[Transcriber’s Note: A few obvious typo’s in stage directions have been fixed, though nothing in the dialogue has been changed.] THE MULE-BONE A COMEDY OF NEGRO LIFE IN THREE ACTS By LANGSTON HUGHES and ZORA HURSTON Contents ACT ONE ACT TWO ACT THREE CHARACTERS JIM WESTON: Guitarist, Methodist, slightly arrogant, agressive, somewhat self-important, ready with his tongue. DAVE CARTER: Dancer, Baptist, soft, happy-go-lucky character, slightly dumb and unable to talk rapidly and wittily. DAISY TAYLOR. Methodist, domestic servant, plump, dark and sexy, self-conscious of clothes and appeal, fickle. JOE CLARK. The Mayor, storekeeper and postmaster, arrogant, ignorant and powerful in a self-assertive way, large, fat man, Methodist. ELDER SIMMS. Methodist minister, newcomer in town, ambitious, small and fly, but not very intelligent. ELDER CHILDERS. Big, loose-jointed, slow spoken but not dumb. Long resident in the town, calm and sure of himself. KATIE CARTER: Dave’s aunt, little old wizened dried-up lady. MRS. HATTIE CLARK. The Mayor’s wife, fat and flabby mulatto high-pitched voice. THE MRS. REV. SIMMS. Large and agressive. THE MRS. REV. CHILDERS. Just a wife who thinks of details. LUM BOGER. Young town marshall about twenty, tall, gangly, with big flat feet, liked to show off in public. TEET MILLER: Village vamp who is jealous of DAISY. LIGE MOSELY: A village wag. WALTER THOMAS. Another village wag. ADA LEWIS: A promiscuous lover. DELLA LEWIS: Baptist, poor housekeeper, mother of ADA. BOOTSIE PITTS: A local vamp. MRS. DILCIE ANDERSON: Village housewife, Methodist. WILLIE NIXON. Methodist, short runt. ACT ONE SETTING: The raised porch of JOE CLARK’S Store and the street in front. Porch stretches almost completely across the stage, with a plank bench at either end. At the center of the porch three steps leading from street. Rear of porch, center, door to the store. On either side are single windows on which signs, at left, “POST OFFICE”, and at right, “GENERAL STORE” are painted. Soap boxes, axe handles, small kegs, etc., on porch on which townspeople sit and lounge during action. Above the roof of the porch the “false front”, or imitation second story of the shop is seen with large sign painted across it “JOE CLARK’S GENERAL STORE”. Large kerosine street lamp on post at right in front of porch.