Fifty Contemporary One-Act Plays Part 82

_EPILOGUE_

[_Spoken in the character of PIERROT_]

_The sun is up, yet ere a body stirs, A word with you, sweet ladies and dear sirs,_

[_Although on no account let any say That PIERROT finished Mr. Dowson's play_].

_One night not long ago, at Baden Baden,-- The birthday of the Duke,--his pleasure garden Was lighted gayly with_ feu d'artifice, _With candles, rockets, and a center-piece Above the conversation house, on high, Outlined in living fire against the sky, A glittering_ Pierrot, _radiant, white, Whose heart beat fast, who danced with sheer delight, Whose eyes were blue, whose lips were rosy red, Whose_ pompons _too were fire, while on his head He wore a little cap, and I am told That rockets covered him with showers of gold.

"Take our applause, you well deserve to win it,"

They cried: "Bravo! the_ Pierrot _of the minute!"_

_What with applause and gold, one must confess That Pierrot had "arrived," achieved success, When, as it happened, presently, alas!

A terrible disaster came to pa.s.s.

His nose grew dim, the people gave a shout, His red lips paled, both his blue eyes went out.

There rose a sullen sound of discontent, The golden shower of rockets was all spent; He left off dancing with a sudden jerk, For he was nothing but a firework.

The garden darkened and the people in it Cried, "He is dead,--the_ Pierrot _of the minute!"_

_With every artist it is even so; The artist, after all, is a_ Pierrot-- _A_ Pierrot _of the minute, naf, clever, But Art is back of him, She lives for ever!_

_Then pardon my Moon Maid and me, because We craved the golden shower of your applause!

Pray shrive us both for having tried to win it, And cry, "Bravo! The_ Pierrot _of the minute!"_

THE SUBJECTION OF KEZIA

A PLAY

BY MRS. HAVELOCK ELLIS

Copyright, 1915, by Edith M. O. Ellis.

As Author and Proprietor.

All rights reserved.

PERSONS IN THE PLAY.

JOE PENGILLY.

KEZIA [_Joe Pengilly's wife_].

MATTHEW TREVASKIS [_a friend of the Pengillys_].

THE SCENE _is laid in a Cornish village_.

TIME: _The Present_.

_The whole action of the play takes place between seven o'clock and nine o'clock on a Sat.u.r.day evening._

Reprinted from "Love in Danger" by permission of and special arrangements with, Houghton, Mifflin Company.

The professional and amateur stage rights on this play are strictly reserved by the author, to whose dramatic agent, Miss Galbraith Welch, 101 Park Avenue, New York, applications for permission to produce it should be made.

THE SUBJECTION OF KEZIA

A PLAY BY MRS. HAVELOCK ELLIS

[SCENE: _Interior of a cottage kitchen in a Cornish fishing village. The walls are distempered a pale blue; the ceiling wooden and beamed. Middle of back wall, a kitchen-range where fire is burning. At back R. is a door opening into an inner room. At back L. small cupboards. At side L. is a large kitchen-table laid for tea under a window facing sea. The floor is red brick. On mantelpiece, white china dogs, clock, copper candlesticks, tea-caddy, stirrups, and bits. On walls, family framed photographs, religious framed pictures. Below table is a door leading into street. Behind door, roller with hanging towel. Usual kitchen paraphernalia, chairs, pots and pans, etc. Cat basket with straw to R. of range. At back R. is a wooden settle with good upright sides. Joe Pengilly is wiping his face and hands, having just come in from the pump outside. He sighs and glances uneasily at Kezia, who has her back turned to him, and is frying mackerel at the stove. He rolls down his sleeves slowly and watches his wife uneasily. He is dressed as a laborer--corduroy trousers, hob-nailed boots, blue-and-white shirt, open throat. He takes down a sleeved waistcoat from a peg behind the door and puts it on. He is a slight man with thin light hair, gentle in manner, but with a strong keen face. Kezia is a little taller than Joe--slender and graceful, with a clean cotton dress fitting well to her figure; a clean ap.r.o.n, well-dressed and tidy hair; good-looking and energetic. Joe smiles to himself and crosses his arms and shuffles his feet as he looks towards Kezia. Kezia turns round suddenly and looks at him sideways, the cooking-fork in one hand and the handle of the frying-pan in the other. Joe sits down at table._]

KEZIA. Why didn't thee speak?

JOE. Nothin' to say, my dear.

KEZIA. Thee's not much company, for sure.

[_Joe laughs and leans his arms on the table as he looks at Kezia; his face beams as he watches her landing the fish from the bubbling fat to a dish. She puts some on a plate in front of Joe, and pours out tea in a large cup. She suddenly looks at him as he begins picking off the tail of his mackerel with his fingers._]

KEZIA. Cain't thee answer?

JOE. To what?

KEZIA [_snappily_]. Why, to me, of course.

[_Joe takes a long drink of tea and gazes at her over his cup._]

JOE. Thee'rt a great beauty, Kezia, sure enough!

[_He puts the cup down and goes on picking his fish with the fingers of one hand, while the other holds bread and b.u.t.ter._]

KEZIA. There you are again; always either grumblin' or jeerin' at me.

JOE. I'm not doin' neither, woman. I'm tryin' for to make up for thrawtin' of you this mornin' over they soaked crusties as I gave the cat and ruined the nice clean floor.

KEZIA. Now [_angrily_], just when I were forgettin' all about it, of course you must bring it all up again, and you're tryin' now [_pointing at the fish_] all thee knows how, to make the tablecloth like a dish-clout with thy great greasy fingers!

[_Joe licks his fingers, one by one, and wipes them on his trousers, as he smiles into her cross face._]

KEZIA. Gracious! [_whimpering_] that's thee all over. Thee gives up one dirty trick for another. I believe you only married me to clean and tidy after you.

[_Joe laughs heartily and looks up at her._]

JOE. Heart alive! I married you because you are the only woman I've ever met in my life I could never weary of, not even if you tormented me night and day. Love of 'e, my dear, seemly, makes a real fool of me most of my time.

[_His face becomes very grave, and Kezia's brow clears as she sits down and begins to eat._]