Lynn Riggs

“ I ain’t saw two Indians since I come to Indian Territory. Now they’ll git you. I’ve knowed it. They’ll stick you fer sellin’ the stuff to the poor fools that’s too skeered, and too weak, and too damn big a cowards to go up to Kansas City or Joplin and bring in their own whiskey, like a man. They’ll send you to jail—the only man that’s got guts enough to do it. You’ll git ten year or more. W’at’ll I git? ”

“ Elly
You cain’t shet me up. I’m a fool not to a-told you before. I’m a fool too—like yerself—like Butch—like the whole damn world! I been a fool. But I won’t be now. I’ll tell you now—now it’s too late—I’ll tell you sump’n ’at’ll make yer ears burn, ’at’ll make you sick inside like sump’n eatin’ on yer heart! Listen t’ me—you! You’re bright, you’re smart, you’re a keen-smellin’ dog of the law, you’re the law! You pertect the weak, you hang the criminals. You shoot down, you murder innocent people—that’s w’at you do! (With a sob.) It uz Butch, it uz Butch killed Jim Dory.... ”

“ The woods adjoining the Big Lake, near Verdigree Switch, Indian Territory, 1906. It is Spring. Vines creep on the trees just putting out their green. The ground is soft with dead leaves, among which grow the earliest flowers. A fallen log lies in a tangle of last year’s briars. It is the grayness of morning. Color is beginning to show in the East, where the lake lies, and as the light grows the lake shines through the leaves. Lloyd and Betty come from the left, softly over the matted earth. They are very young. Lloyd is tall, dark ”

“ It’s their fault fer goin’!
Lloyd
But people will go out on it. People want to. It ain’t wrong.
Elly
No. ’Tain’t wrong. ’N people will do it. That’s the trouble: they will do it. ’N do you know who it is does it? D’you know who it is that’s alwys gettin’ drownded in the Lake? People like you—young people—like yerselves—picnickin’! My brother—he got drownded out thar—a month back. We never did find him.
(Butch has risen to put a log on the fire. Betty shrinks away from him as he goes near her.) ”

“ I’m a man. Let up!
Elly (goes away from him. Bitterly....)
You’re lower’n I thought you wuz. I never thought t’ be livin’ with a murderer. (He comes toward her.) Oh, I ain’t so good. I know. You don’t have t’ tell me. But I never thought t’ come t’ this. I thought I knowed w’at I uz gettin’ into when I went away with you. I knowed you uz a bootlegger. I didn’t keer. It’s clean. It’s right. But killin’ ... I stop at killin’! Why’d you go and do it? Why did you? Now they’ll come and take you. They’ll take you away from me!
Butch
Christ’s sake, shet up! They’d a-took me away fer bootleggin’. ”

“ Betty
Home! I don’t want t’ see home again! I hate it! I hate these woods! They’s no place fer us—nowhur—
Lloyd
They’s room on the lake—
Betty
Oh, yes! They’s room thar! They’s room on the Lake!
Lloyd
It’s big! It’s deep!
(They row out of sight, left. A burst of song and laughter comes from the picnickers down the lake. Then there is the sharp crackle of twigs, and the noise of running. Plank and the Sheriff run in from the right.)
Plank (pointing off left, excitedly)
Thar he is, Shuruff!
Sheriff
(Draws his pistol as they run off left.) ”

“ Betty
I never been like this. Come on, to the Lake—
Lloyd (patiently)
Now, Betty, to the cabin first. Why, you’re cold! They’ll be a fa’r a-burnin’ thar. I doan know who’s a-livin’ thar, but we’ll go up and knock, and ask t’ git warm. They’ll be up. Country folks git up early. And they’ll have a fa’r—a nice roarin’ warm fa’r in the fa’rplace fer us to git warm at. Won’t you like that?
Betty
Mebbe—
Lloyd
It’s the funniest kind o’ cabin you ever see. It’s a log cabin. I been in it a long time ago with Paw. It’s a nice log cabin. An’ they’ll have a fa’r. ”

“ My poor little ones! (To Butch, gratefully, noticing his wet clothes.) Oh, you tried to save them! God will reward you! (Butch turns away.) Poor little Betty— Lloyd was good to her. Oh, why’d they go on the lake! Why’d they do it? I told them not to. (She turns away, sobbing.)
Elly (slowly)
It’s alwys the way. People will go on the lake. Young people. Cain’t keep ’em off. ’N’ they’s alwys accidents. Sometimes it’s the lake, sometimes it’s the woods—boats leak, guns go off, people air keerless, they’s wild animals—sump’n happens, sump’n alwys happens. ”

“ Elly (with foreboding)
Butch, I knowed this ud come. I knowed it. You’ll git sent up. And it ain’t right. You ain’t done nuthin’ wrong. It’s jist a law. W’at the hell’s a law? W’at’s it good fer? Why’n’t it agin the law everwhur else to sell whiskey? Them men whur they have their corner saloons all polished up—a-makin’ it criminal to sell a man a drink—w’at’s right about it? (With scorn.) Oh, yes! I know. Pertectin’ the Indians! They don’t want the Indians to git all lit up like they do all the time—ever day, ever night, regular. ”

