Varmints
An
tragi-comic opera of the Old West in two acts
Music by John
D. Nugent
Libretto by
Charles Deemer
THE CAST:
Patrick McGuinness, a detective, an Irishman
Ruby, proprietor of the Canyon City Room & Board, who
wears a patch over one eye
Lester, her black cook
Stump, a miner, who has a wooden leg
Cincinnatus Hiner Miller, lawyer,
miner, Indian fighter and poet, who wears buckskin
ROSE (Rose), a woman of mystery
Camp Followers
(Miners + Camp
Followers = Chorus)
TIME AND PLACE:
Canyon City in Eastern Oregon, near the end
of the gold rush in 1865
THE SET:
Interior of Canyon City Room & Board.
Check-in counter upstage, with entrance into kitchen and access to basement.
Tables for dining downstage. Left, a main entrance and exit. Also an outside
area.. Entrance to rooms, right, with staircase leading to upper levels:
upstairs is a hallway, a door, ROSE's Room.
ACT ONE
(MUSIC: tragic, epic. Darkness. Perhaps reddish lights, the aftermath of fire, a blaze. Into which the shadowy figures of the four ghosts appear.)
We are the dead
Our rotting flesh
The buzzards’ treat
Killed because
We dug for gold
And found instead
Ancestral bones
Our souls wander
Restlessly
Because our stories
Are untold
Listen then
To our grave tale
And give our souls
Their weary rest
We begin
In Oregon
In a desert
Filled with gold
Into which
Comes other news
Of a crime
Daring and bold
This is our tale
(A typical day in Canyon City. In Room & Board miners sit at tables, some eating, some drinking. A few camp followers, i.e. prostitutes, join them. Sitting alone is Miller, writing. Lester sweeps the room. Ruby works on her books behind the check-in counter. Outside, miners repair tools or just loiter about, drinking. A newsboy moves among them, passing out a broadside. Not present are Paddy, Stump and Rose.)
NEWSBOY
Extree! Extree!
Read all about it!
Crime of the
century!
MINER #1 (reading the headline)
Gold heist!
NEWSBOY
Crime of the
century!
MINER #2
Gold heist!
(Music continues. Newsboy moves inside, passing out the broadside.)
NEWSBOY
Extree! Extree!
RUBY
Gold heist!
LESTER
Gold heist!
NEWSBOY
Read all about it!
Millions missing!
Crime of the
century!
CAMP FOLLOWER #1
Gold heist!
CAMP FOLLOWER #2
Gold heist!
NEWSBOY
Extree! Extree!
(Now everyone joins in, inside and out.)
Gold heist! Gold
heist!
NEWSBOY
Extree, extree!
Read all about it!
CHORUS
Gold heist! Gold
heist!
NEWSBOY
Gold ore hijacked!
Crime of the
century!
Read all about it!
CHORUS
The crime of all
crimes
When gold is stolen
For what is more
precious
Than gold?
Banks rise and fall
Gold is eternal
Fame is fickle
Gold is eternal
Love comes and goes
Gold is eternal
MINER
A man sweats
And sweats and
sweats
Works all his life
For gold
CAMP FOLLOWER
A lady suffers
Subjugation and
pain
Then spreads her
legs
For gold
CHORUS
Gold is the measure
of all things
Gold is the meaning
of life
God said, Let there
be light!
And the light was
shining gold
NEWSBOY
Gold heist! Gold
heist!
CHORUS
God said, Let there
be light!
And the light was
shining gold
NEWSBOY
Gold ore disappears
From train shipment
In Chicago!
Crime of the
century!
Gold heist!
CHORUS
And the light was
shining gold
(MINERS step forward.)
GROUP OF MINERS
We dig all day
And break our backs
All for the lure of
Gold
We stake our claim
From greedy lust
Then rob our
neighbor
For gold
Gold is the measure
of all things
Gold is the meaning
of life
God said, Let there
be light!
And the light was
shining gold
GROUP OF CAMP
FOLLOWERS
When there’s a
strike
We’re right behind
To get our share of
Gold
We screw all night
Flat on our backs
All for the lure of
Gold
Gold is the measure
of all things
Gold is the meaning
of life
God said, Let there
be light!
And the light was
shining gold
CHORUS
God said, Let there
be light!
And the light was
shining gold!
NEWSBOY
Gold heist! Gold
heist!
Crime of the
century!
Read all about it!
QUARTET OF THE DEAD
A wanderer
A man who never
Swung a pick
Here because
He thinks he knows
Something that
Will bring him fame
And with the fame
Of course much gold
(PADDY enters Canyon City Room & Board. Sitting at a table is MILLER, working on a poem. Paddy slowly approaches him.)
QUARTET OF THE DEAD
At this table
Sits a man
Later known
Around the world
As the poet
Of the west
Joaquin Miller
No one less
MILLER
I am the Byron
Of the West
I am a genius
I confess
My poems will bring
me
Worldwide fame
Everyone
Will know my name
Cincinnatus
Hiner Miller
Poet, lawyer,
Indian fighter
PADDY
Excuse me
I am a weary
Traveler who
Needs a bed
And then a meal
MILLER
I have a new poem!
What do you think?
"I stood where thunderbolts were wont
To smite they Titan-fashioned front,
And heard dark mountains rock and roll;
I saw the lightning's gleaming rod
Reach forth and write on Heaven's scroll
The awful autograph of God!"
PADDY
Excuse me
Might a weary
traveler
Get a room and
meal?
MILLER
"By unnamed rivers of the Oregon north,
That roll dark-heaved into the turbulent
hills,
I have made my home. The wild heart thrills
With memories fierce, and a world storms
forth."
