The Iceman Cometh (17 page)

LARRY

Bursts out
.

You lie! I never called her that!

PARRITT

Goes on as
iflarry
hadn’t spoken
.

I think that’s why she still respects you, because it was you who left her. You were the only one to beat her to it. She got sick of the others before they did of her. I don’t think she ever cared much about them, anyway. She just had to keep on having lovers to prove to herself how free she was.

He pauses
—
then with a bitter repulsion
.

It made home a lousy place. I felt like you did about it. I’d get feeling it was like living in a whorehouse—only worse, because she didn’t have to make her living—

LARRY

You bastard! She’s your mother! Have you no shame?

PARRITT

Bitterly
.

No! She brought me up to believe that family-respect stuff is all bourgeois, property-owning crap. Why should I be ashamed?

LARRY

Making a move to get up
. I’ve had enough!

PARRITT

Catches his arm
—
pleadingly
.

No! Don’t leave me! Please! I promise I won’t mention her again!

LARRY
sinks back in his chair
.

I only did it to make you understand better. I know this isn’t the place to—Why didn’t you come up to my room, like I asked you? I kept waiting. We could talk everything over there.

LARRY

There’s nothing to talk over!

PARRITT

But I’ve got to talk to you. Or I’ll talk to Hickey. He won’t let me alone! I feel he knows, anyway! And I know he’d understand, all right—in his way. But I hate his guts! I don’t want anything to do with him! I’m scared of him, honest. There’s something not human behind his damned grinning and kidding.

LARRY

Starts
.

Ah! You feel that, too?

PARRITT

Pleadingly
.

But I can’t go on like this. I’ve got to decide what I’ve got to do. I’ve got to tell you,
LARRY
!

LARRY

Again starts up
. I won’t listen!

PARRITT

Again holds him by the arm
.

All right! I won’t. Don’t go!

LARRY
lets himself be pulled down on his chair
.
PARRITT
examines his face and becomes insultingly scornful
.

Who do you think you’re kidding? I know damned well you’ve guessed—

LARRY

I’ve guessed nothing!

PARRITT

But I want you to guess now! I’m glad you have! I know now, since Hickey’s been after me, that I meant you to guess right from the start. That’s why I came to you.

Hurrying on with an attempt at a p
la
usible frank air that makes what he says seem doubly false
.

I want you to understand the reason. You see, I began studying American history. I got admiring Washington and Jefferson and Jackson and Lincoln. I began to feel patriotic and love this country. I saw it was the best government in the world, where everybody was equal and had a chance. I saw that all the ideas behind the Movement came from a lot of Russians like Bakunin and Kropotkin and were meant for Europe, but we didn’t need them here in a democracy where we were free already. I didn’t want this country to be destroyed for a damned foreign pipe dream. After all, I’m from old American pioneer stock. I began to feel I was a traitor for helping a lot of cranks and bums and free women plot to overthrow our government. And then I saw it was my duty to my country—

LARRY

Nauseated
—
turns on him
.

You stinking rotten liar! Do you think you can fool me with such hypocrite’s cant!

Then turning away
.

I don’t give a damn what you did! It’s on your head—whatever it was! I don’t want to know—and I won’t know!

PARRITT

As
if
LARRY
had never spoken
—
falteringly
.

But I never thought Mother would be caught. Please believe that,
LARRY
. You know I never would have—

LARRY

His face haggard, drawing a deep breath and closing his eyes
—
as if he were trying to hammer something into his own brain
.

All I know is I’m sick of life! I’m through! I’ve forgotten myself! I’m drowned and contented on the bottom of a bottle. Honor or dishonor, faith or treachery are nothing to me but the opposites of the same stupidity which is ruler and king of life, and in the end they rot into dust in the same grave. All things are the same meaningless joke to me, for they grin at me from the one skull of death. So go away. You’re wasting breath. I’ve forgotten your mother.

PARRITT

Jeers angrily
.

The old foolosopher, eh?
He spits out contemptuously
. You lousy old faker!

LARRY

So distracted he pleads weakly
.

For the love of God, leave me in peace the little time that’s left to me!

PARRITT

Aw, don’t pull that pitiful old-man junk on me! You old bastard, you’ll never die as long as there’s a free drink of whiskey left!

LARRY

Stung
—
furiously
.

Look out how you try to taunt me back into life, I warn you! I might remember the thing they call justice there, and the punishment for—

He checks himself with an effort
—
then with a real indifference that comes from exhaustion
.

I’m old and tired. To hell with you! You’re as mad as Hickey, and as big a liar. I’d never let myself believe a word you told me.

PARRITT

Threateningly
.

The hell you won’t! Wait till Hickey gets through with you!
PEARL
and
MARGIE
come in from the bar. At the sight of them
,
PARRITT
instantly subsides and becomes self conscious and defensive, scowling at them and then quickly looking away
.

MARGIE

Eyes him jeeringly
.

Why, hello, Tightwad Kid. Come to join de party? Gee, don’t he act bashful, Poil?

