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Page 117 text:
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A Drama In One Act Henry Kehren Scene: House on moor, just outside the walls of Sing Sing Prison. Characters: Father. Son. Convict. Father and son in room. Father: Well, Jim, there is such a report about your moping around the walls of Sing Sing, that I have come up here to see what on earth ails you. What do you mean, anyhow, by building a house out on this barren plain? Son: (in a melancholy manner) I want to watch that prison. Perhaps some one there is watching me. F. : A fine occupation, indeed, for a young man. What on earth brought you up here anyway? You have been acting like a criminal who is afraid of being caught. Remember, I am your father and you can talk to me confidentially. I don ' t want a son of mine to be afraid of me. S. : Do you know what the fifth Commandment is? F. : The fifth Commandment! Well, now let me see — Well, what in the deuce are you worrying about the fifth Commandment for? S. : (turning aside) The fifth Commandment is — Thou shalt not kill. F. : Well, what has that got to do with your moping around Sing Sing? S. : Did you ever break that Commandment? F. : What! Break it? Now, see here, Jim — (alarm from prison) Good heavens, what ' s that? S. : (looking out of window at inn) Only some poor devil who has tried to break the bonds of his slavery, and who ' s being hunted like an animal. They will follow him with savage dogs and drag him back again into that accursed fortress. F. : Look here, Jim, there is something wrong with you. That prison is not a dungeon or fortress, but the greatest protection that society has. S. : Do you call it protection to shut up innocent men from the light of day for a life-time? F. : Innocent men be d d ! Those men in that prison are criminals sent there by the law for their crimes. S. : How do you know they are criminals? Oh, I stand here night after night, and watch that vast building holding in its clutches God knows how many innocent men, and it maddens me to be at liberty. F. : (in disgust) If you are so fond of that prison, why don ' t you rent a room there? S. : I may do that some day. I ' m going to bed. (Exit at m) . F. : (Father strolls over to window, facing prison, and looks out in silence for a moment. Walks over to table and sits down.) I wonder if Jim can have done anything? ' Thou shalt not kill, eh? Perhaps he has plugged somebody in an affair of honor. Ha! Ha! Well, murder more or less never bothered our family. I sowed my wild oats when I was young, and I ' ve always told Jim to do it, too. I never regretted it yet, and I never expect to. (Noise without at door.) (Convict bursts in armed with revolver. The father seeing at once, the striking resemblance between his son and the convict exclaims) :
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Page 118 text:
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F. : Jim ! Convict: Don ' t Jim me! Who do you think I am? Throw up your hands ! F. : Aren ' t you my son? Convict: Your son? Do I look like him? 0, they are hunting me like a wild beast; and I am innocent — innocent! Don ' t stand there! Hide me somewhere do you understand? F. : I — I — thought you were Jim, my son. Convict: No. I never had a home like this. But I did have a home once — and wait till I get the man who destroyed it! (Father starts back before convict ' s fury.) Why do you move away, as though I were a criminal? I am innocent, and there is only one man in the world who needs to fear me. But wait until I get him! He committed murder, and then, because I looked like him, I was arrested, convicted and sentenced to spend the rest of my life like a wild beast in a cage. But I am free now and I will stay free until I get my man. The world is too small for him to escape me. Some day our paths will cross. Some day we shall meet — and then — Ah-h-h! (Doubling his fist in fury, still holding revolver.) F. : Do you think you will get him ? Con.: Get him? Get him! Listen! The other night, to keep away madness, I took a pin, a pin, you understand, and shut my eyes and flung it away in my cell. Then, in the pitch dark of midnight, I got up to look for it. On my hands and knees I groped for it — groped in that darkness until my head pounded and red blotches swam before my eyes — groped until my fingers were torn and raw and bleeding, and my heart was fit to burst and there was a wild ringing in my ears. But — I found it! I Found it! And so I shall find that man who is respon- sible for my hell on earth, and when I do — (noise in Jim ' s room at right.) Con.: What is that? F. : That is my son for whom I mistook you. Con.: Mistook me! Do I resemble him that much? Ah! Bring him out! Bring him out till I get one look at his face! F. : (terrified) No-No-No ; Con. I will see him! (Starts toward door. Father runs to block him.) Out of my way, or Fll shoot you like a cur! F. : Stop ! I beg you to stop. Con. : Never! (Starts to force way past him, when noise is heard at back.) What ' s that? Good heavens the guards! They are on my trail ! Listen ! Go to that door but don ' t step out of my sight. Re- member, you are covered with this gun. Tell them you know nothing, do you hear? and if they enter this room you are a dead man. (Crouches behind table, covering F. who goes to door and talks to unseen guards.) Guard: We are looking for an escaped convict, and we have reason to believe he is in this house. F. : In this house? Surely you are mistaken. Guard: We would like to search the premises. (F. hesitates. Con. thrusts gun forward.) F. : Upon my word, you are wrong. If I see him, I will imme- diately notify you. G. : You are taking a chance. He is a desperate man. F. : (seeing convict thrust gun forward again) No, you ai e wrong. There is no one here. (Guards depart.) F. : (to convict) I have saved you. Will you take some money and depart? Con.: (bitterly) Money? What is money compared to revenge? ' F. : Wait ! I am a rich man. I will give you $100,000— $200,000,
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