(He turns to Paddy.)
MILLER
Step forward, my
man,
And offer praise
For my new poems
You shake the hand
Of the Byron
Of the West!
(Miller offers his hand.)
MILLER
Cincinnatus
Hiner Miller —
Poet, lawyer,
Indian fighter
(They shake hands.)
PADDY
Paddy McGuinness
MILLER
You’re too late, Paddy
PADDY
What do you mean?
MILLER
Aren’t you here for gold?
PADDY
In a manner of speaking
MILLER
The gold is gone
Just trickles in
Compared to what
It once had been
Just Old Stump
Still brings in ore
And makes a living
Not much more
Greed is best
When greed is first
The early bird
Has greater thirst
If you had come
A year ago
A grand a day!
Was our credo
But now the pickings
Are so slim
You sweat and sweat
Reward is thin
They say Alaska’s
The next place
To stake your claim
And draw an ace
And so I say
Go North, today!
The West has seen
A better day
PADDY
But you’re still here
MILLER
I am the Byron
Of the West!
I am a genius
I confess
I have an epic
Poem in mind
About man’s lust
And greed for gold
When I write it
Fame is mine
I am the Byron
Of the West!
Meanwhile here
I sit and write
Create my rhymes
And culture, too
Can you imagine
Shakespeare here?
A tragedy
Within these walls?
I plan to do
Exactly this
Perform the Bard
Right here and soon
I’ll play Othello
Can you see it?
Such tragedy
I’ll put on stage
Even miners
Shed a tear
(RUBY looks up from her books.)
QUARTET OF THE DEAD
This is Ruby
Tough as nails
Who follows miners
Where they go
Providing room
And board and more
RUBY
Hiner, you don’t
Fool me at all
You’re setting yourself
Up for a fall
You’re still hustling
That poor woman
Hoping that she
Will soon return
MILLER
Ruby, this man
Needs a room
PADDY
That I do
RUBY
Then come check in
(Paddy moves to the check-in counter.)
MILLER
I am the Byron
Of the West
I am a genius
I confess
Cincinnatus
Hiner Miller
Poet, lawyer,
Indian fighter
(ROSE enters. She heads for the stairs.)
QUARTET OF THE DEAD
Here the strangest
One of all
A lady who
Came here to paint
Mining scenes
And nothing more
-- Or so she claims
MILLER
(to impress her)
Excuse me, madam!
I have a new poem
A work of genius
Written just for you!
"I am sitting alone in the moonlight,
In the moonlight soft and clear,
And a thousand thoughts steal o'er me,
While penciling, sitting here."
(Rose has reached the stairs.)
MILLER
Do you like it?
(She ignores him.)
MILLER
(after her, reciting)
"I move among the frowning firs;
Black bats wheel by in rippled whirs!"
(Paddy steps away from the counter.)
PADDY
So I’m listening to
The most godawful poem
In the western world
When I’m struck by lightning
For who should enter
But Rose O’Reilly
The very wife
Of the very man
I’m looking for
Thomas O’Reilly
Will he be surprised
To see Paddy McGuinness!
(He approaches Miller.)
PADDY
Excuse me
The woman who came in
I think I may know her
Her name, Rose O’Reilly
MILLER
Her name is Miss Lee
PADDY
What does she do?
MILLER
She is an artist
She paints the West
Scenes from our
Own mining town
In this regard
We’re artists both
And thus destined
To bond together
PADDY
Is she from Chicago?
I may know her
MILLER
San Francisco, I believe
You must be mistaken
(Paddy steps away.)
PADDY
My eyes do not lie
My hunch is not wrong
This is the Rose
Who married Thomas
Who stole the gold
Which means he’s near
Hiding under a rock
Like the lizard he is
I cannot believe my luck
This is better than gold
I saw the photograph
When she and Thomas wed
Which was a week before
They both fled Chicago
The day of the gold heist
This has been
My lucky day!
(Paddy goes upstairs to his room.)
(STUMP, an old miner with a wooden leg, enters.)
QUARTET OF THE DEAD
Here is Stump
The oldest miner
Of them all
Named because
He lost a leg
Which he uses
As a club
If you dare
To cross his path
RUBY (from
the counter)
How’s the digging
Today, Stump?
STUMP
Slow but sure
At least it’s something
But certainly not
Like the good old days
I miss the good old days
When gold was plentiful
(Miners come forward.)
GROUP OF CAMP FOLLOWERS
We miss the good old days
CHORUS
We miss the good old days
When gold was everywhere
MINERS
Gold rush! Gold
rush!
CAMP FOLLOWERS
Gold rush! Gold
rush!
NEWSBOY
Extree, extree!
Read all about it!
CHORUS
Gold rush! Gold
rush!
NEWSBOY
Gold discovered
In Canyon City!
RUBY
They’ll be a hot
time
In the old town
tonight!
CHORUS
When gold is
discovered,
A town comes to
life
Thousands rush
To stake a claim
RUBY
To my delight!
CHORUS
Nothing helps
business
Like gold
Banks rise and fall
Gold is eternal
Fame is fickle
Gold is eternal
Love comes and goes
Gold is eternal
MINER
A man sweats
And sweats and
sweats
Works all his life
For gold
CAMP FOLLOWER
A lady suffers
Subjugation and
pain
Then spreads her
legs
For gold
CHORUS
Gold is the measure
of all things
Gold is the meaning
of life
God said, Let there
be light!
And the light was
shining gold
NEWSBOY
Gold rush! Gold
rush!
CHORUS
God said, Let there
be light!
And the light was
shining gold
NEWSBOY
Gold discovered
In Canyon City!
Gold rush!
