"Our Town"

Emily: Oh, Mama, you shouldn't have...I can't-I can't

But birthday or no birthday, I want you to eat breakfast good and slow. I want you to grow up and be a good strong girl...That in the blue paper is from your Aunt Carrie; and I reckon you can guess who brought the post-card album. I found it on the doorstep when I brought in the milk-George Gibbs...must have come over in the cold pretty early...right nice of him.

Stage manager: Thank you, Mrs. Webb.

Charles! Everybody's waitin'.

Mr. Webb:...I'm thinking of beginning in a small way in the back yard, and I'm going to put an incubator in the cellar-

Charles, are you talking about that old incubator again? I thought you two'd be talking about things worth while.

Emily: Oh, George! I'd forgotten that...

Chew that bacon good and slow. It''s help keep you warm on a cold day.

Joe Crowell: Good morning, Mr. Warren. 'Morning, Howie

Chil-dren! Wally! Emily!...Time to get up.

Stage manager: We've got a factory in out town, too--hear it? Makes blankets. Cartwrights own it and it brung 'em a fortune.

Children! Now I won't have it. Breakfast is just as good as any other meal and I won't have you gobbling like wolves. It'll stunt your growth-that's a fact. Put away you book, Wally.

Mr. Webb: Yes, I've got something here. Where's my girl? Where's my birthday girl?

Don't interrupt her now, Charles. You can see her at breakfast. She's slow enough as it is...Hurry up children! It's seven o'clock. Now, I don't want to call you again.

Emily: I'm both, Mama: you know I am. I'm the brightest girl in my school for my age. I have a wonderful memory.

Eat your breakfast.

Mrs. Gibbs:...I do wish I could get you to go away someplace and take a rest. I think it would do you good.

Emileeee! Time to get up! Wally! Seven o'clock!

Emily: So long, George.

Emily, come and help be string these beans for the winter. George Gibbs let himself have a real conversation didn't he? Why, he's growing up. How old would George be?

Emily:...Am I pretty enough...to get anybody...to get people interested in me?

Emily, you make me tired. Now stop it. You're pretty enough for all normal purposes. Come along now and bring that bowl with you.

George: Good morning, Mrs. Webb

Goodness! You frightened me!-Now, George, you can come in a minute out of the wet, but you know I can't ask you in.

Mr. Webb: Well, Myrtle, if you want to give the boy some good advice, I'll go upstairs and leave you alone with him.

George, Emily's got to come downstairs and eat her breakfast. She send her love but she doesn't want to lay eyes on you. Good-by.

George: Why not-?

George, you know's well as I do: the groom can't see him bride on his wedding day, not until he sees her in church.

George:...Thanks for the talk, Emily.-Good afternoon, Mrs. Webb.

Good afternoon, George.

Enter Howie Newsome/goes to greet him

Good morning, Mr. Newsome. Whhh-it's cold.

Stage manager: Now the political and social report:Editor Webb.-Oh, Mr. Webb?

He'll be here in a minute...He just cut his hand while he was eatin' an apple.

Mr. Webb: Good morning, Mother.

How did it go, Charles?

Mrs. Gibbs:...It sounds crazy, I suppose, but for years I've been promising myself that if we ever had the chance-

How does the Doctor feel about it?

Emily: Oh, Mama, you never tell us the truth about anything.

I am telling you the truth.

Stage manager: Well, that's all my sermon. 'Twan't very long, anyway. (wedding congregation)

I don't know why on earth I should be crying. I suppose there's nothing to cry about. It came over me at breakfast this morning; there was Emily eating her breakfast as she's done for seventeen years and now she's going off to eat it in someone else's house. I suppose that's it...And Emily! She suddenly said: I can't eat another mouthful, and she put her head down on the table and she cried...Oh, I've got to say it: you know, there's something downright cruel about sending out girls out into marriage this way. I hope some of her girl friends have told her a thing or two. It's cruel, I know, but I couldn't being myself to say anything. I went into it blind as a bat myself...The whole world's wrong, that's that's the matter...There they come.

Mrs. Soames: Good night, Martha. Good night, Mr. Foster.

I'll tell Mr. Webb; I know he'll want to put it in the paper.

Emily: Oh, Mama, that's not what I mean. What I mean is: am I pretty?

I've already told you, yes. Now that's enough of that. You have a nice young pretty face. I never heard of such foolishness.

Mrs. Gibbs: Let me help you. Beans have been good this year.

I've decided to put up forty quarts if it kills me. The children say they hate 'em, but I notice they're able to get 'em down all winter.

Mrs. Gibbs: Have you tried singing over your voice?

Yes, but somehow I can't do that and stay on the key. While I'm resting myself I thought I'd string some of these beans.

Emily: Mama, I don't find my blue hair ribbon anywhere.

Just open your eyes, dear, that's all. I laid it out for you special-on the dresser, there. If it were a snake it would bite you.

Emily: I don't know.

Let's see. He must be almost sixteen.

Mrs. Gibbs:...If I got a legacy-that's the way I put it-I'd make him take me somewhere.

M-m-m...What did he say?

Mr. Webb: There's a lot of common sense in some superstitions, George.

Millions have folla'd it, George, and you don't want to be the first to fly in the face of custom.

George: Emily's asleep!!!

