STELLA ADLER AS “ELLY”
STELLA ADLER AS “ELLY”
STELLA ADLER AS “ELLY”
Elly(softly)
Then you won’t understand. This boy is that a-way. You cain’t kill a thing like that. If you killed him, you’d be killin’ w’at uz good in you once ... if they uz ever anything....
Butch
You’re preachin’. Let up! Whut’d you think this is? It’s got to be the way I say, Elly. If I wanna save my neck, I got to throw the blame on some one else....
Elly(triumphantly)
Not that boy! I’ll tell youanotherreason why! If you’d a-looked at him, you’d know the reason yerself! 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! Andbesides,—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. They’d never think o’ lookin’ there fer you—so near—so near whur Jim—Hurry up, now! (She crosses and gets his gun.) You ain’t got much time. Take yer gun. Don’t use it unless you have to—promise me! I want you to be safe. (She offers him the gun.)
Butch(thoughtfully)
No. Put the gun back....
Elly
Butch!
Butch
You tuck it away frum me once....
Elly(frightened)
You’re not gonna give yerself up? Butch, no! You’ll be hung!
Butch
You said they’d never b’lieve that boy done it, eh?
Elly
Yes. They won’t. They’ll know he couldn’t.
Butch
An’ they’ll b’lieve him, eh? His story’ll be better’n mine, eh?
Elly
They’ll know it’s the truth.
Butch
I b’lieve you.
Elly
Then why don’t you go—before the Shuruff comes?...
Butch
I ain’t goin’!
Elly
You ain’t givin’ yerself up? Butch, you mustn’t! It’s wrong of me to say it. You’ve broke the laws, you’ve sold whiskey, you’ve killed a man—you’d oughta suffer fer it. But you mustn’t! You got to go—quick—they’s time! I’ll leave you grub ever’ day by the foot-log that’s been washed up by the Crick. I’ll keep a lookout. When it’s safe—
Butch
I ain’t goin’. I ain’t gonna give myself up, neither. I got a plan. (Fiercely.) An’ if you try to bungle it, if you try t’ put yer nose in, or even open yer mouth, I’ll kill you, d’ you hear! You know I will, too!
Elly
W’at’re you gonna do?
Butch
Put that gun back. Put it back, I say!
(She crosses reluctantly, and is putting the gun back in the bunk. The door is kicked open, viciously. Three men with pistols in their hands eye them from the high threshold. It is theSheriffand his deputies.)
(She crosses reluctantly, and is putting the gun back in the bunk. The door is kicked open, viciously. Three men with pistols in their hands eye them from the high threshold. It is theSheriffand his deputies.)
Sheriff(nervously)
Two of ’em. Keep yer eye on the womern, Plank. (ToButch.) Put ’em up! (The men come down into the room. TheSheriffis a florid-faced man, with a long mustache.) Search him, Joe. (Joecomes over, makes a quick search ofButch,and finds nothing.) No gun, eh? Make shore, Joe. We doan wanna take no chances.
Joe
They ain’t none, Shuruff.
Sheriff
All right. Keep yer gun on him. (ToButch.) Guess you know whut we want you fer, Adams. Yer name’s Adams, ain’t it?
Joe
ButchAdams, Shuruff.
Sheriff
You’ve killed a man.
Butch
I doan know whut you’re talkin’ about. Come bustin’ into my house this a-way. Whut right’ve you got?
Sheriff
Dry up.
Butch
You got a warrant?
Sheriff
Warrant, hell!
Butch
You got no right here. I oughta shoot you down.
Sheriff(laughs shortly)
Shoot! Whut’ll you shoot with? Strikes me as funny you got no shootin’ iron on you an’ you jist murderin’ a man in cold blood—
Butch
I never! I doan know whut you’re talkin’ about—
Sheriff
We won’t argy with you.
Butch
Show me yer warrant.
Sheriff
They ain’t no warrant.
Butch
I’ll have the law on you.
Sheriff
I’mthe law! Le’s go. ’S funny about you havin’ no gun—I doan understand it—
Plank(suddenly—toElly)
Stand whur you air. Git away from that bunk. Lemme see whut you’re a-doin’— (He turns back the cover and finds the pistol.) So that’s whut you’re up to, eh?
Sheriff
Whut is it, Plank?
Plank
She uz reachin’ fer a gun. I thought they uz sump’n funny when we come in. She seemed t’ be a-bendin’ over like she uz huntin’ sump’n—
Sheriff(taking the pistol)
So that’s it? (ToButch.) Didn’t have time t’git hold of it, did you? ’S lucky we kicked the door open—
Elly
He didn’t do it.
Butch
I ain’t been outa the house—
Elly
Don’t you take him! He ain’t done nuthin’!