GROUP OF MINERS
We dig all day
And bust our backs
All in search of
Gold
We stake our claim
Driven by lust
Then rob our
neighbor
For gold
Gold is the measure
of all things
Gold is the meaning
of life
God said, Let there
be light!
And the light was
shining gold
GROUP OF CAMP
FOLLOWERS
When there’s a
strike
We’re right behind
To get our share of
Gold
We screw all night
Flat on our backs
All for the lure of
Gold
Gold is the measure
of all things
Gold is the meaning
of life
God said, Let there
be light!
And the light was
shining gold
CHORUS
God said, Let there
be light!
And the light was
shining gold!
STUMP & RUBY
But those days are gone
Those days are gone
And never to return
STUMP
All of my life I’ve chased a dream
Trying to strike it rich
To California in forty-nine
Staking out my claim
I’m sure I’ll find the mother lode
To
set me up for life
I find a bit of ore at best
And bust my back for that
I lost three wives for chasing gold
I also lost a leg
And still I dig and dig and dig
Digging is my fate
Mother lode, o mother lode!
The bane of my weary life
Mother lode, sweet mother lode!
Will be the death of me
STUMP & RUBY
Mother lode, sweet mother lode!
Will be the death of me
(Stump wearily starts upstairs.)
RUBY
Cheer up, Stump!
There’s still a trickle
Out of your claim
You’re better off
Than most
STUMP
Yes, I’m better
Off than most
But still my back
Is killing me
And by the way
The Indians are
Sending smoke
Signals again
MILLER
Don’t you fret
I gave the chief
Enough whiskey
For all his tribe
STUMP
I’m just saying
What I saw
Smoke signals
Make me nervous
Especially since
We dig up bones
Of ancestors
Instead of gold
MILLER
Whatever anger
This has caused
Is cured by whiskey
Trust me
(Music changes. LESTER, the black cook, approaches Miller.)
QUARTET OF THE DEAD
A free black man
In Oregon
Who came too late
To dig his gold
LESTER
Hiner
You wanted to see me?
MILLER
Lester
Indeed I did
We need to talk
About doing Shakespeare
LESTER
What you talking about?
Shakespeare?
MILLER
Scenes from Othello
You and me
I’ll read Othello
You’ll read Iago
LESTER
Wait a minute
You look in
The mirror lately?
I should be
Othello
MILLER
I am Othello
You are Iago
LESTER
Hiner
That makes no
Damn sense at all
Why should you
Read Othello?
MILLER
I am the Byron
Of the West!
I am a genius
I confess
LESTER
Christ, Hiner
I’ve heard all that
MILLER
Cincinnatus
Hiner Miller
Poet, lawyer,
Indian fighter
Shakespearean actor
Who plays Othello
We start rehearsals
Soon
LESTER
The miners don’t
Give a hoot
For Shakespeare
MILLER
Of course they do
LESTER
The miners need
More trem in town
Not Shakespeare
MINER
They crave the Bard!
LESTER
The miners need
More booze to drink
Not Shakespeare
MILLER
They crave the Bard!
LESTER
You as Othello?
Me as Iago?
Incredible
The miners will
Hoot us off
The stage
MILLER
I am the Byron
Of the west
I am a genius
I confess
Shakespearean actor
Who plays Othello
We start rehearsals
Soon
(Duet begins)
MILLER
Even a mining
Town needs culture
And so I’ll bring
The Bard to life!
LESTER
What this town needs
Is more trem!
What this town needs
Is more booze!
MILLER & LESTER
So a miner can rest his weary back
So a miner can spit out all the dust
So a miner can tip a glass of booze
So a miner can forget all bad luck
So a miner can dream of better days
So a miner can plan a future scheme
So a miner can get what a man needs most
What a man needs most, what a man needs most
LESTER
What a man needs most:
A woman’s flesh
MILLER
What a man needs most:
The poet’s voice
MILLER & LESTER
So a miner can get what a man needs most
And rest his weary bones
(Music continues and changes. CROSS FADE upstairs, to Paddy in the
hallway by Rose’s door.)
QUARTET OF THE DEAD
All the players
Now in place
But still so much
That’s not revealed
So in life
We move ahead
Without knowing
Where we go
PADDY
Canyon City
This godforsaken place
The end of my journey
From Chicago
Thomas O'Reilly
Surely is here
This is where
They must have come
Thomas and Rose
Thinking they pulled
The great crime off
Thomas and Rose
Must have thought
They outwitted the world
And almost they did
Save one
Save me
Save Paddy McGuinness!
I traveled through
A
wilderness
Of dry desolation
Of lizards and worse
Of strange varmints
A blazing sun
Like Hell itself
Dry as death
Without my pint
Without my cigar
At last to arrive
In Canyon City
Room and Board
A place to rest
My weary head
Before the gold
This missing gold
Is found and all
Revealed
And then will I
Paddy McGuinness
Surely become
The most famous cop
In all the land
The most famous cop
In all the land!
(He stands
at Rose’s door.)
(Focus on Rose in her room.)
ROSE
Why am I so nervous?
The deed is almost done
In a week at most
I’ll be out of here
This godforsaken place
And yet the perfect spot
To pull off such charade
Patience is the key
Play along with each
Tell them what they want
Assure them all is well
The end is very near
Soon enough will I
Begin a better life
Putting far behind
My life before Thomas
My life as an artist
An artist cannot
Live alone
On press clippings
Chicago critics
Loved my work
But how I struggled
To make ends meet
And then Thomas
Wooed me so
With such ideas
To make us rich
What’s a starving
Artist to do?
I said Yes
Poor Thomas
And we came here
Poor Thomas
I did what a starving
Artist must do
Poor Thomas
(A knock. She stops.)
