Scene 2
(A cleared place sloping down to the left, where the lake comes in in a little bay. The branches of old trees meet overhead. The lake glitters in the bright sunlight.
Plank and the Sheriff, with the pistol still in his hand, stand and shout off left.)
Sheriff
Come in, you! Put that boat in to shore!
Lloyd’s Voice
I won’t— I won’t—
Sheriff
I’m givin’ you one more chance!
Lloyd’s Voice
I won’t never do it! You cain’t make me, you cain’t—
Sheriff
I’ll give you till I count three!
Lloyd’s Voice
Count ten! Count a hunderd! I won’t come!
Sheriff (deliberately)
One! Two! Three! Comin’?
Lloyd’s Voice
Never!
Sheriff (raises his gun slowly and fires)
Take that, then! (Betty screams.)
Plank
You got him, Shuruff! He’s sunk down in the boat like he’s dead! Hey! Look at it! Look! The girl! She’s standin’ up in the boat! Good God, she’s jumpin’ in the lake! She’ll drownd!
(Butch and Elly, followed by Joe, run in from the right.)
Elly (in horror)
Shuruff! Shuruff! You’ve killed him! You’ve killed him! (She looks off, left.) Oh, the girl—she’s drownin’! Quick, save her—you got to—go an’ save her, she’s drownin’! (Butch throws off his coat.)
Butch (muttering)
Christ! (He dashes off, left.)
Elly (with a moan)
Oh, w’at’ve you done, w’at’ve you done! (With bitter scorn.) You don’t know! You think you’ve upheld the law, you think you’ve done yer duty! Well, you ain’t! You’ve killed an innocent boy that wouldn’t hurt a fly—that’s w’at you’ve done! (She looks left.) Oh, hurry! hurry! She’s goin’ down! Hurry an’ git her!
Sheriff
Go help him, Plank. Go help him. Joe, go drag in the boat. Hurry up! (Plank and Joe hurry out.)
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.
Sheriff
Shet up!
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....
Sheriff
Whut’s this!
Elly
Butch, I tell you! This boy ain’t his brother. He never saw him before. He’s jist a boy, jist a young boy—picknickin’—in the woods—
Sheriff
Good God! Is this the truth you’re tellin’ me?
Elly
It’s the truth—
Sheriff
Godamighty!
(Butch comes in dripping, carrying Betty. He puts her down gently.)
Butch
Drownded—
(Plank and Joe come in carrying Lloyd. They put him down.)
Plank
You got him, Shuruff—
Joe
He’s dead.
(The Sheriff staggers a little, his hand before his eyes. Elly comes down, bends tearfully over the bodies. Then she stands erect, wheels and faces the Sheriff.)
Elly
Ask him!
Sheriff
Oh—
Elly
Ask him, Shuruff! Ask him who killed Jim Dory! ’N’ if he lies!—
Sheriff (to Butch)
She says you done it.
Butch
She told on me?
Sheriff
She says you done it.
Butch
(He looks at Elly. She does not flinch. He looks back at the Sheriff. Speaks slowly.) I killed him.
Sheriff
Christamighty! You killed Jim Dory? You killed this boy too, then! You done it! ’Twuzn’t me!
Butch (as if dazed)
I killed her, too. She drownded herself. I tried t’ save her.
Sheriff (horrified)
How could you do it! Two men—an’ this pore innocent little girl! God! Why’d you do it? Whut made you?
Butch
I don’t know. You’re the law. You tell me! Tell me why I done it!
(The picnic party rushes in from the right. They stop. They are silent, awed.)
Miss Meredith
What’s the matter? I heard shots! (She catches sight of the bodies.) Oh! What is it? Lloyd and Betty! Good heavens!
Sheriff
Dead, Miss.
Miss Meredith
Oh, my poor little children! 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. It cain’t be helped.—
Curtain