Butch
I ain’t done nuthin’. (Significantly.) If Jim Dory said my name—
Sheriff
Jim Dory, eh? Who said anything about Jim Dory? I guess you’ve told on yerself!
Butch
I never!
Sheriff
You’ve fixed yerself now! Look around, Joe. I’ll watch him. They oughta be evidence, too.
(Joebegins his search of the room, over by the bunks. He crosses to the fireplace.)
(Joebegins his search of the room, over by the bunks. He crosses to the fireplace.)
Joe
Don’t see nuthin’.
Butch
You won’t find nuthin’—
Joe
Here’s a pan! Bloody water, Shuruff!
Sheriff
Le’s see it—
Joe(bringing it over)
He washed his hands.
Sheriff
You got ’em bloody, did you—puttin’ Jim back in the buggy? Oh, he told. He had time to git out a word or two afore he died. Well, we got evidence. We got you now whur we want you—
Butch(slowly)
Shuruff—I’ll tell you—
Sheriff
It’s time you told me.
Butch
I’ll tell you who done it. My brother—he done it.
Elly
Butch!
Butch
He’s crazy. He runs wild here in the woods. He ain’t right—
Sheriff(sarcastically)
Whut’s this?
Butch
He lives with us—my brother— You must’a’ heerd of him.
Plank
I’ve heerd of a crazy boy here in the woods, Shuruff. But that don’t prove nuthin’. You hear funny stories about these woods here—
Butch
Ask Elly!
Sheriff
’S this crazy boy live here with you?
Elly(after a moment)
Yes.
Sheriff
’N’ sleeps here?
Elly
Yes. Sleeps thar. (She points to the top bunk.)
Sheriff(toButch)
He’s yer brother, eh?
Butch
Yes. Name’s Adams—too, like mine. I’ll tell you. I cain’t pertect him. I tried. He went out las’ night. I didn’t know why. He goes out—roams in the woods—all the time. Lately, he’s got to mumblin’ sump’n—like this: “Woods is too full—woods is too full. People.” I’ve heerd him, ask Elly.
Elly
Oh, he did—he said that—“People. Too many people. They’s room in the lake—they’s room thar—they’s room in the lake. It’s big. It’s deep.” Oh— (Buries her face in her hands.)
Butch
She liked him. Heuz my brother. Las’ night he went out. He come in this mornin’ early. It uz him—it uzhimkilled Jim Dory. He told me. Met him in the woods—stuck a knife in him. He washed his hands—they uz blood on ’em. He throwed his coat under the bunk—they uz blood on it. He went out again.
Sheriff(excitedly)
Whur is he? Whur’d he go to?
Butch
Don’t ask me—
Sheriff
Tell me—quick, whur is he?
Elly(in anguish)
In the lake—that’s whur he’s at.
Sheriff
In the lake?
Elly
Drownded.
Butch
No—no! No, he ain’t, Shuruff. He’sonthe lake.
Elly(agonized)
Butch!
Butch
In a boat.
Sheriff
We’ll git him. He won’t git away!
Butch
You won’t git him—not alive, you won’t. You’ll have t’ be keerful if you even go near him—he’s got a gun!
Sheriff
We’ll git him!
Butch
He’s crazy. He’ll shoot.
Sheriff
We’ll shootfirst!
Elly
Shuruff! No, no! Don’t do it. Don’t listen t’ him.
Butch
Be keerful, Shuruff—
Sheriff
I ain’t skeered of him—
Butch
They’s a girl with him—
Sheriff
A girl—?
Butch
He run onto her som’er’s. Mebbe here in the woods. I doan know whur she come frum—a young, purty girl. (Meaningly.) He’s got her with him—out on the lake.
Sheriff
The bastard!
Butch
Be keerful. Don’t shoother, Shuruff.
Sheriff
Whur’s they a boat?
Butch
They ain’t but one. He’s in it—him and the girl.
Sheriff
We’ll get him frum the bank, then. Joe, you stay here. Watch the cabin—outside. Don’t let these two get outa yer sight. Plank, you come with me.
(The three men go up the steps.JoeandPlankgo out.)
(The three men go up the steps.JoeandPlankgo out.)
Elly
Shuruff, you mustn’t do it—they’s a reason—you mustn’t. I’ll tell you—
Butch(quickly)
He’s my brother, Shuruff. I don’t keer. He’s done wrong. Shoot him down.
Sheriff
You’re damn right I will. Like a dog! (He goes out.)
Elly(agonized)
W’at made you?
Butch
You told me yerself—
Elly
No—
Butch
That about yer brother—that put me wise. No one knows he’s been drownded.
Elly
Why’d you do it? You could’ve said he got drownded this mornin’. They’d a-b’lieved it. 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?
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.)
Curtain