ROSE
Who is it?
PADDY
A friend from Chicago
ROSE
Chicago?
PADDY
Chicago!
ROSE
I’ve never been
To Chicago
PADDY
And never married
Thomas O’Reilly?
ROSE
Just a minute
(She approaches the door.)
ROSE
Someone from Chicago?
Who is looking for Thomas?
No one from Chicago
Should know we came here
PADDY
I need to talk
To you
ROSE
Just a minute!
Just a coincidence
Nothing to worry about
No one from Chicago
Can know we came here
Thomas and I – poor Thomas
(She opens the door.)
PADDY
Hello, Rose
We never met
But I know Thomas
Very well
We both worked
For Pinkerton
And often shared
A pint and smoke
ROSE
I’m sorry, Thomas
Is not in
PADDY
Are you expecting
Thomas soon?
ROSE
Actually he
Was called away
On business, you see
He’s in Chicago
As we speak
PADDY
Back to Chicago?
ROSE
Home to Chicago
PADDY
How strange
ROSE
How sad
I miss him so
PADDY
If he’s not here
Then I should go
(He starts out.)
ROSE
Wait!
PADDY
Yes?
ROSE (aside,
to audience)
What do I do?
How can he know?
I must keep him
Close at hand
PADDY
Madam?
ROSE (to
Paddy)
I feel I can trust you
PADDY
Of course you can
ROSE
I don’t know where to turn
PADDY
I’m not sure what you mean
ROSE
What I said
Is not true
I do not miss
Thomas at all
As we speak
He’s in the fields
Stealing all
My father’s gold
PADDY
Stealing gold?
Thomas O’Reilly?
ROSE
He married me
For my money
I feel like such
A fool
You see, I was so innocent
When Thomas courted me
This older man, urbane and suave
He made me feel so free
No wonder that I fell in love
Who’d never fell before
How could I ever understand
What deeds he had in store?
He courted me only to get
His hands on father’s gold
And now this once innocent girl
Is frightened, sad and old
Paddy, I so need your help
To get me out of here
PADDY
You are asking for my help?
ROSE
I live in constant fear
PADDY
This is a mighty thing to ask
ROSE
Yes, I understand
(to audience)
Something about him isn’t right
PADDY (to
audience)
She has a secret plan
ROSE & PADDY
When gold is on the table,
Always watch your back
Never trust a soul
The needs of gold surpass the needs of flesh
Protecting what is yours is always best
(Paddy moves away, back into the hallway.)
ROSE
What is he up to?
If anything at all?
Did he and Thomas
Make some kind of deal?
PADDY
What is she up to?
If anything at all?
Did she and Thomas
Have some kind of fight?
ROSE & PADDY
When gold is on the table,
Always watch your back
Never trust a soul
The needs of gold surpass the needs of flesh
Protecting what is yours is always best
(Returning to his room, Paddy passes Stump coming down the hallway.
Paddy goes into his room. Stump knocks on Rose’s door.)
QUARTET OF THE DEAD
Little does
Paddy know
The layers of
Rose’s plan
What a piece
Of work she is
A femme fatale
Like few before
STUMP
It’s me
(Rose opens the door.)
ROSE
We may have trouble
STUMP
Trouble is my middle name
This damn leg is killing me
There must be a better way
To get the ore out of the field
(He’ll take off his wooden leg and empty crushed gold ore out of it,
pouring it into a box that Rose has taken out from under the bed.)
ROSE
A man’s here from Chicago
He says he knows Thomas
STUMP
Your husband wasn’t very smart
I told you so from the start
ROSE
I told him Thomas
Was in the field
Stealing gold
From father’s claim
STUMP
Are you crazy?
ROSE
I had to say something
I just don’t know
How much he knows
STUMP
Coming here from Chicago
I don’t like it
ROSE
Which is why
We have to get him
Into the fields
Where you can do
What must be done
STUMP
I killed your husband
That’s enough
The Indians
Are sending smoke
It makes me nervous
ROSE
You have to do
Just as I say
(A knock on the door. Lester has come upstairs.)
ROSE
Who is it?
LESTER
It’s me
Ruby sent me
Up with tea
ROSE
Just a minute
(She helps Stump get his leg on. Then she opens the door. Stump leaves,
and Lester enters.)
STUMP
I was just leaving
ROSE
Thank you for
The inspiration
(To Lester)
His mining stories
Inspire my art
(She shuts the door. In the hallway…)
STUMP
Her husband is
The only man
I’ve ever killed
And now she wants
The deed repeated
And this with Indians
Sending smoke
Trouble is
My middle name
(He’ll go into his room.)
(In Roses
room…)
LESTER
I’ve been thinking about
The offer you made
To sneak you out
With all your paintings
And protecting you
Through Indian country
All the way
To San Francisco
ROSE
And what did you decide?
LESTER
I don’t understand
The secrecy
But it’s a gig
That I could do
Except I want
Double the fee
ROSE
That’s outrageous!
LESTER
You think you can
Do it yourself
Sneak out of here
Ruby not knowing
Stump not knowing
With all your work
And travel across
Indian territory
All that danger
Without protection
You think you can
Do it alone
Then be my guest
ROSE
I can’t afford
Twice as much
LESTER
Of course you can
A famous artist
Like yourself
With all these paintings
Of the west
All these scenes
Of mining life
They’ll eat it up
In San Francisco
Don’t pretend
They won’t
ROSE
You leave me little choice
LESTER
It’s up to you
ROSE
I’ve too much art
To take alone
You take advantage
Of my plight
LESTER
You get no sympathy
From me
It’s dog eat dog
Out in the fields
And everywhere
Out in the world
It’s dog eat dog
Don’t think it isn’t
ROSE & LESTER
It’s dog eat dog
Out in the world
You always have
To watch your back
You never know
Who’s next to cheat
Who’ll next betray
Who’s next to lie
It’s dog eat dog
Out in the world
And that’s the end
Of that
LESTER
So when do we start?
