The mule-bone : $b a comedy of Negro life in three actsHurston, Zora Neale
General
The mule-bone : $b a comedy of Negro life in three acts
Hurston, Zora Neale
African Americans -- Drama
JIM.
(Embarrassed but trying to be jocular) Whut you trying to rush me up so
fast?… Look at Will Cody here (Pointing to little man on porch) he been
promising to bring his already wife down for two months … and nair one
of us ain’t seen her yet.
DAVE.
Yeah, how you speck me to haul in a brand new wife when he can’t lead a
wagon-broke wife eighteen miles? Me, I’m going git one soon’s Cody show
me his’n. (General sly laughter at CODY’S expense.)
WALTER.
(Snaps his fingers and pretends to remember something) Thass right,
Cody. I been intending to tell you…. I know where you kin buy a
ready-built house for you and yo’ wife. (Calls into the store.) Hey,
Clark, cime on out here and tell Cody ’bout dat Bradley house. (To
CODY.) I know you wants to git a place of yo’ own so you kin settle
down.
HAMBO.
He done moved so much since he been here till every time he walk out in
his back yeard his chickens lay down and cross they legs.
LINDSAY.
Cody, I thought you tole us you was going up to Sanford to bring dat
’oman down here last Sat’day.
LIGE.
That ain’t de way he tole me ’bout it. Look, fellers, (Getting up and
putting one hand on his hips and one finger of the other hand against
his chin coquettishly) Where you reckon I’ll be next Sat’day night?…
Sittin’ up side of Miz Cody. (Great burst of laughter.)
SYKES JONES.
(Laughing) Know what de folks tole me in Sanford? Dat was another man’s
wife. (Guffaws.)
CODY.
(Feebly) Aw, you don’t know whut you talkin’ bout.
JONES.
Naw, I don’t know, but de folks in Sanford does. (Laughing) Dey tell me
when dat lady’s husband come home Sat’day night, ole Cody jumped out de
window. De man grabbed his old repeater and run out in de yard to head
him off. When Cody seen him come round de corner de house (Gesture) he
flopped his wings and flew up on de fence. De man thowed dat shotgun
dead on him. (Laughs) Den, man! Cody flopped his wings lak a buzzard
(Gesture) and sailed on off. De man dropped to his knees lak dis
(Gesture of kneeling on one knee and taking aim) Die! die! die!
(Supposedly sound of shots as the gun is moved in a circle following
the course of Cody’s supposed flight) Cody just flew right on off and
lit on a hill two miles off. Then, man! (Gesture of swift flight) In
ten minutes he was back here in Eatonville and in he bed.
WALTER.
I passed there and seen his house shakin’, but I didn’t know how come.
HAMBO.
Aw, leave de boy alone…. If you don’t look out some of y’all going to
have to break his record.
LIGE.
I’m prepared to break it now. (General laughter.)
JIM.
Well, anyhow, I don’t want to marry and leave Dave … yet awhile.
(Picking a chord.)
DAVE.
And I ain’t gonna leave Jim. We been palling around together ever since
we hollered titty mama, ain’t we, boy?
JIM.
Sho is. (Music of the guitar increases in volume. DAVE shuffles a few
steps and the two begin to sing.)
JIM:
Rabbit on the log.
I ain’t got no dog.
How am I gonna git him?
God knows.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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