Gard

Howdy.

Julie
Mrs. Sawters
You knew she was married, didn't you?

Clabe

Blocky told me. This is Blocky. Blocky Lockhart. You
ought to remember him.

(Smiling)
Mrs. Sawters
I remember a loud-mouthed little boy used to go swimming
with you.

Blocky

(With loud amusement)

Ho! And still loud-mouthed, they tell me! How'd do,
Mrs. Sawters. That's what it takes to be a rising
young lawyer in this country. A good loud voice and a
set of law books. I got both of 'em! Gonna run for
state Senate on the strength of that one of 'em. I ain't
figgered out which! Howdy, Mr. Sawters.

Mr. Sawters
Howdy, Blocky. Any friend of Clabe's is always welcome.

Mrs. Sawters
Gard Dunham.

Blocky

Howdy, Gard. Used to have a brother name 'Blocky' Gar.
Without the D. Short for Edgar. Went off to the war
in Cuba, and never amounted to a damn from then on. Yes,
sir!

(They gave taken off their coats by this time, and Bina has disposed of them in the hall, leaving the sliding doors open)

Blocky (cont'd)

Funny thing about my brother Gar. I used
to ask him and ask him to tell me
all about it and he —

(Breaking off)

Whoa, whoa back! Shut my mouth,
can't you, someone? I guess it's Clabe
you wanta hear from — and here I go
sheatin' my head off, as usual!

4 - 14

(Clabe is looking at the room. They watch him hopefully, stifling their nervousness. Deep in their minds is the question: will he stay?)

Mrs. Sawters

What is it, Clabe?

Mr. Sawters

Glad to be home, son?

Clabe

(After a moment)

Everything is just the same.

Mr. Sawters

Things move slow in the country.

glass

Clabe

That door to the boat landing is new. And that stove
didn't use to be there. What's the matter with the
fireplace? Doesn't it heat enough any more?

Mr. Sawters

Winters seem to be getting colder. Or maybe we are,
I don't know.

Mrs. Sawters

There's a new enlargement of you over the mantel. Don't miss
that.

Clabe

I was coming to that.

Mr. Sawters

You must have pictured the way everything was in your
mind all these years, didn't you?

Clabe

I thought about it some.

Bina

Don't look to me like you wanted to get here! Why was
you all so long drivin' from Claremore? I don't to give
you any dinner!

Blocky

It was all Clabe's fault. Now don't look at me, Miss Bina!

Clabe

We drove around the lake. Then we looked at the pasture
over toward Verdigris. Your barbed wire is down. The fence
needs a lot of fixing. There were a few bunch of stray

4 - 17

Bina

(Absurdly, striking at him)

I never was! Maw, make him le' me xixing alone!

(Julie has come down the steps. She pauses uncertainly at the foot of the stairs. She has put on the brooch Clabe gave her, and which she had had given Bina)

Mrs. Sawters

(Softly)

Clabe. Here's Julie.

(He turns, looks at her, a suspended moment. Then he goes over, takes her in his arms, hungrily.)

Julie

(Overwhelmed with relief, dim and touched)

Clabe.... Clabe...

(Her head is buried against him)

(He kisses her. Then he withdraws, his eyes on her.)

Juliex{EOWKTH}

fXoiiixtkXXKNEWXifXYEUTdXXYAAKXXKEXMXXX

Clabe

(Huskily), moved)

I didn't know if you were here.

Julie

I didn't know if you'd speak to me.

(With nervous forced gaiety)

My, you look so well! The Navy seems to have done you good. Isn't it nice to have him back? I can hardly realize it.

Bina

(In astonished annoyance)

Julie!

Why, you Indian givers!

Who said you could

wear that brooch?

You gave it to me,

Blocky

Here, here!

Bina

Why, she went and stole it out of my room. Of all the nervet Indian givers!

["4 - 19", "Julie", "Then that means you -- you've come home to stay.", "Clabe", "I don't know.", "Julie", "You don't know?", "Clabe", "Blocky here has got some kind of crazy notion.", "Blocky", "Nothin' crazy about it! He can do jist like I done.\nAnd go a long ways futher than I'll ever go, too. I\nwant him to come into my law office at Claremore and read\nup on the law. He's smart as a whip, and always has\nbeen. Ain't no tellin' what'll come of it. Why, this\nis brand new country out here with opportunity knockin'\nlike thunder! Why, even a old country boy like me expects\nto run for senator soon' s as the state comes in. And\nClabe here might even get to be the governor 'fore long-\nif he knows a good thing when he sees it.", "Mrs. Sawters", "What does Clabe say about it?", "Blocky", "(Disgusted)", "Claims he don't know yet what he wants to do. Claims he\nhas to rest up and think it over. And chances jist\nslippin' out of his hands!", "Clabe", "If I miss this one, there'll be another.", "Blocky", "You're only young once.", "Clabe", "When I was young, I didn't have 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4 - 25

Julie

You're making it up.

Mrs. Sawters

No. It's there. Too strange for me to understand. But that's the way it is. And you'll succeed in this, as you've always had your way in everything. You'll succeed -- if I let you. And I won't let you.

Julie

(Deeply troubled)

You think I'm full of plans of some kind! You've always seen me as I've never been. That's not the way it is -- can't you understand? I'm tortured in ways no one can see. If I were stretched out on a rack, it couldn't be worse. Surely you can see by looking at me that I'm telling the truth.

Please. Why can't you? I need someone to know. You see me as something --- a snake coiled up, waiting a chance to strike. It's myself the poison reaches.

Mother. I need help, not to be accused. I can't see farther ahead than my hand. And where it leads me, I don't know. I don't.

Mrs. Sawters

To something horrible beyond knowing, I think. Julie, you didn't have any plan the night poor Opal died. But she's a forgotten thing in the grave, with no one to mourn her going away. You tied yourself up to Gard and you hated him. Now look at him. I don't hold any brief for Gard. He wasn't much of a man when you married him. But he was a worker and a good one. What is he now? Who made him like that?

I know so much about things you wouldn't believe. You've turned the hate you've got for yourself against Gard now. I know how a cold scheming woman can do these things to a man. Because I did the same.

Yes. When I was young and didn't know any better. But your father came along and saved me. He didn't understand any of it -- but he was good, and he loved me. His love saved me. Who will save you?

Julie

What is it you intend to do?

Mrs. Sawters

To tell Clabe everything I know.