(FOCUS shifts to Paddy coming out of his room into the hallway.)
PADDY
I dozed off, waking with a start
And knowing what it was that I must do
If Thomas O’Reilly was out in the fields,
Then into those same fields I must venture
And seek him out – despite ungodly creatures,
Varmints, lizards and worse, all hiding out
Throughout the godforsaken wilderness
I, Paddy McGuinness, without my pint,
And no cigar, must go into the desert
And catch my rat, for this is where he was
The matter settled did not rest my nerves
I was, in fact, more nervous than before
(LIGHTS fuller to include Lester heading for the stairs.)
PADDY
Lester!
LESTER
Mr. McGuinness, if I recall?
PADDY
Paddy to you, to everyone
Might we have a word?
LESTER
Of course
PADDY
Do you know
the lady's husband
and where he might
be found?
LESTER
He staked a claim
Out in the fields
And has been gone
For days and days
PADDY
I see. And you?
You have a claim
As well?
LESTER
When I came to Canyon City,
I had in hand a treasure map
To lead me to great fields of gold
Little did I know this map
Had been so often given out
That thousands rushed to stake their claims
Needless to say, I came too late,
The claims were filed, the gold was dug,
And I was lucky to find work
Washing plates at Room & Board
Do you see the moral here?
PADDY
The early bird will get the worm
LESTER
There’s more to it than that
Gold’s an aphrodisiac
It stirs the loins and drives the pulse,
And takes a man out of his head
As much as over any dame,
Gold’s an aphrodisiac
I should have stayed right where I was
LESTER & PADDY
Gold’s an aphrodisiac
Lust for wealth will grab a man
And take possession of his soul
And send him on a journey far
Beyond the borders of his life
When a man has lust for gold,
He has a ticket into Hell,
And though a few come back alive
With riches far beyond their dreams,
For most the journey is defeat,
Digging in the dirt for bones,
Which soon enough become their own
Gold’s an aphrodisiac,
And Death waits in the bridal bed
Gold’s an aphrodisiac,
And Death waits in the bridal bed
(CROSS FADE downstairs to MILLER reciting a poem.)
MILLER
"The day is dark and cloudy too
"And the mist is eddying round
"My toes they ache, you bet they do
"As I hear the chill wind sound."
(He is pleased with himself.)
MILLER
I am the Byron
Of the West
I am a genius
I confess
My poems will bring me
Worldwide fame
Everyone
Will know my name
Cincinnatus
Hiner Miller
Poet, lawyer,
Indian fighter
(Rose has arrived at his table.)
ROSE
Mister Miller
MILLER
Call me Hinter
ROSE
May I join you?
MILLER
The pleasure is mine
ROSE
Please forgive
My earlier rudeness
MILLER
Forgiven, madam
We share artistic
Temperaments
ROSE
Yes, there is
A bond between us
MILLER
One artist knows
Another
ROSE
Hiner, I feel
I can trust you
MILLER
Of course you can
ROSE
I'm so distraught
I need your help
MILLER
What is it, madam?
ROSE
I'm so ashamed
To tell you
MILLER
What you say
Remains our secret
ROSE
Thank you, Hiner
Your trust means
So much to me
MILLER
Artists must always
Stick together
In a world so filled
With mundane things
MILLER & ROSE
Artists must always
Stick together
For only they
Have special sight
To see the world
Just as it is
And gifts to share
Just what they see
With those who dare
To see the truth
Artists share
This special gift
MILLER
And what is wrong?
ROSE
The problem is Lester
MILLER
Lester, the cook?
ROSE
The very same
MILLER
What has he done?
An uncouth advance?
ROSE
In a manner of speaking
MILLER
I cannot believe it
ROSE
Not what you think
It really explains
My reasons for coming
To Canyon City
MILLER
Tell me the story
ROSE
What you must understand
Is I am more naive
Than you probably think
And this is why I used
A service in Chicago
To help me find a man
Suitable for marriage
And so I came to meet
Lester and to write
Him letters every week
We had so much in common
He seemed the perfect mate
When he finally asked
For my hand in marriage,
I wrote back at once
And said I'd be his bride
Imagine then my shock
After I arrived
I had no idea
That he is who he is
Obviously I can't
Marry such a man
But Lester still insists
And if I don't comply
He will write my parents
And tell them it is I
Who traveled all this way
To marry such a man
And such a family scandal,
Marrying a Nego,
I shudder to conceive
The damage this would do
My mother's health so poor
That's why I need your help
MILLER
I'll confront Lester at once
ROSE
No, that's not what I mean
I want to sneak away
To leave this awful place
And I need your brawn
To help me with my paintings
MILLER
Of course you have my help
ROSE
I am so relieved
We'll talk again soon
(She heads upstairs.)
QUARTET OF THE DEAD
What a piece
Of work she is
Who spins her web
Each time anew
A special lie
For each of them
And all get tangled
In her web
MILLER
Artists must always
Stick together
For only they
Have special sight
To see the world
Just as it is
And gifts to share
Just what they see
With those who dare
To see the truth
Artists share
This special gift
(CROSS FADE upstairs, to Paddy in the hallway.)
PADDY
As much as I dislike
This godforsaken place
I know what I must do
Go into the fields
And find Thomas myself
(Rose joins him.)
