Produced by Library of Congress, American Memory Project,
Charlene Taylor and the Online Distributed Proofreading
Team.
[Transcriber's Note: This play transcribed from an original manuscript.There are pencilled notations possibly by Ms. Hurston herself. Thesepencilled edits have been transcribed as *[Handwritten: (text)]]
Copyright 1931 by Zora *[Handwritten: Neale] Hurston
Time—Present
Place—New York
Cast of characters—
Nunkie
Too-Sweet
Peckerwood
Black Baby
Sack Daddy
Tush Hawg
Aunt Dilsey
A shabby front room in a shotgun house.
A door covered by dingy portieres upstage C. Small panel window in side Wall L. Plain centre table with chairs drawn up about it. Gaudy calendars on wall. Battered piano against wall R. Kerosene lamp with reflector against wall on either side of room.
At rise of curtain NUNKIE is at piano playing…. Others at table with small stacks of chips before each man. TUSH HAWG is seated at table so that he faces audience. He is expertly riffing the cards … looks over his shoulder and speaks to NUNKIE.
TUSH HAWGCome on here, Nunkie—and take a hand! You're holding up the game. Youbeen woofin' round here about the poker you can play—now do it!
NUNKIE
Yeah, I plays poker. I plays the piano and Gawd knows I plays the devil.
I'm Uncle Bob with a wooden leg!*[Handwritten: Last sentence crossed out
in pencil in manuscript.]
BLACK BABYAw, you can be had! Come on and get in the game! Mybritches is cryin' for your money! Come on, don't givethe healer no trouble!*[Handwritten: last sentence crossed out in pencil]
NUNKIESoon as I play the deck I'm comin' and take you alls money! Don' rushme.
Ace means the first time that I met you
Duece means there was nobody there but us two
Trey means the third party—Charlie was his name
Four spot means the fourth time you tried that same old game—
Five spot means five years you played me for a clown
Six spot means six feet of earth when the deal goes down
Now I'm holding the seven spot for each day of the week
Eight means eight hours that she Sheba-ed with your Sheik—
Nine spot means nine hours that I work hard every day—
Ten spot means tenth of every month I brought you home my pay—
The Jack is three-card Charlie who played me for a goat
The Queen, that's my pretty Mama, also trying to cut my throat—
The King stands for Sweet Papa Nunkie and he's goin' to wear the crown,
So be careful you all ain't broke when the deal goes down!
(He laughs—X'es to table, bringing
piano stool for seat)
TUSH HAWGAw now, brother, two dollars for your seat before you try to sit in thisgame.
NUNKIE
(Laughs sheepishly—puts money
down—TUSH HAWG pushes stack of chips
toward him. Bus.)
I didn't put it down because I knew you all goin' to be puttin' it right
back in my pocket.
BECKERWOOD
Aw, Y'all go ahead and play.