The Vegetable; or, From President to Postman — John Shaqi
The Vegetable; or, From President to PostmanFitzgerald, F. Scott (Francis Scott)
General
The Vegetable; or, From President to Postman
Fitzgerald, F. Scott (Francis Scott)
American drama -- 20th century
CHARLOTTE. Don’t talk so loud--you’ll wake the people next door.
JERRY [_incredulously_]. The people next door!
CHARLOTTE. You heard me!
_Jerry is beaten, and taking it very badly. He is beginning to
brood when the telephone rings. He answers it._
JERRY. Hello!... [_With recognition and rising interest._] Oh,
hell_o_.... Did you get the stuff.... Just one gallon is all I want....
No, I can’t use more than one gallon.... [_He looks around
thoughtfully._] Yes, I suppose so, but I’d rather have you mix it before
you bring it.... Well, about nine o’clock, then. [_He rings off, gleeful
now, smiling. Then sudden worry, and the hairless eyebrows knit
together. He takes a note-book out of his pocket, lays it open before
him, and picks up the receiver._] Midway 9191.... Yes.... Hello, is this
Mr.--Mr. S-n-o-o-k-s’s residence?... Hello, is this Mr. S-n-o-o-k-s’s
residence?... [_Very distinctly._] Mr. Snukes or Snooks.... Mr. S-n-,
the boo--the fella that gets _stuff_, hooch ... h-o-o-c-h.... No, Snukes
or Snooks is the man I want.... Oh. Why, a fella down-town gave me your
husband’s name and he called me up--at least, I called him up first, and
then he called me up just now--see?... You see? Hello--is this--am I
talking to the wife of the--of the--of the fella that gets _stuff_ for
you? The b-o-o-t-l-e-g-g-e-r? Oh, you know, the bootlegger. [_He
breathes hard after this word. Do you suppose Central will tell on
him?_] ... Oh. Well, you see, I wanted to tell him when he comes
to-night to come to the back door.... No, Hooch is not my name. My name
is Frost. 2127 Osceola Avenue.... Oh, he’s left already? Oh, all right.
Thanks.... Well, good-by.... Well, good-by ... good-by. [_He rings off.
Again his hairless brows are knit with worry._] Char-lit!
CHARLOTTE [_abstractedly_]. Yes?
JERRY. Charlit, if you want to read a good story, read the one about the
fella who gets shipwrecked on the Buzzard Islands and meets the Chinese
girl, only she isn’t a Chinese girl at all.
CHARLOTTE [_she’s still up-stairs, remember_]. What?
JERRY. There’s one story in there--are you reading the Saturday Evening
Post?
CHARLOTTE. I would be if you didn’t interrupt me every minute.
JERRY. I’m not. I just wanted to tell you there’s one story in there
about a Chinese girl who gets wrecked on the Buzzard Islands that isn’t
a Chinese----
CHARLOTTE. Oh, let up, for heaven’s sakes! Don’t nag me.
_Clin-n-ng! That’s the door-bell._
There’s the door-bell.
JERRY [_with fine sarcasm]_. Oh, really? Why, I thought it was a
cow-bell.
CHARLOTTE [_witheringly_]. Ha-ha!
_Well, he’s gone to the door. He opens it, mumbles something,
closes it. Now he’s back._
JERRY. It wasn’t anybody.
CHARLOTTE. It must have been.
JERRY. What?
CHARLOTTE. It couldn’t have rung itself.
JENNY [_in disgust_]. Oh, gosh, you think that’s funny. [_After a
pause._] It was a man who wanted 2145. I told him this was 2127, so he
went away.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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