Complete Works of Sherwood Anderson

by Sherwood Anderson

  TOM

  George, don’t go away from here. I got something to settle with you. You go to your room and stay there till I come.

  GEORGE’S voice — offstage

  GEORGE

  But father, I can’t. The paper comes out tomorrow. I got to go over to the office.

  TOM

  Loudly, in a commanding voice — offstage You do as I tell you. Go to your room.

  TOM WILLARD enters from the left, rear. The doctor’s medicine case is sitting back of the table at the left and he kicks it over

  REEFY Coldly Good evening, Tom.

  TOM

  Staring — at — REEFY resentfully Good evening.

  He takes off his hat and stands holding it. The three people are silent. The atmosphere of the room grows tense, TOM addresses

  REEFY

  I didn’t know you were here. I have something to say to my wife.

  REEFY looks at him, then goes to pick up his medicine case, TOM watches him resentfully I didn’t intend to do that. REEFY Coldly It doesn’t matter, Tom. I don’t practice medicine much any more. If it were quite destroyed, it and its contents, what few patients I have might be the better off.

  DOCTOR REEFY doesn’t want to leave the man and wife together. With the medicine case in his hand he walks about and stands there fumbling with his hat, not looking at the others. He speaks without looking around Elizabeth — Mrs. Willard — you know — you must be very quiet. There mustn’t be anything done or said to excite you, I’ve told you....

  He turns and looks sharply at ELIZABETH, who is still sitting rigidly in her chair

  ELIZABETH

  Yes, Doctor Reefy.

  There is a rather tense pause Good-by, Doctor Reefy.

  REEFY continues to hesitate. He walks across the room toward ELIZABETH, then stops and turns to TOM. TOM is also upset. He has come into the room to have a scene with his wife but the presence of DOCTOR REEFY is sapping his courage. He makes a move as though about to leave — then stops and stiffens himself, REEFY addresses him severely

  REEFY

  Your wife, Tom — Mrs. Willard — Elizabeth here — she must be kept quiet.

  TOM seems about to speak but doesn’t. He walks across the room and sits at the small table where GEORGE has just been seated

  ELIZABETH

  Well, Doctor Reefy, good night. It was so good of you to come.

  REEFY

  But, Elizabeth...

  ELIZABETH

  It will be quite all right — good-by.

  REEFY goes reluctantly out. ELIZABETH smiles. There is a period of intense silence in the room and then ELIZABETH, who has been sitting upright in her chair, relaxes TOM Pretending to be sympathetic Elizabeth — I came here — there has something happened. It concerns you as well as me — it’s about George — however —

  He is trying to be calm Doctor Reefy says you must be quiet — you must not get excited.

  He jumps up from his chair and starts to leave. He speaks in the voice of a wronged man Very well, I’ll go.

  ELIZABETH

  Firmly No. Sit down.

  She still sits relaxed in her chair, but turns her head and looks at her husband, TOM, not able to return her gaze, looks at the floor. He is again seated in the chair

  TOM

  I’ve said before and I’ll say again — why do you have him — that old man for your doctor? You ought to have the best doctor there is. There are younger doctors here, who are more up to date.

  He is trying to control himself It isn’t the cost that matters. You know well enough how that old man is. He hasn’t hardly any practice. He doesn’t keep up to date. I guess he doesn’t ever send you a bill. I don’t know how the old coot lives. You know as well as I do, that when it comes to being a real doctor...

  He raises his voice They laugh at him, Elizabeth — the whole town laughs at him —

  TOM tries to look at his wife but cannot As I told you, I came here tonight — Something’s happened again — We’re in disgrace again.

  ELIZABETH

  Softly Who?

  TOM

  We. The family. You. Me. George. George has done it. If you don’t want me to tell you tonight, I won’t.

  He speaks hurriedly and angrily That doctor you have come here to see you — you going to his office — it’s about the only place in town you ever do go. You can go there — you can climb the stairs to his office — but He jumps up out of his chair and looks away from his wife If you don’t want to know what’s going on — your own name dragged in the mud —

  ELIZABETH

  Speaking in a cool soft voice By whom?

