De Turkey and De Law | Page 2

nose with the back of her hand) Yeah, I'm goin' tell her! Jus' showin' off in front of ole John Wesley Taylor. I'm going to tell her too, now.
BIG GIRL (flounces her skirt) Tell her! Tell her! Turn her up and smell her! (Game resumed) Chick mah chick etc.
HAWK Four! (He arises and imitates a hawk flying and trying to catch a chicken. Calling in a high voice.) Chickie!!
HEN (Flapping her wings to protect her young) My chickens' sleep.
HAWK Chickie!!
HEN My chickens' sleep.
HAWK I shall have a chick.
HEN You shan't have a chick.
HAWK I'm going home. (flies off)
HEN There's de road.
HAWK I'm comin' back.
(During this dialog the hawk is feinting and darting in his efforts to catch a chicken and the chickens are dancing defensively.)
HEN Don't keer if you do.
HAWK My pot's a boiling.
HEN Let it boil.
HAWK My guts a growling
HEN Let 'em growl.
HAWK I must have a chick.
HEN You shan't have nairn.
HAWK My mama's sick.
HEN Let her die.
HAWK Chickie!!
HEN My chicken's sleep.
(Hawk darts quickly around the hen and grabs a chicken and leads him off and places the captive on his knees at the store porch. After a brief bit of dancing he catches another, then a third who is a chubby little boy. The little boy begins to cry.)
LITTLE BOY I ain't gointer play cause you hurt me.
HAWK Aw, naw, I din't hurt you.
LITTLE BOY Yeah you did too. You pecked me right here. (points to top of his head)
HAWK Well if you so touchous you got to cry every time anybody look at you, you can't play wid us.
LITTLE BOY (smothering sobs) I ain't cryin'. (He is placed with the other captives. Hawk returns to game.)
HAWK Chickie.
HEN My chickens sleep!
VOICE FROM A DISTANCE Titter! You Titter!!!
BIG GIRL Yessum
VOICE If you don't come here wid dat soap you better!
BIG GIRL (shakes herself poutingly, half sobs) Soon's I git grown I'm gointer run away. Everytime a person gits to havin' fun, it's "come here, Titter and rake de yard." She don't never make Bubber do nothin. (She exits into the store.)
HAWK Now we ain't got no hen.
ALL THE GIRLS (in a clamor) I'll be de mama hen! Lemme be it! (Enter Hambo left and stands looking at the children.)
HAMBO Can't dese young uns keep up a powerful racket, Joe?
LINDSAY They sho kin. They kin git round so vi'grous when they whoopin and hollerin and rompin and racin, but just put 'em to work now and you kin count dead lice fallin' off of 'em.
(Enter Tillie from the store with the soap. Hambo pulls out a plug of tobacco from his hip pocket and bites a chunk from it.)
HAMBO De way dese chillun is dese days is,--eat? Yes! Squall and holler? Yes! Kick out shoes? Yes! Work? No!!
LINDSAY You sho is tellin' de truth. Now look at dese! I'll bet everyone of 'em's mammies sent 'em to de store an' they out here frollickin'. If one of 'em was mine, I'd whup 'em till they couldn't set down. (to the children) Shet up dat racket and gwan home! (The children pay no attention and the game gets hotter.)
DISTANT VOICE (off stage) You Tit-ter!! You Tit-Ter!!
WALTER Titter, don't you hear yo' ma callin' you?
ESSIE Yessuh, I mean naw suh.
LINDSAY How come you can't answer, then? Lawd knows de folks just ruins chilluns dese days. Deys skeered tuh whup 'em right. Den before they gits twenty de gals done come up wid somethin' in dey arms an' de boys on de chain gang. If you don't whup 'em, they'll whip you.
HAMBO Dat sho is whut de Lawd loves. When I wuz a boy they raised chillen then. Now they lets 'em do as they please. There ain't no real chestizing no more. They takes a lil tee-ninchy switch and tickles em. No wonder de world is in sich uh mess.
VOICE OFF STAGE You Tit-ter!! Aw Titter!!
ESSIE (stops to listen) Yessum!!
VOICE OFF STAGE If you don't come here, you better!
ESSIE Yessum! (to her playmates) Aw shucks! I got to go home. (She exits right, walking sullenly. The game has stopped.)
LINDSAY (pointing at Essie) You see dat gal shakin' herself at her mammy? De sassy lil binch needs her guts stomped out. (to Essie) Run! I'm comin' on down there an' tell yo' ma how 'omanish you is, shakin' yo'self at grown folks. (Essie walks slower and shakes her skirt contemptously. Lindsay jumps to his feet as if to pursue her.) You must smell yo'self! (Essie exits.) Now de rest of you haitians scatter way from in front dis store. Dis ain't no place for chillen, nohow. (gesture of shooing) Gwan! Thin out! Every time a grownperson open they mouf y'all right dere to gaze down they throat. Git! (The children exit sullenly right. In the silence that follows the cracking of Walter's peanut