PADDY
Madam, I am on my way
Into the fields to find the groom
Who tries to steal your father’s gold
Have no fear, the deed is done
ROSE
Already I feel peace of mind
How can I make this up to you?
PADDY
As my papa used to say,
First things first. I’m on my way
(Rose goes into her room.)
PADDY
She must take me for a fool
But that’s exactly what I want
She and Thomas are a team
And I don’t buy her crazy tale
When I find him in the fields,
The truth will be revealed
(He goes into his room.)
(MUSIC, as Ruby comes up the stairs, knocks on Rose’s door and enters
her room.)
RUBY
Have you decided
When we go?
ROSE
I still have work
To do
RUBY
I’m not sleeping
Well at night
I’m a bundle
Of raw nerves
ROSE
I still have work
To do
RUBY
I’m as ready
As can be
To get the hell
Out of here
ROSE
I still have work
To do
RUBY
You give the word
And I am packed
ROSE
I still have work
To do
RUBY
Just thought I’d check
ROSE
I understand
You’d better go
RUBY
Just give the word
(Ruby leaves.)
ROSE
Everything’s
So complicated:
Stump took care
Of Thomas for me
And Ruby helps me
Blackmail Stump
Lester helps me
Blackmail Ruby
And Hiner helps me
Blackmail Lester
A lady can't have
Too many friends
To help her get
What's rightly hers
What's a starving
Artist to do
But try to get
What's rightly hers?
A lady can't have
Too many friends
Stump and Ruby
Lester and Hiner
And last but not least
Thomas, poor Thomas
A lady can’t have
Too many friends
To help her get
What’s rightly hers
What's a starving
Artist to do?
(CROSS FADE downstairs.)
We are the dead
Our rotting flesh
The buzzards’ treat
Killed because
We dug for gold
And found instead
Ancestral bones
Our souls wander
Restlessly
Because our stories
Are untold
Listen then
To our grave tale
And give our souls
Their weary rest
Thus we began
In Oregon
In a desert
Filled with gold
Into which
Came other news
Of a crime
Daring and bold
Thus unfolds
Betrayal is seen
Everywhere
Who will win?
Who will lose?
This is our tale
CHORUS
Gold rush! Gold rush!
What’s a starving
Artist to do?
Gold heist! Gold heist!
What’s a starving
Artist to do?
Banks rise and fall
Gold is eternal
Fame is fickle
Gold is eternal
Love comes and goes
Gold is eternal
MINER
A man sweats
And sweats and
sweats
Works all his life
For gold
CAMP FOLLOWER
A lady suffers
Subjugation and
pain
Then spreads her
legs
For gold
NEWSBOY
Extree! Extree!
Read all about it!
CHORUS
A man will chase
The thing he needs
NEWSBOY
Extree! Extree!
Read all about it!
CHORUS
First the gold
And then the greed
Gold is the measure
of all things
Gold is the meaning
of life
God said, Let there
be light!
And the light was
shining gold
And the light was shining gold!
And the light was shining gold!
QUARTET OF THE DEAD
Who will win?
Who will lose?
We are the dead
This is our tale
(END OF ACT ONE)
ACT TWO
(AT RISE: MUSIC. Three days later. Camp followers and miners, bored, hanging around outside the boarding house.)
QUARTET OF THE DEAD
When gold is scarce
A mining camp
Is not a pleasant
Place to be
And of course
It gets far worse
If Rose’s plan
Becomes revealed
CAMP FOLLOWER
It’s so boring
To be broke
There’s no gold
There’s no whiskey
There’s no dancing
There’s no screwing
It’s so boring
To be broke
MINER
It’s so boring
To be broke
A man must fight
To pass the time
And try to bargain
For free nooky
It’s so boring
To be broke
MINERS & CAMP
FOLLOWERS
Gold is like
The air we’re
breathing
Without gold
Why keep on living?
There’s no whiskey
There’s no nooky
There’s no business
There’s no gold
(A CAMP FOLLOWER comes forward.)
CAMP FOLLOWER
What’s lady to do
If she wants to get
Ahead in this world?
Do you want to sit
All day at a machine
Stitching together cloth
CHORUS
That’s not the job for me
CAMP FOLLOWER
Do you want to get
On your hands and knees
Scrubbing down a floor
CHORUS
That’s not the job for me
CAMP FOLLOWER
Do you want to stand
Over a hot stove
Then clean the pots and pans
CHORUS
That’s not the job for me
CAMP FOLLOWER
I stretch out on a bed
I picture cotton clouds
A spread apart my legs
I hear a symphony
And grunts like crashing waves
In no time I am done
With time to take a smoke
As much work as I want
Surely you see why
This is the job for me
CHORUS
Surely you see why
This is the job for
me
(CROSS FADE to inside the boarding house, where Miller in black face and Lester in white face are rehearsing.)
MILLER (as Othello)
"Ay, let her rot and perish
Tis a thing I would cherish
My heart is turned to stone
As hard as any bone
Yet it hurts my hand
Do you understand?"
LESTER
Hiner —
MILLER
"O the world hath no one sweeter
Even if she is a cheater
She might — "
LESTER
Hiner!
MILLER
What is it?
LESTER
This is inane!
MILLER
This is Shakespeare
LESTER
This is insane!
MILLER
This is “Othello.”
LESTER
It's not Shakespeare's "Othello."
The Bard didn’t write doggerel
MILLER
This is the Bard
Adapted by me
To be understood
By uncouth miners
“She might lie by an emperor’s side
And give him orders or skin his hide”
It’s your line,
My boy
LESTER
Don’t call me boy, Hiner
I played Othello before
On a San Francisco stage
MILLER
It’s still your line
“And give him orders or skin his hide”
LESTER
Jesus …
“Othello, this is not your way”
MILLER
“Iago, it is today
LESTER
“"O beware, my lord, of jealousy:
It is much, much worse than leprosy.