  TOM

  By George, our son.

  He is beginning to let go. He tries to put a tone of contempt into the pronouncing of DOCTOR REEFY’S name — dragging it out slowly All right — if you don’t want to know — Doctor Reefy says you must not get excited.

  He makes a pretense again of going Well, all right then.

  ELIZABETH

  Laughing softly. She still sits relaxed in the chair but her voice is sharp Wait! Stay here! Go back over there and sit down!

  She raises her arm and points to the chair but TOM hesitates. He doesn’t want to obey her command but he is disconcerted and so obeys Now, go on. Tell your story. Do you think after all the years I’ve lived with you, that you can excite me?

  TOM

  He jumps up out of his chair and begins walking up and down the room. He doesn’t look at his wife who sits relaxed in her chair, watching him George is in bad with a woman. It’s Belle Carpenter. I don’t know whether you know her or not. She had a milliner shop in the Harkness block. It’s been closed now for three or four months. I guess you don’t know about it. You don’t know what goes on in this town, but I do. The woman has had a child and it’s George’s child. Every one says so. The town’s full of talk about him. He himself told his friend, young Seth Richmond, that he’s been with her. I got that straight. Then — when I accused him — some time ago — he lied to me. He said it wasn’t him. And if there’s anything I can’t stand, it’s a liar.

  ELIZABETH

  Calmly Go on.

  TOM

  Now the woman has suddenly had the child and left town. He begins to shout And now again, tonight. You saw George just now — he was in here. You saw how he looked. Well, already, — the stink of the other affair running all over town — he’s got into it again. There’s another one — a young girl this time. A little slut here in town. She’s a girl named Trunion — a little no-account slut — a whore — that’s what she is. My God! Our son fighting about her, with Ed Hanby — a saloonkeeper. He got hell knocked out of him. He got a black eye. The whole town’s full of it.

  TOM is beside himself now. He is shouting at the top of his voice A damn torn cat. That boy — our son — your son — my son — running from slut to slut in this town — a torn cat — a God damn young torn cat. I’ll fix him. I’m not gonna stand for it, I tell you.

  During this outburst ELIZABETH has leaned forward as though about to interrupt, but each time sinks back again into her chair, TOM becomes full of self-pity. He walks up and down the room wringing his hands And so — my life — that’s the way it has turned out.

  He constantly goes toward his wife but cannot bear the sight of her sitting white and relaxed in her chair My life — my life — you know well enough what it is. You’re my wife. You know. I came here to this town — a young man with the world before me. We got married. You never trusted me. You wanted to keep everything in your own hands. Now I’m going to take things into my hands. I don’t blame you for being sick, Elizabeth. I guess you can’t help that. But there’s something else. There always has been something else between us. I know. You can’t fool me. You can’t pull the wool over my eyes.

  He is shouting You and this boy. If you — my wife — would stand back of me. I’m the man here. It’s just this God damn letting him go — encouraging him. Always letting him do as he damn pleases.
God damn it — you know well enough what my life’s been like. Just one long discouraging pull, uphill. I’ve always been held back. I’ve had chances enough to be a big man and always had to let ’em go. Stuck down here in this damn little hole of a town. Held down by — by — well, by my family.

  TOM has got himself thoroughly worked up And now, by God — there’s going to be law laid down here now — law, by God! That God damn boy! I’m determined he’ll be something. Up to now I’ve kept my hands off. I never wanted him to go into that damn newspaper job. He wanted to and you let him. Moping around half the time, not hearing when you speak to him — thinking about poetry — poetry! Not even doing his job well. I wanted to make a snappy, alive business man out of him. That’s what I wanted — I will, too! Up to now he’s been your son — now he’s gonna be my son. There’s gonna be law laid down in this house. I’ll — I’ll —

  TOM is suddenly interrupted. ELIZABETH suddenly begins to laugh. The laughter begins softly at first, running through the room and then suddenly it becomes louder. It goes on and on. The woman is still sitting, white and apparently relaxed in her chair, TOM acts like a man who has suddenly been shot. He stands trembling like an animal pursued by hounds. He seems about to dash for the door. Suddenly ELIZABETH jumps from her chair. There is an amazing transformation. She is still pale and white, but now suddenly she seems a strong, young woman. She is not laughing now. She advances upon TOM who shrinks away from her

  ELIZABETH

  So? — So a man has come to us.... Sit over there.

