Overview
- Female: 3
- Male: 1
Context
Pauline Waters is the proud matriarch of her family. A widow, she has raised daughter Rebecca, who is preparing for her marriage to the capable Dr. Thomas Grey, and son Jack. It is suggested that Jack was fathered by another man, possibly the Governor. Pauline’s best friend, Hester, has arrived with news that Jack has been arrested on charges of assaulting a white woman and that a mob is after him.
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HESTER: Pauline, it’s Jack. Your son Jack has been ’rested . . . ’rested and put in jail.
PAULINE: ’Rested?
REBECCA: Good Lord.
DR. GREY: What for?
HESTER: They say he done brushed against a white woman on the street. They had er argument and she hollowed out he’s attacking her. A crew of white men come up and started beating on him and the policeman, when he was coming home from work, dragged him to the jailhouse.
PAULINE: My God, my God! It ain’t so! He ain’t brushed up against no lady. My boy ain’t! He’s he’s a gentleman, that’s what he is.
HESTER: And, and Pauline, that ain’t the worse, that ain’t the worse. They, they say there’s gointer to be a lynching tonight. They gointer break open the jail and string him up!
PAULINE: String him up? My son? They can’t do that — not to my son, not him!
DR. GREY: I’ll drive over to see the Judge. He’ll do something to stop it.
HESTER: Him? Not him! He’s a lyncher his own self. Don’t put no trust in him. Ain’t he done let ’em lynch six niggers in the last year jes’ gone? Him! (She scoffs again.)
REBECCA: We got to do something. (goes up to Dr. Grey) Do you know anybody else, anybody at all, who could save him?
PAULINE: Wait, wait. I know what I’ll do. I don’t care what it costs. (to Rebecca) Fly in yonder and get me that little tin box out of the left hand side of the tray in my trunk. Hurry. Fly! Lynch my son? My son? (she yells to Rebecca in the next room) Get it? You got it?
REBECCA: Yes, Ma, I got it. (hurries in with a small tin box in her hand and hands it to her mother)
PAULINE: (feverishly tossing out the odd bits of jewelry in the box, finally coming up with a small ring. She turns to Dr. Grey): Here, Tom, take this. Run, jump on your horse and buggy and fly over to Governor Tinkham’s house and don’t you let nobody — nobody — stop you. Just give him this ring and say, “Pauline sent this. She says they going to lynch her son born 21 years ago.” Mind you, say 21 years ago. Then say, listen close. “Look in his eyes and you’ll save him.”
DR. GREY: Don’t worry. I’ll put it in his hands and tell him what you said just as quick as my horse can make it.
HESTER: Well, well, well, I don’t git what you mean, but I reckon you knows what you is doing.
PAULINE: I shorely do!
REBECCA: Mother, what does it all mean? Can you really save him?
PAULINE: Wait and see. I’ll tell you more about it after a while. Don’t ask me now.
HESTER: I hope he’ll git over to the Governor’s in time. Ump! There goes a bunch of men with guns now and here comes another all slouched over and pushing on the same way.
REBECCA: And look, look! Here come wagons full. See ’em, Hester? All piled in with their guns, too.
HESTER: Do Lord, do Lord! Help us this night.
REBECCA: Hussies! Look at them men on horses!
HESTER: Jesus, Jesus! Please come down and help us this night!
REBECCA: (running over to her mother and flinging her arms about her neck) Oh, mother, mother! What will we do? Do you hear ’em? Do you hear all them men on horses and wagons going up to the jail? Poor brother! Poor boy.
PAULINE: Trust in God, daughter. I’ve got faith in Him, faith in . . . in the Governor. He won’t fail.
HESTER: Still coming!
REBECCA: Why don’t Tom come back? Why don’t he hurry?
HESTER: Hush, chile! He ain’t had time yet.
PAULINE: Lord Jesus, I know I’ve sinned against your holy law, but you did forgive me and let me hold up my head again. Help me again, dear Jesus. Help me to save my innocent child, him who never done no wrong. Save him, Lord. Let his father . . . (she stops and looks around at the two women, then cautiously speaks.) You understand all I mean, sweet Jesus. Come down and rise with this wild mob tonight. Pour your love into their wicked hearts. Lord, Lord, hear my prayer.
HESTER: Do Lord, hear.
PAULINE: Any sight of Tom yet?
REBECCA: No, Ma. I don’t see him no where yet.
HESTER: Give him time.
PAULINE: Time! Time! It’ll be too late reckly. Too late . . . (she sobs, her head lifted, listening) What that?
HESTER: What?
PAULINE: The sound of many feet I hear?
REBECCA: I see ’em, I see ’em! Wait! Wait! Ma! Ma! It’s the state troops! It’s the Guards, it’s the Guards, Ma! They’s coming. Look, Miss Hester!
HESTER: They shore is, Jesus. Shore as I’m born ⎯ them military. They’s come — come to save him.
REBECCA: And yonders Tom at the gate ⎯ he’s coming.
DR. GREY: (rushing in as the others look at him in amazement) He’s saved, Miss Waters! Saved! Did the Governor send the troops?
Georgia Douglas Johnson, Blue-Eyed Black Boy, Public domain, 1930.
Scene in video clip begins at 6:30
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