“ Miles and miles through the bilin’ heat, tongue clawin’ at yer mouth—a-eatin’ dust, mebbe we’d go. Dust bilin’ up and blindin’ you—a-gettin’ in yer mouth and eyes till you thought you couldn’t stand it. An’ then the dark woods here—briars a-clawin’ at yer legs and hands, rattlers a-hidin’ under the leaves mebbe, logs t’ make yer horses jump, and branches ye’d have t’ dodge. Then the lake—flowin’ wide out—plum over almost out o’ sight—a-settin’ thar in the sun like sump’n you never hoped t’ see! ”

“ Why’d you say he wuz on the lake?
Butch
I got reasons.
Elly
W’at air they?
Butch (evilly)
You musta noticed, Elly—a girl wuz here with that boy. They’d come here together—
Elly
W’at of it?
[Pg 51]
Butch
The horse and buggy’s up here a ways. She’s young, she’s purty— They drove here together. She’ll need some one to drive her home—through the woods—
Elly
Ugh! You beast!
Butch
(He goes toward the steps.) Mebbe I am one. Mebbe I am a beast. And this place we’re livin’ in—whut’s it? It’s the woods, Elly. It’s the dark woods. (He goes up the steps.)
Elly
Butch! (She hurries after him.) ”

“ They won’t wait. They’re startin’ a f’ar.
Lloyd
Smoke’s a-rizin’ good. It’s a-comin’ off the ground an’ rizin’ up like a cloud. We oughter be thar. Miss Meredith might worry about us.
Betty
She wouldn’t worry about us. She wouldn’t worry about no one. Please, Lloyd, le’s go out on the lake—a little while, jist fer a little—
Lloyd (anxiously)
Whut is it?
Betty
Nuthin’—
Lloyd
Tell me—
Betty (with sudden passion)
Oh, them! That cabin! Them people! That man! I’m afeard of him, he’s a part of these woods here! He’s part of this. I don’t like it. It’s busy, busy a-doin’ sump’n I can’t understand! ”

“ I wuzn’t as purty as her, but I uz young like her. Look at me now!
Butch
You’re talkin’. You’re puttin’ words together. Whut good are they to me? They won’t save my neck frum hangin’. You got to help me. If you got to talk, tell me whut to do. The Shuruff’ll be comin’ here. Whut’ll I say to him? They ain’t nuthin’ to say to him, unless you help me. I got a plan—
Elly
Not that boy!
Butch
You got to help me. They don’t keer who they hang in this country. One man’s as good as another fer hangin’. They don’t keer. But I do! I keer fer hangin’. It’s got to be some one else. ”

“ Anybody, even the Shuruff a-lookin’ at him would know that that boy couldn’t do nuthin’ wrong, he couldn’t kill a man....
Butch
Elly!
Elly
He couldn’t even hurt any one’s feelin’s! And besides,—his story’s as good as yourn. They’d know w’at he said wuz the truth! You got to try some other plan, Butch. You got to try to get away. You got to sneak out in the woods an’ hide a day or two. I’ll take you grub t’ eat some way. Then when things blows over more we’ll light out fer Texas till they fergit all about us. You could hide close to the old sawmill some’er’s. ”

“ Elly
Mebbe she ain’t drownded. Mebbe she ain’t—the pore thing— (She sinks down wearily. To the Sheriff.) Why’d you stand thar? Why don’t you do sump’n? (With infinite scorn, infinite weariness.) Look at him. He’s the law. He’s done his duty. He’s got his man. He’ll git a reward. ”

“ Betty (reluctantly)
Well, I’ll go—if you think—
Lloyd
Frum the outside it looks jist like any log cabin. But when you open the door, and look in—whut do you see? Steps! Three steps a-goin’ down to the dirt floor. It’s part under the ground—
[Pg 11]
Betty
Oh! Like it growed up out o’ the ground—?
Lloyd
Yes, jist like that! Like it growed out o’ the ground!
Betty (with conviction)
It growed out o’ the ground. It growed out o’ the same ground the big woods growed out of! (She shudders.) ”

“ All acting rights, both professional and amateur, are reserved in the United States, the British Empire, including the Dominion of Canada, and all countries of the Copyright Union, by the owner. Application for the right of performing this play or of reading it in public should be made to Samuel French, 25 West 45th Street, New York City. ”

“ But now it’s gettin’ lighter and lighter—even to clear back here in the woods.
[Pg 4]
Betty (softly)
I c’n feel the dawn.
Lloyd
I c’n feel the dawn. I c’n see the dawn! Look! Through the trees! Whur the lake’s at! The Big Lake’s a-shinin’ like a tub full o’ soap-suds! I’m glad we come. Ain’t you, Betty?
Betty
I’m glad we come early.
Lloyd
I’m glad we come. (They stand a moment breathless at the beauty before them.) Le’s set down. (They sit at left.) The horse is tied up. Grub’s safe in the buggy. Miss Meredith ’n’ the rest of ’em won’t be here fer a long time yit. ”