That don’t prove it. My word’s as good as his. Jim might’a’ made a mistake; in the dark woods he couldn’t see so well ... not even if it ud been daylight. Mebbe—some one else done it— ELLY Not that boy! BUTCH That boy, I tell you! ELLY No, Butch, no! BUTCH Shet up! ELLY I cain’t let you. You doan know w’at you’re doin.... BUTCH Doin’? I’m savin’ my neck, that’s whut I’m doin’! ELLY You’re losin’ it. If you git that boy hung, you’re hangin’ yerself! BUTCH You’d tell on me! Damn you, I’d oughta kill you! ELLY Kill me then! Coward! Don’t you know if I done w’at’s right, I’d tell on you now? I’d give you up to the law fer the brute you are, an’ let you hang as you’d oughta hang! Why don’t I? (_Bitterly._) Yes, why don’t I? ’Cause I’m a fool, that’s why! I’m like all the women in the world that’s ever lived: I ain’t good, I ain’t decent, I ain’t even honest except to one man! I hate you! BUTCH Oh, you do, eh? Well, whut is it you mean, then? If I get that boy hung, how’ll that be hangin’ myself? ELLY Wuzn’t you ever young? BUTCH Whut’s that got to do with it? ELLY (_pleading_) Wuzn’t you ever jist startin’ life? Wuzn’t you ever innocent and good, and wantin’ to go out into the world and expectin’ it to be kind to you?... BUTCH No! [Illustration: STELLA ADLER AS “ELLY”] ELLY (_softly_) Then you won’t understand. This boy is that a-way. You cain’t kill a thing like that. If you killed him, you’d be killin’ w’at uz good in you once ... if they uz ever anything.... BUTCH You’re preachin’. Let up! Whut’d you think this is? It’s got to be the way I say, Elly. If I wanna save my neck, I got to throw the blame on some one else.... ELLY (_triumphantly_) Not that boy! I’ll tell you _another_ reason why! If you’d a-looked at him, you’d know the reason yerself! Anybody, even the Shuruff a-lookin’ at him would know that that boy couldn’t do nuthin’ wrong, he couldn’t kill a man.... BUTCH Elly! ELLY He couldn’t even hurt any one’s feelin’s! And _besides_,—his story’s as good as yourn. They’d know w’at he said wuz the truth! You got to try some other plan, Butch. You got to try to get away. You got to sneak out in the woods an’ hide a day or two. I’ll take you grub t’ eat some way. Then when things blows over more we’ll light out fer Texas till they fergit all about us. You could hide close to the old sawmill some’er’s. They’d never think o’ lookin’ there fer you—so near—so near whur Jim—Hurry up, now! (_She crosses and gets his gun._) You ain’t got much time. Take yer gun. Don’t use it unless you have to—promise me! I want you to be safe. (_She offers him the gun._) BUTCH (_thoughtfully_) No. Put the gun back.... ELLY Butch! BUTCH You tuck it away frum me once.... ELLY (_frightened_) You’re not gonna give yerself up? Butch, no! You’ll be hung! BUTCH You said they’d never b’lieve that boy done it, eh? ELLY Yes. They won’t. They’ll know he couldn’t. BUTCH