First performed by the Provincetown Players at the WharfTheatre, Provincetown, Mass., August 8, 1916.
GEORGE HENDERSON (County Attorney)
HENRY PETERS (Sheriff)
LEWIS HALE, A neighboring farmer
MRS PETERS
MRS HALE
SCENE: The kitchen is the now abandonedfarmhouse of JOHN WRIGHT, a gloomy kitchen, and left withouthaving been put in order—unwashed pans under the sink, a loafof bread outside the bread-box, a dish-towel on thetable—other signs of incompleted work. At the rear the outerdoor opens and the SHERIFF comes in followed by theCOUNTY ATTORNEY and HALE. The SHERIFF and HALEare men in middle life, the COUNTY ATTORNEY is a youngman; all are much bundled up and go at once to the stove. They arefollowed by the two women—the SHERIFF's wife first;she is a slight wiry woman, a thin nervous face. MRS HALE islarger and would ordinarily be called more comfortable looking, butshe is disturbed now and looks fearfully about as she enters. Thewomen have come in slowly, and stand close together near thedoor.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: (rubbing his hands) This feels good.Come up to the fire, ladies.
MRS PETERS: (after taking a step forward) I'mnot—cold.
SHERIFF: (unbuttoning his overcoat and stepping away from thestove as if to mark the beginning of official business) Now, MrHale, before we move things about, you explain to Mr Henderson justwhat you saw when you came here yesterday morning.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: By the way, has anything been moved? Are thingsjust as you left them yesterday?
SHERIFF: (looking about) It's just the same. When itdropped below zero last night I thought I'd better send Frank outthis morning to make a fire for us—no use getting pneumoniawith a big case on, but I told him not to touch anything except thestove—and you know Frank.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: Somebody should have been left hereyesterday.
SHERIFF: Oh—yesterday. When I had to send Frank to MorrisCenter for that man who went crazy—I want you to know I hadmy hands full yesterday. I knew you could get back from Omaha bytoday and as long as I went over everything here myself—
COUNTY ATTORNEY: Well, Mr Hale, tell just what happened when youcame here yesterday morning.
HALE: Harry and I had started to town with a load of potatoes.We came along the road from my place and as I got here I said, I'mgoing to see if I can't get John Wright to go in with me on a partytelephone.' I spoke to Wright about it once before and he put meoff, saying folks talked too much anyway, and all he asked waspeace and quiet—I guess you know about how much he talkedhimself; but I thought maybe if I went to the house and talkedabout it before his wife, though I said to Harry that I didn't knowas what his wife wanted made much difference to John—
COUNTY ATTORNEY: Let's talk about that later, Mr Hale. I do wantto talk about that, but tell now just what happened when you got tothe house.
HALE: I didn't hear or see anything; I knocked at the door, andstill it was all quiet inside. I knew they must be up, it was pasteight o'clock. So I knocked again, and I thought I heard somebodysay, 'Come in.' I wasn't sure, I'm not sure yet, but I opened thedoor—this door (indicating the door by which the two womenare still standing) and there in that rocker—(pointingto it) sat Mrs