DR. JONATHAN. Oh no,--not that! But I"ve found out that you and I are not so very different from Timothy Farrell and his children,--Bert and Jamesy and--Minnie.
GEORGE (startled, and looking around to follow DR. JONATHAN"S glance toward the windows). What do you know about them?
DR. JONATHAN. Oh, nothing at first hand. But I can see why Bert"s going to the war, and why Jamesy took to drink, and why Minnie left Foxon Falls.
GEORGE. The deuce you can!
DR. JONATHAN. And so can you, George. When you get back from France you will know what you have been fighting for.
GEORGE. And what"s that?
DR. JONATHAN. Economic freedom, without which political freedom is a farce. Industrial democracy.
GEORGE. Industrial democracy! Well, it wasn"t included in my education at Harvard.
DR. JONATHAN. Our education begins, unfortunately, after we leave Harvard,--with Bert and Jamesy and Minnie. And here"s Minnie, now!
GEORGE (hastily). I"ll beat it! Mother wants to talk to her.
DR. JONATHAN (his hand on GEORGE"S arm). No,--wait.
(Enter, lower right, AUGUSTA, followed by MINNIE FARRELL. MINNIE, AUGUSTA"S back being turned toward her, gives GEORGE a wink, which he acknowledges, and then glances toward DR. JONATHAN. AUGUSTA, with her knitting, seats herself in an armchair. Her att.i.tude is somewhat inquisitorial; her tone, as she addresses MINNIE, non- committal. She is clearly offended by MINNIE"S poise and good- natured self-a.s.sertion.)
AUGUSTA. You remember Mr. Pindar, Minnie.
MINNIE (demurely). Glad to meet you again, Mr. Pindar. I hear you"re going off to the war. Well, that"s great.
GEORGE (squeezing her hand; she winces a little). Oh, yes,-I remember Minnie.
AUGUSTA. And this is Dr. Jonathan Pindar.
MINNIE (who has been eyeing DR. JONATHAN as a possible enemy; with reserve). Glad to meet you, I"m sure.
DR. JONATHAN (smiling at her as he takes her hand). The pleasure is--mutual.
MINNIE (puzzled, but somewhat rea.s.sured). Glad to meet you.
DR. JONATHAN. I"ve come to live in Foxon Falls. I hope we"ll be friends.
MINNIE. I hope so. I"m going back to Newcastle this afternoon, there"s nothing doing here.
DR. JONATHAN. Would you stay, if there were something doing?
MINNIE. I--I don"t know. What would I be doing here?
AUGUSTA (disapprovingly, surveying, MINNIE"S costume). I don"t think I should have recognized you, Minnie.
MINNIE. City life agrees with me, Mrs. Pindar. But I needed a little rest cure, and I came to see what the village looked like.
DR. JONATHAN. A sort of sentimental journey, Minnie.
MINNIE (flashing a look at GEORGE, and another at DR. JONATHAN). Well, you might call it that. I get you.
AUGUSTA. Minnie, what church do you attend in Newcastle?
MINNIE. Well, I haven"t got a seat in any particular church, Mrs.
Pindar.
AUGUSTA. I didn"t expect you to go to the expense of getting a seat. I hope you delivered the letter our minister gave you to the minister of the First Church in Newcastle.
MINNIE. No, I didn"t, Mrs. Pindar, and that"s the truth. I never went near a church.
AUGUSTA (drily). It"s a pity you ever went to Newcastle, I think.
MINNIE. It"s some town! Every time you ride into it you see a big sign, "Welcome to Newcastle, population one hundred and six thousand, and growing every day. Goodbye, and thank you!"
AUGUSTA (knitting). You drive about in automobiles!
MINNIE. Oh, sometimes I get a joy ride.
AUGUSTA. It grieves me to hear you talk in this way. I knew you were pleasure loving, I thought I saw certain tendencies in you, yet you seemed to realize the grace of religion when you were in my Bible cla.s.s.
Your brother Jamesy took to drink--
MINNIE. And I took to religion. You meant to be kind, Mrs. Pindar, and I thank you. But now I know why Jamesy took to drink--it was for the same reason I took to religion.
AUGUSTA (scandalized). Minnie!
MINNIE. We were both trying to be free, to escape.
AUGUSTA. To escape? From what?
MINNIE (with a gesture indicating futility). I guess it would be pretty hard to get it across to you, Mrs. Pindar. But I was working ten hours a day packing tools in your shops, and all you gave me when the whistle blew was--Jesus.
(A pause: GEORGE takes a step toward her.)
Jamesy took to drink, and I took to Jesus. I"m not saying anything against Him. He had His life, but I wanted mine. Maybe He would have understood.
(Turning impulsively toward DR. JONATHAN.)
I"ve got a hunch that you understand.
AUGUSTA. Minnie, I can"t let you talk about religion in this way in my presence.
MINNIE. I"m sorry, Mrs. Pindar, I knew it wasn"t no use to come and see you,--I told father so.
AUGUSTA. I suppose, if you"re determined to continue this life of--(she catches herself) I can"t stop you.
MINNIE (flaring up). What life? Don"t worry about me, Mrs. Pindar,--I get twenty five dollars a week at the Shale Works making barb wire to trip up the Huns with,--enough to get nice clothes--(she glances down at her dress) and buy good food, and have a good time on the side.