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A SUNDAY MORNING IN THE SOUTH CHARACTERS SUE JONES, TOM GRIGGS, BOSSIE GRIGGS, LIZA TRIGGS, MATILDA BROWN, A WHITE GIRL FIRST OFFICER SECOND OFFICER the grandmother, aged seventy her grandson, aged nineteen her grandson, aged seven a friend, aged sixty a friend, aged fifty Place: A town in the South. Time: 1924. (Scene: Kitchen in SUE JONES'S two room house. A window on left, a door leading to back yard and another leading to front room. A stove against the back wall, a table near it, four chairs, an old time safe with dishes and two bottles-one clear and one dark-a wooden water bucket with shiny brass bales, and a tin dipper hanging near it on a nail. As the curtain rises Sue Jones is seen putting the breakfast on the kitchen table. She wears a red bandanna handkerchief on her grey head, a big blue gingham apron tied around her waist and big wide old lady comfort shoes. She uses a stick as she has a sore leg, and moves about with a stoop and a limp as she goes back and forth from the stove to the table.) SUE. (calling) Tom, Tom, you and Bossie better come on out here and git your breakfast before it gits cold; I got good hot rolls this mornin! TOM. (from next room) All right grannie, we're coming. SUE. You better ef you know whut's good for you. (flpens stove door, looks at rolls, then begins humming and singing) Eugh ... eu . . . eugh ... Jes look at the morning star 32 / GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON Eugh . . . eu . . . eugh . . . We'll all git home bye and bye . . . (As she finishes the song TOM and BOSSIE come hurrying into the kitchen placing their chairs at the table; there is one already at the table for Sue. Sue takes rolls out of stove with her apron and brings them to the table) It's as hard to git yawll out of the bed on Sunday morning as it is to pull hen's teeth. TOM. (eating. The church bell next door is heard ringing) Eugh-there's the church bell. I sho meant to git out to meeting this morning but my back still hurts me. Remember I told you last night how I sprained it lifting them heavy boxes for Mr. John? SUE. (giving Bossie" a roll and a piece of sausage) You hadn't oughter done it; you oughter ast him to let somebody hep you-you aint no hoss! TOM. I reckin I oughter had but I didn't know how heavy they was till I started and then he was gone. SUE. You oughter had some of my snake oillinament on it last night, that's whut? TOM. I wish I hader but I was so dead tired I got outer my clothes and went straight to bed. I muster been sleep by nine er clock I reckin. SUE. Nine er clock! You is crazy! Twant no moren eight when I called you to go to the store and git me a yeast cake fur my light rolls and you was sleeping like a log of wood; I had to send Bossie fur it. BOSSIE. Yes, and you snored so loud I thought you would a choked. (holding out his plate and licking his lips with his tongue) Grannie kin I have some more? SUE. Whut? Where is all thot I jest give you? BOSSIE. (rubbing his stomach with his other hand and smiling broadly) It's gone down the red lane struttin'. SUE. Well this is all you gointer git this mornin. (helping him to more rolls and sausage) When you git big and work like Tom you kin stuff all you wants to. BOSSIE. I aint never gointer break my back like Tom working hard-I'm a gointer be a-a preacher that's whut and ... SUE. (catching sight of someone passing the window as she approached the back door) I bleve that's Liza Twiggs must be on her way to church and smelled these light rolls and coffee. (a knock is heard at the back door) Let her in, Bossie! (Bossie jumps up from the table, hurries to the door and opens it) LIZA. (enters sniffling) Mawning yawll. SUE. Morning Liza-on your way to church? LIZA. Yes the first bell just rung and I thought I'd drop in a minute. (whiffs again) Coffee sho smells good! SUE. Tastes better'n it smells...

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