The Iceman Cometh (23 page)

Gives a sardonic guffaw
—
with his comically crazy, intense whisper
. Be God, you can’t say Hickey hasn’t the miraculous touch to raise the dead, when he can start the Boer War raging again!

This interruption acts like a cold douche on
LEWIS
and
WETJOEN
.
They subside, and
ROCKY
and
CHUCK
let go of them
.
LEWIS
turns his back on the Boer
.

LEWIS

Attempting a return to his jaunty manner, as if nothing had happened
. Well, time I was on my merry way to see my chap at the Consulate. The early bird catches the job, what? Good-bye and good luck, Rocky, and everyone.

He starts for the street door
.

WETJOEN

Py Gott, if dot Limey can go, I can go!

He hurries after
LEWIS
.
But
LEWIS
,
his hand about to push the swinging doors open, hesitates, as though struck by a sudden paralysis of the will, and
WETJOEN
has to jerk back to avoid bumping into him. For a second they stand there, one behind the other, staring over the swinging doors into the street
.

ROCKY

Well, why don’t yuh beat it?

LEWIS

Guiltily casual
.

Eh? Oh, just happened to think. Hardly the decent thing to pop off without saying good-bye to old Harry. One of the best, Harry. And good old Jimmy, too. They ought to be down any moment.

He pretends to notice
WETJOEN
for
the first time and steps away from the door
—
apologizing as to a stranger
.

Sorry. I seem to be blocking your way out.

WETJOEN

Stiffly
.

No. I vait to say good-bye to Harry and Jimmy, too.

He goes to right of door behind the lunch counter and looks through the window, his back to the room
.
LEWIS
takes up a similar stand at the window on the left of door
.

CHUCK

Jees, can yuh beat dem simps!

He picks up
CORA
’s
drink at the end of the bar
.

Hell, I’d forgot Cora. She’ll be trowin’ a fit.

He goes into the hall with the drink
.

ROCKY

Looks after him disgustedly
.

Dat’s right, wait on her and spoil her, yuh poor sap!

He shakes his head and begins to wipe the bar mechanically
.

WILLIE

Is regarding
PARRITT
across the table from him with an eager, calculating eye. He leans over and speaks in a low confidential tone
.

Look here, Parritt. I’d like to have a talk with you.

PARRITT

Starts
—
scowling defensively
.

What about?

WILLIE

His manner becoming his idea of a crafty criminal lawyer’s
.

About the trouble you’re in. Oh, I know. You don’t admit it. You’re quite right. That’s my advice. Deny everything. Keep your mouth shut. Make no statements whatever without first consulting your attorney.

PARRITT

Say! What the hell—?

WILLIE

But you can trust me. I’m a lawyer, and it’s just occurred to me you and I ought to co-operate. Of course I’m going to see the D.A. this morning about a job on his staff. But that may take time. There may not be an immediate opening. Meanwhile it would be a good idea for me to take a case or two, on my own, and prove my brilliant record in law school was no flash in the pan. So why not retain me as your attorney?

PARRITT

You’re crazy! What do I want with a lawyer?

WILLIE

That’s right. Don’t admit anything. But you can trust me, so let’s not beat about the bush. You got in trouble out on the Coast, eh? And now you’re hiding out. Any fool can spot that.

Lowering his voice still more
.

You feel safe here, and maybe you are, for a while. But remember, they get you in the end. I know from my father’s experience. No one could have felt safer than he did. When anyone mentioned the law to him, he nearly died laughing. But—

PARRITT

You crazy mutt!

Turning to
LARRY
with a strained laugh
.

Did you get that, Larry? This damned fool thinks the cops are after me!

LARRY

Bursts out with his true reaction before he thinks to ignore him
.

I wish to God they were! And so should you, if you had the honor of a louse!

PARRITT
stares
into his eyes guiltily for a second. Then he smiles sneeringly
.

PARRITT

And you’re the guy who kids himself he’s through with the Movement! You old lying faker, you’re still in love with it!

LARRY
ignores him again now
.

WILLIE

Disappointedly
.

Then you’re not in trouble, Parritt? I was hoping—But never mind.

No offense meant. Forget it.

PARRITT

Condescendingly
—
his eyes on
LARRY
.

Sure. That’s all right, Willie. I’m not sore at you. It’s that damned old faker that gets my goat.

He slips out of his chair and goes quietly over to sit in the chair beside
LARRY
he had occupied before
—
in a low, insinuating, intimate tone
. I think I understand, Larry. It’s really Mother you still love—isn’t it?—in spite of the dirty deal she gave you. But hell, what did you expect? She was never true to anyone but herself and the Movement. But I understand how you can’t help still feeling—because I still love her, too.

Pleading in a strained, desperate tone
.

You know I do, don’t you? You must! So you see I couldn’t have expected they’d catch her! You’ve got to believe me that I sold them out just to get a few lousy dollars to blow in on a whore. No other reason, honest! There couldn’t possibly be any other reason!

Again he has a strange air of exonerating himself from guilt by this shameless confession
.

