(THE MAYOR looks about excitedly for the town marshall. Seeing him playing cards on the other side of porch, he bellows:)
Lum Boger, whyn’t you git these kids away from here! What kind of a marshall is you? All this passle of young’uns around here under grown people’s feet, creatin’ disorder in front of my store.
(LUM BOGER puts his cards down lazily, comes down stage and scatters the children away. One saucy little girl refuses to move.)
LUM BOGER.
Why’nt you go on away from here, Matilda? Didn’t you hear me tell you-all to move?
LITTLE MATILDA.
(Defiantly) I ain’t goin’ nowhere. You ain’t none of my mama. (Jerking herself free from him as LUM touches her.) My mama in the store and she told me to wait out here. So take that, ol’ Lum.
LUM BOGER.
You impudent little huzzy, you! You must smell yourself … youse so fresh.
MATILDA.
The wind musta changed and you smell your own top lip.
LUM BOGER.
Don’t make me have to grab you and take you down a buttonhole lower.
MATILDA.
(Switching her little head) Go ahead on and grab me. You sho can’t kill me, and if you kill me, you sho can’t eat me. (She marches into the store.)
SENATOR.
(Derisively from behind stump) Ol’ dumb Lum! Hey! Hey!