It's a green-eyed monster that mocks
Everything within the ticks of clocks."
Jesus, Hiner!
MILLER
Continue, you’re doing
Very well
LESTER
"The cuckold may live in bliss
When the husband doesn't see the kiss."
MILLER
“Hark, Iago, I must see before I doubt
And with sober eyes devoid of stout.
I need very clear proof
Before going through the roof."
LESTER
"This I am most glad to hear,
Especially since you've drunk no beer.
For now I can warn you as a friend:
Never to Cassio your wife lend,
Permit no moment of the two alone,
Or Cassio would take her as his own."
This is babbling doggerel!
I can’t take any more!
Hiner, I quit! Goodbye!
(Ruby enters from the kitchen.)
RUBY
Lester, you plan
To fix supper today?
LESTER
Right away.
RUBY
I wouldn't want
To interrupt
Your new career.
LESTER
Very funny.
(He starts off toward the kitchen.)
MILLER
Lines to memory,
My boy!
(Lester is gone.)
MILLER
I’m trying to keep him
Occupied.
RUBY
He can cook
Or he can quit
It’s a free
Country
MILLER
Not exactly
For a Negro
RUBY
If he can avoid
Getting lynched,
He’s as free
As any man
MILLER
Ruby, I have something
To reveal
Lester’s not the man
He seems to be
Miss Lee told me things
You wouldn’t believe
To make it short, she’s here
Against her will
And she wants me to help
Her escape
RUBY
You’re helping her escape?
MILLER
Of course! A gentleman
Can do no less
I’m helping her escape
And very soon
RUBY
You’re helping her escape?
(Duet begins.)
MILLER
Things are not always
As they seem
All the world’s a stage
And we perform
The roles that are suited
To our needs
RUBY
Things are not always
As they seem
You trust someone and find
Yourself betrayed
What you took as true
Is just a lie
MILLER & RUBY
Things are not always
As they seem
What you see is only
What you see
All the world’s a stage
And we perform
The roles that are suited
To our needs
You trust someone and find
Yourself betrayed
Things are not always
As they seem
(Stump enters. He heads for the stairs.)
STUMP
The Indians are sending smoke signals
They worry me something fierce
(He continues up the stairs.)
MILLER & RUBY
Things are not always
As they seem
What you see is only
What you see
All the world’s a stage
And we perform
The roles that are suited
To our needs
You trust someone and find
Yourself betrayed
Things are not always
As they seem
(CROSS FADE upstairs to Rose’s room.)
(Rose is painting as
Stump knocks on her door.)
STUMP
It's me!
ROSE
Come in!
(Stump enters.)
STUMP
My leg's killing me ...
ROSE
Sit down and relax.
(He'll sit on the bed, his back to the audience: Miss Lee
will remove his wooden leg and dump its contents into a bucket, which she puts
back under the bed.)
STUMP
The Indians are
sending
Smoke signals
again
They make me
nervous
Maybe we should
quit
ROSE
Don’t avoid the
subject
Did you do the
job?
STUMP
Of course.
ROSE
And McGuinness?
STUMP
A main course for
buzzards
But I’m serious
The Indians don’t
like
Us digging up
bones
I think they plan
To do something
about it
How much more gold
Do you need to
paint with?
ROSE
I can’t leave now
With gold in the
fields
STUMP
And gold on the
paintings
Enough for both of
us
To live like kings
Why be greedy?
ROSE
Why be greedy?
Greed is like a
thirst
A God-given drive
As natural as
breathing
STUMP
The Indians are
restless
ROSE
Do you ask a man
To breathe less
air?
Do you ask a man
To drink less
water?
STUMP
The Indians make
me nervous
ROSE
Greed is like the
breath
Greed is like the
thirst
We can’t leave now
With gold in the
fields
(CROSS FADE
below, to where McGuinness stands in a spotlight, his head wrapped in
bandages.)
MCGUINNESS
And so I took the
map
And went into the
fields
Expecting to find
Thomas out there
If lizards and
varmints
Weren’t
frightening enough
The Indians were
Acting strange
Smoke was as thick
As fumes over
Chicago
And I wondered
what it all meant
I got reckless, I
admit
Fearful of the
Indians
Losing focus on
the task at hand
I found an ore
crusher
Old and out of use
Right where the
map said it’d be
That’s when Thomas
Crept behind me
and swung
A board like a
butcher at the rack
Could have died
then and there
If two stray
miners hadn’t come
They put me on a
mule
And dropped me off
here
And Lester found
me on the street
(Lester in white face, Miller in black face, stand next to
McGuinness, comforting him.)
LESTER
You look a mess.
MILLER
Sit down, my lad,
And rest your feet.
MCGUINNESS
I look worse
Than I feel
Or am I dead?
You look so pale
And you so black
MILLER
Dress rehearsals
Paddy, my lad
Practice before
History is made
MCGUINNESS
Is Rose still here?
Miss Lee, I mean?
MILLER
Of course.
MCGUINNESS
She set this up
With her husband
I walked straight
Into a trap
MILLER
Her husband?
MCGUINNESS
Thomas O’Reilly
They are the two
Who hijacked the gold
Out of Chicago
MILLER
This can’t be true
MCGUINNESS
My head shows it is
LESTER
The plot thickens
MILLER
This can’t be true
Lester wants to marry
Miss Lee himself
LESTER
Are you crazy?
