YUDELSON [_Crosses to the door, listens_]. That’s Jakie. [JACK _is going into a complicated staccato “talking” dramatization of the last half of the chorus—something like this:_ _“I—want—you—to—understand...._ _That—it’s—my—mammy...._ _My—mammy—I—tell—you...._ _And—my—daddy...._ _You—bet...._ _Your—life...._ _It’s—my—mammy—and—daddy, I—tell—you...._ _I’m—going—back—_ _I’m—going—back—down—South—_ _Down—South,—I—tell—you....”_ [SARA _rises, a broken creature, her frail body barely able to carry her out. She moves out of the door,_ YUDELSON _following her, trying to detain her._] SARA That ain’t my Jakie! That ain’t my boy!... I’m going home! [_The stage is empty. We see the grotesque, elongated shadows of_ SARA _and_ YUDELSON _against the multi-colored lights back-stage as they pass, evidently out of the theatre. We are hearing_ JACK’s _last line of the song—_ _“I’ve had my fling, And it don’t mean a thing—”_ _His voice breaks. He repeats in intensely personal agony, “It don’t mean a thing ... it don’t mean a thing—my God!—it don’t mean a....”_ _There is a sudden awkward silence—a silence of a fraction of a second; and then we hear, offstage, a surge of congratulations. We hear_ CARTER’s _voice, the voices of women,_ GENE’s _voice. The next instant_ JACK _is in the door-way. He sees that the dressing room is empty. He turns, helplessly looking about. He knows it is no use—that his mother has gone. He stands for a second brushing the eyes of his blacked up face with his white glove._ _And then_ CARTER, GENE, _half a dozen chorus girls, and_ FORBES _break in upon him. They are enthusiastic, excited, congratulatory. Their remarks tumble one on top of the other in a confusion of sound:_ _“I take off my hat to you,_ Jack_!”_ _“You certainly can put over a song!”_ _“Oh, Mr. Robin, it was wonderful!”_ _“It was grand, Mr. Robin—just grand!”_ _“You won’t need a press agent after tonight, old fellow!”_ _“It was just gorgeous—simply gorgeous!”_ LEE _plunges in and scatters them all, crying—“Get out for the next number!” ... and_ LEE _and_ JACK _are alone._ JACK _is standing, his back to_ LEE, _his head bent._] LEE Jack, that was wonderful! Why, you actually cried! Say, do it that way tonight and you’ll be a knock-out. [LEE _bolts out, calling as he goes._] All right, Gene! Ready for the next number! [JACK _is alone on the stage. He sinks into a chair as the curtain falls._] ACT THREE SCENE: _Same as Act I._ TIME: _About an hour and a half after Act II._ AT RISE: _Stage is empty. Since it is about six o’clock on a September day, the light is beginning to wane. Throughout this act, dark gradually creeps into the room, while outside the window a bar of sunset radiance deepens in contrast._