanted to go, Abbie?
- 48:29Speaker 5: You shut up, Rob turning to his father again. I
- 48:32Speaker 5: didn't ever mention it, because as long as Rob was going,
- 48:35Speaker 5: I knew it was no use. But now Rob's staying
- 48:38Speaker 5: on here. There isn't any reason for me not to go,
- 48:42Speaker 5: No reason.
- 48:43Speaker 2: Can you stand here and say that to me?
- 48:45Speaker 1: Andrew hastily seeing the gathering storm.
- 48:48Speaker 3: He doesn't need a word of it, James.
- 48:50Speaker 1: Making a gesture to her to keep silence.
- 48:53Speaker 2: Let me talk, Katie. What's come over you so sudden? Andy?
- 48:58Speaker 2: You who know as well as I knew that it
- 49:00Speaker 2: wouldn't be fair or you to run off at a
- 49:02Speaker 2: moment's notice. Right now, when we're up to our necks
- 49:05Speaker 2: in hard work, avoiding his eyes.
- 49:08Speaker 5: Rob will hold his end up as soon as he learns.
- 49:11Speaker 2: Robert was never cut out for a farmer, and you was.
- 49:15Speaker 5: You can easily get a man to do my.
- 49:17Speaker 1: Work, restraining his anger with an effort.
- 49:20Speaker 2: It sounds strange to hear you, Andy, that I always
- 49:23Speaker 2: thought had good sense talking crazy like that. Get a
- 49:27Speaker 2: man to take your place. You ain't been working here
- 49:30Speaker 2: for no hire. Andy, that you can give me your
- 49:33Speaker 2: notice to quit like you're done. The farm is yourn
- 49:36Speaker 2: as well as mine. You've always worked on it with
- 49:39Speaker 2: that understanding, and what you're saying you intend doing is
- 49:42Speaker 2: just skulking out of your rightful responsibility.
- 49:45Speaker 5: Looking at the floor, I'm sorry, Pa, it's no use
- 49:50Speaker 5: talking any more about it.
- 49:52Speaker 6: There.
- 49:53Speaker 3: I knew Andy'd come to his senses.
- 49:55Speaker 5: Don't get the wrong idea, MA, I'm not backing out.
- 49:58Speaker 2: You mean you're going in spite of everything.
- 50:01Speaker 5: Yes, I'm going. I've got to.
- 50:05Speaker 1: He looks at his father defiantly.
- 50:08Speaker 5: I feel I oughtn't to miss this chance to go
- 50:10Speaker 5: out into the world and see things. And I want
- 50:13Speaker 5: to go.
- 50:14Speaker 2: So you want to go out into the world and
- 50:18Speaker 2: see things. I never thought i'd live to see that
- 50:21Speaker 2: day when a son of mine had looked me in
- 50:22Speaker 2: the paste and tell a Pace lie, you're a liar,
- 50:26Speaker 2: and he mayo and a mean one to boot James. Pa.
- 50:29Speaker 1: Steady there Jim waiting their protests aside he.
- 50:33Speaker 2: Is and he knows it.
- 50:36Speaker 5: I won't argue with you, Pa. You can think as
- 50:39Speaker 5: badly of me as you like.
- 50:41Speaker 1: Shaking his finger, Andy in a cold rage.
- 50:44Speaker 2: You know I'm speaking the truth. That's why you're afraid
- 50:47Speaker 2: to argue. You lie when you say you want to
- 50:50Speaker 2: go away and see things you ain't got no liking
- 50:53Speaker 2: in the world to go. I've watched you grow up,
- 50:56Speaker 2: and I know your ways, and they're my ways, running
- 51:00Speaker 2: against your own nature, and you're going to be a
- 51:02Speaker 2: mighty sorry for it if you do. If I didn't
- 51:06Speaker 2: know your real reason for running away, and running away
- 51:09Speaker 2: is the only words to fit it. You're running away
- 51:12Speaker 2: because you're put out and riled because your brother's got
- 51:15Speaker 2: roostead of you.
- 51:16Speaker 5: And stomp Pa. I won't stand hearing that, not even
- 51:21Speaker 5: from you.
- 51:23Speaker 1: Rushing to Andy and putting her arms about him protectingly.
- 51:26Speaker 3: Don't mind him, Andy, dear, he doesn't mean a word
- 51:28Speaker 3: he's saying.
- 51:29Speaker 1: Robert stands rigidly, his hands clenched, his face contracted by pain.
- 51:34Speaker 1: Scott sits dumbfounded and open mouthed. Andrew Sues's mother, who's
- 51:38Speaker 1: on the verge of tears.
- 51:40Speaker 2: It's the truth, Andy, Mail, and you ought to be
- 51:43Speaker 2: bowed in shame to think of it.
- 51:45Speaker 1: Pa, coming from Andrew to his father, puts her hands
- 51:50Speaker 1: on his shoulders, as though to try and push him
- 51:52Speaker 1: back in the chair from which he had risen.
- 51:54Speaker 3: Won't you be still, James, Please, won't.
- 51:56Speaker 1: You looking at Andrew over his wife's shoulder.
- 51:59Speaker 2: The truth, God, Odd's truth?
- 52:01Speaker 1: Sh He tried to put a finger across his lips,
- 52:03Speaker 1: but he twists his head away. Who is your game?
- 52:06Speaker 1: Control over himself?
- 52:07Speaker 5: You're wrong, Pa, it isn't truth. I don't love Ruth.
- 52:12Speaker 5: I never loved her, and the thought of such a
- 52:15Speaker 5: thing never entered my head.
- 52:17Speaker 2: Oh, your pilot, lie on, lie.
- 52:21Speaker 5: I suppose it'd be hard for you to explain anyone's
- 52:24Speaker 5: wanting to leave this blessed farm except for some outside
- 52:28Speaker 5: reason like that. But I'm sick and tired of it,
- 52:32Speaker 5: whether you want to believe me or not, And that's
- 52:35Speaker 5: why I'm glad to get a chance to move on.
- 52:38Speaker 9: Edie, don't you're only making it worse.
- 52:41Speaker 5: I don't care. I've done my share of work here.
- 52:46Speaker 5: I've earned my right to quit when I want.
- 52:48Speaker 1: To, suddenly overcome with anger and grief.
- 52:51Speaker 5: I'm sick and tired of the whole damn business. I
- 52:55Speaker 5: hate the farm in every inch of ground in it.
- 52:59Speaker 5: I'm sick of digging in the dirt and sweating in
- 53:01Speaker 5: the sun like a slave without getting a word of
- 53:04Speaker 5: thanks for it. I'm through through, for good and all.
- 53:09Speaker 5: And if Uncle Dick won't take me on his ship,
- 53:12Speaker 5: I'll find another. I'll get away somewhere somehow.
- 53:17Speaker 3: Don't you answer him, James, He doesn't know what he's saying.
- 53:20Speaker 3: Don't say a word to him till he's in his
- 53:21Speaker 3: right senses again, Please, James, don't pushes.
- 53:24Speaker 1: Her away from him. His face is drawn and pale
- 53:27Speaker 1: with the violence of his passion. He clares at Andrew
- 53:30Speaker 1: as if he hated him.
- 53:31Speaker 2: You dare to you dare to speak like that to me?
- 53:36Speaker 2: You'll talk like that about this farmly Mayo farm where
- 53:40Speaker 2: you was born. You you.
- 53:42Speaker 1: He clenches his fist above his head and advances threateningly
- 53:44Speaker 1: on Andrew.
- 53:45Speaker 5: Good damn welp, James.
- 53:49Speaker 1: She covers her face with her hands and sinks wearily
- 53:51Speaker 1: into Mao's chair. Andrew remains standing motionless, his face paling, set,
- 53:57Speaker 1: starting to his feet and stretching his arms across the
- 53:59Speaker 1: table towards Mail.
- 54:00Speaker 4: Usual there, Jim, throwing himself.
- 54:03Speaker 1: Between father and brother.
- 54:04Speaker 9: Stop it, are you mad?
- 54:06Speaker 1: Grabs Robert's arm and pushes him aside, then stands for
- 54:10Speaker 1: a moment, gasping for breath before Andrew. He points to
- 54:13Speaker 1: the door with a shaking finger.
- 54:15Speaker 5: Yes, go go.
- 54:17Speaker 2: You're no son of mine, no son of mine. You
- 54:20Speaker 2: can go to hell if you want to. Don't let
- 54:22Speaker 2: me find you here in the morning, or I'll throw
- 54:25Speaker 2: you out. Pop. For God's sake, you go tomorrow morning,
- 54:30Speaker 2: and by God, don't come back. Don't dare come back,
- 54:33Speaker 2: by God, not where I'm living.
- 54:37Speaker 1: He shakes over his s muttered thread and strides towards
- 54:40Speaker 1: the door, rear right, rising and throwing her arms around him.
- 54:44Speaker 6: James, James, where.
- 54:45Speaker 9: Are you going.
- 54:47Speaker 2: I'm going to bed, Katie. It's late, Katie, it's late.
- 54:53Speaker 3: He goes out, following him, James, take back what you've
- 54:56Speaker 3: said to Andy James.
- 54:58Speaker 1: She follows him out. Robert and the Captain stare after
- 55:01Speaker 1: them with horrified eyes. Andrew stands rigidly, looking straight in
- 55:04Speaker 1: front of him, his fist clenched at his side. The
- 55:08Speaker 1: first to find his voice.
- 55:09Speaker 4: Ah, Well, if you hain't the devil himself when he's roused,
- 55:16Speaker 4: you oughtn't to talk to him that way. Andy about
- 55:19Speaker 4: the damn fom knowing how touch he is about it. Well,
- 55:24Speaker 4: you won't mind what he said in anger. Yeah, he's
- 55:27Speaker 4: sorry for her when he's calmed down a bit.
- 55:29Speaker 5: You don't know him. What's said is said and can't
- 55:34Speaker 5: be unsaid. And I've chosen andedy.
- 55:38Speaker 9: You can't go. This is also stupid and terrible.
- 55:43Speaker 5: I'll talk to you in a minute.
- 55:44Speaker 2: Rob.
- 55:45Speaker 1: Crushed by his brother's cold indifference, Robert sinks down into
- 55:48Speaker 1: a chair, holding his head in his hands. Andrew turns
- 55:51Speaker 1: again to Scott comes and slaps Andrew on the back, beaming.
- 55:55Speaker 4: I'm damn glad you're shipping on, Andy. I like your
- 55:58Speaker 4: spirit and the way he's woke up to him. You
- 56:02Speaker 4: was right not to want to waste your life plowing
- 56:04Speaker 4: dirt and padding it down again. The sea's a place
- 56:07Speaker 4: for young fellow like you that isn't half dead and alive.
- 56:11Speaker 4: You and Meal get along like twins. See if we don't.
- 56:15Speaker 4: I'm during glad you coming, boy.
- 56:18Speaker 1: He gives Andy a final approving slap.
- 56:20Speaker 4: Right, I'm going aloft to turn in and leave you
- 56:23Speaker 4: two alone. Don't forget to pack your duneage and get
- 56:26Speaker 4: some sleep if you can. We want to sneak out
- 56:30Speaker 4: extra early before they're up. It'll do away with more arguments.
- 56:34Speaker 1: He goes to the door in the rear left.
- 56:36Speaker 4: Well, good night, good night.
- 56:40Speaker 1: Scott goes out. The two brothers remain silent for a moment.
- 56:44Speaker 1: Then Andrew comes over to his brother and puts a
- 56:46Speaker 1: hand on his back.
- 56:47Speaker 5: Buck up, Rob, it ain't any use crying over spilt milk,
- 56:52Speaker 5: and it'll all turn out for the best. Let's hope
- 56:55Speaker 5: it couldn't be helped what's happened.
- 56:58Speaker 9: But it's a lot, and you a lie.
- 57:02Speaker 5: Of course, it's a lie. You know it, and I
- 57:05Speaker 5: know it. But that's all ought to know it.
- 57:08Speaker 9: Paul'll never forgive you how the whole affair is so
- 57:12Speaker 9: senseless and tragic? Why did you think you must go away?
- 57:17Speaker 5: You know better than to ask that, you know why.
- 57:22Speaker 5: I can wish you and Ruth all the good luck
- 57:25Speaker 5: in the world, and I do, and I mean it.
- 57:27Speaker 5: But you can't expect me to stay around here and
- 57:31Speaker 5: watch you two together day after day and me alone.
- 57:37Speaker 5: I couldn't stand it, not after all the plans I'd
- 57:41Speaker 5: made to happen on this place, thinking, thinking she cared
- 57:47Speaker 5: for me.
- 57:48Speaker 1: Putting a hand on his brother's arm.
- 57:51Speaker 9: God, it's horrible, feel so guilty to think that I
- 57:57Speaker 9: should mean the cause of your suffering. After we've been
- 57:59Speaker 9: such palace all our lives. If I could have foreseen
- 58:03Speaker 9: what had happened, I swear to you, i'd have never
- 58:05Speaker 9: said a word to Ruth. I swear I wouldn't.
- 58:07Speaker 5: Addie, I know you wouldn't, and that would have been worse,
- 58:12Speaker 5: for Ruth would have suffered.
- 58:13Speaker 1: Then he's shoulder.
- 58:16Speaker 5: It's best as it is. It had to be. And
- 58:20Speaker 5: I've got to stand the gaff. That's all policy how
- 58:24Speaker 5: I felt after a time.
- 58:27Speaker 1: And Robert shased his head.
- 58:29Speaker 5: And if you don't well, it can't be helped.
- 58:33Speaker 4: Think a mom, got it?
- 58:35Speaker 9: He can't go, You can't.
- 58:38Speaker 5: I've got to go to get away. I've got to,
- 58:42Speaker 5: I tell you, I'd go crazy here be It reminded
- 58:45Speaker 5: every second of the day what a fool I'd made
- 58:49Speaker 5: of myself. I've got to get away and try and
- 58:52Speaker 5: forget it if I can. And I'd hate the farm
- 58:56Speaker 5: if I stayed, hate it for bringing things back. I
- 59:00Speaker 5: couldn't take interest in the work anymore, work with no
- 59:04Speaker 5: purpose in sight. Can't you see what a hell it'd be?
- 59:09Speaker 5: You love her too, Rob put yourself in my place.
- 59:14Speaker 5: And remember I haven't stopped loving her and couldn't if
- 59:18Speaker 5: I was to stay. Would that be fair to you
- 59:22Speaker 5: or to her? Put yourself in my place?
- 59:26Speaker 1: He shakes his brother fiercely by the shoulder.
- 59:29Speaker 5: What did you do? Then? Tell me the truth? You
- 59:32Speaker 5: love her? What did you do?
- 59:36Speaker 9: I I'd go, hebby.
- 59:39Speaker 1: He buries his face in his hands, God, seeming to
- 59:43Speaker 1: relax suddenly all over his body.
- 59:45Speaker 5: Then you know why I got to go, And there's
- 59:48Speaker 5: nothing more to be said.
- 59:50Speaker 1: In a frenzy of rebellion.
- 59:52Speaker 9: Why did this have to happen to us? It's demnable.
- 59:55Speaker 1: He looked about him wildly, as if his vengeance were
- 59:58Speaker 1: seeking the responsible fate, again, putting his hands on his
- 1:00:01Speaker 1: brother's shoulder.
- 1:00:02Speaker 5: It's no use fussing anymore, Rob, it's done.
- 1:00:06Speaker 1: Forcing a smile.
- 1:00:08Speaker 5: I guess Ruth's got a right to have who she likes.
- 1:00:11Speaker 5: She made a good choice, and God bless her for it.
- 1:00:17Speaker 9: Andy, I wish I could tell you half I feel
- 1:00:20Speaker 9: of how fine you are.
- 1:00:22Speaker 5: Shut up, Let's go to bed. I've got to be
- 1:00:27Speaker 5: up long before sun up. You too, If you're going
- 1:00:30Speaker 5: to drive us down.
- 1:00:32Speaker 1: Yes, yes, Turning down the lamp, and.
- 1:00:36Speaker 5: I've got to pack yet I'm as tired as if
- 1:00:44Speaker 5: I'd been plowing twenty four hours at a stretch. I
- 1:00:50Speaker 5: feel dead.
- 1:00:53Speaker 1: Robert covers his face again with his hands, Andrew shakes
- 1:00:56Speaker 1: his head. Is it to get rid of his thoughts?
- 1:00:58Speaker 5: I'm going to dowse the light? Come on?
- 1:01:01Speaker 1: He slaps his brother on the back. Robert does not move,
- 1:01:04Speaker 1: Andrew bends over and blows out the lamp. His voice
- 1:01:07Speaker 1: comes from the darkness.
- 1:01:09Speaker 5: Don't sit there, mourning, rob It'll all come out in
- 1:01:13Speaker 5: the wash. Come on and get some sleep. Everything will
- 1:01:17Speaker 5: turn out all right.
- 1:01:18Speaker 1: In the end, Robert can be heard stumbling to his feet,
- 1:01:22Speaker 1: and the dark figures of the two brothers can be
- 1:01:24Speaker 1: seen groping their way towards the doorway in the rear
- 1:01:26Speaker 1: as the curtain falls end in Fact one, Act two
- 1:01:42Speaker 1: of Beyond the Horizon by A. Gene O'Neill. This is
- 1:01:46Speaker 1: a libbox recording. All liverbox recordings are in the public domain.
- 1:01:50Speaker 1: For more information or a volunteer, please visit leverbox dot org.
- 1:01:56Speaker 1: Act two Scene one same is Act one seen two
- 1:02:02Speaker 1: sitting room with a farm house about half past twelve
- 1:02:05Speaker 1: in the afternoon of a hot, sun baked day in midsummer.
- 1:02:09Speaker 1: Three years later. All the windows are open, but no
- 1:02:13Speaker 1: breeze stirs the soiled white curtains, A patched stream doors
- 1:02:17Speaker 1: in the rear. Through it, the yard can be seen,
- 1:02:20Speaker 1: its small stretch of lawn, divided by the dirt path
- 1:02:22Speaker 1: leading to the door from the gate in the white
- 1:02:24Speaker 1: picket fence which borders the road. The room has changed
- 1:02:29Speaker 1: not so much in its outward appearance as in its
- 1:02:31Speaker 1: general atmosphere. Little significant details give evidence of carelessness, of
- 1:02:36Speaker 1: inefficiency of an industry gone to see. The chairs appear
- 1:02:40Speaker 1: shabby from lack of paint. The table covered is spotted
- 1:02:42Speaker 1: in a skew, holes shone in the curtains. A child's
- 1:02:46Speaker 1: doll with one arm gone lies under the table. A
- 1:02:49Speaker 1: hoe stands in a corner. A man's coat is flung
- 1:02:52Speaker 1: on a couch.
- 1:02:52Speaker 9: In the rear.
- 1:02:53Speaker 1: The desk is cluttered up with odds and ends. A
- 1:02:56Speaker 1: number of books are piled carelessly on the sideboard. The
- 1:02:59Speaker 1: noon and innovation of the sultry, scorching day seems to
- 1:03:02Speaker 1: have penetrated indoors, causing even inanimate objects to wear an
- 1:03:05Speaker 1: aspect of desponded exhaustion. A place is set at the
- 1:03:09Speaker 1: end of the table, left for someone's dinner. Through the
- 1:03:12Speaker 1: open door to the kitchen comes the clatter of dishes
- 1:03:15Speaker 1: being washed, interrupted at intervals by a woman's irritated voice
- 1:03:18Speaker 1: and the peevish whining of a child. At the rise
- 1:03:22Speaker 1: of the curtain, Missus Mayo and Missus Atkins are discovered
- 1:03:25Speaker 1: sitting facing each other, Missus Mayo to the rear, Missus
- 1:03:28Speaker 1: Atkins to the right.
- 1:03:29Speaker 5: Of the table.
- 1:03:31Speaker 1: Missus Mayo's face has lost all character, disintegrated, become a
- 1:03:35Speaker 1: weak mask, wearing a helpless, doleful expression of being constantly
- 1:03:38Speaker 1: on the verge of comfortless tears. She speaks in an
- 1:03:41Speaker 1: uncertain voice, without assertiveness, as if all power of willing
- 1:03:45Speaker 1: had deserted her. Missus Atkins is in her wheelchair. She
- 1:03:49Speaker 1: is a thin, pale faced, unintelligent looking woman of about
- 1:03:52Speaker 1: forty eight with hard bright eyes. A victim of partial
- 1:03:56Speaker 1: paralysis for many years, condemned to be pushed from day
- 1:03:59Speaker 1: to day of her life wheel chair. She has developed
- 1:04:01Speaker 1: the selfish, irrible nature of the chronic invalid. Both women
- 1:04:05Speaker 1: are dressed in black. Missus Atkins nits nervously as she
- 1:04:08Speaker 1: talks a ball unused yarn with needle stuck through it
- 1:04:12Speaker 1: lies on the table before Missus Mayo, with a disapproving
- 1:04:16Speaker 1: glance at the place, sets the table.
- 1:04:18Speaker 7: Robert's late for his dinner again as usual. I don't
- 1:04:21Speaker 7: see why Ruth puts up with it, and I've told
- 1:04:23Speaker 7: her so Many's the time I've said to her, it's
- 1:04:25Speaker 7: about time you put a stop to his nonsense. Does
- 1:04:28Speaker 7: he suppose you're running a hotel with no one to
- 1:04:30Speaker 7: help with things? But she don't pay no attention. She's
- 1:04:33Speaker 7: as bad as he is. Almost thinks she knows better
- 1:04:36Speaker 7: than an old, sick body like me.
- 1:04:38Speaker 3: Robbie's always late for things. I can't help it, Sarah, hmm.
- 1:04:42Speaker 7: Can't help it?
- 1:04:43Speaker 6: How you do?
- 1:04:44Speaker 7: Go on, Kate finding excuses for him. Anybody can help
- 1:04:48Speaker 7: anything they've a mind to, as long as they've got
- 1:04:50Speaker 7: health and ain't rendered helpless like me.
