Produced by Charlene Taylor and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at (This file wasproduced from images generously made available by theLibrary of Congress)
[Transcriber's Notes: This play transcribed from an originaltypewritten manuscript at the Library of Congress in the Zora NealeHurston collection. There are pencilled notations probably by Ms.Hurston herself. These pencilled edits have been transcribed as [Note:(text)] Any other questionable transcription is similarly noted.Nothing in the dialect has been changed. Occasional obvious typos inthe stage directions have been corrected. There are inconsistencies inboth bracketing and punctuation, which have been left as in theoriginal manuscript. There seems to be an irregularity in the spellingof "Simms"; "Sims" seems randomly substituted.]
by
Jim Weston A young man and the town bully (A Methodist)
Dave Carter The town's best hunter and fisherman (Baptist)
Joe Clarke The Mayor, Postmaster, storekeeper
Daisy Blunt The town vamp
Lum Boger The Marshall
Walter Thomas A villager (Methodist)
Lige Moseley A villager (Methodist)
Joe Lindsay A villager (Baptist)
Della Lewis A villager (Baptist)
Tod Hambo A villager (Baptist)
Lucy Taylor A villager (Methodist)
Rev. Singletary (Baptist)
Rev. Simms (Methodist)
Villagers, children, dogs.
SETTING: A Negro village in Florida in our own time. All action fromviewpoint of an actor facing audience.
PLACE: Joe Clarke's store porch in the village. A frame building witha false front. A low porch with two steps up. Door in center of porch.A window on each side of the door. A bench on each side of the porch.Axhandles, hoes and shovels, etc. are displayed leaning against thewall. Exits right and left. Street is unpaved. Grass and weeds growingall over.
TIME: It is late afternoon on a Saturday in summer.
Before the curtain rises the voices of children are heard, boisterousat play. Shouts and laughter.
VOICE OF ONE BOYNaw, I don't want to play wringing no dish rag! We gointer play chickmah chick mah craney crow.
GIRL'S VOICE
Yeah, less play dat, and I'm gointer to be de hen.
BOY'S VOICEAnd I'm gointer be de hawk. Lemme git myself a stick to mark wid. (Thecurtain rises slowly. As it goes up the game is being organized. Theboy who is the hawk is squatting center stage in the street before thestore with a short twig in his hand. The largest girl is lining up theother children behind her.)
THE MOTHER HEN(looking back over her flock) Y'all ketch holt of one 'nother'sclothes so de hauk can't git yuh. (They do.) Y'all straight now?
CHORUS
Yeah. (The march around the hawk commences.)
HEN AND CHICKS
Chick mah chick mah craney crow
Went to de well to wash my toe
When I come back my chick was gone.
What time ole w