  TOM is backing away from her. He reaches the table, right front, and drops into the chair between the audience and the table So — so a man has come to us. So you came here to proclaim your manhood — to me — you — my husband. You are about to lay down the law?

  Again she laughs You, Tom Willard — you are going to take command of the boy? George — your son. You are going to make a man out of him — your kind of man. The kind of man you would like to have been — your dream of manhood.

  TOM’S eyes follow his wife as she strides up and down the room. There is something dog-like and frightened in his eyes. ELIZABETH speaks in a low, level, distinct voice Your dream! You want the boy to fulfill your dream — the dream of a cheap man. Always this everlasting cheapness. How much have I seen of it — this everlasting, second-rateness. How much there is of it.

  TOM half rises from his chair as if to speak A man. He wants to make a man of him — of my son — his kind of a man — he wants him to be a man...

  She laughs softly now So do I. It’s funny — but that’s what I’ve always been seeking — a man. I remember, when I was a young girl in this town — he called it a hole — I wanted that — manhood.

  Turning to her husband —

  Tom, I was looking for that — a woman looking for it — for manhood.

  She looks at TOM as though he were something outside her life There must be millions of women looking for it.

  She looks at TOM in a strange, abstract way. TOM seems dazed I remember how I was then, as a young girl — how eager I was. I hated being born a girl — but I couldn’t help it. As for this place, Tom — this hole — this town — this poor little hotel — we might have made it something. It wasn’t just a place I wanted. What did I care where I was?

  Again she ignores him and walks up and down I wanted manhood — manhood — to find it — to fulfill myself — I wanted fulfillment — there was something I wanted to be — I knew I couldn’t do it alone — I wanted a man with a dream — I wanted his fancy to play over me, like hands touching me — recreating me....

  Again she stops and stands staring at her husband Marriage — it might have been something, Tom, even with you — the man I took. I had a kind of hope, we were both so young. I remember how you were Tom, when I married you. For a time you were nice — like a nice young boy — I thought you might stay like that....

  She turns away from him and laughs I should have tried being the dominant one — I should have cried — scolded — fussed at him — that’s what women do — as that baker’s wife does out there in the alleyway. I couldn’t — I was too proud — I couldn’t — I couldn’t. Tom, you always wanted to be something big — something important — something that seemed big to you — and when you couldn’t you pretended you were big. That’s why I grew afraid of your influence on the boy. It is an idea that has to be wiped out. The whole idea of bigness. Men all seem to have it. — Fools! Fools! Why? What woman ever cares about that!

  Again she laughs and turns away from TOM. She looks about the room—’

  This hotel — it always was such a poor, shabby little place — even in father’s time. Father wasn’t a practical man — he was a dreamer. I loved him.

  She turns sharply upon TOM

  I thought perhaps, when I married you — you — my husband and myself — Tom, I couldn’t stand it down there in the hotel office saying smart things to the traveling men who came here — men who sold cigars, whiskey, shoes, cloth — trying to be attractive to them — I couldn’t — I couldn’t. That kind of cheap, half-flirtation carried on with such men —

  Her voice softens Tom, we’ve never talked of this. That other man I took before you — the one who came here — you know. I tried him, Tom. We couldn’t marry. He had a wife somewhere. When I married you, Tom, I thought — I began — I worked — you know I wasn’t afraid of work — I had some money father had left me. I never told, I was waiting, watching. I had it hidden away. You know how I began to fix up the rooms here, one by one — trying — trying — perhaps you never knew — never saw it —

  She laughs I used to cut little pictures out of the magazines to hang on the wall. You didn’t seem to care — no one seemed to care. Who was there to care? The beds in the rooms were so ugly — the wallpaper so ugly. Rooms should be nice — nice, Tom. Rooms should be like a woman — made beautiful. All women want to be made beautiful. For a time, Tom, I thought I would spend the money father had given me, to get new things for the rooms but I grew afraid of you. I watched you! I knew you didn’t understand. I tried to love you, Tom — I tried — I tried. You never seemed to care. You were so absorbed in yourself.