- 1:04:53Speaker 1: She adds, as a pious afterthought.
- 1:04:55Speaker 7: Through the will of God.
- 1:04:57Speaker 3: Robbie can't.
- 1:04:59Speaker 7: Can't it do make me mad? Kate Mayo to see
- 1:05:02Speaker 7: folks that God gave all the use of their limbs
- 1:05:04Speaker 7: to potterin round and waste in time doing everything the
- 1:05:07Speaker 7: wrong way, and me powerless to help and at their mercy,
- 1:05:10Speaker 7: you might say, And it ain't that I haven't pointed
- 1:05:13Speaker 7: the right way to him. I've talked to Robert thousands
- 1:05:16Speaker 7: of times and told him how things ought to be done.
- 1:05:19Speaker 7: You know that, Kate Mayo. But do you suppose he
- 1:05:22Speaker 7: takes any notice of what I say? Or Ruth either
- 1:05:25Speaker 7: my own daughter.
- 1:05:26Speaker 2: No.
- 1:05:27Speaker 7: They think I'm a crazy, cranky old woman half dead already,
- 1:05:30Speaker 7: and the sooner I'm in the grave and out of
- 1:05:32Speaker 7: their way, the better it had suit him.
- 1:05:34Speaker 3: You mustn't talk that way, Sarah. They're not as wicked
- 1:05:38Speaker 3: as that, And you've got years and years before you.
- 1:05:41Speaker 7: You're like the rest, Kate. You don't know how near
- 1:05:44Speaker 7: the end I am. Well, at least I can go
- 1:05:47Speaker 7: to my eternal rest with a clear conscience. I've done
- 1:05:50Speaker 7: all a body could do to avert ruin from this
- 1:05:52Speaker 7: house on their heads.
- 1:05:53Speaker 3: Be it, things might be worse. Robert never had any
- 1:05:57Speaker 3: experience in farming. You can't expect him to learn in
- 1:06:00Speaker 3: a day.
- 1:06:01Speaker 7: He's had three years to learn, and he's getting worse
- 1:06:03Speaker 7: stead of better. Not only your place, but mine too,
- 1:06:06Speaker 7: is drifting to rack and ruin, and I can't do
- 1:06:09Speaker 7: nothing to prevent.
- 1:06:10Speaker 3: You can't say, but Robbie works hard, Sarah.
- 1:06:13Speaker 7: What good's working hard? If it don't accomplish anything. I'd
- 1:06:16Speaker 7: like to know.
- 1:06:17Speaker 3: Robbie's had bad luck against him.
- 1:06:19Speaker 7: Say what you've a mind to, Kate. The proof of
- 1:06:21Speaker 7: the puddin's in the etn' and you can't deny that
- 1:06:23Speaker 7: things have been going from bad to worse ever since
- 1:06:25Speaker 7: your husband died two years back.
- 1:06:28Speaker 1: Wiping tears from her eyes with her handkerchief.
- 1:06:30Speaker 3: It was God's will that he should be taken.
- 1:06:33Speaker 7: It was God's punishment on James Mayo for the blaspheming
- 1:06:36Speaker 7: and denying of God he'd done all his sinful life.
- 1:06:39Speaker 1: Missus Mayo begins to weep softly.
- 1:06:42Speaker 7: There, Kate, I shouldn't be reminding you. I know he's
- 1:06:45Speaker 7: at peace, poor man, and forgiven, let's pray.
- 1:06:48Speaker 3: Wiping her eyes, James was a good man.
- 1:06:51Speaker 1: Ignoring this remark.
- 1:06:53Speaker 7: What I was saying was that since Robert's been in charge,
- 1:06:56Speaker 7: things have been going downhill steady. You don't know how
- 1:06:59Speaker 7: bad they are. Robert, don't let on to you what's
- 1:07:01Speaker 7: happenin' and you'd never see it yourself if twas under
- 1:07:04Speaker 7: your nose. But thank the Lord, Ruth still comes to
- 1:07:07Speaker 7: me once in a while for advice when she's worried
- 1:07:09Speaker 7: near out of her senses by his goin's on. Do
- 1:07:12Speaker 7: you know what she told me last night? But I forgot?
- 1:07:15Speaker 7: She said not to tell you. Still, I think you've
- 1:07:17Speaker 7: got a right to know, and it's my duty not
- 1:07:19Speaker 7: to let such things go on behind your back.
- 1:07:22Speaker 3: You can tell me if you want to.
- 1:07:23Speaker 7: Bending over towards her, Ruth was almost crazy about it.
- 1:07:28Speaker 7: Robert told her he'd have to mortgage the farm, said
- 1:07:31Speaker 7: he didn't know how he'd pull through till harvest without it,
- 1:07:33Speaker 7: and he can't get money any other way.
- 1:07:35Speaker 1: She straightens up.
- 1:07:36Speaker 7: Now, what do you think of your Robert? If it
- 1:07:39Speaker 7: has to be, you don't mean to say you're goin
- 1:07:42Speaker 7: to sign away your farm? Kate Mayo, after me warnin you.
- 1:07:45Speaker 3: I'll do what Robbie says is needful, holding.
- 1:07:48Speaker 1: Up her hand.
- 1:07:49Speaker 7: Well, of all the foolishness, Well, it's your farm, not mine.
- 1:07:53Speaker 7: An I've nothing more to say.
- 1:07:54Speaker 3: Maybe rob you'll managed. Still, Andy gets back and sees
- 1:07:57Speaker 3: to things. It can't be long.
- 1:07:58Speaker 7: Now, Ruth says, Andy ought to turn up any day.
- 1:08:02Speaker 7: When does Robert figure he'll get here?
- 1:08:04Speaker 3: He says he can't calculate exactly on account of the
- 1:08:06Speaker 3: Sunda being a sail boat. Last letter he got was
- 1:08:10Speaker 3: from England the day they were sailing for home. That
- 1:08:13Speaker 3: was over a month ago, and Robbie thinks they're overdue.
- 1:08:15Speaker 7: Now we can give praise to God then that he'll
- 1:08:18Speaker 7: be back in the nick of time. He ought to
- 1:08:20Speaker 7: be tired of traveling and anxious to get home and
- 1:08:22Speaker 7: settle down to work again.
- 1:08:24Speaker 3: And he has been working. He's head officer on Dick's boat.
- 1:08:27Speaker 3: He wrote, Robbie, you know that.
- 1:08:29Speaker 7: That foolin' on ships is all right for a spell,
- 1:08:32Speaker 7: but he must be right sick of it by this.
- 1:08:35Speaker 3: I wonder if he's changed much. He used to be
- 1:08:37Speaker 3: so fine looking and strong. Three years seems more like
- 1:08:43Speaker 3: three hundred.
- 1:08:44Speaker 1: Her eyes filling.
- 1:08:46Speaker 3: Oh, if James could only have lived till he came
- 1:08:48Speaker 3: back and forgiven him.
- 1:08:50Speaker 7: He never would have. Not James Mayo, didn't he keep
- 1:08:53Speaker 7: his heart hardened against him till the last, in spite
- 1:08:56Speaker 7: of all you and Robert did to soften.
- 1:08:57Speaker 1: Him with a feeble flash of anger.
- 1:09:00Speaker 3: Don't you dare say that?
- 1:09:02Speaker 2: Oh?
- 1:09:02Speaker 3: I know, deep down in his heart he forgave Andy,
- 1:09:05Speaker 3: though he mist stubborn ever to own up to it.
- 1:09:09Speaker 3: It was that brought on his death, breakin his heart,
- 1:09:11Speaker 3: just on account of his stubborn pride.
- 1:09:18Speaker 1: She wipes her eyes with her handkerchief and sobs.
- 1:09:22Speaker 7: It was the will of God.
- 1:09:23Speaker 1: The whining crying of the child sounds from the kitchen.
- 1:09:26Speaker 1: Missus Atkins frowns irritably.
- 1:09:29Speaker 7: Drat that young one. Seems as if she cries all
- 1:09:31Speaker 7: the time on purpose to set a body's nerves on edge.
- 1:09:34Speaker 3: Wiping her eyes, it's the heat upsets her. Mary doesn't
- 1:09:38Speaker 3: feel any too well these days, poor little child.
- 1:09:42Speaker 7: She gets it right from her paw, beIN sickly all
- 1:09:44Speaker 7: the time. You can't deny Robert was always ailing as
- 1:09:47Speaker 7: a child. It was a crazy mistake for them too,
- 1:09:51Speaker 7: to get married. I argued against it at the time,
- 1:09:54Speaker 7: but Ruth was so spelled with Robert's wild poetry notions
- 1:09:57Speaker 7: she wouldn't listen to sents. Andy was the one would
- 1:10:00Speaker 7: have been the match for her.
- 1:10:01Speaker 3: I've often thought since it might have been better the
- 1:10:03Speaker 3: other way, but Ruth and Robbie seem happy enough together.
- 1:10:07Speaker 7: At any rate. It was God's work and his will
- 1:10:10Speaker 7: be done.
- 1:10:11Speaker 1: The two women sit in silence for a moment. Ruth
- 1:10:14Speaker 1: enters from the kitchen, carrying in her arms her two
- 1:10:17Speaker 1: year old daughter Mary. It pretty but sickly and an
- 1:10:19Speaker 1: emnic looking child with a tear stained face. Ruth has
- 1:10:23Speaker 1: aged appreciably. Her face has lost its youth and freshness.
- 1:10:27Speaker 1: There is a trace in her expression of something hard
- 1:10:29Speaker 1: and spiteful. She sits in the rocker front of the
- 1:10:32Speaker 1: table and sighs wearily. She wears a game dress while
- 1:10:35Speaker 1: a soiled apron tied around her waist.
- 1:10:37Speaker 6: Land sakes, if this isn't a scorcher, That kitchen's like
- 1:10:41Speaker 6: a furnace.
- 1:10:42Speaker 2: Phew.
- 1:10:44Speaker 1: She pushes the damp hair back from her forehead.
- 1:10:46Speaker 3: Why didn't you call me to help with the dishes?
- 1:10:49Speaker 6: No, the heat and there'd kill you.
- 1:10:52Speaker 1: Sees the doll on new table and struggles on her
- 1:10:54Speaker 1: mother's lap.
- 1:10:55Speaker 5: Mary wants Dolly. Mamma, give Mary Dolly, pulling her back.
- 1:11:00Speaker 6: It's time for your nap. You can't play with Dolly now.
- 1:11:03Speaker 1: Commencing to cry.
- 1:11:04Speaker 7: Whiningly, Mary wants, Dolly, can't you keep that child still?
- 1:11:09Speaker 7: Her racket's enough to split a body's ears. Put her
- 1:11:12Speaker 7: down and let her play with the doll. If it'll
- 1:11:14Speaker 7: quiet her.
- 1:11:15Speaker 1: Lifting Mary to the floor.
- 1:11:17Speaker 6: There, I hope you'll be satisfied and keep still.
- 1:11:20Speaker 1: Mary sits start on the floor before the table and
- 1:11:22Speaker 1: plays with the doll in silence. Ruth glances at the
- 1:11:25Speaker 1: place said at the table.
- 1:11:27Speaker 6: It's a wonder Rob wouldn't try to get to meals
- 1:11:29Speaker 6: on time once in a while.
- 1:11:31Speaker 3: Something must have gone wrong again.
- 1:11:33Speaker 6: I suppose. So something's always going wrong these days.
- 1:11:37Speaker 7: It looks like it wouldn't if you possessed a bit
- 1:11:39Speaker 7: of spunk. The idea of you permitting him to come
- 1:11:42Speaker 7: in to meals at all hours and you doin the work.
- 1:11:45Speaker 7: I never heard of such a thin. You're too easy goin,
- 1:11:47Speaker 7: that's the trouble.
- 1:11:49Speaker 6: Do stop your nagging at me, Ma, I'm sick of
- 1:11:52Speaker 6: hearing you. I'll do as I please about and thank
- 1:11:54Speaker 6: you for not interfering.
- 1:11:56Speaker 1: She wipes her moist forehead.
- 1:11:58Speaker 6: It's too hot to argue. Let's talk of something pleasant.
- 1:12:03Speaker 6: Didn't I hear you speaking about Andy A while ago?
- 1:12:06Speaker 3: We were wondering when he'd get home.
- 1:12:08Speaker 6: Rob says, any day. Now he's liable to drop in
- 1:12:10Speaker 6: and surprise us, him and the captain. It'll certainly look
- 1:12:14Speaker 6: natural to see him around the farm again.
- 1:12:16Speaker 7: Let's hope the farmer'll look more natural too when he's
- 1:12:19Speaker 7: had a hand at it the way things are now, Will.
- 1:12:22Speaker 6: You stop harping on that, ma, We all know things
- 1:12:25Speaker 6: aren't as they might be. What's the good of your
- 1:12:27Speaker 6: complaining all the time.
- 1:12:29Speaker 7: There, Kate Mayo, Ain't that just what I told you?
- 1:12:32Speaker 7: I can't say a word of advice to my own daughter,
- 1:12:34Speaker 7: even she's that stubborn and self willed.
- 1:12:36Speaker 1: Putting her hands over her ears.
- 1:12:38Speaker 6: Ah, for goodness sake, sm Never mind.
- 1:12:42Speaker 3: Andy'll fix everything when he comes.
- 1:12:44Speaker 6: Oh, yes, I know he will. He always did know
- 1:12:47Speaker 6: just the right thing ought to be done. It's a
- 1:12:49Speaker 6: shame for him to come home and have to start
- 1:12:51Speaker 6: in with things in such a topsy turvy.
- 1:12:53Speaker 3: Andy'll manage.
- 1:12:55Speaker 6: I suppose it isn't Rob's fault things go wrong with him.
- 1:12:58Speaker 1: Humph, She answer herself nervously.
- 1:13:01Speaker 7: Land a goshin but it's bacon in here. Let's go
- 1:13:04Speaker 7: out in under the trees and back where there's a
- 1:13:06Speaker 7: breath of fresh air. Come, Kate.
- 1:13:08Speaker 1: Missus Mayo gets up obediently and starts to wheel the
- 1:13:11Speaker 1: inlet's chair towards a screen door.
- 1:13:13Speaker 7: You better come too, Ruth. It'll do you good. Learn
- 1:13:16Speaker 7: him a lesson and let him get his own dinner.
- 1:13:18Speaker 1: Don't be such a fool go out holding the screen
- 1:13:20Speaker 1: door open for them.
- 1:13:22Speaker 6: He wouldn't mind. He doesn't eat much. But I can't
- 1:13:25Speaker 6: go anyway. I've gotta put baby to bed.
- 1:13:28Speaker 7: Let's go, Kate, I'm boiling in here.
- 1:13:30Speaker 1: Missus Mayo wheels her out and off left. Ruth comes
- 1:13:34Speaker 1: back and sits down in her chair.
- 1:13:37Speaker 6: Come and let me take off your shoes and stockings. Mary.
- 1:13:39Speaker 6: That's a good girl. You've got to take your nap now.
- 1:13:42Speaker 1: The child continues to play, as if you hadn't heard,
- 1:13:44Speaker 1: absorbed in her doll, A eager expression comes over Ruth's
- 1:13:48Speaker 1: tired face. She glances towards the door furtively, then gets
- 1:13:52Speaker 1: up and goes to the desk. Her movements indicate a
- 1:13:54Speaker 1: guilty fear of discovery. She takes a letter from a
- 1:13:57Speaker 1: pigeon hole and retreats swiftly to her chair.
- 1:14:00Speaker 2: It.
- 1:14:00Speaker 1: She opens the envelope and reads the letter with great interest,
- 1:14:03Speaker 1: a flush of excitement coming to her cheeks. Robert walks
- 1:14:07Speaker 1: up the path and opens the screen door quietly and
- 1:14:09Speaker 1: comes into the room. He too, has aged his shoulders
- 1:14:12Speaker 1: as stooped, as if under too great a burden. His
- 1:14:15Speaker 1: eyes are dull and lifeless, his face burned by the
- 1:14:18Speaker 1: sun and unshaven for days. Streaks of sweat have smudged
- 1:14:21Speaker 1: the layer of dust in his cheeks. His lips drawn
- 1:14:24Speaker 1: down to the corners give him a hopeless, resigned expression
- 1:14:28Speaker 1: the three years that accentuated the weakness of his mouth
- 1:14:30Speaker 1: and chin. He is dressed in overalls, laced boots, and
- 1:14:34Speaker 1: a flannel shirt open at the neck, throwing fat over on.
- 1:14:37Speaker 9: The sofa siew the sun's hot to day.
- 1:14:42Speaker 1: Ruth is startled at first, she makes an instinctive motion
- 1:14:45Speaker 1: as if to hide the letter in her bosom. She
- 1:14:47Speaker 1: immediately thinks better of this and sits with a letter
- 1:14:49Speaker 1: in her hands, looking at him with defiant eyes. He
- 1:14:52Speaker 1: bends down and kisses her, feeling at her cheek.
- 1:14:55Speaker 6: Why don't you shave? You look awful?
- 1:14:58Speaker 9: I forgot and it's too much trouble this weather.
- 1:15:02Speaker 1: Throwing aside her doll runs to him with a happy cry,
- 1:15:05Speaker 1: Dada Dada, swinging her up above his head.
- 1:15:08Speaker 9: And how's this little girl mind this hot day? Eh?
- 1:15:11Speaker 6: Dada Dada? Don't do that to her, you know? It's
- 1:15:16Speaker 6: time for her nap, and you'll get her all waked up.
- 1:15:18Speaker 6: Then I'll be the one that'll have to sit beside
- 1:15:20Speaker 6: her till she falls.
- 1:15:21Speaker 1: Asleep, sitting down in a chair on the left of
- 1:15:23Speaker 1: the table and cuddling marrying a lap.
- 1:15:25Speaker 9: You needn't bother. I'll put it in bed.
- 1:15:27Speaker 6: You've got to get back to your work.
- 1:15:29Speaker 9: I suppose, yes, I was forgetting.
- 1:15:33Speaker 1: He glances at the open letter on Rue's.
- 1:15:35Speaker 9: Lap, reading Andy's letter again. I should think you'd know
- 1:15:38Speaker 9: it by heart by this time.
- 1:15:40Speaker 1: Coloring as if she'd been accused of something.
- 1:15:42Speaker 6: I've got a right to read it, haven't I, he says.
- 1:15:45Speaker 6: It's meant for all of us.
- 1:15:46Speaker 9: Right, it'll be so silly, it's no question of right.
- 1:15:50Speaker 9: I was only saying that you must know all that's
- 1:15:52Speaker 9: in it after so many readings.
- 1:15:53Speaker 6: Well, I don't.
- 1:15:54Speaker 1: She puts the letter on the table and gets wearily
- 1:15:57Speaker 1: to her feet.
- 1:15:58Speaker 6: I suppose you'll be wanting your dinner now.
- 1:16:00Speaker 9: I don't care. I'm not hungry, and here.
- 1:16:02Speaker 6: I've been keeping it hot for you.
- 1:16:04Speaker 9: All right. Then bring it in and I'll try to eat.
- 1:16:08Speaker 6: I've got to get her to bed first.
- 1:16:10Speaker 1: She goes to lit Mary off his lap.
- 1:16:12Speaker 6: Come dear, it's after time and you can hardly keep
- 1:16:14Speaker 6: your eyes open.
- 1:16:15Speaker 2: Now.
- 1:16:16Speaker 7: No, no, I don't want to sleep, appealing to her father.
- 1:16:20Speaker 6: Dadda, No, there, see what you've done. I told you
- 1:16:24Speaker 6: not to.
- 1:16:25Speaker 9: Let her alone. Then she's all right where she is.
- 1:16:28Speaker 9: She'll fall asleep on my lap in a minute if
- 1:16:30Speaker 9: you'll stop bothering her.
- 1:16:31Speaker 6: She'll not do any such thing. She's got to learn
- 1:16:34Speaker 6: to mind me, shaking her finger at Mary, You naughty child.
- 1:16:39Speaker 6: Will you come with mamma when she tells you for
- 1:16:41Speaker 6: your own good?
- 1:16:42Speaker 1: Clinging to her father?
- 1:16:43Speaker 6: No, Dada, how good? Spanking's what you need, my young lady,
- 1:16:47Speaker 6: and you'll get one from me if you don't mind better.
- 1:16:49Speaker 6: D'ye hear?
- 1:16:51Speaker 9: Leave her alone? How often have I told you not
- 1:16:54Speaker 9: to threaten her with whipping?
- 1:16:55Speaker 1: I won't have it soothing the wailing Mary?
- 1:16:58Speaker 9: There there, little girl, Maybe you mustn't cry. That won't
- 1:17:04Speaker 9: like you. If you do. That'll hold you, and you
- 1:17:07Speaker 9: must promise to go to sleep like a good little girl?
- 1:17:11Speaker 9: Will you? When dad asks you cuddle.
- 1:17:13Speaker 2: Up to him?
- 1:17:14Speaker 1: Yes, Da da, looking at them, her pale face set
- 1:17:17Speaker 1: and drawn.
- 1:17:18Speaker 6: A fine one. You are to be telling folks how
- 1:17:21Speaker 6: to do things.
- 1:17:22Speaker 1: She bites her lips. Husband and wife looking at each
- 1:17:24Speaker 1: other's eyes with something a kid to hatred in their expressions,
- 1:17:28Speaker 1: then turns away with a shrug of affected indifference.
- 1:17:31Speaker 6: All right, take care of her then, if you think
- 1:17:33Speaker 6: it's so easy.
- 1:17:35Speaker 1: She walks away into the kitchen, smoothing Mary's hair.
- 1:17:38Speaker 9: Will show mamma you're a good little girl, won't we?
- 1:17:40Speaker 2: Da?
- 1:17:41Speaker 6: Da, da da?
- 1:17:43Speaker 9: Let's see does your mother take off your shoes and
- 1:17:46Speaker 9: stockings before your nap?
- 1:17:47Speaker 1: Nodding with half shot eyes, yes, Dada taking off her
- 1:17:51Speaker 1: shoes and stockings.
