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 witch? HAWK (making a tally on the ground) One! HEN AND CHICKS Chick mah chick etc.--(While this is going on Walter Thomas from the store door eating peanuts from a bag appears and seats himself on the porch beside the steps.) HAWK (Scoring again) Two! (Enter a little girl right. She trots up to the big girl.) LITTLE GIRL (officiously) Titter, mama say if you don't come on wid dat soap she gointer wear you out. HEN AND CHICKS Chick mah chick etc. (While this is being sung, enter Joe Lindsay and seats himself on right bench. He lights his pipe. The little girl stands b by the fence rubbing her leg with her foot. HAWK (scoring) Three! LITTLE GIRL (insistent) Titter, titter! Mama say to tell you to come on home wid dat soap and rake up dat yard. I bet she gointer beat you good. BIG GIRL (angrily) Aw naw, mama ain't sent you after me, nothin' of de kind! Gwan home and leave me alone. LITTLE GIRL You better come on! I'm gointer tell mama how 'omanish you actin cause you in front of dese boys. BIG GIRL (makes a threatenin' gesture) Aw don't be so fast and showin' off in company. Ack lak you ain't got no sense! LITTLE GIRL (starts to cry) Dat's all right. I'm going home and tell mama you down here playing wid boys and she sho gointer whup you good, too. I'm gointer tell her you called me a fool too, now. (She walks off, wiping her eyes and nose with the back of her hand) Yeah, I'm goin' tell her! Jus' showin' off in front of ole John Wesley Taylor. I'm going to tell her too, now. BIG GIRL (flounces her skirt) Tell her! Tell her! Turn her up and smell her! (Game resumed) Chick mah chick etc. HAWK Four! (He arises and imitates a hawk flying and trying to catch a chicken. Calling in a high voice.) Chickie!! HEN (Flapping her wings to protect her young) My chickens' sleep. HAWK Chickie!! HEN My chickens' sleep. HAWK I shall have a chick. HEN You shan't have a chick. HAWK I'm going home. (flies off) HEN There's de road. HAWK I'm comin' back. (During this dialog the hawk is feinting and darting in his efforts to catch a chicken and the chickens are dancing defensively.) HEN Don't keer if you do. HAWK My pot's a boiling. HEN Let it boil. HAWK My guts a growling HEN Let 'em growl. HAWK I must have a chick. HEN You shan't have nairn. HAWK My mama's sick. HEN Let her die. HAWK Chickie!! HEN My chicken's sleep. (Hawk darts quickly around the hen and grabs a chicken and leads him off and places the captive on his knees at the store porch. After a brief bit of dancing he catches another, then a third who is a chubby little boy. The little boy begins to cry.) LITTLE BOY I ain't gointer play cause you hurt me. HAWK Aw, naw, I din't hurt you. LITTLE BOY Yeah you did too. You pecked me right here. (points to top of his head)