Even then, because it’s hers. SADIE Hers? JUDGE From the moment of your mother’s death, everything here belonged to Jane. HENRY Not everything. JUDGE Yes, everything--your mother’s whole estate. BEN Ha! Ha! Ha! [_He sits at right laughing bitterly._ JANE That can’t be, Judge, you must be wrong. It’s a mistake. JUDGE No. HENRY My mother did this? JUDGE Yes. HENRY Why? You’ve got to tell me why! JUDGE That isn’t a part of my duties. HENRY She couldn’t have done a thing like that without sayin’ why. She said something, didn’t she? JUDGE I don’t know that I care to repeat it. HENRY (_fiercely_) You must repeat it! JUDGE Very well. The day that will was drawn she said to me, “The Jordans are all waiting for me to die, like carrion crows around a sick cow in a pasture, watchin’ till the last twitch of life is out of me before they pounce. I’m going to fool them,” she said, “I’m going to surprise them; they are all fools but Jane--Jane’s no fool.” BEN (_bitterly_) No--Ha! Ha! Ha! Jane’s no fool! JUDGE And she went on--(_He turns to Jane_) You’ll forgive me Jane; she said, “Jane is stubborn, and set, and wilful, but she’s no fool. She’ll do better by the Jordan money than any of them.” ELLA We’ll go to law, that’s what we’ll do! SADIE That’s it, we’ll go to law. HENRY (_to Judge_) We can break that will; you know we can! JUDGE It’s possible. HENRY Possible! You _know_, don’t yer! You’re supposed to be a good lawyer. JUDGE Of course if I _am_ a good lawyer you can’t break that will, because you see I drew it. ELLA And we get nothing, not a dollar, after waitin’ all these years? JUDGE There are small bequests left to each of you. SADIE How much? JUDGE One hundred dollars each. ELLA (_shrilly_) One hundred dollars. JUDGE I said that they were small. BEN You said a mouthful! ELLA Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! [_She laughs wildly._ HENRY (_sternly_) Stop your noise, Ella. ELLA I----Ha! Ha! Ha!----I told you I was going to have my laugh, didn’t I? Ha! Ha! Ha! ORIN (_pulls Sadie’s dress_) Mum! What’s she laughin’ for? SADIE You hush! EMMA (_faces them all in evil triumph_) If anybody asked me, I’d say it was a judgment on all of yer. You Jordans was always stuck up, always thought you was better’n anybody else. I guess I ought to know, I married into yer!--You a rich family?--You the salt of the Earth--You Jordans! You paupers--Ha! Ha! Ha! ORIN (_pulls Sadie’s skirt_) Ain’t she still dead, Mum! Ain’t grandma still dead? SADIE (_angrily_) Of course she is. ORIN But I thought we was all goin’ to cry! SADIE Cry then, you awful little brat. [_She slaps his face and he roars loudly; she takes him by the arm and yanks him out of the room, followed by Henry, Emma, Nettie and Ella--through his roars, they all speak together as they go._ EMMA (_to Henry_)