- 1:17:52Speaker 9: We'll show mama we know how to do those things,
- 1:17:54Speaker 9: won't we.
- 1:17:56Speaker 10: There's one old chew off, there's the the other old show,
- 1:18:02Speaker 10: there's one old stocking, and there's the other old stalking there.
- 1:18:08Speaker 9: We are all nice and cool and comfy.
- 1:18:11Speaker 1: He bends down and kisses her.
- 1:18:13Speaker 9: And now, will you promise to go to sleep if
- 1:18:15Speaker 9: Dada takes you to bed?
- 1:18:16Speaker 1: Mary nods sleepily.
- 1:18:18Speaker 9: That's the good little girl.
- 1:18:19Speaker 1: He gathers her up in his arms carefully and carries
- 1:18:22Speaker 1: her into the bedroom. His voice can be heard faintly
- 1:18:25Speaker 1: as he lulls the child to sleep. Ruth comes out
- 1:18:28Speaker 1: of the kitchen and gets the plate from the table.
- 1:18:30Speaker 1: She hears the voice from the room and tiptoes to
- 1:18:32Speaker 1: the door to look in. Then she starts for the kitchen,
- 1:18:36Speaker 1: but stands for a moment, thinking a look of ill
- 1:18:39Speaker 1: conceived jealousy on her face. At a noise from Min's side,
- 1:18:42Speaker 1: she hurriedly disappears into the kitchen. A moment later, Robert
- 1:18:46Speaker 1: re enters. He comes forward and picks up the shoes
- 1:18:49Speaker 1: and stockings, which he shoves carelessly under the table. Then,
- 1:18:53Speaker 1: seeing no one about, he goes to the sideboard and
- 1:18:55Speaker 1: selects a book. Coming back to his chair, he sits
- 1:18:58Speaker 1: down and immediately comes to dissorb and reading. Ruth returns
- 1:19:02Speaker 1: from the kitchen, bringing his plate heaped with food and
- 1:19:04Speaker 1: a cup of tea. She sets these before him and
- 1:19:07Speaker 1: sits down in her former place. Robert continues to read,
- 1:19:11Speaker 1: oblivious to the food on the table. After watching im
- 1:19:14Speaker 1: irritably for a moment.
- 1:19:15Speaker 6: For heaven's sakes, put down that old book. Don't you
- 1:19:18Speaker 6: see your dinner's getting cold?
- 1:19:20Speaker 9: Closing his book, Excuse me, Ruth, I didn't notice.
- 1:19:24Speaker 1: He picks up his knife and form and begins to
- 1:19:26Speaker 1: eat gingerly without appetite.
- 1:19:28Speaker 6: I should think you might have some feeling for me,
- 1:19:30Speaker 6: Rob and not be always late for meals. If you
- 1:19:32Speaker 6: think it's fun sweltering in that oven of a kitchen
- 1:19:35Speaker 6: to keep things warm for you, you're mistaken.
- 1:19:37Speaker 9: I'm sorry, Ruth, Really I am. Something crops up every
- 1:19:41Speaker 9: day to delay me. I mean to be here on time.
- 1:19:44Speaker 6: Mean toos don't count with.
- 1:19:46Speaker 1: A conciliating smile, then punish me, Ruth.
- 1:19:50Speaker 9: Let the food get cold, and don't bother about me.
- 1:19:53Speaker 6: I'd have to wait just the same to wash up
- 1:19:55Speaker 6: after you, But I can wash up a nice mess.
- 1:19:59Speaker 6: There'd be then, with an attempt at lightness.
- 1:20:02Speaker 9: The food is lucky to be able to get cold
- 1:20:03Speaker 9: this weather.
- 1:20:04Speaker 1: As Ruth doesn't answer or a smile, he opens his
- 1:20:07Speaker 1: book and resumes his reading, forcing himself to take a
- 1:20:09Speaker 1: mouthful of food every now and then. Ruth stares at
- 1:20:12Speaker 1: him annoyance.
- 1:20:13Speaker 6: And besides, you've got your own work that's got to
- 1:20:15Speaker 6: be done, I.
- 1:20:16Speaker 1: Said mindedly, without taking his eyes from the book.
- 1:20:19Speaker 6: Yes, of course, work you'll never get done by reading
- 1:20:22Speaker 6: books all the time, shutting the book.
- 1:20:25Speaker 1: With a snap.
- 1:20:25Speaker 9: What do you persist in nagging at me for getting pleasure?
- 1:20:28Speaker 9: Of reading.
- 1:20:30Speaker 6: Is it because because I'm too stupid to understand them?
- 1:20:34Speaker 6: I suppose you were going to say.
- 1:20:35Speaker 1: Shamefaced no, no, in exasperation.
- 1:20:40Speaker 9: Well, why do you goad me into saying things I
- 1:20:43Speaker 9: don't mean? Haven't I got my share of trouble starting
- 1:20:46Speaker 9: to work this cricid farm without your adding to them.
- 1:20:49Speaker 9: You know how hard I've tried to keep things going
- 1:20:51Speaker 9: in spite of.
- 1:20:52Speaker 6: Bad luck, bad luck and my own.
- 1:20:56Speaker 9: Very apparent unfitness for the job. I was going to add,
- 1:20:59Speaker 9: but you can't deny there's been bad luck in it too.
- 1:21:03Speaker 9: Why don't you take things into consideration? Why can't we
- 1:21:07Speaker 9: pull together?
- 1:21:07Speaker 2: We used to.
- 1:21:09Speaker 9: I know it's hard on you also, then why can't
- 1:21:12Speaker 9: we help each other instead of hindering?
- 1:21:14Speaker 6: I do the best I know how, gets up.
- 1:21:17Speaker 1: And puts his hand on her shoulder.
- 1:21:20Speaker 9: I know you do, But let's both of us try
- 1:21:23Speaker 9: to do better. We can both improve. Just say a
- 1:21:27Speaker 9: word of encouragement once in a while when things go wrong,
- 1:21:31Speaker 9: even if it is my fault. You know the odds
- 1:21:35Speaker 9: I've been up against since pawd i'd I'm not a farmer,
- 1:21:39Speaker 9: I've never claimed to be one, but there's nothing else
- 1:21:42Speaker 9: I can do under the circumstances. And I've got to
- 1:21:45Speaker 9: pull things through somehow with your help. I can do
- 1:21:48Speaker 9: it with you against me.
- 1:21:51Speaker 1: He shrugs his shoulders. There was a pause. Then he
- 1:21:54Speaker 1: bends down and kisses her hair with an attempt at cheerfulness.
- 1:21:57Speaker 9: So you promised that, I'll promise to be here when
- 1:22:01Speaker 9: the clock strikes him. Anything else you'd tell me too?
- 1:22:04Speaker 9: Is it a bargain?
- 1:22:06Speaker 6: I suppose.
- 1:22:06Speaker 1: So they are interrupted by the sound of a loud
- 1:22:09Speaker 1: knock at the kitchen door.
- 1:22:10Speaker 6: There's someone at the kitchen door, she hurries out.
- 1:22:13Speaker 1: A moment later she reappears.
- 1:22:15Speaker 6: It's Ben.
- 1:22:16Speaker 9: What's the trouble now, I wonder? Come on in here, Ben.
- 1:22:20Speaker 1: Ben stopses in from the kitchen. He is a hulking,
- 1:22:23Speaker 1: awkward young fellow with a heavy, stupid face and shifty
- 1:22:26Speaker 1: kind eyes. He is dressed in overalls, boots, et cetera,
- 1:22:30Speaker 1: and wears a broad brimmed hat. Of course, straw pushed
- 1:22:33Speaker 1: back on his head.
- 1:22:34Speaker 9: Well, Ben, what's the matter?
- 1:22:35Speaker 1: The mowing machined bust?
- 1:22:37Speaker 9: What that can't beat? The man fixed it only last week.
- 1:22:42Speaker 1: It's bust just the same, and can't you fix it? No,
- 1:22:47Speaker 1: don't know what's the matter with the gall darn thing?
- 1:22:51Speaker 1: It won't work anyhow, ken'ty happen going for his hat?
- 1:22:55Speaker 9: Wait a minute, I'll go look it over. There can't
- 1:22:57Speaker 9: be much the matter with it.
- 1:22:59Speaker 1: Don't no difference to me whether there be or not.
- 1:23:02Speaker 1: I'm quitting.
- 1:23:04Speaker 9: You don't mean you're throwing up your job here.
- 1:23:06Speaker 1: That's what my month's up today. And I want what's
- 1:23:11Speaker 1: allen to me?
- 1:23:12Speaker 9: But why are you quitting now, Ben, when you know
- 1:23:14Speaker 9: I've got so much work on hand, I'll have a
- 1:23:17Speaker 9: hard time getting another man at such short notice.
- 1:23:19Speaker 1: That's for you to figure. I'm quitting.
- 1:23:22Speaker 9: But what's the reason. You Haven't any complaint to make
- 1:23:25Speaker 9: about the way you've been treated?
- 1:23:26Speaker 1: Have you no cage? That shaking his finger? Look at here?
- 1:23:32Speaker 1: I'm sick of being made fun at That's what. And
- 1:23:35Speaker 1: I got a job up to Kim's place, and I'm
- 1:23:38Speaker 1: quitting here being.
- 1:23:39Speaker 9: Made fun of. I don't understand you. Who's making fun
- 1:23:43Speaker 9: of you?
- 1:23:44Speaker 1: They all do. When I drive down with the milk
- 1:23:47Speaker 1: in the morning, they all laughs and jokes at me.
- 1:23:50Speaker 1: That boy up to Harris's, and that new Fello up
- 1:23:52Speaker 1: to Slocum's, and Bill Evans down at Meads and all
- 1:23:56Speaker 1: the rest on him.
- 1:23:57Speaker 9: That's a queer reason for leaving me flat. Won't they
- 1:24:01Speaker 9: laugh at you just the same when you're working for Tim's.
- 1:24:04Speaker 1: They wouldn't dare to Tim's is the best farm hereabouts.
- 1:24:08Speaker 1: Devil was laughing at me for working for you.
- 1:24:11Speaker 9: That's what I.
- 1:24:13Speaker 1: Want things up in the Mayo place, they hollers every morning.
- 1:24:16Speaker 1: What's Robert doing now pasturing the cattle in the corn lot?
- 1:24:21Speaker 1: Is he seasoning his hay with raid this year same
- 1:24:23Speaker 1: as last?
- 1:24:24Speaker 2: He shouts?
- 1:24:25Speaker 1: Or is he inventing some electrical milking engine to fool
- 1:24:28Speaker 1: them dry coles of his into giving hard cider. That's
- 1:24:31Speaker 1: like they talks, And I ain't gonna put up with
- 1:24:34Speaker 1: it no longer. Everyone's always knowed me as a first
- 1:24:38Speaker 1: class hand hereabouts, and I ain't wanting them to get
- 1:24:41Speaker 1: no different notion. So I'm quitting you, and I want
- 1:24:45Speaker 1: what's coming to me.
- 1:24:46Speaker 4: Oh.
- 1:24:46Speaker 9: If that's the case, he can go to the devil.
- 1:24:49Speaker 9: You'll get your money tomorrow when I get back from town.
- 1:24:52Speaker 1: Not before turning to doorway the kitchen that suits me.
- 1:24:57Speaker 1: As he goes out, he sneaks back over his shoulder.
- 1:25:00Speaker 1: See that I do get it, or they'll be drouble.
- 1:25:03Speaker 1: He disappears, and the slanding of the kitchen door is
- 1:25:05Speaker 1: heard as Ruth comes from where she's been standing by
- 1:25:08Speaker 1: the doorway and sits down dejectively in her old place.
- 1:25:11Speaker 9: The stupid, damn fool. And now what about the hating.
- 1:25:16Speaker 9: That's an example of what I'm up against. No one
- 1:25:19Speaker 9: can say I'm responsible for that.
- 1:25:21Speaker 6: He wouldn't dare act that way with anybody else.
- 1:25:24Speaker 1: Spitefully, with a glance at Andrew's letter on the.
- 1:25:27Speaker 6: Table, it's lucky Andy's coming back.
- 1:25:29Speaker 9: Yes, Andy'll see the right thing to do in a jiffy.
- 1:25:32Speaker 1: With an affectionate smile.
- 1:25:34Speaker 9: I wonder if the old chump's changed much. He doesn't
- 1:25:37Speaker 9: seem to from his letters, does he shaking his head?
- 1:25:41Speaker 9: But just the same, I doubt if I want to
- 1:25:42Speaker 9: settle down to humdrum farm life. After all he's been through.
- 1:25:46Speaker 6: Andy's not like you. He likes the farm, immersed in
- 1:25:49Speaker 6: his own thoughts.
- 1:25:51Speaker 9: Yeah, the things he's seen and experienced. Think of the
- 1:25:54Speaker 9: places he's been, all the wonderful far places I used
- 1:25:57Speaker 9: to dream about. God, I envy him.
- 1:26:00Speaker 1: What a trip he springs to his feet, and he
- 1:26:03Speaker 1: extinctively goes to the window and stares out at the horizon.
- 1:26:07Speaker 6: I suppose you're sorry now you didn't go too occupied.
- 1:26:10Speaker 1: With his own thoughts to hear her.
- 1:26:11Speaker 9: All those cursed hills out there that I used to
- 1:26:13Speaker 9: think promised me so much, how I've grown to hate
- 1:26:17Speaker 9: the sight of them. They like the walls of a
- 1:26:20Speaker 9: narrow prison yard, shutting me in from all the freedom
- 1:26:23Speaker 9: and wonder of life.
- 1:26:24Speaker 1: He turns back to the room with a gesture of loathing.
- 1:26:27Speaker 9: Sometimes I think, if it wasn't for you, Ruthen, little Mary,
- 1:26:32Speaker 9: I'd chuck everything up and walk down the road with
- 1:26:35Speaker 9: just one desire in my heart to put the whole
- 1:26:38Speaker 9: rim of the world between me and those hills and
- 1:26:41Speaker 9: be able to breathe freely once more.
- 1:26:46Speaker 1: He sinks down into his chair and smiles with bitter
- 1:26:48Speaker 1: self scorn.
- 1:26:50Speaker 9: There I go dreaming again, my old fool, dreams, her
- 1:26:54Speaker 9: eyes smoldering.
- 1:26:56Speaker 6: You're not the only one buried in his own thoughts.
- 1:27:00Speaker 9: And Andy, who's had the chance, What has he got
- 1:27:03Speaker 9: out of it? His letters read like the diary of
- 1:27:05Speaker 9: a farmer. We're in Singapore now. It's a dirty hole
- 1:27:10Speaker 9: of a place, and hotter than hell. Two of the
- 1:27:13Speaker 9: crew are down with fever, and we're shorthanded on the work.
- 1:27:16Speaker 9: I'll be damn glad when we sail again. I'll about
- 1:27:18Speaker 9: attacking back and forth in these blistering seas is a
- 1:27:21Speaker 9: rotten job too. That's about the way he summed up
- 1:27:24Speaker 9: his impressions of the East.
- 1:27:26Speaker 6: You needn't make fun of Andy, Well.
- 1:27:29Speaker 9: I think what's the use? You know, I wasn't making
- 1:27:33Speaker 9: fun of Andy personally, but his attitude to one of
- 1:27:35Speaker 9: things is he.
- 1:27:36Speaker 6: Was too making fun of him, and I ain't gonna
- 1:27:39Speaker 6: stand for it. You ought to be ashamed of yourself,
- 1:27:42Speaker 6: Robert stares at her. Amazing a fine one to talk
- 1:27:45Speaker 6: about anyone else, after the way you ruined everything with
- 1:27:48Speaker 6: your lazy loafing and the stupid way you do things.
- 1:27:51Speaker 9: Stop that kind of talk, do you hear?
- 1:27:54Speaker 6: You find in fault with your own brother, who's ten
- 1:27:57Speaker 6: times the man you ever was or ever will be.
- 1:28:00Speaker 6: You're jealous, that's what jealous because he's made a man
- 1:28:03Speaker 6: of himself. Well, you're nothing but a but.
- 1:28:06Speaker 1: A She stutters incoherently, overcome by rage.
- 1:28:09Speaker 9: Ruth, Ruth, you'll be sorry for talking like that.
- 1:28:13Speaker 6: I won't, I won't never be sorry. I'm only saying
- 1:28:17Speaker 6: what I've been thinking for years.
- 1:28:19Speaker 9: Ruth, you can't mean that.
- 1:28:22Speaker 6: What do you think living with a man like you
- 1:28:25Speaker 6: having to suffer all the time because you've never been
- 1:28:28Speaker 6: man enough to work and do things like other people?
- 1:28:31Speaker 6: But no, you never own up to that. You think
- 1:28:34Speaker 6: you're so much better than other folks, with your college
- 1:28:37Speaker 6: education where you never learned a thing, and always reading
- 1:28:40Speaker 6: your stupid books instead of working. I suppose you think
- 1:28:44Speaker 6: I ought to be proud to be your wife, a poor,
- 1:28:46Speaker 6: ignorant thing like me, but I'm not. I hate it.
- 1:28:51Speaker 6: I hate the sight of you. Oh if only i'd known,
- 1:28:55Speaker 6: if I hadn't been such a fool to listen to
- 1:28:57Speaker 6: your cheap, silly poetry talk that you learned out of books,
- 1:29:02Speaker 6: if I could have seen how you were and your
- 1:29:03Speaker 6: true self like you are now, I'd have killed myself
- 1:29:06Speaker 6: before i'd have married you. I was sorry for it
- 1:29:10Speaker 6: before we'd been together a month. I knew what you
- 1:29:12Speaker 6: were really like when it was too late, And now.
- 1:29:17Speaker 9: I'm funny out what you don't really like? What a
- 1:29:20Speaker 9: creature I've been living with?
- 1:29:22Speaker 5: Ah?
- 1:29:23Speaker 9: God, it wasn't that I haven't guessed how mean and small.
- 1:29:28Speaker 2: You are, but I can't.
- 1:29:29Speaker 9: Don't tell myself that I must be wrong like a fool,
- 1:29:33Speaker 9: Like a damn fool.
- 1:29:34Speaker 6: You were saying you'd go out on the road if
- 1:29:36Speaker 6: it wasn't for me. Well you can go, and the
- 1:29:38Speaker 6: sooner the better. I don't care. I'll be glad to
- 1:29:41Speaker 6: get rid of you. The farm will be better off too.
- 1:29:44Speaker 6: There's been a curse on it ever since you took hold.
- 1:29:47Speaker 6: So go go and be a tramp like you've always wanted.
- 1:29:50Speaker 6: It's all you're good for. I can get along without you.
- 1:29:53Speaker 6: Don't you worry. Andy's coming back. Don't forget that. He'll
- 1:29:57Speaker 6: attend to things like they should be. He'll show it
- 1:29:59Speaker 6: up a man can do. I don't need you. Andy's coming.
- 1:30:04Speaker 1: They are both standing. Robert grabs her by the shoulders
- 1:30:07Speaker 1: and glares into her eyes.
- 1:30:09Speaker 6: What do you mean?
- 1:30:10Speaker 1: He shakes her violently.
- 1:30:13Speaker 9: What are you thinking of? What's in your evil mind? Ye?
- 1:30:17Speaker 6: Yes, I do mean it. I'd say it if you
- 1:30:20Speaker 6: was to kill me. I do love Andy, I do
- 1:30:23Speaker 6: I do. I always loved him, and he loves me.
- 1:30:27Speaker 6: He loves me. I know he does. He always did,
- 1:30:30Speaker 6: and you know he did too, So go go if
- 1:30:34Speaker 6: you want to.
- 1:30:35Speaker 1: Throwing her away from him, she staggers back against the table.
- 1:30:38Speaker 9: You you slot.
- 1:30:41Speaker 1: He stands glaring at her. As she leans back, supporting
- 1:30:44Speaker 1: herself by the table, gasping for breath. A loud, frightened
- 1:30:48Speaker 1: whimper sounds from the awakened child in the bedroom. It continues.
- 1:30:52Speaker 1: The man and woman stand looking at one another in horror.
- 1:30:54Speaker 1: The extent of their terrible quarrel suddenly brought home to
- 1:30:57Speaker 1: them a pause. The noise of a horse and carriage
- 1:31:01Speaker 1: comes from a road before the house. The two, suddenly
- 1:31:05Speaker 1: struck by the same premonition, listened to it breathlessly, as
- 1:31:08Speaker 1: to a sound heard in a dream. It stops. They
- 1:31:12Speaker 1: hear Andy's voice from the road, shouting.
- 1:31:14Speaker 6: A long hale, A hoy there, Andy, Andy.
- 1:31:20Speaker 1: She rushes and grabs the knob of the screen door,
- 1:31:22Speaker 1: about to fling it open.
- 1:31:23Speaker 9: Stop.
- 1:31:25Speaker 1: He goes to the door, and Jennie pushed the trembling
- 1:31:27Speaker 1: Ruth away from it. The child's cry rises to a
- 1:31:30Speaker 1: louder pitch.
- 1:31:31Speaker 9: I'll mean, Andy, you better go into marry Ruth.
- 1:31:35Speaker 1: She looks at him definally for a moment, but there
- 1:31:37Speaker 1: is something in his eyes that makes her turn and
- 1:31:39Speaker 1: walks slowly into the bedroom.
- 1:31:41Speaker 2: A hoy there, rob Hollo Abby.
- 1:31:46Speaker 1: He opens the door and walks out as the curtain falls.
- 1:31:51Speaker 1: Scene to the top of a hill on the farm.
- 1:31:55Speaker 1: It is about eleven o'clock the next morning. The day
- 1:31:58Speaker 1: is hot and cloudless, and the distance the sea.
- 1:32:01Speaker 2: Can be seen.
- 1:32:03Speaker 1: The tide of the hill spoke downward slightly towards the left.
