Color Struck
A Play in Four Scenes
Time: Twenty years ago and present. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
Place: A Southern City. | |
| PERSONS | ||
John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
A light brown-skinned man | |
Emmaline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
A black woman | |
Wesley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
A boy who plays an accordion | |
Emmaline's Daughter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
A very white girl | |
Effie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
A mulatto girl | |
| A Railway ConductorA Doctor | ||
| Several who play mouth organs, guitars, banjos. | ||
| Dancers, passengers, etc. | ||
Setting.—Early night. The inside of a "Jim Crow" railway coach. The car is parallel to the footlights. The seats on the down stage side of the coach are omitted. There are the luggage racks above the seats. The windows are all open. They are exits in each end of the car—right and left.
Action.—Before the curtain goes up there is the sound of a locomotive whistle and a stopping engine, loud laughter, many people speaking at once, good-natured shreiks, strumming of stringed instruments, etc. The ascending curtain discovers a happy lot of Negroes boarding the train dressed in the gaudy, twdry best of 1900. They are mostly in couples—each couple bearing a covered-over market basket which the men hastily deposit in the racks as they scramble for seats. There is a litle friendly pushing and shoving. One pair just miss a seat three times, much to the enjoyment of the crowd. Many "plug" silk hats are in evidence, also sun-flowers in button holes. The women are showily dressed in the manner of the time, and quite conscious of their finery. A few seats remain unoccupied.
nter Effie (left) above, with a basket. One of the Men (standing, lifting his "plug" in a grand manner). Howdy do, Miss Effie, you'se lookin' jes lak a rose.
(Effie blushes and is confused. She looks up and down for a seat.) Fack is, if you wuzn't walkin' long, ah'd think you wuz a rose— (he looks timidly behind her and the others laugh). Looka here, where's Sam at?
Effie (tossing her head haughtily). I don't know an' I don't keer.
The Man (visibly relieved). Then lemme scorch you to a seat. (He takes her basket and leads her to a seat center of the car, puts the basket in the rack and seats himself beside her with his hat at a rakish angle.)
Man (sliding his arm along the back of the seat). How come Sam ain't heah—y'll on a bust?
Effie (angrily). A man dat don't buy me nothin tuh put in mah basket, ain't goin' wid me tuh no cake walk. (The hand on the seat touches her shoulder and she thrusts it away). Take yo' arms from 'round me, Dinky! Gwan hug yo' Ada!
Man (in mock indignation). Do you think I'd look at Ada when Ah got a chance tuh be wid you? Ah always wuz sweet on you, but you let ole Mullet-head Sam cut me out.
Another Man (with head out of the window). Just look at de darkies coming! (With head insite coach.) Hey, Dinky! Heah come Ada wid a great big basket.
(Dinky jumps up from beside Effie and rushes to exit right. In a moment they're-enter and take a seat near entrance. Everyone in coach laughs. Dinky's girl turns and calls back to Effie.)
Girl. Where's Sam, Effie?
Effie. Lawd knows, Ada.
Girl. Lawd a mussy! Who you gointer walk de cake wid?
Effie. Nobody, Ah reckon. John and Emma gointer win it nohow. They's the bestest cake-walkers in dis state.
Ada. You'se better than Emma any day in de week. Cose Sam cain't walk lake John. (She stands up and scans the coach.) Looka heah, ain't John an' Emma going? They ain't on heah!
(The locomotive bell begins to ring.)
Effie. Mah Gawd, s'pose dey got left!
