Poker!

Poker!

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Poker!, by Zora Hurston This eBook
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Title: Poker!
Author: Zora Hurston
Release Date: May 25, 2005 [EBook #15902]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK POKER!
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Produced by Library of Congress, American Memory Project, Charlene
Taylor and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.

[Transcriber's Note: This play transcribed from an original manuscript.
There are pencilled notations possibly by Ms. Hurston herself. These
pencilled edits have been transcribed as *[Handwritten: (text)]]

Copyright 1931 by Zora *[Handwritten: Neale] Hurston

POKER!
Time--Present
Place--New York
Cast of characters-- Nunkie Too-Sweet Peckerwood Black Baby Sack

Daddy Tush Hawg Aunt Dilsey
SCENE--
A shabby front room in a shotgun house.
A door covered by dingy portieres upstage C. Small panel window in
side Wall L. Plain centre table with chairs drawn up about it. Gaudy
calendars on wall. Battered piano against wall R. Kerosene lamp with
reflector against wall on either side of room.
At rise of curtain NUNKIE is at piano playing.... Others at table with
small stacks of chips before each man. TUSH HAWG is seated at table
so that he faces audience. He is expertly riffing the cards ... looks over
his shoulder and speaks to NUNKIE.
TUSH HAWG Come on here, Nunkie--and take a hand! You're holding
up the game. You been woofin' round here about the poker you can
play--now do it!
NUNKIE Yeah, I plays poker. I plays the piano and Gawd knows I
plays the devil. I'm Uncle Bob with a wooden leg!*[Handwritten: Last
sentence crossed out in pencil in manuscript.]
BLACK BABY Aw, you can be had! Come on and get in the game!
My britches is cryin' for your money! Come on, don't give the healer no
trouble!*[Handwritten: last sentence crossed out in pencil]
NUNKIE Soon as I play the deck I'm comin' and take you alls money!
Don' rush me.
Ace means the first time that I met you Duece means there was nobody
there but us two Trey means the third party--Charlie was his name Four
spot means the fourth time you tried that same old game-- Five spot
means five years you played me for a clown Six spot means six feet of
earth when the deal goes down Now I'm holding the seven spot for
each day of the week Eight means eight hours that she Sheba-ed with
your Sheik-- Nine spot means nine hours that I work hard every day--
Ten spot means tenth of every month I brought you home my pay-- The
Jack is three-card Charlie who played me for a goat The Queen, that's
my pretty Mama, also trying to cut my throat-- The King stands for
Sweet Papa Nunkie and he's goin' to wear the crown, So be careful you
all ain't broke when the deal goes down! (He laughs--X'es to table,
bringing piano stool for seat)
TUSH HAWG Aw now, brother, two dollars for your seat before you
try to sit in this game.

NUNKIE (Laughs sheepishly--puts money down--TUSH HAWG
pushes stack of chips toward him. Bus.) I didn't put it down because I
knew you all goin' to be puttin' it right back in my pocket.
BECKERWOOD Aw, Y'all go ahead and play. (to TUSH HAWG)
Deal! (TUSH HAWG begins to deal for draw poker. The game gets
tense. SACK DADDY is first man at TUSH's left--he throws back three
cards and is dealt three more)
SACK DADDY My luck sure is rotten! My gal must be cheatin' on me.
I ain't had a pair since John Henry had a hammer!
BLACK BABY (Drawing three new cards) You might be fooling the
rest with the cryin' you're doin' but I'm squattin' for you! You're cryin'
worse than cryin' Emma!
TOO-SWEET (Studying his three new cards) (Sings) When yo' cards
gets lucky, oh Partner, you oughter be in a rollin' game. *[Handwritten:
get you foot offa my chair etc]
AUNT DILSEY (Enters through portieres--stands and looks
disapprovingly) You all oughter be ashamed of yourself, gamblin' and
carryin' on like this!
BLACK BABY Aw, this ain't no harm, Aunt Dilsey! You go on back
to bed and git your night's rest.
AUNT DILSEY No harm! I know all about these no-harm sins! If you
don't stop this card playin', all of you all goin' to die and go to Hell.
(Shakes warning finger--exits through portieres--while she is talking
the men have been hiding cards out of their hands and pulling aces out
of sleeves and vest pockets and shoes--it is done