- 1:32:06Speaker 1: A big bowler stands in the center. Towards the rear,
- 1:32:09Speaker 1: further right a large oak tree. The faint trace of
- 1:32:12Speaker 1: a path leading upward to it from the left foreground
- 1:32:14Speaker 1: can be detected through the bleach slunged forth grass. Robert
- 1:32:19Speaker 1: is discovered sitting on the boulder, his chin resting on
- 1:32:21Speaker 1: his hands, staring out towards the horizon seaward. His face
- 1:32:25Speaker 1: is pale and haggard, his expression won a utter despondency.
- 1:32:29Speaker 1: Mary is sitting on the grass near him, in the shade,
- 1:32:31Speaker 1: playing with her doll, singing happily to herself. Presently, she
- 1:32:35Speaker 1: casts a curious glance at her father, and, propping her
- 1:32:38Speaker 1: doll up against the tree, comes over and clambers to
- 1:32:41Speaker 1: his side, Pulling at his hand. Is Tada's sick, looking
- 1:32:45Speaker 1: at her with a forced smile, no, dear, Why.
- 1:32:49Speaker 6: Then, why don't he play with Mary?
- 1:32:52Speaker 9: No, dear, not to day. Dada doesn't feel like playing
- 1:32:55Speaker 9: to day? Yes, please, tada, No, dear, Dadda does feel
- 1:33:01Speaker 9: sick a little. He's got a bad headache. Let Mary see.
- 1:33:06Speaker 1: He bends his head. She pats his hair, baththad, kissing
- 1:33:10Speaker 1: her with a smile.
- 1:33:12Speaker 9: There it's better now, dear, Thank you.
- 1:33:15Speaker 1: She cuddled up close against him. There is a pause
- 1:33:18Speaker 1: during which each of them looks out seaward. Finally, Robert
- 1:33:22Speaker 1: turns to her tenderly.
- 1:33:24Speaker 9: Would you like dadda to go away far far away?
- 1:33:28Speaker 2: No?
- 1:33:29Speaker 9: No, no, dadda, No, don't you like Uncle Andy, the
- 1:33:35Speaker 9: man that came yesterday, not the old man with the
- 1:33:38Speaker 9: white mustache, the other Mary loves Dada. He won't go away, baby.
- 1:33:43Speaker 9: He was only joking. He couldn't leave his little Mary.
- 1:33:48Speaker 1: He presses the child in his arms with an exclamation
- 1:33:51Speaker 1: of pain.
- 1:33:52Speaker 6: Oh, Dadda hurts.
- 1:33:54Speaker 9: I'm sorry, little girl.
- 1:33:56Speaker 1: He lifts her down to the grass.
- 1:33:58Speaker 9: Go play with Dolly. That's a good girl, and be
- 1:34:01Speaker 9: careful to keep in the shade.
- 1:34:02Speaker 1: She reluctantly leaves him and takes up her doll again.
- 1:34:06Speaker 1: A moment later, she points down the hill to the left.
- 1:34:08Speaker 3: Here comes man star Dan looking that.
- 1:34:11Speaker 9: Way, it strong cl Andy.
- 1:34:13Speaker 1: A moment later Andrew comes up from the left, whistling cheerfully.
- 1:34:16Speaker 1: He has changed but little in appearance, except for the
- 1:34:19Speaker 1: fact that his face has been deeply bronzed by his
- 1:34:21Speaker 1: years in the tropics. But there is a decided change
- 1:34:23Speaker 1: in his manner. The old easygoing good nature seems to
- 1:34:26Speaker 1: have been partly lost in a breezy, businesslike briskless of
- 1:34:29Speaker 1: voice and gesture. There is an authoritative note in his speech,
- 1:34:33Speaker 1: as though he were accustomed to give orders and have
- 1:34:35Speaker 1: him obey. As a matter of course. He is dressed
- 1:34:37Speaker 1: in the simple blue uniform and cat of a merchant
- 1:34:40Speaker 1: ship's officer.
- 1:34:41Speaker 9: Here you are, eh, Hello Andy?
- 1:34:44Speaker 1: Going over to Mary?
- 1:34:45Speaker 5: And who's this young lady? I find you all alone
- 1:34:49Speaker 5: with eh? Who's this pretty young lady?
- 1:34:53Speaker 1: He tickles the laughing, squirming Merry, then lifts her up
- 1:34:55Speaker 1: at arm's length above his head.
- 1:34:57Speaker 5: Upsitt eizy. He sets your down on the ground again,
- 1:35:01Speaker 5: and there you are.
- 1:35:03Speaker 1: He walks over and sits down on the polder beside Robert,
- 1:35:06Speaker 1: who moves to one side and make room for him.
- 1:35:08Speaker 5: Ruth told me I'd probably find you up top side here,
- 1:35:11Speaker 5: but I'd have guessed it anyway.
- 1:35:14Speaker 1: He did his brother in the grigs affectionately.
- 1:35:16Speaker 5: Still up to your old tricks, you old beggar. I
- 1:35:20Speaker 5: can remember how you used to come up here to
- 1:35:22Speaker 5: mope and dream in the old days.
- 1:35:25Speaker 9: With a smile. I come up here now because it's
- 1:35:28Speaker 9: the coolest place on the farm. I've given up dreaming, Rennie.
- 1:35:33Speaker 5: I don't believe it. You can't have changed that much.
- 1:35:38Speaker 5: Say it sure brings back old times to be up
- 1:35:41Speaker 5: here with you, having a chin all by our lonesomes again.
- 1:35:45Speaker 5: I feel great being back home.
- 1:35:48Speaker 9: It's great for us to have you back.
- 1:35:50Speaker 5: I've been looking over the old place with Ruth. Things
- 1:35:54Speaker 5: don't seem to be.
- 1:35:56Speaker 1: His face flushing.
- 1:35:57Speaker 9: Never mind the damn farm. Let's talk about something interesting.
- 1:36:03Speaker 9: This is the first chance I've had to have a
- 1:36:05Speaker 9: word with you alone. Tell me about your trip.
- 1:36:09Speaker 5: Why I thought I told you everything in my letters?
- 1:36:13Speaker 1: Smile.
- 1:36:14Speaker 9: Your letters were sketchy to say the least.
- 1:36:17Speaker 5: Oh, I know I'm no author. You needn't be afraid
- 1:36:21Speaker 5: of hurting my feelings. I'd rather go through a typhoon
- 1:36:25Speaker 5: again than write a letter.
- 1:36:27Speaker 9: Then you were through a typhoon.
- 1:36:29Speaker 5: Yes, in the China Sea had to run before it
- 1:36:32Speaker 5: under bare polls for two days. I thought we were
- 1:36:36Speaker 5: bound down for Davy Jones sure never dreamed waves could
- 1:36:41Speaker 5: get so big or the wind blow so hard. If
- 1:36:45Speaker 5: it hadn't been for Uncle Dick being such a good skipper,
- 1:36:48Speaker 5: we'd have gone to the sharks, all of us. As
- 1:36:51Speaker 5: it was, we came out minus a main top mast
- 1:36:54Speaker 5: and had to beat back to Hong Kong for repairs.
- 1:36:57Speaker 5: But I must have written you all this.
- 1:36:59Speaker 9: You never mentioned it.
- 1:37:01Speaker 5: Well, there was so much dirty work getting things ship
- 1:37:04Speaker 5: shape again. I must have forgotten about it.
- 1:37:08Speaker 1: Looking at Andrew marveling.
- 1:37:09Speaker 9: Forget a typhoon. You're a strange combination, Andy, and is
- 1:37:16Speaker 9: what you've told me all you remember about it?
- 1:37:19Speaker 5: Oh, I could give you your belly full of details
- 1:37:22Speaker 5: if I wanted to turn loose on you. It was
- 1:37:25Speaker 5: all wool and a yard wide. Hell, I'll tell you
- 1:37:28Speaker 5: you ought to have been there. I remember thinking about
- 1:37:31Speaker 5: you with the worst of it, and saying to myself,
- 1:37:34Speaker 5: this is cure Rob of them ideas of his about
- 1:37:37Speaker 5: the beautiful sea if he could see it, and it
- 1:37:40Speaker 5: would have too, you bet he no emphatically.
- 1:37:45Speaker 9: The sea doesn't seem to have impressed you very favorably.
- 1:37:48Speaker 5: I should say it didn't. I'll never set foot on
- 1:37:52Speaker 5: a ship again if I can help it, except to
- 1:37:55Speaker 5: carry me someplace I can't get to by train.
- 1:37:58Speaker 9: But you studied to becoming off.
- 1:38:00Speaker 5: I had to do something right. Gone mad. The days
- 1:38:04Speaker 5: were like years. And as for the East, you used
- 1:38:09Speaker 5: to rave about, well, you ought to see it and
- 1:38:13Speaker 5: smell it. One walk down one of their filthy narrow
- 1:38:17Speaker 5: streets with the tropic sun beating on it would sicken
- 1:38:20Speaker 5: you for life. With the wonder and mystery. You used
- 1:38:23Speaker 5: to dream of.
- 1:38:25Speaker 1: Shrinking from his brother with a glance of a version.
- 1:38:28Speaker 5: So all you found in the East was a stench,
- 1:38:32Speaker 5: a stench, ten thousand of them.
- 1:38:36Speaker 9: But he did like some of the places, judging from
- 1:38:38Speaker 9: your letters. Sydney, Buenos Aires.
- 1:38:41Speaker 5: Yes, Sydney is a good town. But Buenos Aires there's
- 1:38:46Speaker 5: the place for you. Argentine's a country where a fellow
- 1:38:50Speaker 5: has a chance to make good. You're right, I like it,
- 1:38:54Speaker 5: and I'll tell you, Rob, that's right where I'm going.
- 1:38:56Speaker 5: Just as soon as i've seen you folks a while
- 1:38:58Speaker 5: and can get a ship. I could get a berth
- 1:39:01Speaker 5: a second officer, and I'll jump the ship when I
- 1:39:03Speaker 5: get there. I'll need every cent of the wages uncles
- 1:39:07Speaker 5: paid me to get a start at something.
- 1:39:09Speaker 1: In b A staring at his brother, So.
- 1:39:13Speaker 9: You're not going to stay on the farm.
- 1:39:16Speaker 2: Why sure not?
- 1:39:18Speaker 5: Did you think I was?
- 1:39:20Speaker 2: There?
- 1:39:20Speaker 5: Wouldn't be any sense one of us is enough to
- 1:39:22Speaker 5: run this little place.
- 1:39:24Speaker 9: Suppose it does seem small to you now, not noticing the.
- 1:39:28Speaker 5: Sarcasm in Robert's tone, You've no idea, Rob, what a
- 1:39:32Speaker 5: splendid place, Argentine is. I had a letter from a
- 1:39:35Speaker 5: marine insurance chap that I'd made friends with in Hong
- 1:39:38Speaker 5: Kong to his brother who's in the grain business in
- 1:39:41Speaker 5: Buenos Aires. He took quite a fancy to me. And
- 1:39:45Speaker 5: what's more important, he offered me a job. If i'd
- 1:39:47Speaker 5: come back there, I'd have taken it on the spot.
- 1:39:50Speaker 5: Only I couldn't leave Uncle Dick in the lurch. And
- 1:39:53Speaker 5: I promised you folks to come home. But I'm going
- 1:39:56Speaker 5: back there, you bet, and then you watch me get on.
- 1:40:00Speaker 1: He slaps Robert on the back.
- 1:40:01Speaker 5: But don't you think it's a big chance, Rob, It's
- 1:40:04Speaker 5: fine for you.
- 1:40:06Speaker 9: Andy.
- 1:40:07Speaker 5: We call this a farm. But you ought to hear
- 1:40:10Speaker 5: about the farms down there, ten square miles where we've
- 1:40:15Speaker 5: got an acre. It's a new country where big things
- 1:40:19Speaker 5: are opening up, and I want to get in on
- 1:40:21Speaker 5: something big before I die. I'm no fool when it
- 1:40:25Speaker 5: comes to farming, and I know something about grain. I've
- 1:40:28Speaker 5: been reading up a lot on it too lately.
- 1:40:31Speaker 1: He notices Robert's find an expression.
- 1:40:34Speaker 5: Wake up you, old poetry book, warm you. I know
- 1:40:39Speaker 5: my talking about business makes you want to choke me,
- 1:40:43Speaker 5: doesn't it?
- 1:40:44Speaker 9: No, No, Andy, I just happen to think of something else, frowning.
- 1:40:50Speaker 9: There's been lots of times lately that I've wished I
- 1:40:52Speaker 9: had some of your faculty for business.
- 1:40:55Speaker 5: There's something I want to talk about, Rob.
- 1:40:57Speaker 2: The farm.
- 1:40:58Speaker 5: You don't mind, do you?
- 1:41:00Speaker 2: No?
- 1:41:01Speaker 5: I walked over it this morning with Ruth, and she
- 1:41:04Speaker 5: told me about things I could see. The place had
- 1:41:07Speaker 5: rum down. But you mustn't blame yourself when luck's against
- 1:41:12Speaker 5: any one.
- 1:41:13Speaker 9: Don't, Andy. It is my fault. You know it as
- 1:41:16Speaker 9: well as I do. The best I've ever done was
- 1:41:19Speaker 9: to make ends meet.
- 1:41:21Speaker 5: Got over a thousand saved, and you can have that.
- 1:41:26Speaker 9: No, you need that for your starting Buenos Aires I don't.
- 1:41:31Speaker 9: I can know Andy once and for all. No, I
- 1:41:33Speaker 9: won't hear of it.
- 1:41:35Speaker 5: You obstinate, old son of a gun.
- 1:41:39Speaker 9: Everything'll be on a sound footing after harvest. Don't worry
- 1:41:42Speaker 9: about it.
- 1:41:43Speaker 5: Maybe it's too bad. Pa couldn't have lived to see
- 1:41:48Speaker 5: things through. Cut me up a lot hearing he was dead.
- 1:41:54Speaker 5: He never softened up, did he about me?
- 1:41:59Speaker 9: I mean, he never understood. That's a kinder way of
- 1:42:03Speaker 9: putting it.
- 1:42:04Speaker 2: He does.
- 1:42:05Speaker 5: Now you've forgotten all about what caused me to go,
- 1:42:10Speaker 5: haven't you.
- 1:42:10Speaker 1: Rob Robert nod, but keeps his face averted.
- 1:42:14Speaker 5: I was a slushier damn fool in those days than
- 1:42:18Speaker 5: you were. But it was an act of providence.
- 1:42:20Speaker 1: I did go.
- 1:42:22Speaker 5: It opened my eyes to how i'd been fooling myself,
- 1:42:25Speaker 5: why I'd forgotten all about that before i'd been at
- 1:42:30Speaker 5: sea six months.
- 1:42:32Speaker 1: Turns and looks into Andrew's eyes searchingly, speaking of Ruth.
- 1:42:37Speaker 5: Yes, I didn't want you to get false notions in
- 1:42:41Speaker 5: your head, or I wouldn't say anything.
- 1:42:43Speaker 1: Looking Robert square in the eyes.
- 1:42:46Speaker 5: I'm telling you the truth. When I say i'd forgotten
- 1:42:49Speaker 5: long ago. It don't sound well for me getting over
- 1:42:53Speaker 5: things so easy. But I guess it never really amounted
- 1:42:56Speaker 5: to more than a kid idea I was letting rule me.
- 1:43:00Speaker 5: I'm certain now I never was in love. I was
- 1:43:03Speaker 5: getting fun out of thinking I was, and being a
- 1:43:07Speaker 5: hero to myself.
- 1:43:09Speaker 1: He heaves a great sigh of relief.
- 1:43:11Speaker 5: Ah there, Gosh, I'm glad that's off my chest. I've
- 1:43:17Speaker 5: been feeling sort of awkward ever since i've been home,
- 1:43:20Speaker 5: thinking what you two might think. You've got it all
- 1:43:23Speaker 5: straight now, haven't you, Rob, Yes, Andy, And I'll tell
- 1:43:28Speaker 5: Ruth too, if I can get up the nerve. She
- 1:43:31Speaker 5: must feel kind of funny having me round after what
- 1:43:35Speaker 5: used to be and not knowing how I feel about it.
- 1:43:39Speaker 9: Perhaps for her sake, you'd better not tell her.
- 1:43:44Speaker 5: Her sake, Oh you mean, she wouldn't want to be
- 1:43:48Speaker 5: reminded of my foolishness. Still, I think it'd be worse if.
- 1:43:52Speaker 9: Do as you please, Andy, But for good's sake, let's
- 1:43:54Speaker 9: not talk about him.
- 1:43:55Speaker 1: There is a pause. Andrew stares at Robert in her
- 1:43:58Speaker 1: stup affection. Robert continued after a moment, in a voice
- 1:44:02Speaker 1: which he vainly attempts to keep calm.
- 1:44:04Speaker 9: Excuse me, Andy, this rotten headache is my nerves shot
- 1:44:08Speaker 9: to pieces.
- 1:44:09Speaker 5: It's all right, Rob, long as you're not sore at me.
- 1:44:13Speaker 9: Where did Uncle Dick disappear to you?
- 1:44:14Speaker 2: This morning?
- 1:44:15Speaker 5: He went down to the port to see to things
- 1:44:17Speaker 5: on the sunda. He said he didn't know exactly when
- 1:44:20Speaker 5: he'd be back. I'll have to go down and tend
- 1:44:23Speaker 5: to the ship when he comes. That's why I dressed
- 1:44:25Speaker 5: up in these togs.
- 1:44:27Speaker 1: Woiking down the hill to the left.
- 1:44:29Speaker 6: See Da Da, mamma, mamma.
- 1:44:31Speaker 1: She struggles for her feet. Ruth appears at left. She
- 1:44:35Speaker 1: is dressed in white, shows she has been fixing up.
- 1:44:38Speaker 1: She looks pretty, flushed and full of life. Why need
- 1:44:41Speaker 1: to her mother?
- 1:44:42Speaker 2: Mamma?
- 1:44:43Speaker 6: Kissing her, Hello, dear.
- 1:44:46Speaker 1: She walked towards a rock and addresses Robert.
- 1:44:48Speaker 6: Jake wants to see you about something. He finished working
- 1:44:51Speaker 6: where he was. He's waiting for you at the road
- 1:44:54Speaker 6: getting up.
- 1:44:55Speaker 9: I'll go down right away.
- 1:44:56Speaker 1: As he looks at Ruth doing her changed appearance, his
- 1:45:00Speaker 1: face darkens with pain.
- 1:45:01Speaker 6: And take Mary with you, please to Mary, go with Dada.
- 1:45:05Speaker 6: That's a good girl. Grandma has your dinner most ready
- 1:45:08Speaker 6: for you.
- 1:45:09Speaker 1: Come Mary, taking his hand and dancing happily beside him.
- 1:45:13Speaker 9: Da Da da da.
- 1:45:14Speaker 1: They go down the hill to the left. Rupe looks
- 1:45:17Speaker 1: after the for a moment, frowning, then turns to Andy
- 1:45:19Speaker 1: with a smile.
- 1:45:20Speaker 6: I'm gonna sit down. Come on, Andy, it'll be like
- 1:45:23Speaker 6: old times.
- 1:45:24Speaker 1: She jumps lightly to the top of the rock and
- 1:45:26Speaker 1: sits down.
- 1:45:27Speaker 6: It's so fine and cool up here after the house,
- 1:45:30Speaker 6: half sitting on the.
- 1:45:31Speaker 1: Side of the bowler.
- 1:45:32Speaker 5: Yes, it's great.
- 1:45:35Speaker 6: I've taken a holiday in honor of your arrival. I
- 1:45:39Speaker 6: feel so free. I'd like to have wings and fly
- 1:45:41Speaker 6: over the sea. You're a man. You can't know how
- 1:45:45Speaker 6: awful and stupid it is cooking and washing dishes all.
- 1:45:48Speaker 5: The time making a wry face, I can guess.
- 1:45:52Speaker 6: Besides, your mother just insisted on getting your first dinner
- 1:45:55Speaker 6: to home. She's that happy at having you back. You'd
- 1:45:58Speaker 6: think I was planning to poison you. The hurried way
- 1:46:00Speaker 6: she shewed me out of the kitchen.
- 1:46:02Speaker 5: That's just like mob. Bless her.
- 1:46:05Speaker 6: She's missed you terrible. We all have, and you can't
- 1:46:09Speaker 6: deny the farm has. After what I showed you and
- 1:46:11Speaker 6: told you when we was looking over the place this morning.
- 1:46:14Speaker 5: With a frow, things are run down. That's a fact.
- 1:46:17Speaker 5: It's too darn hard on poor old Rob.
- 1:46:20Speaker 6: It's his own fault. He never takes any interest in things.
- 1:46:24Speaker 5: You can't blame him. He wasn't born for it. But
- 1:46:28Speaker 5: I know he's done his best for your sake and
- 1:46:31Speaker 5: the old folks and the little girl.
- 1:46:33Speaker 6: Yes, I suppose he has. But thank the Lord, all
- 1:46:37Speaker 6: those days are over now. The hard luck Rob's always
- 1:46:39Speaker 6: blaming won't last long when you take hold Andy. All
- 1:46:42Speaker 6: the farms ever needed was someone with the knack of
- 1:46:44Speaker 6: looking ahead and preparing for what's going to happen.
- 1:46:47Speaker 5: Yes, Rob hasn't got that. He's frank to own up
- 1:46:51Speaker 5: to that himself. I'm going to try to hire a
- 1:46:54Speaker 5: good man for him, an experienced farmer to work the
- 1:46:57Speaker 5: place on a salary and percentage. That'll take it off
- 1:47:00Speaker 5: of Rob's hands, and he needn't be worrying himself to
- 1:47:03Speaker 5: death anymore. He looks all worn out, Ruth. He ought
- 1:47:07Speaker 5: to be careful.
- 1:47:09Speaker 1: Yes, I suppose her mind has built premonitions by the first.
- 1:47:12Speaker 6: Part of his statement, why do you want to hire
- 1:47:14Speaker 6: a man to oversee things? Seems as if now you're back,
- 1:47:17Speaker 6: it wouldn't be needful.