No wonder! We were up 'til all hours, sewing and packing. Now I'll tell you what I'll do; you set down here a minute with Mr. Webb and drink this cup of coffee; and I'll go upstairs and see she doesn't come down and surprise you. There's some bacon, too; but don't be long about it.

Mrs. Soames: Not to notice it! But it's getting worse.

No, it isn't, Louelle. It's getting better. I've been in that choir twice as long as you have. It doesn't happen anywhere near so often...My, I hate to go to bed on a night like this.-I better hurry. Those children'll be sitting up till all hours. Good night, Louella.

Mrs. Gibbs:...did one of those second-hand furniture men from Boston come to see you last Friday?

No-o

Mr. Webb:...it ain't Christian.-Paper have any mistakes in it?

Not that I notices. Coffee's ready when you want it...Charles! don't forget it's Emily's birthday. Did you remember to get her something?

Emily: Seriously,-will you?

Of course, I will.

Howie: Yes, she'll be there; she'll be there if she kin. Morning, Mrs. Webb.

Oh, good morning, Mr. Newsome. I told you four quarts of milk, but I hope you can spare me another.

Emily: Mama, will you answer me a question, serious?

Seriously, dear-not serious.

George: How is Emily?

She hasn't waked up yet. I haven't heard a sound out of her.

Emily: Mama, am I good looking?

Yes, of course you are. all my children have got good features; I'd be ashamed if the hadn't.

Howie:...Mrs. Newsome told me to tell you as how we hope they'll both be very happy, Mrs. Webb. Know they will.

Thank you, and thank Mrs. Newsome and we're counting on seeing you at the wedding.

Emily:...Mama, just for a moment we're happy. Let's look at one another.

That in the yellow paper is something I found in the attic among your grandmother's things. You're old enough to wear it now, and I thought you'd like it.

Howie: Ten below by my barn, Mrs. Webb.

Think of it! Keep yourself wrapped up.

Emily:...Mama, are these big enough?

Try and get them a little bigger if you can.

Children: Mama, there's first bell.-I gotta hurry.-I don't want any more.-I gotta hurry.

Walk fast, but you don't have to run. Wally, pull up your pants at the knee. Stand up straight, Emily.

Dr. Gibbs: Don't you hear your mother calling you? I guess I'll go upstairs and get forty winks.

Walleee! Emileee! You'll be late for school! Walleee! You wash yourself good or I'll come up and do it myself.

Emily: And this is from you. Why, Mama, it's just lovely and it's just what I wanted. It's beautiful!

Well, I hoped you'd like it. Hunted all over. Your Aunt Norah couldn't find one in Concord, so I had to send all the way to Boston. Wally has something for you, too. He made it at manual-training class and he's very proud of it. Be sure you make a big fuss about it.-Your father has a surprise for you, too; don't know what it is myself. Sh-here he comes.

Mrs. Gibbs:...Good morning, Myrtle. How's your cold?

Well, I still get that tickling feeling in my throat. I told Charles I didn't know as I'd go to choir practice tonight. Wouldn't be any use.

Mrs. Gibbs: Every two years he makes a trip to the battlefields of the Civil War and that's enough treat for anybody, he says.

Well, Mr. Webb just admires the way Dr. Gibbs knows everything about the Civil War. Mr. Webb's a good mind to give up Napoleon and move over to the Civil War, only Dr. Gibbs being one of the greatest experts in the country just makes him despair.

Mrs. Gibbs:...stopping at every bush and pacing it all out, like we were going to buy it.

Well, if that second-hand man's really serious about buyin' it, Julia, you sell it. And then you'll get to see Paris, all right. Just keep droppin' hints from time to time-that's how I got to see the Atlantic Ocean, y'know.

Emily: Good morning, Mama.

Well, now, dear, a very happy birthday to my girl and many happy returns. There are some surprises waiting for you on the kitchen table.

Mrs. Gibbs:...and I almost gave it to Cousin Hester Wilcox.

Well, you're going to take it, aren't you?

Mr. Webb: Myrtle, I guess you don't know about that older superstition.

What do you mean, Charles?

Mrs. Gibbs: Now, Myrtle, I've got to tell you something, because if I don't tell somebody I'll burst.

Why, Julia Gibbs!

Mrs. Gibbs:...he offered me three hundred and fifty dollars for Grandmother Wentworth's highboy, as I'm sitting here!

Why, Julia Gibbs!

Howie: Yes'm...and the two of cream.

Will it start raining again, Mr. Newsome?

Emily: Mama, were you pretty?

Yes, I was, if I do say it. I was the prettiest girl in town next to Mamie Cartwright.

Mr. Webb: Oh, fine, I guess. I told'm a few things.-Everything all right here?

Yes-can't think of anything that's happened, special. Been right cold. Howie Newsome says it's ten below over to his barn.

Emily: Mama, I'm here! Oh! how young Mama looks! I didn't know Mama was ever that young.

You can come and dress by the kitchen fire, if you like; but hurry.

Mrs. Gibbs: I don't know

You don't know-three hundred and fifty dollars! What's come over you?

Wally: Aw, Ma! By ten o'clock I got to know all about Canada.

You know the rules well as I do-no books at table. As for me, I'd rather have my children healthy than bright.

Emily: Mama, I made a speech in class today and I was very good.

You must recite it to your father at supper. What was it about?