PEARL

Yeah. Especially wid his dough.

PARRITT
slinks to a chair at the left end of the table, pretending he hasn’t heard them. Suddenly there is a noise of angry, cursing voices and a scuffle from the hall
.
PEARL
YELLS.

Hey, Rocky! Fight in de hall!

ROCKY
and
CHUCK
run from behind the bar curtain and rush into the hall
.
ROCKY’S
voice is heard in irritated astonishment
, “
What de hell?
”
and then the scuffle stops and
ROCKY
appears holding
CAPTAIN LEWIS
by the arm, followed by
CHUCK
with a similar hold on
GENERAL WETJOEN.
Although these two have been drinking they are both sober, for them. Their faces are sullenly angry, their clothes disarranged from the tussle
.

ROCKY

Leading
lewis
forward
—
astonished, amused and irritated
.

Can yuh beat it? I’ve heard youse two call each odder every name yuh could think of but I never seen you—

Indignantly
.

A swell time to stage your first bout, on Harry’s boithday party!

What started de scrap?

LEWIS

Forcing a casual tone
.

Nothing, old chap. Our business, you know. That bloody ass, Hickey, made some insinuation about me, and the boorish Boer had the impertinence to agree with him.

WETJOEN

Dot’s a lie! Hickey made joke about me, and this Limey said yes, it was true!

ROCKY

Well, sit down, de bot’ of yuh, and cut out de rough stuff.
He and
CHUCK
dump them down in adjoining chairs toward the left end of the table, where, like two sulky boys, they turn their backs on each other as far as possible in chairs which both face front
.

MARGIE

Laughs
.

Jees, lookit de two bums! Like a coupla kids! Kiss and make up, for

Gawd’s sakes!

ROCKY

Yeah. Harry’s party begins in a minute and we don’t want no soreheads around.

LEWIS

Stiffly
.

Very well. In deference to the occasion, I apologize, General Wetjoen —provided that you do also.

WETJOEN

Sulkily
.

I apologize,
CAPTAIN LEWIS
—because Harry is my goot friend.

ROCKY

Aw, hell! If yuh can’t do better’n dat—!

MOSHER
and
MCGLOIN
enter
together from the hall. Both have been drinking but are not drunk
.

PEARL

Here’s de star boarders.

They advance, their heads together, so interested in a discussion they are oblivious to everyone
.

MCGLOIN

I’m telling you, Ed, it’s serious this time. That bastard, Hickey, has got Harry on the hip.

As he talks
,
MARGIE
,
PEARL
,
ROCKY
and
CHUCK
prick up their ears and gather round
.
CORA
,
at the piano, keeps running through the tune
,
with soft pedal, and singing the chorus half under her breath, with
JOE
her mistakes. At the table
,
LARRY
,
PARRITT
,
WILLIE
,
WETJOEN
and
LEWIS
sit motionless, staring in font of them
.
HUGO
seems asleep in his habitual position
.

And you know it isn’t going to do us no good if he gets him to take that walk tomorrow.

MOSHER

You’re damned right. Harry’ll mosey around the ward, dropping in on everyone who knew him when.

Indignantly
.

And they’ll all give him a phony glad hand and a ton of good advice about what a sucker he is to stand for us.

MCGLOIN

He’s sure to call on Bessie’s relations to do a little cryin’ over dear Bessie. And you know what that bitch and all her family thought of me.

MOSHER

With a flash of his usual humor
—
rebukingly
.

Remember, Lieutenant, you are speaking of my sister! Dear Bessie wasn’t a bitch. She was a God-damned bitch! But if you think my loving relatives will have time to discuss you, you don’t know them. They’ll be too busy telling Harry what a drunken crook I am and saying he ought to have me put in Sing Sing!

MCGLOIN

Dejectedly
.

Yes, once Bessie’s relations get their hooks in him, it’ll be as tough for us as if she wasn’t gone.

MOSHER

Dejectedly
.

Yes, Harry has always been weak and easily influenced, and now he’s getting old he’ll be an easy mark for those grafters.

Then with forced reassurance
.

Oh, hell, Mac, we’re saps to worry. We’ve heard Harry pull that bluff about taking a walk every birthday he’s had for twenty years.

MCGLOIN

Doubtfully
.

But Hickey wasn’t sicking him on those times. Just the opposite. He was asking Harry what he wanted to go out for when there was plenty of whiskey here.

MOSHER

With a change to forced carelessness
.

Well, after all, I don’t care whether he goes out or not. I’m clearing out tomorrow morning anyway. I’m just sorry for you, Mac.

MCGLOIN

Resentfully
.

You needn’t be, then. Ain’t I going myself? I was only feeling sorry for you.

MOSHER

Yes, my mind is made up. Hickey may be a lousy, interfering pest, now he’s gone teetotal on us, but there’s a lot of truth in some of his bull. Hanging around here getting plastered with you, Mac, is pleasant, I won’t deny, but the old booze gets you in the end, if you keep lapping it up. It’s time I quit for a while.