- 1:47:19Speaker 5: Oh, of course, I'll attend to everything while I'm here,
- 1:47:22Speaker 5: I mean after I'm gone, as.
- 1:47:24Speaker 6: If she couldn't believe her ears gone.
- 1:47:27Speaker 5: Yes, when I leave for the Argentine again.
- 1:47:30Speaker 6: You're going away to sea, not to see.
- 1:47:33Speaker 5: No, I'm through with the sea for good as a job.
- 1:47:37Speaker 5: I'm going down to Buenos Aires to get in the
- 1:47:39Speaker 5: grain business.
- 1:47:41Speaker 6: But that's far off, isn't it?
- 1:47:44Speaker 5: Six thousand miles more or less? It's quite a trip.
- 1:47:48Speaker 5: I've got a peach of a chance down there, Ruth,
- 1:47:51Speaker 5: ask Rob if I haven't. I've just been telling him
- 1:47:54Speaker 5: all about it.
- 1:47:55Speaker 1: I'll flut your anger coming over her face?
- 1:47:58Speaker 6: And didn't he try to stop you from going? No,
- 1:48:01Speaker 6: of course not why that's just like him, not too.
- 1:48:06Speaker 5: Rob's too good a chum to try and stop me
- 1:48:09Speaker 5: when he knows I'm set on a thing, and he
- 1:48:11Speaker 5: can see just as soon as I told him what
- 1:48:13Speaker 5: a good chance it was.
- 1:48:15Speaker 6: And you're bound on going, sure thing?
- 1:48:18Speaker 5: Oh, I don't mean right off. I'll have to wait
- 1:48:21Speaker 5: for a ship sailing there for quite a while likely anyway,
- 1:48:25Speaker 5: I want to stay to home and visit with you
- 1:48:27Speaker 5: folks a spell before I go.
- 1:48:29Speaker 6: I suppose, oh Andy, you can't go. You can't. Why
- 1:48:34Speaker 6: we've all thought, we've all been hoping and praying you
- 1:48:37Speaker 6: was coming home to stay, to settle down on the
- 1:48:40Speaker 6: farm and see to things. You mustn't go. Think of
- 1:48:43Speaker 6: how your mom take on if you go, and how
- 1:48:45Speaker 6: the farm will be ruined if you leave it to
- 1:48:47Speaker 6: Rob to look after.
- 1:48:48Speaker 5: You can see that rowting Rob hasn't done so bad.
- 1:48:54Speaker 5: When I get a man to direct things, the farm
- 1:48:56Speaker 5: will be safe enough.
- 1:48:58Speaker 6: But your ma, think of her.
- 1:49:00Speaker 5: She's used to me being away. She won't object when
- 1:49:04Speaker 5: she knows it's best for her and all of us
- 1:49:07Speaker 5: for me to go. You ask Rob in a couple
- 1:49:11Speaker 5: of years down there, I'll make my pile see if
- 1:49:13Speaker 5: I don't, and then I'll come back and settle down
- 1:49:16Speaker 5: and turn this farm into the crackiest place in the
- 1:49:19Speaker 5: whole state. In the meantime, I can help you both
- 1:49:22Speaker 5: from down there. I tell you, Ruth, I'm going to
- 1:49:26Speaker 5: make good right from the minute I land. If working
- 1:49:29Speaker 5: hard and a determination to get on can do it,
- 1:49:32Speaker 5: and I know they can. I tell you I feel
- 1:49:36Speaker 5: ripe for bigger things than settling down here. The trip
- 1:49:40Speaker 5: did that for me anyway. It showed me the world
- 1:49:43Speaker 5: is a larger proposition than ever I thought it was
- 1:49:46Speaker 5: in the old days. I couldn't be content any more.
- 1:49:50Speaker 5: Stuck here like a fly in molasses, It all seems trifling.
- 1:49:56Speaker 5: Somehow you ought to be able to understand what I feel.
- 1:50:00Speaker 6: Yes, I suppose I ought.
- 1:50:03Speaker 1: After a pause, a sudden suspicion forming in her mind.
- 1:50:06Speaker 6: What did Rob tell you about me?
- 1:50:09Speaker 5: Tell about you? Why? Nothing?
- 1:50:14Speaker 6: Are you telling me the truth? Andy Mayo? Didn't he say? I?
- 1:50:18Speaker 5: No, he didn't mention you. I can remember. Why What
- 1:50:23Speaker 5: made you think he did?
- 1:50:25Speaker 6: Wranging her hands, Oh, I wish I could tell if
- 1:50:28Speaker 6: you're lying or not?
- 1:50:29Speaker 5: What are you talking about? I didn't used to lie
- 1:50:33Speaker 5: to you, did I? And what in the name of
- 1:50:35Speaker 5: God is there to lie for?
- 1:50:37Speaker 6: Are you sure? Well? You swear it isn't the reason.
- 1:50:42Speaker 1: She lowers her eyes and half turns away from him.
- 1:50:45Speaker 6: The same reason that made you go last time? That's
- 1:50:47Speaker 6: driving you away again? Cause if it is, I was
- 1:50:51Speaker 6: going to say, you mustn't go on that account.
- 1:50:57Speaker 2: Uh?
- 1:50:57Speaker 5: Oh, is that what you're driving? Well you needn't worry
- 1:51:02Speaker 5: about that no more. I don't blame you. Ruth, feeling
- 1:51:07Speaker 5: embarrassed having me around again after the way I played
- 1:51:10Speaker 5: the dumb fool about going away last time.
- 1:51:14Speaker 6: Health crushed as oh, Andy, I know I oughtn't.
- 1:51:20Speaker 5: To talk about such foolishness to you. Still I figure
- 1:51:24Speaker 5: it's better to get it out of my system so
- 1:51:26Speaker 5: as we three can be together same as years ago,
- 1:51:30Speaker 5: and not be worried thinking one of us might have
- 1:51:32Speaker 5: the wrong notion.
- 1:51:34Speaker 6: Andy, please don't.
- 1:51:36Speaker 5: Let me finish now that I've started. It'll help clear
- 1:51:39Speaker 5: things up. I don't want you to think wants a fool,
- 1:51:43Speaker 5: always a fool, and be upset all the time I'm
- 1:51:46Speaker 5: here on my fool account. I want you to believe
- 1:51:49Speaker 5: I put all that silly nonsense back of me a
- 1:51:52Speaker 5: long time ago, and now it seems well as if
- 1:51:58Speaker 5: you'd always been my sister. That's what Ruth at.
- 1:52:02Speaker 1: The end of her endurance.
- 1:52:03Speaker 6: For God's sake, Andy, won't you please stop talking?
- 1:52:07Speaker 1: She again hides her face in her hands, her bowed
- 1:52:09Speaker 1: shoulders crumbling.
- 1:52:11Speaker 5: Seems if I've put my foot in it. Whenever I
- 1:52:13Speaker 5: open my mouth today, Rob shut me up with almost
- 1:52:17Speaker 5: the same words when I tried speaking to him about it.
- 1:52:20Speaker 6: You told him what you've told me?
- 1:52:23Speaker 5: Why sure? Why not?
- 1:52:25Speaker 1: Shuddering?
- 1:52:26Speaker 5: Oh my god, why shouldn't.
- 1:52:29Speaker 6: I have Oh? I don't care what you do. I
- 1:52:32Speaker 6: don't care. Leave me alone.
- 1:52:34Speaker 1: Andrew gets up and walks down the bill to the left, embarrassed, hurt,
- 1:52:38Speaker 1: and Gravey puzzled by her behavior. After a pause, pointing down.
- 1:52:41Speaker 5: The hill, Hello, here they come back, and the captain's
- 1:52:46Speaker 5: with them. How'd he come to get back so soon?
- 1:52:49Speaker 5: I wonder that means I've got to hustle down to
- 1:52:51Speaker 5: the port and get on board. Rob's got the baby
- 1:52:54Speaker 5: with him.
- 1:52:56Speaker 1: He comes back to the boulder. Ruth Keie's her face
- 1:52:58Speaker 1: averted from it.
- 1:53:00Speaker 5: I never saw a father so tied up in a
- 1:53:02Speaker 5: kid as Rob is. He just watches every move she makes,
- 1:53:07Speaker 5: and I don't blame him. You both got a right
- 1:53:09Speaker 5: to feel proud of her. She's surely a little winner.
- 1:53:13Speaker 1: He classes a group to see if his very obvious
- 1:53:15Speaker 1: attempt to get back in her good crazes is having
- 1:53:17Speaker 1: any effect.
- 1:53:18Speaker 5: I can see the like mister Rob standing out all
- 1:53:20Speaker 5: over her, can't you. But there's no denying she's your
- 1:53:23Speaker 5: young one either. There's something about her eyes.
- 1:53:27Speaker 6: Oh Andy, I've a headache. I don't want to talk.
- 1:53:30Speaker 6: Leave me alone, won't you please?
- 1:53:32Speaker 1: Stand staring at her for a moment, then walks away,
- 1:53:35Speaker 1: saying in a hurt.
- 1:53:36Speaker 5: Tom everybody hereabouts seems to be on edge today. I
- 1:53:40Speaker 5: begin to feel as if I'm not wanted around.
- 1:53:43Speaker 1: He stands near the path left, kicking at the grass
- 1:53:46Speaker 1: with a toe of his shoe. A moment later, Captain
- 1:53:49Speaker 1: Dick's cott enters, followed by Robert carrying Mary. The Captain
- 1:53:53Speaker 1: seems scarcely to have changed it all from the jovial,
- 1:53:55Speaker 1: booming person he was three years before. He wears a
- 1:53:58Speaker 1: uniform similar to Andrews. He is puffing her breathels from
- 1:54:01Speaker 1: his climb and muffled wildly in his perspiring comments. Robert
- 1:54:06Speaker 1: cast a quick glance at Andrew, noticing the latter's discomfidated look,
- 1:54:10Speaker 1: and then turns his eyes on Ruth, who, at their
- 1:54:12Speaker 1: approach has moved over backs towards them, her chin resting
- 1:54:15Speaker 1: on her hands as she stares out seaward, Mamma, mamma.
- 1:54:19Speaker 1: Robert puts her down, and she runs to her mother.
- 1:54:22Speaker 1: Ruth turns and grabs her, upping her arms with a
- 1:54:25Speaker 1: sudden fierce tenderness, quickly turning away again from the others.
- 1:54:29Speaker 1: During the following scene, she keeps.
- 1:54:31Speaker 2: Merry in her arms.
- 1:54:34Speaker 4: Sh I got great news for you, Andy. Let me
- 1:54:41Speaker 4: get my wind fairst. Whew, God, a mighty mountain. This
- 1:54:48Speaker 4: damned hill is worse than going aloft. The sky's your
- 1:54:50Speaker 4: yard and a blow. I got delay too for a while.
- 1:54:56Speaker 1: He sits down on the grass, mopping his face.
- 1:54:59Speaker 5: I didn't for you this soon, uncle.
- 1:55:02Speaker 4: I didn't figure it neither, but I run across a
- 1:55:06Speaker 4: bit of news down to the seamen's home, made bout
- 1:55:08Speaker 4: ship and settle sealed back here to find you.
- 1:55:12Speaker 5: What is it? Uncle?
- 1:55:13Speaker 4: Passing by the home, I thought i'd drop in. I
- 1:55:16Speaker 4: let him know i'd be lacking a mate. Next trip
- 1:55:19Speaker 4: County or Leavin. They're man in charge of the shipping
- 1:55:22Speaker 4: our st after you special?
- 1:55:24Speaker 2: Curious?
- 1:55:26Speaker 4: Do you think he consider a berth a second on
- 1:55:28Speaker 4: a steamer cap'n? He asks, I was going to see
- 1:55:32Speaker 4: no when I think to you wanted to get back
- 1:55:35Speaker 4: down south to the plate again. So he asks him
- 1:55:39Speaker 4: what is she and where she bound? She's el Passel,
- 1:55:43Speaker 4: a brand new tramp, he says, and she's bound for
- 1:55:46Speaker 4: Bwain as arees.
- 1:55:48Speaker 1: He's eye lighting up.
- 1:55:49Speaker 4: Gosh, that is luck. When does she sail to morrow mornin'?
- 1:55:55Speaker 4: I didn't know if you want to ship away again
- 1:55:57Speaker 4: so quick? And I told him so, tell him I'll
- 1:56:00Speaker 4: I'll the bath open for him till late this afternoon,
- 1:56:03Speaker 4: he says, So, I said, I'd tell you, and I
- 1:56:07Speaker 4: catch you the first car back to town. So there
- 1:56:10Speaker 4: you be, and you can make your own choice.
- 1:56:13Speaker 5: I'd like to take it. There may not be another
- 1:56:16Speaker 5: ship for Buenos Aires with a vacancy in months.
- 1:56:19Speaker 1: His eyes roving from Robert to Ruth and back again.
- 1:56:22Speaker 5: Still damn at all. Tomorrow morning is soon. I wish
- 1:56:27Speaker 5: she wasn't leaving for a week or so. That'd give
- 1:56:30Speaker 5: me a chance. It seems hard to go right away
- 1:56:34Speaker 5: again when I've just got home, and yet it's a
- 1:56:37Speaker 5: chance in a thousand. Appealing to Robert, what do you think,
- 1:56:42Speaker 5: rob what would you do?
- 1:56:44Speaker 1: Forcing a smile, he who hesitates.
- 1:56:47Speaker 9: You know, ROMI, it's a piece of good luck thrown
- 1:56:50Speaker 9: in your way, and I think you owe it to
- 1:56:52Speaker 9: yourself to jump at it. But don't ask me to
- 1:56:55Speaker 9: decide for you.
- 1:56:56Speaker 1: Tarny to look at Andrew.
- 1:56:58Speaker 6: Yes, go Andy, She turns quickly away again.
- 1:57:02Speaker 1: There is a moment of embarrassed silence.
- 1:57:04Speaker 5: Yes, I guess I will. It'll be the best thing
- 1:57:08Speaker 5: for all of us in the end, don't you think so?
- 1:57:10Speaker 1: Rob Robert nods, but remained silent, getting to his feet.
- 1:57:16Speaker 4: Then that's settled.
- 1:57:18Speaker 1: Now that he has definitely made a decision, his voice
- 1:57:20Speaker 1: rings with hopeful strength and energy.
- 1:57:22Speaker 5: Yes, I'll take the berth the sooner I go, the
- 1:57:26Speaker 5: sooner I'll be back. That's a certainty. I won't come
- 1:57:29Speaker 5: back with empty hands next time, you bet I won't.
- 1:57:33Speaker 4: You ain't got much time, Andy, to make sure you
- 1:57:36Speaker 4: beslieve he as soon as you can. You can't put
- 1:57:39Speaker 4: too much trust in him, Fellers. I gotta get right
- 1:57:42Speaker 4: back aboard you a betch.
- 1:57:44Speaker 2: Come with me.
- 1:57:45Speaker 5: I'll go to the house and repack my bag right away.
- 1:57:48Speaker 9: You'll both be here for dinner, won't you.
- 1:57:50Speaker 5: I don't know will there be time? What time is
- 1:57:54Speaker 5: it now?
- 1:57:54Speaker 9: I wonder Moss been getting dinner especially for.
- 1:57:58Speaker 1: You, Andy Lushing.
- 1:58:00Speaker 5: Shane facesly hell, and I was forgetting. Of course I'll
- 1:58:04Speaker 5: stay for dinner if I missed every damn ship in
- 1:58:07Speaker 5: the world.
- 1:58:08Speaker 1: He turns to the captain.
- 1:58:09Speaker 5: Come on, uncle, walk down with me to the house
- 1:58:12Speaker 5: and you can tell me more about this berth on
- 1:58:14Speaker 5: the way. I've got to pack before dinner.
- 1:58:16Speaker 1: He and the captain start down to the left. Andrew
- 1:58:19Speaker 1: crawls back over his shoulder.
- 1:58:21Speaker 5: You're coming soon, aren't you, Rob, Yes, I'll.
- 1:58:24Speaker 9: Be right down.
- 1:58:25Speaker 1: Andrew and the Captain leave. Ruth puts Mary on the
- 1:58:27Speaker 1: ground and hides her, facing her hands. Her shoulders shake
- 1:58:31Speaker 1: as if she were sobbing. Robert stares at her with
- 1:58:33Speaker 1: a grim, somber expression. Mary walks backward towards Robert, her
- 1:58:38Speaker 1: wondering eyes fixed on her mother, taking her father's hand.
- 1:58:41Speaker 5: Dada, mamma's crying, Dada.
- 1:58:44Speaker 1: Bending down and stroking her hair.
- 1:58:46Speaker 9: No, she isn't a little girl. Sun hurts her eyes,
- 1:58:49Speaker 9: that's all. Aren't you beginning to feel hungry?
- 1:58:53Speaker 2: Mary?
- 1:58:54Speaker 6: Yes, Dada?
- 1:58:55Speaker 9: It must be your dinner time.
- 1:58:56Speaker 6: Now I'm coming, Mary.
- 1:58:59Speaker 1: Shekes her eyes quickly, and without looking at Robert comes
- 1:59:03Speaker 1: and takes Mary's hand.
- 1:59:05Speaker 6: Come on, and I'll get your dinner for you.
- 1:59:07Speaker 1: She walks out left, her eyes fixed on the ground
- 1:59:10Speaker 1: that's getting married, tugging in her hand. Robert waits a
- 1:59:14Speaker 1: moment for them to get ahead, and then slowly falls
- 1:59:17Speaker 1: as the curtain falls. End of Act two, Act three
- 1:59:33Speaker 1: of Beyond the Horizon by Eu Gene O'Neill. This is
- 1:59:37Speaker 1: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
- 1:59:42Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
- 1:59:48Speaker 1: Beyond the Horizon by your Gen O'Neill. Act three, Scene
- 1:59:53Speaker 1: one same as Act two Scene one. The sitting room
- 1:59:58Speaker 1: of the farmhouse, about six o'clock in the morning of
- 2:00:00Speaker 1: a day towards the end of October, five years later.
- 2:00:04Speaker 1: It is not yet dawn, but as the action progresses,
- 2:00:07Speaker 1: the darkness outside the windows gradually faced gray. The room,
- 2:00:13Speaker 1: seen by the light of the shadeless oil lamp with
- 2:00:15Speaker 1: a smoky chimney which stands on the table, presents an
- 2:00:17Speaker 1: appearance of decay of disillusion. The curtains that the windows
- 2:00:22Speaker 1: are torn and dirty, and one of them is missing.
- 2:00:25Speaker 1: The closed desk is gray with accumulated dust, as if
- 2:00:28Speaker 1: it had not been used in years. Blotches of dampness
- 2:00:31Speaker 1: distigure the wall paper. Threadbare trails leading to the kitchen
- 2:00:35Speaker 1: and under doors show on the faded carpet. The top
- 2:00:38Speaker 1: of the colorless table is stained with the imprints of
- 2:00:41Speaker 1: hot dishes and spilt food. The rung of one rocker
- 2:00:44Speaker 1: has been clumsily mended with a piece of plain board.
- 2:00:47Speaker 1: A brown coating of rust covers the unblackened stove. A
- 2:00:51Speaker 1: pile of wood is stacked up carelessly against the wall
- 2:00:53Speaker 1: by the stove. The whole atmosphere of the room, contrasted
- 2:00:58Speaker 1: with that of the former years, is one of habitual poverty,
- 2:01:01Speaker 1: too hopelessly resigned to be any longer ashamed or even
- 2:01:04Speaker 1: conscious of itself. As the rise of the curtain, Ruth
- 2:01:09Speaker 1: is discovered sitting by the stove with hands outstretched to
- 2:01:12Speaker 1: the warmth, as if the air in the room were
- 2:01:14Speaker 1: damp and cold. A heavy shawl was wrapped around her shoulders,
- 2:01:17Speaker 1: half concealing her dress of deep mourning. She has aged horribly.
- 2:01:21Speaker 1: Her pale, deeply lined face has the stony lack of expression,
- 2:01:25Speaker 1: upon to whom nothing more can ever happen, whose capacity
- 2:01:28Speaker 1: for emotion has been exhausted. When she speaks her voices
- 2:01:32Speaker 1: without tamor low and monotonous. The negligent disorder of her dress,
- 2:01:36Speaker 1: thus lovely arrangement of her hair, now streaked with gray,
- 2:01:39Speaker 1: her mudded shoes run down at the heel, gave full
- 2:01:42Speaker 1: evidence of the apathy in which she lives. Her mother
- 2:01:46Speaker 1: is asleep in a wheel chair beside the stove towards
- 2:01:48Speaker 1: the rear, wrapped up in the blanket. There is a
- 2:01:51Speaker 1: sound from the open bedroom door in the rear, as
- 2:01:53Speaker 1: if some one were getting out of bed. Ruth turns
- 2:01:56Speaker 1: in that direction with a look of dumb annoyance. A
- 2:01:58Speaker 1: moment later, Robert appears in doorway, beating weakly against it
- 2:02:01Speaker 1: for support. His hair is long and unkempt, his face
- 2:02:05Speaker 1: and body emaciated. There are bright patches of crimson over
- 2:02:07Speaker 1: his cheek bones, and his eyes are burning with fever.
- 2:02:10Speaker 1: He's dressed in corduroy pants, a flannel shirt, and wears
- 2:02:13Speaker 1: worn carpet slippers on his bare feet.
- 2:02:16Speaker 6: Sh Ma's asleep.
- 2:02:18Speaker 1: Speaking with an effort, I won't wake heer. He walks
- 2:02:23Speaker 1: weakly to a barber by the side of the table
- 2:02:25Speaker 1: and sinks down in it, exhausted, staring at the stove.
- 2:02:28Speaker 6: You better come near the fire where it's warm.
- 2:02:31Speaker 9: No, I'm burning up now.
- 2:02:33Speaker 6: That's the fever.
- 2:02:35Speaker 2: You know.
