De Turkey and De Law Part 17

JIM Miss Daisy, ma'am, also ma'am--if you marry dis n.i.g.g.e.r over my head, I'm going to git me a green hickory club and season it over yo' head.

DAVE Don't you be skeered, baby--papa kin take keer a _you_. (to Jim) Counting from de finger (suiting the action to the word) back to the thumb--start anything I got you some.

JIM Aw, I don't want no more fight wid you, Dave.

DAVE Who said anything about fighting? We just provin' who love Daisy de best. (to Daisy) Now, which one of us you think love you de best?

DAISY Deed I don't know, Dave.

DAVE Baby, I'd walk de water for you--and tote a mountain on my head while I'm walkin'.

JIM Know whut I'd do, honey babe? If you was a thousand miles from home and you didn't have no ready-made money and you had to walk all de way, walkin' till yo' feet start to rolling, just like a wheel, and I was riding way up in de sky, I'd step backwards offa dat airyplane just to walk home wid you.

DAISY (Falling on Jim's neck) Jim, when you talk to me like dat I just can't stand it. Less us git married right now.

JIM Now you talkin' like a blue-back speller. Less go!

DAVE (Sadly) You gointer leave me lak dis, Daisy?

DAISY (Sadly) I likes you, too, Dave, I sho do. But I can't marry both of y'all at de same time.

JIM Aw, come on, Daisy--sun's gettin' low. (He starts off pulling Daisy.)

DAVE Whut's I'm gointer do? (Walking after them)

JIM Gwan back and hunt turkeys--you make out you so touchous n.o.body can't tell you yo' eye is black thout you got to run git de law.

DAVE (Almost tearfully) Aw Jim, shucks! Where y'all going?

(Daisy comes to an abrupt halt and stops Jim)

DAISY That's right, Honey. Where _is_ we goin' sho nuff?

JIM (Sadly) Deed I don't know, baby. They just sentenced [Note: corrected missing s.p.a.ce] me to go--they didn't say where and I don't know.

DAISY How we goin' know how to go when [Note: corrected missing s.p.a.ce] we don't know where we goin'?

(Jim looks at Dave as if he expects some help but Dave stands sadly silent. Jim takes a few steps forward as if to go on. Daisy makes a step or two, unwillingly, then looks behind her and stops. Dave looks as if he will follow them.)

DAISY Jim! (He stops and turns) Wait a minute! Whut we gointer do when we git there?

JIM Where?

DAISY Where we goin'?

JIM I done tole you I don't know where it is.

DAISY But how we gointer git something to eat and a place to stay?

JIM Play my box for de white folks and dance just like I been doing.

DAISY You can't take keer of me on dat, not where we hafta pay rent.

JIM (Looks appealingly at Dave, then away quickly) Well, I can't help _dat_, can I?

DAISY (Brightly) I tell you whut, Jim! Less us don't go nowhere. They sentenced you to leave Eatonville and youse almost a mile from de city limits already. Youse in Maitland now. Supposin' you come live on de white folks' place wid me after we git married. Eatonville ain't got nothin' to do wid you livin' in Maitland.

JIM Dat's a good idea, Daisy.

DAISY (Jumping into his arms) And lissen, honey, you don't have to be beholden to n.o.body. You can throw dat ole box away if you want to. I know where you can get a _swell_ job.

JIM (Sheepishly) Doin' whut? (Looks lovingly at his guitar)

DAISY (Almost dancing) Yard man. All you have to do is wash windows, and sweep de sidewalk, and scrub off de steps and porch and hoe up de weeds and rake up de leaves and dig a few holes now and then with a spade--to plant some trees and things like that. It's a good steady job.

JIM (After a long deliberation) You see, Daisy, de mayor and corporation told me to go on off and I oughter go.

DAISY Well, I'm not going tippin' down no railroad track like a Maltese cat.

I wasn't brought up knockin' round from here to yonder.

JIM Well, I wasn't brought up wid no spade in my hand--and ain't going to start it now.

DAISY But sweetheart, we got to live, ain't we? We got to git hold of money before we kin do anything. I don't mean to stay in de white folks'

kitchen all my days.

JIM Yeah, all dat's true, but you couldn't buy a flea a waltzing jacket wid de money _I'm_ going to make wid a hoe and spade.

DAISY (Getting tearful) You don't want me. You don't love me.

JIM Yes, I do, darling, I love you. Youse de one letting a spade come between us. (He caresses her.) I loves you and you only. You don't see _me_ dragging a whole gang of farming tools into us business, do you?

DAISY (stiffly) Well, I ain't going to marry no man that ain't going to work and take care of me.

JIM I don't mind working if de job ain't too heavy for me. I ain't going to bother wid nothin' in my hands heavier than dis box--and I totes it round my neck 'most of de time. I kin go out and hunt you some game when times gits tight.

DAISY Don't strain yo'self huntin' nothin' for me. I ain't goin' to eat n.o.body's settin' hen. (She turns to DAVE finally.)

JIM Whut ole sittin hen? Ain't you and Lum done et up de turkey I--I--bought?

DAISY You might of brought it, but Dave sho kilt it. You couldn't hit de side of uh barn wid uh ba.s.s fiddle.

DAVE Course I kilt it, and I kilt it for you, but I didn't kill none for Lum Boger. De clean head hound!

(Daisy turns to Dave finally)

DAISY Well, I reckon you loves me the best anyhow. You wouldn't talk to me like Jim did, would you, Dave?

DAVE Naw, I wouldn't say whut he said a-tall.