DAISY (Cuddling up to him) Whut would _you_ say, honey?

DAVE I'd say dat box was too heavy for me to fool wid. I wouldn't tote nothing my gun and my hat and I feel like I'm 'busing myself sometie totin' dat.

DAISY (Outraged) Don't you mean to work none?

DAVE Wouldn't hit a lick at a snake.

DAISY I don't blame _you_, Dave (looks down at his feet) cause toting dem feet of yourn is enough to break down your const.i.tution.

DAVE They carries me wherever I wants to go. Daisy, you marry Jim cause I don't want to come between y'all. He's my buddy.

JIM Come to think of it, Dave, she was yourn first. You take and handle dat spade for her.

DAVE You heard her say it is all I can do to lift up dese feets and put 'em down. Where I'm going to git any time to wra.s.sle wid any hoes and shovels? You kin git round better'n me. You done won Daisy--I give in.

I ain't going to bite no friend of mine in de back.

DAISY Both of you n.i.g.g.e.rs can git yo' hat en' yo' heads an' git on down de road. Neither one of y'all don't have to have me. I got a good job and plenty men begging for yo' chance.

JIM Dat's right, Daisy, you go git you one them mens whut don't mind smelling mules--and beating de white folks to de barn every morning. I don't wanta be bothered wid nothin' but dis box.

DAVE And I can't strain wid nothin' but my feets and my gun. I kin git mo'

turkey gobblers, but never no job.

(Daisy walks slowly away in the direction from which she came. Both watch her a little wistfully for a minute. The sun is setting.)

DAVE Guess I better be gitin' on back--it's most dark. Where you goin, Jim?

JIM I don't know, Dave. Down de road, I reckon.

DAVE Whyncher come on back to town? Taint no use you proagin' up and down [Note: corrected missing s.p.a.ce] de railroad track when you got a home.

JIM They done lawed me way from it for hittin' you wid dat bone.

DAVE Dat ain't nothin'. It was my head you hit. An' if I don't keer whut dem ole ugly-rump n.i.g.g.e.rs got to do wid it?

JIM They might not let me come in town.

DAVE (Seizing Jim's arm and facing him back toward the town.) They better!

Look here, Jim, if they try to keep you out dat town we'll go out to dat swamp and git us a mule bone a piece and come back and boil dat stew down to a low gravy.

JIM You mean dat Dave? (Dave nods his head eagerly.)

DAVE Us wasn't mad wid one 'nother nohow. Come on less go back to town. Dem mullet heads better leave me be, too. (Picks up a heavy stick) I wish Lum would come tellin' me bout de law when I got all dis law in _my_ hands. An' de rest of dem 'gator-face jigs--if they ain't got a whole set of mule bones and a good determination they better not bring de mess up.

_CURTAIN_