- 2:02:35Speaker 6: The doctor told you not to get up and move around.
- 2:02:38Speaker 9: That old fossil. He doesn't know anything. Go to bed
- 2:02:42Speaker 9: and stay there. That's his only prescription.
- 2:02:45Speaker 6: How are you feeling now?
- 2:02:46Speaker 9: Better? Much better than I've felt in ages. Really, I'm
- 2:02:51Speaker 9: fine now, only very weak. It's the turning point. I
- 2:02:56Speaker 9: guess from now on up becomes so quick. I'll surprise you.
- 2:03:00Speaker 9: And no thanks to that old fool of a country
- 2:03:02Speaker 9: quack either.
- 2:03:03Speaker 6: He's always tended to us, always helped us to die.
- 2:03:08Speaker 9: You mean he tended to paw in mine.
- 2:03:12Speaker 2: And to Mary.
- 2:03:15Speaker 6: He did the best he knew. I suppose. Well, Andy's
- 2:03:19Speaker 6: bringing a specialist with him when he comes. That ought
- 2:03:22Speaker 6: to suit you.
- 2:03:23Speaker 9: Is that what you're waiting up all night?
- 2:03:25Speaker 6: Yes, for Andy, somebody had got to when he's bringing
- 2:03:30Speaker 6: the doctor with him. You can't tell when he might
- 2:03:32Speaker 6: get here if he's coming from the port in an
- 2:03:34Speaker 6: auto like he telegraphed us. And besides, it's only right
- 2:03:37Speaker 6: for someone to meet him after he's been gone five years.
- 2:03:41Speaker 9: Five years, it's a long time.
- 2:03:44Speaker 6: Yes to wait, it's past.
- 2:03:48Speaker 9: Now, Yes, it's past. Have you got his two telegrams
- 2:03:54Speaker 9: with you?
- 2:03:55Speaker 8: Ruth?
- 2:03:55Speaker 9: Not let me see them, will you. My head was
- 2:03:58Speaker 9: so full of fever when they came I couldn't make
- 2:04:00Speaker 9: head of tail through them. But I'm feeling fine now.
- 2:04:05Speaker 9: Let me read them again.
- 2:04:06Speaker 1: Ruth takes them from the bosom of her dress and
- 2:04:08Speaker 1: hands them to him.
- 2:04:10Speaker 6: Here the first one's on top, opening it New York.
- 2:04:16Speaker 9: Just landed from steamer. Have important business to wind up here.
- 2:04:22Speaker 9: We'll be home as soon as deal.
- 2:04:23Speaker 1: Is completed, he smiles bitterly.
- 2:04:27Speaker 9: Business first was always Andy's motto, hope you are all well. Andy,
- 2:04:35Speaker 9: hope you are all well.
- 2:04:38Speaker 6: He couldn't know you'd been took sick till I answered
- 2:04:40Speaker 6: that and told him.
- 2:04:42Speaker 9: Of course he couldn't. I'm a fool touch you about
- 2:04:46Speaker 9: nothing lately? Just what did you say in your reply?
- 2:04:50Speaker 6: I had to send it collect What did you say
- 2:04:52Speaker 6: was the matter with me? I wrote? You had lung trouble?
- 2:04:55Speaker 9: You are a fool? How often have I explained to
- 2:04:59Speaker 9: you that his plu sees the matter with me? You
- 2:05:02Speaker 9: can't seem to get it in your head that the
- 2:05:04Speaker 9: plur is outside the lungs.
- 2:05:06Speaker 2: Not in them.
- 2:05:07Speaker 6: I only wrote what doctor Smith told me.
- 2:05:11Speaker 9: He's damning to ramus.
- 2:05:13Speaker 6: Makes no difference. Had to tell Andy something, didn't I?
- 2:05:17Speaker 1: After a pause, opening the other telegram, he sent this
- 2:05:20Speaker 1: last evening.
- 2:05:22Speaker 9: Let's see leave for home on midnight train. Just received
- 2:05:27Speaker 9: your wire and bringing specialists to see rob will motor
- 2:05:33Speaker 9: to farm from port. He calculates what time is it now?
- 2:05:38Speaker 6: Round six? Must be well.
- 2:05:40Speaker 9: He ought to be here soon. I'm glad he's bringing
- 2:05:44Speaker 9: a doctor who knows something. A specialist will tell you
- 2:05:47Speaker 9: in a second that there's nothing the matter with my lungs.
- 2:05:50Speaker 6: You've been coughing an awful lot lately.
- 2:05:53Speaker 9: What nonsense? For God's sake, haven't you ever had a
- 2:05:55Speaker 9: bad cold yourself?
- 2:05:57Speaker 1: Ruth stares at the stove in silence. Robert fidgets in
- 2:06:00Speaker 1: his chair. There was a pause. Finally, Robert's eyes are
- 2:06:04Speaker 1: fixed on the sleeping missus Atkins.
- 2:06:06Speaker 9: Your mother is lucky to be able to sleep so soundly.
- 2:06:09Speaker 6: Ma's tired. She's been sitting up with me most of
- 2:06:12Speaker 6: the night.
- 2:06:13Speaker 9: Is she waiting for Andy too?
- 2:06:15Speaker 1: There is a pause. Robert's size.
- 2:06:19Speaker 9: I couldn't get to sleep, to save my soul, I
- 2:06:22Speaker 9: counted ten million sheep. If I counted one, no use.
- 2:06:27Speaker 9: I gave up trying finally and just laid there in
- 2:06:29Speaker 9: the dark thinking.
- 2:06:31Speaker 1: He pauses.
- 2:06:32Speaker 9: I was thinking about you, Ruth, of how hard these
- 2:06:36Speaker 9: last years must have been for you. I'm sorry, Ruth.
- 2:06:41Speaker 6: I don't know they're past now. They were hard on
- 2:06:44Speaker 6: all of.
- 2:06:45Speaker 9: Us, Yes, on all of us. But Andy. Andy's made
- 2:06:50Speaker 9: a big success of himself, the kind he wanted, and
- 2:06:54Speaker 9: now he's coming home to let us admire his greatness. Frownie,
- 2:07:00Speaker 9: what am I talking about? My brain must be sick too, Yes,
- 2:07:06Speaker 9: these years have been terrible for both of us, especially
- 2:07:11Speaker 9: the last eight months since Mary died.
- 2:07:16Speaker 1: He forces back a sawd with a convulsive shudder, then
- 2:07:18Speaker 1: breaks out in a passionate agony.
- 2:07:21Speaker 9: Our last hope of happiness. I could Chris God from
- 2:07:25Speaker 9: the bottom by my soul, if there was a god.
- 2:07:28Speaker 1: He is racked by a violent fit of coughing, and
- 2:07:30Speaker 1: hurriedly puts his handkerchief to his lips without looking at him.
- 2:07:34Speaker 6: Mary's better off being dead.
- 2:07:37Speaker 9: We'd all be better off for that matter. You tell
- 2:07:40Speaker 9: that mother of yours, she's got to stop saying that
- 2:07:42Speaker 9: Mary's death was due to a weak constitution inherited from
- 2:07:45Speaker 9: me on.
- 2:07:46Speaker 1: The verge of tears of weakness.
- 2:07:49Speaker 9: It's got to stop.
- 2:07:50Speaker 6: I tell you, sh you'll wake her and then she'll
- 2:07:55Speaker 6: nag at me, not you.
- 2:07:57Speaker 1: Coughs and lies back in his chair weakly.
- 2:08:00Speaker 9: Though it's all because your mother's down on me for
- 2:08:03Speaker 9: not begging Andy for help.
- 2:08:05Speaker 6: You might have He's got plenty. If what he says
- 2:08:08Speaker 6: is true, how can you, of all people, think of
- 2:08:12Speaker 6: taking money from him? I don't see the harm. He's
- 2:08:16Speaker 6: your own brother, shrugging his shoulders.
- 2:08:19Speaker 9: What's the use of talking to you? Well, I couldn't,
- 2:08:24Speaker 9: and I've managed to keep things going, Thank God. You
- 2:08:27Speaker 9: can't deny that without help, I've succeeded in my God,
- 2:08:33Speaker 9: what am I boasting?
- 2:08:34Speaker 2: Him?
- 2:08:35Speaker 9: Debts to this one and that taxes interest unpaid. I'm
- 2:08:41Speaker 9: a fool.
- 2:08:42Speaker 1: He lies back in his chair, closing his eyes for
- 2:08:45Speaker 1: a moment.
- 2:08:46Speaker 9: I'll be frank, Ruth. I've been an utter failure, and
- 2:08:51Speaker 9: I've dragged you with me. I couldn't blame you in
- 2:08:55Speaker 9: all justice for hating me.
- 2:08:58Speaker 6: I don't hate you. It's been my fault too, I suppose.
- 2:09:02Speaker 9: No, you couldn't help loving Andy.
- 2:09:07Speaker 6: I don't love any one.
- 2:09:09Speaker 1: Waiting her remark aside, you needn't deny it doesn't matter,
- 2:09:14Speaker 1: after a pause, with a tender smile.
- 2:09:17Speaker 9: Do you know, Ruth, what I've been dreaming back there
- 2:09:19Speaker 9: in the dark. I was planning our future when I
- 2:09:23Speaker 9: get well.
- 2:09:25Speaker 1: He looks at her with appealing eyes, as if afraid
- 2:09:27Speaker 1: she will sneer at him. Her expression does not change.
- 2:09:31Speaker 1: She stares at the stove.
- 2:09:33Speaker 9: After all, why shouldn't we have a future. We're young yet,
- 2:09:38Speaker 9: if we can only shake off the cris of this farm.
- 2:09:41Speaker 9: It's the farm that's ruined our lives, damn it. And
- 2:09:45Speaker 9: now that Andy's coming back, I'm gonna sink my foolish pride, Ruth.
- 2:09:51Speaker 9: I'll borrow the money from him to give us a
- 2:09:53Speaker 9: good start in the city. We'll go where people live
- 2:09:56Speaker 9: instead of stagnating and start all over again. A I
- 2:10:00Speaker 9: won't be the failure there that i've been here, Ruth.
- 2:10:04Speaker 9: You won't need to be ashamed of me there. I'll
- 2:10:06Speaker 9: prove to you the reading I've done can be put
- 2:10:08Speaker 9: to some use. Oh write, there's something of bad sort
- 2:10:14Speaker 9: I've always wanted to write. You want to do that,
- 2:10:17Speaker 9: won't you, Ruth.
- 2:10:18Speaker 6: There's Ma she can come with us. She wouldn't, so.
- 2:10:23Speaker 9: That's your answer.
- 2:10:25Speaker 1: He trembles with violent passion. His voice is so strange
- 2:10:28Speaker 1: that Ruth turns to look at him in alarm.
- 2:10:31Speaker 9: You're lying, Ruth. Your brother's just an excuse you want
- 2:10:34Speaker 9: to stay here. You think that because of Andy's coming back.
- 2:10:38Speaker 1: Then he chokes and has an attack of coughinge getting up.
- 2:10:43Speaker 6: What's the matter, She goes to him. I'll go with you, Rob.
- 2:10:47Speaker 6: I don't care for Andy like you think. Stop that coughing.
- 2:10:50Speaker 6: For goodness sake, it's awful.
- 2:10:52Speaker 11: Bad for you.
- 2:10:53Speaker 1: She soothes him in dull tomes.
- 2:10:56Speaker 6: I'll go with you to the city soon as you're
- 2:10:58Speaker 6: well again. Honest, I will, Rob, I promise.
- 2:11:01Speaker 1: Robert lies back and closes his eyes. She stands looking
- 2:11:04Speaker 1: down again anxiously.
- 2:11:06Speaker 6: Do you feel better now?
- 2:11:07Speaker 9: Yes?
- 2:11:09Speaker 1: Ruth goes back to her chair. After a pause, he
- 2:11:11Speaker 1: opens his eyes and sits up in his chair. His
- 2:11:14Speaker 1: face is flushed and happy.
- 2:11:16Speaker 9: Then you will go, Ruth. Yes, we'll make a new start, Ruth.
- 2:11:21Speaker 6: And it's just you and I.
- 2:11:24Speaker 9: Life owes us some happiness after what we've been through.
- 2:11:28Speaker 9: It must otherwise our suffering would be meaningless. That is unthinkable.
- 2:11:35Speaker 1: Worried about his excitement.
- 2:11:37Speaker 6: Yes, yes, of course, Rob, But you mustn't.
- 2:11:39Speaker 9: Oh, don't be afraid. I feel well, really I do
- 2:11:43Speaker 9: now that I can hope again. If you knew how
- 2:11:47Speaker 9: glorious it feels to have something to look forward to,
- 2:11:50Speaker 9: can't you feel the thrill of it too, The vision
- 2:11:53Speaker 9: of a new life opening up after all the horrible years. Yes, yes,
- 2:11:57Speaker 9: but do be nonsense. I won't be careful. I'm getting
- 2:12:01Speaker 9: back all my strength.
- 2:12:03Speaker 1: He gets lightly to his feet.
- 2:12:05Speaker 9: See, I feel light as a feather.
- 2:12:07Speaker 1: He walks to her chair and bends down to kiss her, smilingly.
- 2:12:11Speaker 9: One kiss, the first in years. Isn't it to greet
- 2:12:15Speaker 9: the dawn of a new life together?
- 2:12:17Speaker 6: Said Vinnie twist kiss worriedly, Sit down, Rob, for goodness sake.
- 2:12:22Speaker 1: With tender obstinacy, stroking her hair.
- 2:12:25Speaker 9: I won't sit down. You're silly to worry you.
- 2:12:29Speaker 1: Rest one hand on the back of her chair.
- 2:12:32Speaker 9: Listen. All our suffering has been a test through which
- 2:12:36Speaker 9: we had to pass to prove ourselves worthy of a
- 2:12:39Speaker 9: finer realization. And we did pass through it. It hasn't
- 2:12:45Speaker 9: broken us, and now the dream is to come through.
- 2:12:48Speaker 5: Don't you see?
- 2:12:49Speaker 1: Looking at him with frightened eyes as if she thought
- 2:12:52Speaker 1: he had gone mad.
- 2:12:53Speaker 6: Yes, Rob, I see, But won't you go back to
- 2:12:56Speaker 6: bed now and rest.
- 2:12:58Speaker 9: No, I'm going to see the sunrise. It's an augury
- 2:13:03Speaker 9: of good fortune.
- 2:13:04Speaker 1: He goes quickly to the window in the rear left, and,
- 2:13:06Speaker 1: pushing the curtains aside, stands looking out. Ruth springs to
- 2:13:10Speaker 1: her feet and comes quickly to the table left, where
- 2:13:12Speaker 1: she remains watching Robert in a tense, expectant attitude as
- 2:13:16Speaker 1: he peers out. His body seems graduated, say to roll
- 2:13:19Speaker 1: in and tired. His voice is mournful as he speaks.
- 2:13:23Speaker 9: No sun yet, Well it isn't time. All I can
- 2:13:28Speaker 9: see is the black rim of the damned hills outlined
- 2:13:31Speaker 9: against the creeping grayness.
- 2:13:34Speaker 1: He turns around, letting the curtains fall back, stretching a
- 2:13:37Speaker 1: hand out to the wall to support himself. His false
- 2:13:40Speaker 1: strength of a moment as evaporated, leaving his face drawn
- 2:13:43Speaker 1: and hollow wide. He makes a pitiful attempt to smile.
- 2:13:47Speaker 9: That's not a very happy augury, is it? But the
- 2:13:51Speaker 9: sun will come soon, he.
- 2:13:54Speaker 1: Sways, weakly, hurrying to his side and supporting him.
- 2:13:57Speaker 6: Please go to bed, won't you, Rob. You don't want
- 2:14:00Speaker 6: to be all wore out when the specialist comes, do you?
- 2:14:04Speaker 7: No?
- 2:14:04Speaker 9: That's right. You mustn't think I'm sicker than I am.
- 2:14:08Speaker 9: I feel as if I could sleep now, a good sound,
- 2:14:13Speaker 9: RESTful sleep.
- 2:14:14Speaker 1: Helping him to the bedroom door.
- 2:14:16Speaker 6: That's what you need most.
- 2:14:18Speaker 1: They go inside. A moment later, she reappears, calling back I'll.
- 2:14:22Speaker 6: Shut this door so you'll be quiet.
- 2:14:24Speaker 1: She closes the door and goes quickly to her mother
- 2:14:27Speaker 1: and shakes her by the shoulder. Ma, Ma, wake up,
- 2:14:31Speaker 1: coming out of her sleep with a start, Glory.
- 2:14:33Speaker 7: Be, what's the matter with you?
- 2:14:35Speaker 6: It was Rob, He's just been talking to me out here.
- 2:14:38Speaker 6: I put him back to bed.
- 2:14:40Speaker 1: Now that she is sure her mother is awake, her
- 2:14:42Speaker 1: fear passes, and she relapsed in dull indifference. She sits
- 2:14:46Speaker 1: down in her chair and stares at the stove.
- 2:14:49Speaker 6: He acted funny, and his eyes looked so so wild.
- 2:14:53Speaker 7: Like, And is that all you woke me out of
- 2:14:56Speaker 7: a sound sleep for? And scared me near out of
- 2:14:58Speaker 7: my wits.
- 2:14:59Speaker 6: I was afraid. He talked so crazy, staring out of
- 2:15:03Speaker 6: the window as if he saw something, and speaking about
- 2:15:07Speaker 6: the hills and wanting to see the sun rise and
- 2:15:09Speaker 6: all such notions. I couldn't quiet him. It was like
- 2:15:14Speaker 6: he used to talk, only mad kind of. I didn't
- 2:15:17Speaker 6: want to be alone with him in that way. Lord
- 2:15:20Speaker 6: knows what he might do.
- 2:15:22Speaker 7: Humph, I help, I'd be to you and me not
- 2:15:24Speaker 7: able to move a step. Why didn't you run and
- 2:15:26Speaker 7: get Jake.
- 2:15:27Speaker 6: Jake isn't here, I thought, i'd told you he quit
- 2:15:31Speaker 6: last night. He hasn't been paid in three months.
- 2:15:34Speaker 7: I can't blame him. What decent person had want to
- 2:15:37Speaker 7: work on a place like this. Oh, I wish you'd
- 2:15:39Speaker 7: never married that man.
- 2:15:41Speaker 6: You oughtn't to talk about him now when he's sick
- 2:15:43Speaker 6: in his bed.
- 2:15:44Speaker 1: Working herselving will fit of rage.
- 2:15:47Speaker 7: You know very well, Ruth Mayo. If it wasn't for
- 2:15:49Speaker 7: me helpin you on the sly out of my Saviin's,
- 2:15:51Speaker 7: you'd both been in the poorhouse and all kind of
- 2:15:54Speaker 7: his pig headed pride and not lett nany know the
- 2:15:56Speaker 7: state things were in a nice then for me to
- 2:15:59Speaker 7: have to support it out of what I'd say for
- 2:16:01Speaker 7: my last days and me an invalid with no one
- 2:16:04Speaker 7: to look to.
- 2:16:05Speaker 6: Andy'll pay you back, ma, I can tell him. So's
- 2:16:08Speaker 6: Rob'll never know.
- 2:16:09Speaker 9: Humph.
- 2:16:10Speaker 7: What did Rob think you and him was livin' on?
- 2:16:12Speaker 7: I'd like to know he.
- 2:16:14Speaker 6: Didn't think about it. I suppose he said he'd made
- 2:16:18Speaker 6: up his mind to ask Andy for help when he comes.
- 2:16:21Speaker 1: As a clock in the kitchen strike six six o'clock.
- 2:16:24Speaker 6: Andy ought to get here directly.
- 2:16:27Speaker 7: Do you think this special doctor'll do Rob any good?
- 2:16:30Speaker 6: I don't know.
- 2:16:32Speaker 1: The two women remained silent for a time, staring dejectively
- 2:16:35Speaker 1: at the stove, shivering irritably.
- 2:16:38Speaker 7: For goodness sake, put some wood on that fire. I'm
- 2:16:40Speaker 7: most freezin', pointing to the door in the rear.
- 2:16:43Speaker 6: Don't talk so loud. Let him sleep if he can.
- 2:16:47Speaker 1: She gets wearily from the chair and puts a few
- 2:16:49Speaker 1: pieces of wood in the stove.
- 2:16:51Speaker 6: This is the last of the wood in the pile.
- 2:16:53Speaker 6: Hadn't a who'l cut more? Now that Jake's left, She sighed.
- 2:16:57Speaker 1: And walks to the window in the rear left, pulls
- 2:16:59Speaker 1: the curtain aside, looks out.
- 2:17:01Speaker 6: It's getting gray out. It'll be light soon. We can
- 2:17:03Speaker 6: put out that lamp.
- 2:17:05Speaker 1: She comes back to the stove.
- 2:17:07Speaker 6: Looks like it'd be a nice day.
- 2:17:09Speaker 1: She stretches out her hands to warm one.
- 2:17:11Speaker 6: Must have been a heavy frost last night. We're paying
- 2:17:15Speaker 6: for the spell of warm weather we've been having.
- 2:17:17Speaker 1: The throbbing wine of a motor sounds from the distance outside.
- 2:17:21Speaker 7: Sh listen, Ain't that naught oo?
- 2:17:23Speaker 6: I hear, Yes, it's andy.
- 2:17:26Speaker 7: I suppose don't sit there like a silly goose. Look
- 2:17:29Speaker 7: at the state of this room. What'll this strange doctor
- 2:17:32Speaker 7: think of us. Look at that lamp chimney all smoke.
- 2:17:35Speaker 7: Gracious sakes, Ruth.
- 2:17:37Speaker 6: I've got a lamp all cleaned up in the kitchen.
- 2:17:40Speaker 7: Wheel me in there this minute. I don't want him
- 2:17:42Speaker 7: to see me. Look in a sight. I'll lay down
- 2:17:44Speaker 7: in the room the other side. You don't need me now,
- 2:17:46Speaker 7: and I'm dead for sleep.
