Act I - Page 2

longing for the lynching as if it was a spree? Would one of them
own to it or let him own to it if they lynched the wrong man? Not
them. What they call justice in this place is nothing but a
breaking out of the devil thats in all of us. What I want to see
is a Sheriff that aint afraid not to shoot and not to hang.

EMMA [a sneak who sides with Babsy or Jessie, according to the
fortune of war] Well, I must say it does sicken me to see Sheriff
Kemp putting down his foot, as he calls it. Why don't he put it
down on his wife? She wants it worse than half the men he
lynches. He and his Vigilance Committee, indeed!

BABSY [incensed] Oh, well! if people are going to take the part
of horse-thieves against the Sheriff--!

JESSIE. Who's taking the part of horse-thieves against the
Sheriff?

BABSY. You are. Waitle your own horse is stolen, and youll know
better. I had an uncle that died of thirst in the sage brush
because a negro stole his horse. But they caught him and burned
him; and serve him right, too.

EMMA. I have known that a child was born crooked because its
mother had to do a horse's work that was stolen.

BABSY. There! You hear that? I say stealing a horse is ten times
worse than killing a man. And if the Vigilance Committee ever
gets hold of you, youd better have killed twenty men than as much
as stole a saddle or bridle, much less a horse.

[Elder Daniels comes in.]

ELDER DANIELS. Sorry to disturb you, ladies; but the Vigilance
Committee has taken a prisoner; and they want the room to try him
in.

JESSIE. But they cant try him til Sheriff Kemp comes back from
the wharf.

ELDER DANIELS. Yes; but we have to keep the prisoner here til he
comes.

BABSY. What do you want to put him here for? Cant you tie him up
in the Sheriff's stable?

ELDER DANIELS. He has a soul to be saved, almost like the rest of
us. I am bound to try to put some religion into him before he
goes into his Maker's presence after the trial.

HANNAH. What has he done, Mr Daniels?

ELDER DANIELS. Stole a horse.

BABSY. And are we to be turned out of the town hall for a horse-
thief? Aint a stable good enough for his religion?

ELDER DANIELS. It may be good enough for his, Babsy; but, by your
leave, it is not good enough for mine. While I am Elder here, I
shall umbly endeavour to keep up the dignity of Him I serve to
the best of my small ability. So I must ask you to be good enough
to clear out. Allow me. [He takes the sack of husks and put it
out of the way against the panels of the jury box].

THE WOMEN [murmuring] Thats always the way. Just as we'd settled
down to work. What harm are we doing? Well, it is tiresome. Let