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_