- 2:17:48Speaker 1: Ruth wheels her mother off right. The noise of the
- 2:17:51Speaker 1: motor grows louder and finally ceases as the car stops
- 2:17:53Speaker 1: on the road before the farmhouse. Ruth returns from the
- 2:17:56Speaker 1: kitchen with a lighted lamp in her hand, which she
- 2:17:58Speaker 1: sets on the table beside the other The sound of
- 2:18:00Speaker 1: footsteps on the path is heard, then a sharp rap
- 2:18:03Speaker 1: on the door. Ruth goes and opens it. Andrew enters,
- 2:18:07Speaker 1: followed by doctor Fawcett carrying a small black bag. Andrew
- 2:18:11Speaker 1: has changed greatly. His face seems to have grown high strung,
- 2:18:15Speaker 1: hardened by the look of decisiveness which comes from being
- 2:18:17Speaker 1: constantly under a stray where judgments on the spur of
- 2:18:20Speaker 1: the moment are compelled to be accurate. His eyes are
- 2:18:23Speaker 1: keener and more alert. There is even a suggestion of
- 2:18:26Speaker 1: ruthless cunning about them at present, however, his expression is
- 2:18:30Speaker 1: one of tense anxiety. Doctor Fawcett is a short, dark
- 2:18:34Speaker 1: middle aged man with a Van Dyke beard. He wears glasses.
- 2:18:38Speaker 6: Hello, Andy, I've been waiting.
- 2:18:40Speaker 1: Kissing her hastily.
- 2:18:42Speaker 5: I got here as soon as I could.
- 2:18:44Speaker 1: He throws off his cap and heavy overcoat on the table,
- 2:18:47Speaker 1: introducing Ruth and the doctor as he does so. He
- 2:18:50Speaker 1: is dressed in an expensive business suit and appears stouter.
- 2:18:53Speaker 5: My sister in law, missus Mayle Doctor Fawcett.
- 2:18:57Speaker 1: That bowed to each other silently, and who cast a
- 2:19:00Speaker 1: quick glance about the room.
- 2:19:02Speaker 5: Where's Rob pointing in there? I'll take your coat and
- 2:19:06Speaker 5: hat doctor.
- 2:19:08Speaker 1: As he helps the doctor with his things.
- 2:19:10Speaker 5: Is he very bad, Ruth?
- 2:19:12Speaker 6: He's been getting weaker.
- 2:19:14Speaker 5: Damn this way, Doctor, Bring the lamp, Ruth.
- 2:19:19Speaker 1: He goes into the bedroom, followed by the Doctor and Ruth,
- 2:19:22Speaker 1: carrying a clean lamp. Ruth reappears almost immediately, closing the
- 2:19:26Speaker 1: door behind her and goes slowly to the outside door,
- 2:19:29Speaker 1: which he opens and stands in the doorway looking out.
- 2:19:32Speaker 1: The sound of Andrews and Robert's voices comes from the bedroom.
- 2:19:35Speaker 1: A moment later, Andrew re enters closing the door softly.
- 2:19:39Speaker 1: He comes forward and sinks down the rocker on the
- 2:19:41Speaker 1: right of the table, leaning his head on his hands.
- 2:19:46Speaker 1: His face is drawn in a shocked expression of great grief.
- 2:19:49Speaker 1: He sighs heavily, staring mournfully in front of him. Ruth
- 2:19:53Speaker 1: turns and stands watching him. Then she shuts the door
- 2:19:56Speaker 1: and returns to her chair by the stove, turning it
- 2:19:58Speaker 1: so she can face him, glancing up quickly.
- 2:20:01Speaker 5: How long has this been going on?
- 2:20:05Speaker 2: You mean?
- 2:20:05Speaker 6: How long has he been sick?
- 2:20:07Speaker 5: Of course? What else?
- 2:20:10Speaker 6: It was last summer? He had a bad spell first,
- 2:20:12Speaker 6: but he's been ailing ever since Mary died eight months ago.
- 2:20:17Speaker 5: Why didn't you let me know? Cable me? Do you
- 2:20:20Speaker 5: want him to die?
- 2:20:21Speaker 2: All of you?
- 2:20:22Speaker 5: I'm damned if it doesn't look that way. Poor old
- 2:20:26Speaker 5: Chap to be sick in this out of the way
- 2:20:29Speaker 5: whole without anyone to attend him but a country quack.
- 2:20:32Speaker 5: It's a damn shame.
- 2:20:34Speaker 6: I wanted to send you word once, but he only
- 2:20:36Speaker 6: got mad when I told him he was too proud
- 2:20:39Speaker 6: to ask anything.
- 2:20:40Speaker 5: He said, proud to ask me?
- 2:20:44Speaker 1: He jumped to his feet and paces juriously back and forth.
- 2:20:47Speaker 5: I can't understand the way you've acted. Didn't you see
- 2:20:51Speaker 5: how sick he was getting? Couldn't you realize why? I
- 2:20:55Speaker 5: nearly dropped in my tracks when I saw him? He
- 2:20:59Speaker 5: looks terrible, he shudders. I suppose you're so used to
- 2:21:05Speaker 5: the idea of his being delicate that you took his
- 2:21:07Speaker 5: sickness as a matter of course. God, if i'd only
- 2:21:12Speaker 5: known a.
- 2:21:13Speaker 6: Letter takes so long to get where you were, and
- 2:21:16Speaker 6: we couldn't afford to telegraph. We owed everyone already, and
- 2:21:20Speaker 6: I couldn't ask Ma. She'd been giving me money out
- 2:21:23Speaker 6: of her savings for the last two years, till she
- 2:21:25Speaker 6: hadn't much left. Don't say anything to Rob about it.
- 2:21:29Speaker 6: I never told him. He'd only be mad at me
- 2:21:31Speaker 6: if he knew. But I had to, because God knows
- 2:21:35Speaker 6: how we'd have got on if I Hadn't you.
- 2:21:37Speaker 5: Mean to say?
- 2:21:39Speaker 1: His eye seemed to take in the poverty stricken appearance
- 2:21:41Speaker 1: of the room For the first time.
- 2:21:43Speaker 5: You sent that telegram to me? Collect was it?
- 2:21:47Speaker 1: Because Ruth nod silently, Andrew pounded the table with his fist.
- 2:21:53Speaker 5: Good God, and all this time I've been why I've
- 2:21:57Speaker 5: had everything?
- 2:21:59Speaker 1: He said, down his chair and pulled it close to
- 2:22:01Speaker 1: Ruth's impulsively, but.
- 2:22:04Speaker 5: I can't get it through my head.
- 2:22:06Speaker 2: Why, why?
- 2:22:08Speaker 5: What has happened? How did it ever come about?
- 2:22:11Speaker 6: Tell me there's nothing much to tell. Things kept getting worse,
- 2:22:16Speaker 6: that's all, and Rob didn't seem to care. He never
- 2:22:19Speaker 6: took any interest since way back when Yourma died. After that,
- 2:22:23Speaker 6: he got men to take charge, and they nearly all
- 2:22:25Speaker 6: cheated him. He couldn't tell, and left one after another.
- 2:22:30Speaker 6: And then there'd be times when there was no one
- 2:22:31Speaker 6: to see to it, and we'd lookin to hire someone new,
- 2:22:35Speaker 6: and the hands wouldn't stay. It was hard to get them.
- 2:22:39Speaker 6: They didn't want to work here, and as soon as
- 2:22:40Speaker 6: they'd get a chance to work some other place, they'd leave. Then,
- 2:22:45Speaker 6: after Mary died, he didn't pay no heed to anything anymore,
- 2:22:48Speaker 6: just stayed indoors and took to reading books again. So
- 2:22:52Speaker 6: I had to ask him if she wouldn't help us,
- 2:22:54Speaker 6: some surprise and horrified.
- 2:22:56Speaker 5: Why damn it, this is fright. Rob must be mad
- 2:23:02Speaker 5: not to have let me know, too proud to ask
- 2:23:05Speaker 5: help of me? What's the matter with him? In God's name?
- 2:23:11Speaker 1: A sudden horrible suspicion entering his mind?
- 2:23:13Speaker 5: Ruth tell me the truth. His mind hasn't gone back
- 2:23:18Speaker 5: on him, has it.
- 2:23:19Speaker 6: I don't know. Mary's dying broke him up terrible, but
- 2:23:24Speaker 6: he's used to her being gone by this, I suppose.
- 2:23:26Speaker 5: Looking at her queerly, do you mean to say you're
- 2:23:30Speaker 5: used to it?
- 2:23:32Speaker 6: There's a time comes when you don't mind anymore anything.
- 2:23:37Speaker 1: Looks at her fixed me for a moment.
- 2:23:39Speaker 5: I'm sorry, Ruth, if I seem to blame you. I
- 2:23:43Speaker 5: didn't realize the sight of Rob lying in bed there
- 2:23:47Speaker 5: so gone to pieces. It made me furious at everyone.
- 2:23:52Speaker 5: Forgive me, Ruth, there's.
- 2:23:54Speaker 6: Nothing to forgive. It doesn't matter.
- 2:23:56Speaker 1: Springing to his feet again, facing up and down.
- 2:23:59Speaker 5: Thank god I came back before it was too late.
- 2:24:02Speaker 5: This doctor will know exactly what to do. That's the
- 2:24:05Speaker 5: first thing to think of. When Rob's on his feet again,
- 2:24:07Speaker 5: we can get the farm working on a sound basis
- 2:24:10Speaker 5: once more. I'll see to that before I leave.
- 2:24:13Speaker 6: You're going away again. I've got to you, wrote Rob,
- 2:24:17Speaker 6: you was coming back to stay this time.
- 2:24:20Speaker 5: I expected to until I got to New York. Then
- 2:24:24Speaker 5: I learned certain facts that make it necessary to be candid. Ruth.
- 2:24:31Speaker 5: I'm not the rich man you've probably been led to
- 2:24:34Speaker 5: believe by my letters. Not now I was when I
- 2:24:38Speaker 5: wrote them. I made money hand over fist as long
- 2:24:41Speaker 5: as I stuck to legitimate trading. But I wasn't content
- 2:24:45Speaker 5: with that. I wanted it to come easier. So like
- 2:24:49Speaker 5: all the rest of the idiots, I tried speculation. Oh
- 2:24:54Speaker 5: I won all right. Several times. I've been almost a
- 2:24:58Speaker 5: millionaire on pay, and then come down to earth again
- 2:25:02Speaker 5: with a bump. Finally, the strain was too much. I
- 2:25:07Speaker 5: got disgusted with myself and made up my mind to
- 2:25:10Speaker 5: get out and come home and forget it and really
- 2:25:14Speaker 5: live again. And now comes the funny part. The day
- 2:25:20Speaker 5: before the steamer sailed, I saw what I thought was
- 2:25:23Speaker 5: a chance to become a millionaire again. That easy, I plunged. Then,
- 2:25:30Speaker 5: before things broke, I left. I was so confident I
- 2:25:35Speaker 5: couldn't be wrong. But when I landed in New York,
- 2:25:38Speaker 5: I wired you I had business to wind up, didn't I. Well,
- 2:25:42Speaker 5: it was the business that wound me up, he.
- 2:25:45Speaker 1: Smiles, grimly. Pacing up and down, his hands in his pockets.
- 2:25:50Speaker 6: He found he'd lost everything.
- 2:25:53Speaker 1: Sitting down again, practically, he takes us to gar from
- 2:25:56Speaker 1: his pocket. Tis the end off and lighted.
- 2:25:59Speaker 5: Oh, I don't mean I'm dead broke. I've saved ten
- 2:26:03Speaker 5: thousand from the wreckage, maybe twenty. But that's a poor
- 2:26:07Speaker 5: showing for five years hard work. That's why I'll have
- 2:26:11Speaker 5: to go back. I can make it up in a
- 2:26:14Speaker 5: year or so down there, and I don't need but
- 2:26:16Speaker 5: a shoestring to start with.
- 2:26:18Speaker 1: A weary expression comes over his face and he sighs heavily.
- 2:26:22Speaker 5: I wish I didn't have to. I'm sick of it all.
- 2:26:27Speaker 6: It's too bad. Things seem to go wrong, so shaking.
- 2:26:32Speaker 5: Off his depression, they might be much worse. There's enough
- 2:26:37Speaker 5: left to fix the pharm. Okay, before I go, I
- 2:26:40Speaker 5: won't leave till Rob's on his feet again. In the meantime,
- 2:26:43Speaker 5: I'll make things fly around here. I need a rest,
- 2:26:48Speaker 5: and the kind of rest I need is hard work
- 2:26:50Speaker 5: in the open, just like I used to do in
- 2:26:52Speaker 5: the old days. Not a word to Rob about my
- 2:26:56Speaker 5: losing money. Remember that, Ruth. You can see why if
- 2:27:00Speaker 5: he has grown so touchy, he'd never accept assent if
- 2:27:03Speaker 5: he thought I was hard up.
- 2:27:05Speaker 6: See yes, Sandy.
- 2:27:07Speaker 1: After a pause during which Andrew puffs at his cigar abstractly,
- 2:27:10Speaker 1: his mind evidently busy with plans for the future. The
- 2:27:13Speaker 1: bedroom door is opened and doctor Flowsett enters, carrying a bag.
- 2:27:17Speaker 1: He closes the door quietly behind him and comes forward
- 2:27:20Speaker 1: a grave expression on his face. Andrew springs out of
- 2:27:23Speaker 1: his chair.
- 2:27:24Speaker 5: Ah, doctor, won't you have a chair?
- 2:27:27Speaker 1: He pushes a chair between his own roofs, glancing at
- 2:27:30Speaker 1: his watch.
- 2:27:31Speaker 8: I must catch the nine o'clock back to the city.
- 2:27:34Speaker 8: It's imperative. I have only a moment.
- 2:27:37Speaker 1: Sitting down and clearing his throat in a perfunctory, impersonal.
- 2:27:40Speaker 8: Voice, ahem, the case of your brother, mister Mayo is.
- 2:27:44Speaker 1: He stops and glances at Ruth and says meaningly.
- 2:27:47Speaker 8: To Andrew, perhaps it would be better if you and I.
- 2:27:50Speaker 6: I know what you mean, doctor, but I'm not going
- 2:27:53Speaker 6: I'm his wife, and I've got a right to hear
- 2:27:55Speaker 6: what you're gonna say. Don't be afraid. I can't stand it.
- 2:27:59Speaker 6: I'm used to bearing trouble by this. I can guess
- 2:28:01Speaker 6: what you found out. He hesitates for a moment, then continues,
- 2:28:05Speaker 6: Rob's going to die.
- 2:28:07Speaker 1: Ruth, raising his hand as if to command silence.
- 2:28:11Speaker 8: I am afraid my diagnosis of your brother's condition forces
- 2:28:15Speaker 8: me to the same conclusion. As Missus Mayo's.
- 2:28:18Speaker 5: But doctor, surely.
- 2:28:20Speaker 8: Your brother hasn't long to live, perhaps a few days,
- 2:28:24Speaker 8: perhaps only a few hours. It's a marvel that he's
- 2:28:28Speaker 8: alive at this moment. My examination revealed that both of
- 2:28:32Speaker 8: his lungs are terribly affected.
- 2:28:34Speaker 5: Good God.
- 2:28:37Speaker 1: Ruth keeps her eyes fixed on her lap in a translate.
- 2:28:39Speaker 8: Stare, I am sorry. I have to tell you this.
- 2:28:42Speaker 8: If there was anything that could be done.
- 2:28:44Speaker 5: There isn't anything.
- 2:28:46Speaker 8: Shaking his head, it's too late. Six months ago there
- 2:28:50Speaker 8: might have.
- 2:28:51Speaker 5: But if we were to take him to the mountains,
- 2:28:53Speaker 5: or to Arizona.
- 2:28:55Speaker 8: Or that might have prolonged his life six months ago.
- 2:28:58Speaker 10: Ah.
- 2:29:00Speaker 1: But now he shrugs his shoulders significantly, appall by a
- 2:29:04Speaker 1: sudden thought.
- 2:29:06Speaker 5: Good heavens. You haven't told him this, have you?
- 2:29:09Speaker 2: Doctor?
- 2:29:10Speaker 8: No, I lied to him. I said, a change of climate.
- 2:29:14Speaker 1: He looks at his watch again nervously.
- 2:29:16Speaker 8: I must leave you.
- 2:29:17Speaker 1: He gets up, getting to his feet insistantly. But there
- 2:29:21Speaker 1: must still be some chance, as if he were reassuring
- 2:29:25Speaker 1: your child.
- 2:29:25Speaker 8: There is always that last chance, the miracle.
- 2:29:29Speaker 1: He puts on his hat and coat, bow un to Ruth.
- 2:29:31Speaker 8: Goodbye, Missus Mayo, without.
- 2:29:33Speaker 1: Raising her eyes goodbye.
- 2:29:36Speaker 5: I'll walk to the car with you. Doctor, think a
- 2:29:39Speaker 5: out of the door.
- 2:29:40Speaker 1: Ruth sits motionlessly. The motor's hearts starting and the noise
- 2:29:44Speaker 1: gradually recedes into the distance. Andrew re enters, its down
- 2:29:48Speaker 1: in his chair, holding his head in his hands.
- 2:29:51Speaker 5: Ruth, she lifts her eyes to his. Haven't we better
- 2:29:54Speaker 5: go in and see him? God, I'm afraid to. I
- 2:29:59Speaker 5: know he'll read in my face.
- 2:30:02Speaker 1: The bedroom door is noiselessly opened, and Robert appears in
- 2:30:05Speaker 1: the doorway. His cheeks are flushed with fever, and his
- 2:30:07Speaker 1: eyes appear unusually large and brilliant. Andrew continues with a groan.
- 2:30:12Speaker 5: It can't be, Ruth, it can't be as hopeless as
- 2:30:16Speaker 5: he said. There's always a fighting chance. We'll take Rob
- 2:30:20Speaker 5: to Arizona. He's got to get well. There must be
- 2:30:24Speaker 5: a chance.
- 2:30:26Speaker 1: Why must there, Andy, Ruth turns and stares at him
- 2:30:29Speaker 1: with terrified eyes. Whirling around Rob.
- 2:30:33Speaker 5: Scoldingly, what are you doing out of bed?
- 2:30:37Speaker 1: He gets up and goes to him.
- 2:30:38Speaker 5: Get right back now and obey the dock, or you're
- 2:30:41Speaker 5: going to get a licking from me. Ignoring these remarks,
- 2:30:45Speaker 5: help me over to the chair, please, Andy, like hell,
- 2:30:48Speaker 5: I will you're going right back to bed. That's where
- 2:30:51Speaker 5: you're going. And stay there.
- 2:30:53Speaker 1: He takes hold of Robert's arm.
- 2:30:55Speaker 9: Stay there till I die. Andy, don't behave like a child.
- 2:31:00Speaker 9: I'm sick of lying down. I'll be more rested sitting up.
- 2:31:04Speaker 1: As Andrew hesitates, I swear I'll.
- 2:31:07Speaker 9: Get out of bed every time you put me there.
- 2:31:09Speaker 9: You have to sit on my chest and that wouldn't
- 2:31:11Speaker 9: help my health any Come on, Andy, don't play the fool.
- 2:31:16Speaker 9: I want to talk to you, and I'm going to
- 2:31:19Speaker 9: with a grim smile. A dying man has some rights,
- 2:31:22Speaker 9: hasn't he.
- 2:31:23Speaker 5: With a shudder, don't talk that way. For God's sake.
- 2:31:28Speaker 5: I'll only let you sit down if you'll promise that.
- 2:31:31Speaker 1: Remember, He helps Robert in the chair between his own
- 2:31:34Speaker 1: and roots.
- 2:31:35Speaker 5: Easy, Now there you are, Wait and I'll get a
- 2:31:38Speaker 5: pillow for you.
- 2:31:40Speaker 1: He goes into the bedroom. Robert gosat Ruth, who shrinks
- 2:31:43Speaker 1: away from him in terror. Robert smiles bitterly. Andrew comes
- 2:31:47Speaker 1: back with the pillow, which he places behind Robert's back.
- 2:31:50Speaker 1: How's that with an affectionate smile.
- 2:31:53Speaker 9: Fine, thank you. As Andrew sits down, Listen, Andy, you've
- 2:31:58Speaker 9: asked me not to talk, and I won't after I've
- 2:32:01Speaker 9: made my position clear in the first place, I know
- 2:32:06Speaker 9: I'm dying.
- 2:32:07Speaker 1: Ruth bows her head and covers her face with her hands.
- 2:32:10Speaker 1: She remains like this all during the scene between the
- 2:32:12Speaker 1: two brothers.
- 2:32:13Speaker 5: Rob that isn't so.
- 2:32:17Speaker 9: It is, so, don't lie to me. After Ruth put
- 2:32:22Speaker 9: me to bed, before you came, I saw it clearly
- 2:32:24Speaker 9: for the first time. I'd been making plans for our future,
- 2:32:29Speaker 9: Ruth's and mine. So it came hard at first the realization.
- 2:32:36Speaker 9: Then when the doctor examined me, I knew, although he
- 2:32:40Speaker 9: tried to lie about it, and then to make sure
- 2:32:43Speaker 9: I listened at the door to what he told you.
- 2:32:45Speaker 9: So don't mock me with fairy tales about Arizona or
- 2:32:48Speaker 9: any such rot as that. Because I'm dying, it's no
- 2:32:52Speaker 9: reason you should treat me as an imbecile or a coward.
- 2:32:56Speaker 9: Now that I'm sure what's happening, I can say kismet
- 2:32:58Speaker 9: to it with all my heart. It was only the
- 2:33:00Speaker 9: silly uncertainty that hurt.
- 2:33:03Speaker 1: There is a pause, Andrew looks round in an impotent anguish,
- 2:33:07Speaker 1: not knowing what to say. Robert regards him with an
- 2:33:10Speaker 1: affectionate smile.