LARRY

Trying not to listen, has listened with increasing tension
.

For the love of Christ will you leave me in peace! I’ve told you you can’t make me judge you! But if you don’t keep still, you’ll be saying something soon that will make you vomit your own soul like a drink of nickel rotgut that won’t stay down!

He pushes back his chair and springs to his feet
.

To hell with you!

He goes to the bar
.

PARRITT

Jumps up and starts to follow him
—
desperately
.

Don’t go, Larry! You’ve got to help me!

But
LARRY
is at the bar, back turned, and
ROCKY
is scowling at him
.

He stops, shrinking back into himself helplessly, and turns away. He goes to the table where he had been before, and this time he takes the chair at rear facing directly front. He puts his elbows on the table, holding his head in his hands as if he had a splitting headache
.

LARRY

Set ’em up, Rocky. I swore I’d have no more drinks on Hickey, if I died of drought, but I’ve changed my mind! Be God, he owes it to me, and I’d get blind to the world now if it was the Iceman of Death himself treating!

He stops, startledly, a superstitious awe coming into his face
.

What made me say that, I wonder.

With a sardonic laugh
.

Well, be God, it fits, for Death was the Iceman Hickey called to his home!

ROCKY

Aw, forget dat iceman gag! De poor dame is dead.

Pushing a bottle and glass at
LARRY
.

Gwan and get paralyzed! I’ll be glad to see one bum in dis dump act natural.

LARRY
downs a drink and pours another
.

ED MOSHER
appears in the doorway from the hall. The same change which is apparent in the manner and appearance of the others shows in him. He is sick, his nerves are shattered, his eyes are apprehensive, but he, too, puts on an exaggeratedly self confident bearing. He saunters to the bar between
LARRY
and the street entrance
.

MOSHER

Morning, Rocky. Hello, Larry. Glad to see Brother Hickey hasn’t corrupted you to temperance. I wouldn’t mind a shot myself.

As
ROCKY
shoves a bottle toward him he shakes his head
.

But I remember the only breath-killer in this dump is coffee beans. The boss would never fall for that. No man can run a circus successfully who believes guys chew coffee beans because they like them.

He pushes the bottle away
.

No, much as I need one after the hell of a night I’ve had—
He scowls
.

That drummer son of a drummer! I had to lock him out. But I could hear him through the wall doing his spiel to someone all night long. Still at it with Jimmy and Harry when I came down just now. But the hardest to take was that flannel-mouth, flatfoot Mick trying to tell me where I got off! I had to lock him out, too.

As he says this
,
MCGLOIN
comes in the doorway from the hall. The change in his appearance and manner is identical with that of
WIOSHER
and the others
.

MCGLOIN

He’s a liar, Rocky! It was me locked him out!

MOSHER
starts to flare up
—
then ignores him. They turn their backs on each other
.
MCGLOIN
starts into the back-room section
.

WILLIE

Come and sit here, Mac. You’re just the man I want to see. If I’m to take your case, we ought to have a talk before we leave.

MCGLOIN

Contemptuously
.

We’ll have no talk. You damned fool, do you think I’d have your father’s son for my lawyer? They’d take one look at you and bounce us both out on our necks!

WILLIE
winces and shrinks down in his chair
.
MCGLOIN
goes to the first tab
le
beyond him and sits with his back to the bar
.

I don’t need a lawyer, anyway. To hell with the law! All I’ve got to do is see the right ones and get them to pass the word. They will, too. They know I was framed. And once they’ve passed the word, it’s as good as done, law or no law.

MOSHER

God, I’m glad I’m leaving this madhouse!

He pulls his key from his pocket and slaps it on the bar
.

Here’s my key, Rocky.

MCGLOIN

Pulls his from his pocket
.

And here’s mine.

He tosses it to
ROCKY
.

I’d rather sleep in the gutter than pass another night under the same roof with that loon, Hickey, and a lying circus grifter!

He adds darkly
.

And if that hat fits anyone here, let him put it on!

MOSHER
turns toward him furiously but
ROCKY
leans over the bar and grabs his arm
.

ROCKY

Nix! Take it easy!

MOSHER
subsides.
ROCKY
tosses the keys on the shelf—disgustedly
. You boids gimme a pain. It’d soive you right if I wouldn’t give de keys back to yuh tonight.

They both turn on him resentfully, but there is an interruption as
CORA
appears in the doorway from the hall with
CHUCK
behind her. She is drunk, dressed in her gaudy best, her face plastered with rouge and mascara, her hair a bit disheveled, her hat on anyhow
.

CORA

Comes a few steps inside the bar
—
with a strained bright giggle
.

Hello, everybody! Here we go!
HICKEY
just told us, ain’t it time we beat it, if we’re really goin’. So we’re showin’ de bastard, ain’t we, Honey? He’s comin’ right down wid
HARRY
and Jimmy. Jees, dem two look like dey was goin’ to de electric chair!

With frightened anger
.

If I had to listen to any more of Hickey’s bunk, I’d brain him.

She puts her hand
on
CHUCK’S
arm
.