  Again she turns away from him and walks up and down I remember a man who came here once — such a strange man. It was after I married you, Tom. He talked to me. I’d quit being a man-lover. I couldn’t do it any more. I wish he had come earlier. He might have been the one. He came into one of the rooms where I was working. He laughed at me. He talked in such a strange way. “Silly!” he said, “don’t you know it’s no good?” I had cut little pictures out of the magazines. He looked at them and laughed. “Be an American — be big,” he said. “Get you a big hotel — get you a dozen hotels.”

  She turns upon her husband Now I know what he meant, Tom. That’s what you wanted — a show of bigness. Now you want to put it into the boy’s head.

  TOM WILLARD has let his head fall forward. His elbows on his knees and his face is buried in his hands. ELIZABETH points off stage, left Tom, my father left me some money and I had it in a hole behind the little table in there. It’s gone now. You’ll never get it. It wasn’t for myself. It was for George.

  She turns and laughs at him George, our son! Our son! — You fool! Don’t you know that you’re not George’s father?

  TOM

  Having stood all he can, jumps to his feet That’s a lie! You know it — that’s a lie!

  His face is white. He’s like a cornered rat It’s a lie! You are only saying it to hurt me — I know that! But I know what you are. You’re a slut — that’s what you are!

  ELIZABETH

  Taking a step toward him I remember, a little while ago, you called another woman that.

  TOM

  God damn you! Slut — slut!

  TOM crouches as though to spring at his wife. ELIZABETH strides across the room to the little table and takes the scissors out of the work basket. She advances toward her husband

  ELIZABETH
/>
  You are going to lay down the law to him. You’re going to try to make him like yourself. It has to be wiped out — wiped out! It can’t go on. Cheapness! Always this cheap pretense of bigness...

  She is in the center of the room, crouched and facing her husband It has to be wiped out — wiped out.

  She is holding the scissors like a dagger and seems about to spring. Her arm is raised. Suddenly her figure stiffens and she drops on the floor at TOM’S feet.

  TOM

  Help! Help! George! George!

  TOM runs out of the room calling help! help! as he runs out GEORGE WILLARD runs in. He runs to kneel beside the figure of his mother and touches her with his hand. He half arises

  GEORGE

  Dead! Dead!

  With a broken sob Mother! Mother!

  From the alleyway comes again the sound of smashing glass — but this time accompanied by the scream of a cat VOICE In the alleyway — exultantly God damn — I got him — I got him that time.

  CURTAIN

  SCENE IX

  TWO OR THREE years have passed. The scene is a back room, back of ED HANBY’S saloon. He and his wife, LOUISE, live upstairs The room is very plain and simple and people go and come, from both the right and left. It is a bare room, with two or three tables and two or three chairs at each table. There is a heavy salt shaker on the table right rear at which three men are sitting. They are playing cards DOCTOR PARCIVAL sits alone in a chair against the wall and near him, looking toward the card players, is ED HANBY. ED wears a bartender s apron. The men at the table are just finishing the game and each man slaps his card down on the table with force

  VOICE

  There! Take that — a queen, eh.

  A heavy thump of a fist on the table

  SECOND VOICE

  And there! — a king.

  Heavier thump of a fist on the table

  THIRD VOICE

  Take that! Ha! — the ace.

  Even heavier thump of a fist on the table The three men relax and one of them throws back his head and breads into a song. Sings Hurra! Hurra!

  We’ll sing the jubilee.

  PARCIVAL