- 2:33:12Speaker 5: It isn't foolish. You have got a chance. If you
- 2:33:15Speaker 5: heard all the doctor said that ought to prove it
- 2:33:18Speaker 5: to you.
- 2:33:19Speaker 9: Oh you mean when he spoke of the miracle. I
- 2:33:23Speaker 9: don't believe in miracles in my case. Besides, I know
- 2:33:28Speaker 9: more than any doctor on earth could know, because I
- 2:33:31Speaker 9: feel what's coming.
- 2:33:33Speaker 1: Dismissing the subject, but we've agreed not to talk of it.
- 2:33:38Speaker 9: Tell me about yourself, Andy, that's what I'm interested in.
- 2:33:42Speaker 9: Your letters were too brief and far apart to be illuminating.
- 2:33:45Speaker 5: I meant to write oftener.
- 2:33:47Speaker 9: I judge from them you've accomplished all you set out
- 2:33:50Speaker 9: to do five years ago.
- 2:33:52Speaker 5: That isn't much to boast of.
- 2:33:54Speaker 9: Have you really honestly reached that conclusion.
- 2:33:58Speaker 5: Well, it doesn't seem to amount to much now.
- 2:34:01Speaker 1: But you're rich, aren't you, at Ruth?
- 2:34:05Speaker 5: Yes, I suppose so.
- 2:34:07Speaker 9: I'm glad you can do to the farm all I've undone.
- 2:34:12Speaker 9: But what do you do down there? Tell me you
- 2:34:14Speaker 9: went in the grain business with that friend of yours.
- 2:34:16Speaker 5: Yes, after two years I had a share in it,
- 2:34:22Speaker 5: I sold out last year.
- 2:34:24Speaker 1: He's answering Robert's questions with great reluctance.
- 2:34:28Speaker 5: And then I went in on my own still ingrain. Yes,
- 2:34:33Speaker 5: what's the matter?
- 2:34:34Speaker 9: You look as if I were accusing you of something.
- 2:34:36Speaker 5: I'm proud enough of the first four years. It's after
- 2:34:40Speaker 5: that that I'm not boasting of. I took to speculating
- 2:34:45Speaker 5: in wheat, yes, and you made money gambling. Yes.
- 2:34:51Speaker 9: I've been wondering what the great change was in you.
- 2:34:54Speaker 9: After a pause, you a farmer to gamble in a
- 2:34:58Speaker 9: wheat pit with scrap of paper. There's a spiritual significance
- 2:35:03Speaker 9: in that picture, Andy.
- 2:35:04Speaker 1: He smiles bitterly.
- 2:35:05Speaker 9: I'm a failure, and Ruth's another, but we can both
- 2:35:09Speaker 9: justly lay some of the blame for stumbling on God.
- 2:35:13Speaker 9: But you're the deepest dyed failure of the three. Andy.
- 2:35:17Speaker 9: You spent eight years running away from yourself. Do you
- 2:35:20Speaker 9: see what I mean? You used to be a creator,
- 2:35:22Speaker 9: when you love the farm, You and life were in
- 2:35:26Speaker 9: harmonious partnership.
- 2:35:27Speaker 1: And now he stops, as if seeking vainly for words.
- 2:35:35Speaker 9: My brain is muddled. But part of what I mean
- 2:35:38Speaker 9: is that you're gambling with the thing you used to love.
- 2:35:40Speaker 9: To create. Proves how far astray, so you'll be punished.
- 2:35:47Speaker 9: You'll have to suffer to win back. It's no use,
- 2:35:53Speaker 9: I can't say it.
- 2:35:54Speaker 1: He lies back and closes his eyes, breathing pantingly.
- 2:35:58Speaker 5: I think I know what you're driving at, Rob, and
- 2:36:03Speaker 5: it's true, I guess.
- 2:36:05Speaker 1: Robert smiles gratefully and stretches out his hand, which Andrew
- 2:36:08Speaker 1: takes in his.
- 2:36:09Speaker 5: I want you to promise me to do one thing, Andy,
- 2:36:12Speaker 5: after I'll promise anything, as God is my judge.
- 2:36:17Speaker 9: Remember Edie Ruth has suffered double her share only through
- 2:36:23Speaker 9: contact with suffering Andy. Will you awaken listen? You must
- 2:36:31Speaker 9: marry Ruth.
- 2:36:33Speaker 1: Afterwards, Rob Robert lies back, his eyes closed, casping heavily
- 2:36:39Speaker 1: from breath, making signs to her to hear him.
- 2:36:43Speaker 5: You're tired out, Rob. You better lie down and rest
- 2:36:46Speaker 5: a while. Don't you think we can talk later on?
- 2:36:50Speaker 1: With a mocking smile.
- 2:36:52Speaker 9: Later on? You always weren't optimiss.
- 2:36:56Speaker 11: Andy, he sighs with exhaustion. Yes, I'll go and restavoir
- 2:37:03Speaker 11: as Andrew comes to help him. It must be near sunrise,
- 2:37:07Speaker 11: isn't it.
- 2:37:08Speaker 5: It's after six?
- 2:37:09Speaker 1: As Andrew helps him into the bedroom.
- 2:37:11Speaker 9: Shut the door, handy. I want to be alone.
- 2:37:15Speaker 1: Andrew reappears and shuts the door softly. He comes and
- 2:37:18Speaker 1: sits down in his chair again, supporting his head in
- 2:37:20Speaker 1: his hands. His face is drawn with the intensity of
- 2:37:23Speaker 1: the dry eyed anguish. Glancing at him.
- 2:37:26Speaker 6: He's out of his mind, now, isn't he.
- 2:37:29Speaker 5: He may be a little delirious. The fever would do that. God,
- 2:37:33Speaker 5: what a shame. And there's nothing we can do but
- 2:37:37Speaker 5: sit and wait.
- 2:37:39Speaker 1: He springs from his chair and walks to the stove.
- 2:37:41Speaker 6: He was talking wild like he used to, only this
- 2:37:46Speaker 6: time it sounded unnatural.
- 2:37:48Speaker 5: Don't you think I don't know the things he said
- 2:37:53Speaker 5: to me had truth in them, even if he did
- 2:37:56Speaker 5: talk them way up in the air like he always
- 2:37:59Speaker 5: sees things.
- 2:38:01Speaker 1: Still, he climpses down a groove keenly.
- 2:38:04Speaker 5: Why do you suppose he wanted us to promise we'd
- 2:38:08Speaker 5: you know? What? He said?
- 2:38:09Speaker 6: His mind was wandering.
- 2:38:10Speaker 5: I suppose no, there was something back of it.
- 2:38:14Speaker 6: He wanted to make sure I'd be all right after
- 2:38:17Speaker 6: he'd gone.
- 2:38:17Speaker 5: I expect no, it wasn't that. He knows very well,
- 2:38:22Speaker 5: I'd naturally look after you without anything like that.
- 2:38:27Speaker 6: He might be thinking of something happened five years back,
- 2:38:32Speaker 6: the time he came home from the trip.
- 2:38:34Speaker 5: What happened?
- 2:38:35Speaker 1: What do you mean?
- 2:38:36Speaker 6: It was the day you came. We had a fight,
- 2:38:40Speaker 6: a fight.
- 2:38:41Speaker 4: What has that to do with me?
- 2:38:42Speaker 6: It was about you in a way, about me, Yes,
- 2:38:47Speaker 6: mostly you see, i'd found out i'd made a mistake
- 2:38:50Speaker 6: about Rob soon after we were married, when it was
- 2:38:53Speaker 6: too late.
- 2:38:54Speaker 5: Mistake you mean, you found out and you didn't love Rob? Yes,
- 2:39:03Speaker 5: good God.
- 2:39:05Speaker 6: And then I thought that when Mary came it'd be
- 2:39:07Speaker 6: different and i'd love him. But it didn't happen that way,
- 2:39:11Speaker 6: and I couldn't bear with his blundering and book reading,
- 2:39:14Speaker 6: and I grew to hate him almost, Ruth. I couldn't
- 2:39:18Speaker 6: help it, No woman could. It had to be because
- 2:39:22Speaker 6: I loved someone else I'd found out. It can't do
- 2:39:27Speaker 6: no harm to tell you now, when it's all past
- 2:39:29Speaker 6: and gone and dead. You were the one I really loved,
- 2:39:35Speaker 6: only I didn't come to the knowledge of it till too.
- 2:39:37Speaker 5: Late, Ruth, Do you know what you're saying?
- 2:39:41Speaker 6: It was true? Then? How could I help it? No
- 2:39:46Speaker 6: woman could.
- 2:39:48Speaker 5: Then you loved me that time I came home.
- 2:39:52Speaker 6: I'd known your real reason for leaving home the first time.
- 2:39:55Speaker 6: Everybody knew it. And for three years I'd been thinking
- 2:39:59Speaker 6: that I loved you. Yes, And that day on the
- 2:40:02Speaker 6: hill you laughed about what a fool you'd been for
- 2:40:04Speaker 6: loving me once, and I knew it was all over,
- 2:40:08Speaker 6: Good God, But I never thought.
- 2:40:12Speaker 1: He stopped shuddering at his remembrance, And did Rob?
- 2:40:16Speaker 6: That was what I'd started to tell. We'd had a
- 2:40:19Speaker 6: fight just before you came, and I got crazy mad,
- 2:40:22Speaker 6: and I told him all that I've told you, gaining.
- 2:40:25Speaker 5: At her speechlessly for a moment you told Rob you
- 2:40:29Speaker 5: loved me.
- 2:40:30Speaker 1: Yes, shrinking away from her in horror.
- 2:40:34Speaker 5: You you, you mad fool you? How could you do
- 2:40:39Speaker 5: such a thing?
- 2:40:40Speaker 6: I couldn't help it, had got to the end of
- 2:40:43Speaker 6: bearing things without talking.
- 2:40:46Speaker 5: Then Rob must have known every moment I stayed here,
- 2:40:50Speaker 5: And yet he never said or showed. God how he
- 2:40:54Speaker 5: must have suffered. Didn't you know how much he loved you?
- 2:40:59Speaker 1: Yes?
- 2:41:00Speaker 6: I knew he liked me, liked you?
- 2:41:04Speaker 5: What kind of a woman are you? Couldn't you have
- 2:41:08Speaker 5: kept silent? Did you have to torture him?
- 2:41:12Speaker 2: No?
- 2:41:12Speaker 5: Wonder he's dying and you've lived together for five years
- 2:41:17Speaker 5: with this between.
- 2:41:18Speaker 6: You, We've lived in the same house.
- 2:41:21Speaker 5: Does he still think?
- 2:41:23Speaker 6: I don't know. We've never spoke a word about it
- 2:41:26Speaker 6: since that day. Maybe from the way he went on.
- 2:41:29Speaker 6: He suppose I care for you yet, but you don't.
- 2:41:32Speaker 5: It's outrageous, it's stupid. You don't love me.
- 2:41:37Speaker 6: I wouldn't know how to feel love even if I.
- 2:41:41Speaker 5: Tried any more, and I don't love you, that's sure.
- 2:41:47Speaker 1: He sinks into his chair, his head between his hands.
- 2:41:50Speaker 5: It's damnable such a thing should be between Rob and me.
- 2:41:54Speaker 5: Why I love rob bed and anybody in the world,
- 2:41:58Speaker 5: and always did. There is not a thing on God's
- 2:42:02Speaker 5: green earth I wouldn't have done to keep trouble away
- 2:42:05Speaker 5: from him, and I have to be the very one.
- 2:42:09Speaker 5: It's damnable. How am I going to face him again?
- 2:42:15Speaker 5: What can I say to him now?
- 2:42:19Speaker 3: Ah?
- 2:42:20Speaker 1: He groaned with anguish rage.
- 2:42:22Speaker 5: After a pause, he asked me to promise. What am
- 2:42:27Speaker 5: I going to do?
- 2:42:29Speaker 6: You can promise so's it'll ease his mind and not
- 2:42:33Speaker 6: mean anything.
- 2:42:35Speaker 5: What lie to him now when he's dying. No, it's
- 2:42:42Speaker 5: you who'll have to do the lying, since it must
- 2:42:45Speaker 5: be done. You've got a chance now to undo some
- 2:42:49Speaker 5: of all the suffering you've brought on Rob. Go in
- 2:42:52Speaker 5: to him. Tell him you never loved me. It was
- 2:42:56Speaker 5: all a mistake. Tell him you only said so because
- 2:42:59Speaker 5: you were men and didn't know what you were saying.
- 2:43:03Speaker 5: Tell him, tell him something, anything that'll bring him peace.
- 2:43:07Speaker 6: It's no good. He wouldn't believe me.
- 2:43:11Speaker 5: You've got to make him believe you, do you hear?
- 2:43:15Speaker 5: You've got to now hurry you never know what.
- 2:43:18Speaker 1: It may be too late, and she hesitates.
- 2:43:22Speaker 5: For God's sake, Ruth, don't you see you owe it
- 2:43:25Speaker 5: to him. You'll never forgive yourself. If you don't, I'll go.
- 2:43:30Speaker 1: She gets wearily to her feet and walks slowly towards
- 2:43:33Speaker 1: the bedroom.
- 2:43:33Speaker 6: But it won't do any good.
- 2:43:35Speaker 1: Andrew's eyes are fixed on her. Anxiously, she opens the
- 2:43:38Speaker 1: door and steps inside the room. She remains standing there
- 2:43:41Speaker 1: for a minute. Then she calls out in a frightened voice, rob.
- 2:43:46Speaker 6: Where are you?
- 2:43:47Speaker 1: Then she hurries back, trembling with fright.
- 2:43:49Speaker 6: Andy, Andy, he's.
- 2:43:51Speaker 1: Gone, misunderstanding her, his face pale with dread.
- 2:43:55Speaker 6: He's not He's gone. He isn't in there. The bed's empty,
- 2:43:59Speaker 6: the windows open. He must have crawled out into the yard.
- 2:44:02Speaker 1: Springing to his feet, he rushes into the bedroom and
- 2:44:05Speaker 1: returns immediately, with an expression of alarmed amazement on his face.
- 2:44:08Speaker 5: Come, he can't have gone far.
- 2:44:11Speaker 1: Grabbing his hat. He takes Bruce's arm and shoves her
- 2:44:13Speaker 1: towards the door.
- 2:44:15Speaker 5: Come on, opening the door. Let's hope to God.
- 2:44:21Speaker 1: The door closes behind them, cutting off his words as
- 2:44:23Speaker 1: the curtain falls. Scene two, same as Act one. Scene one.
- 2:44:31Speaker 1: A section of country highway. The sky to the east
- 2:44:34Speaker 1: is already alight with bright color, and a thin quivering
- 2:44:37Speaker 1: line of flame is spreading slowly along the horizon rim
- 2:44:39Speaker 1: of the dark hills. The roadside, however, is still steeped
- 2:44:43Speaker 1: in the grayness of the dawn, shadowy and vague. The
- 2:44:46Speaker 1: field in the foreground has a wild, uncultivated appearance, as
- 2:44:49Speaker 1: if it has been allowed to remain fallowed the preceding summer.
- 2:44:52Speaker 1: Parts of the snake fence in the rear have been
- 2:44:54Speaker 1: broken down. The apple tree is leafless and seems dead.
- 2:44:58Speaker 1: Robert staggers weakly from the left. He stumbles into the
- 2:45:01Speaker 1: ditch and lies there for a moll it. Then crawls
- 2:45:04Speaker 1: with a great effort at the top of the bank,
- 2:45:06Speaker 1: where he can see the sun rise, and classes weakly.
- 2:45:09Speaker 1: Ruth and Andrew come hurriedly along the road from the left,
- 2:45:13Speaker 1: stopping and looking about him.
- 2:45:15Speaker 5: There he is I knew it. I knew we'd find
- 2:45:18Speaker 5: him here.
- 2:45:19Speaker 1: Trying to raise himself to a seeting position as they
- 2:45:22Speaker 1: hastened to his side with a wain smile.
- 2:45:25Speaker 9: I thought I'd given you this slip with kindly bullying.
- 2:45:28Speaker 5: Well you didn't, you old scoundrel, and we're going to
- 2:45:32Speaker 5: take you right back where you belong in bed.
- 2:45:36Speaker 1: It makes a motion to lift Robert.
- 2:45:38Speaker 5: Don't any don't I tell you you're in pain.
- 2:45:43Speaker 9: No, I'm dying.
- 2:45:46Speaker 1: He falls back weakly. Ruth sings down beside him with
- 2:45:49Speaker 1: a sob and pillows his head on her lap. Andrew
- 2:45:52Speaker 1: stands looking down at him helplessly. Robert moves his headdressfully
- 2:45:56Speaker 1: on Ruth's lap.
- 2:45:57Speaker 9: I couldn't stand it back there in the room. It
- 2:46:00Speaker 9: seemed as if all my life I've been cooped up
- 2:46:03Speaker 9: in a room. So I thought i'd try and end this.
- 2:46:06Speaker 9: I might have if I'd had the courage alone in
- 2:46:12Speaker 9: a ditch by the open road, watching the sun rise.
- 2:46:16Speaker 5: Rob don't talk, you're wasting your strength. Rest a while,
- 2:46:21Speaker 5: and then we'll carry you.
- 2:46:22Speaker 9: Still hoping, andy, don't I know.
- 2:46:27Speaker 1: There is a pause during which he greets heavily, draining
- 2:46:29Speaker 1: his eyes towards the horizon.
- 2:46:31Speaker 9: The sun comes so slowly with.
- 2:46:34Speaker 1: An ironical smile.
- 2:46:35Speaker 9: The doctor told me to go to the far off
- 2:46:37Speaker 9: places I'd be cured. He was right, that was always
- 2:46:42Speaker 9: the cure for me. It's too late for this life.
- 2:46:47Speaker 1: But he has a fit of coughing which racks his body.
- 2:46:51Speaker 1: Rob He clenches his fists in an impotent rage against fate.
- 2:46:56Speaker 2: God.
- 2:46:58Speaker 1: God sobs brokenly and wipes Robert's lips with her handkerchief,
- 2:47:03Speaker 1: in a voice which is suddenly ringing with the happiness
- 2:47:06Speaker 1: of hope.
- 2:47:06Speaker 9: He mustn't feel sorry for me, don't you see. I'm
- 2:47:10Speaker 9: happy at last, free, free, freed from the farm, free
- 2:47:16Speaker 9: to wander on and on eternally.
- 2:47:19Speaker 1: He raises himself on his elbow, his face radiant, and
- 2:47:22Speaker 1: points to the horizon.
- 2:47:24Speaker 9: Look, isn't it beautiful beyond the hills. I can hear
- 2:47:29Speaker 9: the old voices calling me to come, And this time
- 2:47:32Speaker 9: I'm going. It isn't the end, It's a free beginning,
- 2:47:39Speaker 9: the start of my voyage. I've won my trip, the
- 2:47:44Speaker 9: right of release beyond the horizon. Oh, you ought to
- 2:47:50Speaker 9: be glad, glad for my sake.
- 2:47:54Speaker 1: He collapses weakly, and the Andrew bent down to him.
- 2:47:59Speaker 5: Remember Ruth I'll take care of her. I swear, do you,
- 2:48:03Speaker 5: Rob Ruth.
- 2:48:05Speaker 9: Has suffered, remember Andy, only through sacrifice the secret beyond there.
- 2:48:14Speaker 1: He suddenly raises himself with his last remaining strength and
- 2:48:16Speaker 1: points to the horizon, where the edge of the sun's
- 2:48:18Speaker 1: disk is rising from the rim of the hills the sun.
- 2:48:22Speaker 1: He remains with his eyes fixed on it for a moment.
- 2:48:24Speaker 1: A raving noise robs from his throat. He mumbles remember
- 2:48:29Speaker 1: and falls back and is still. Ruth gives a cry
- 2:48:32Speaker 1: of horror and springs to her feet, shuddering her hands
- 2:48:36Speaker 1: over her eyes. Andrew beds on one knee beside the body,
- 2:48:40Speaker 1: placing hand over Robert's heart. Then he kisses her brother
- 2:48:44Speaker 1: reverentially on the forehead and stands up, facing Ruth, the
- 2:48:48Speaker 1: body between them. He is dead with a sudden burst
- 2:48:53Speaker 1: of fury.
- 2:48:55Speaker 5: God, damn you.
- 2:48:56Speaker 2: You never told him he.
- 2:48:58Speaker 6: Was so happy with that out my lying to him.
- 2:49:02Speaker 1: Pointing to the body, trembling with the violence of his rage.
- 2:49:05Speaker 5: This is your doing, you damn woman, You coward, you
- 2:49:10Speaker 5: murder us.
- 2:49:12Speaker 6: Don't Andy stop. I couldn't help it, and he knew
- 2:49:16Speaker 6: how I'd suffered too. He told you to remember.
- 2:49:21Speaker 1: Stares at her for a moment, his rage heading away,
- 2:49:24Speaker 1: an expression of deep pity gradually coming over his face.
- 2:49:28Speaker 1: Then he glances down to his brother and seeks brokenly,
- 2:49:30Speaker 1: in a compassionate.
- 2:49:31Speaker 5: Voice, forgive me Ruth for his sake, and I'll remember.
- 2:49:39Speaker 1: Ruth lets her hands fall from her face and looks
- 2:49:41Speaker 1: at him uncomprehendingly. He lifts his eyes to hers and
- 2:49:44Speaker 1: forces out falteringly, I you.
- 2:49:49Speaker 5: We've both made a mess of things. We must try
- 2:49:53Speaker 5: to help each other, and in time we'll come to
- 2:49:58Speaker 5: know what's right, and perhaps we.
- 2:50:02Speaker 1: But Ruth, if she is aware of his words, gives
- 2:50:05Speaker 1: no sign. She remains silent, gazing him dully with the
- 2:50:09Speaker 1: sad humility of exhaustion, her mind already sinking back into
- 2:50:13Speaker 1: that spent calm beyond the further troubling of any hope
- 2:50:16Speaker 1: the curtain falls, and of beyond the horizon by Eugene
- 2:50:21Speaker 1: O'Neill