MILLER
The lady told me
So herself
MCGUINNESS
She says many things
But never the truth
LESTER & MCGUINNESS
A lady’s voice
Can sound so sweet
As she twists
The knife in your gut
An angelic smile
A gentle kiss
As she takes you
By the throat
A promise of
A happy life
As she leaves you
Bare and broke
A lady’s beauty
Is a drug
That she uses
All too well
MILLER
I don’t believe it
I’ll speak to her
Immediately
(He goes upstairs.)
MCGUINNESS & LESTER
A lady’s beauty
Is a drug
That she uses
All too well
And where’s the man
Who turns away
Who doesn’t want
Her for himself?
A lady’s smile
A lady’s kiss
A lady’s sex
And man is done
(McGuinness
heads for the stairs to follow Miller. CROSS FADE upstairs. Miller has burst
into Rose’s room.)
Madam, I demand
An explanation!
(Rose screams. Miller realizes his face is black.)
ROSE
Are you dead?
A corpse who’s come
To haunt my soul?
MILLER
Madam, I rehearse
Shakespeare’s role Othello
To entertain the miners
ROSE
Of course, I see!
How clever of you
Distract them as
We get away
(Miller,
realizing that McGuinness may be
listening, makes a gesture for her to stop this direction of talk.)
MILLER (changing the subject)
What magnificent paintings!
(He will hold up a canvas: this is the first time we've seen
one, and it's nothing but a gold-primed canvas.)
MILLER
How this captures
The very soul
Of a mining camp
Gold! Gold!
(He looks at the many other canvases in the room, all of
them the same, nothing but solid gold primer.)
MILLER
And this one … and this
The same, the same
Lady, you are
A genius for sure!
Each reduced
To bare essentials!
Only gold
And gold alone!
(He clears his throat.)
Been talking to Paddy
ROSE
Paddy McGuinness?
MILLER
The very one
He’s had a terrible
Accident
With an explanation
Quite bizarre
ROSE
He must’ve told you
About my husband
Poor Thomas
MILLER
You have a husband?
ROSE
He died last winter
Paddy knew him
In Chicago
I fear it was
A widow’s grief
That made me ripe
For Mr. Brown
My life’s become
A tragedy
MILLER
Your art will be
The stronger for it
Then Paddy must
Be mistaken
About who beaned him
With a
two-by-four
ROSE
He said as much?
Oh dear, I fear –
Could it be true?
MILLER
What, madam?
ROSE
It must be William
Thomas’ twin
Who stole the map
To find the gold
Since Thomas died,
The map’s been gone
MILLER
The map, madam?
ROSE
Oh, Mr. Miller,
What shall I do?
MILLER
Madam, please,
Call me Joaquin
My new pen name
You’re the first one
That I’ve told
ROSE
Dear Joaquin
I think it’s time
To get away
From this horrid
Mining town
(McGuinness enters the room, his gun drawn. Lester will come
up the stairs below and listen at the door. And Ruby will soon come up behind
him, gun drawn on Lester, to listen in as well.)
MCGUINNESS
Horrid mining
Town, indeed!
MILLER
What an outrage!
MILLER
Rose, you do,
Thomas proud
A liar to match
His own deceit
MILLER
What your tongue!
She is in grief.
Put down the gun.
MCGUINNESS
She and Thomas
In cahoots
Stole the gold
From Chicago
Dumped it here
To bring it out
As if they struck
A fertile mine
ROSE (to
Miller)
He and William
Work together
MCGUINNESS
There’s no William
There’s no twin
Hiner, she is
Duping you
(Trio starts.)
MCGUINNESS
A lady’s voice
Can sound so sweet
As she twists
The knife in your gut
An angelic smile
A gentle kiss
As she takes you
By the throat
ROSE
Listen how
He tries to make me
Into someone
That I’m not
MILLER
A lady’s beauty
Comes from heaven
Is a gift
From God alone
Sacrilege
Does not convince me
That this lady
Does me wrong
MCGUINNESS
Then you’ll learn
The hardest lesson
A woman’s word
Is cold as Ice
A promise of
A happy life
As she leaves you
Bare and broke
A lady’s beauty
Is a drug
That she uses
All too well
ALL THREE
A lady’s beauty
Like a phantom
Now you see it
Now you don’t
In the eye
Of the beholder
Comes the meaning
Of it all
MILLER
Madam, I
Defend you now
And to the end
MCGUINNESS
Where is Thomas?
Tell me, Rose.
ROSE
Joaquin, please
Leave us alone
I must settle
This myself
MILLER
Madam, I
Don’t understand
ROSE
Trust me, please
TRIO
A lady’s beauty
Like a phantom
Now you see it
Now you don’t
In the eye
Of the beholder
Comes the meaning
Of it all
(Lester and Ruby move up the hallway before Miller turns and
exits, going down the stairs and out the main exit. When he passes, they take
their places at the door again, eavesdropping, Ruby still with the gun drawn on
Lester.)
MCGUINNESS
I'm waiting here
Till Thomas comes
ROSE
But if he never
Comes at all?
MCGUINNESS
I think he will.
ROSE
I think he won't.
(Duet begins, 3/4
time?)
ROSE
If you would just
believe me
We'd reach a
compromise
That would help us
both
If you would just
believe me
MCGUINNESS
The boy who's
crying wolf
Finds himself
dismissed
When the wolf
appears
--Thomas is the
wolf
ROSE
Thomas broke my
heart
MCGUINNESS
Why don't I
believe you?
ROSE
If you'd hear me
out
I could make you
rich
The paintings that
I paint
Have primer full
of gold
Help me get them
out
And several go to
you
MCGUINNESS
Why don't I
believe you?
ROSE
Or if you would
agree
There is another
way
MCGUINNESS
And what way might
that be?
(Rose moves
close, flirtatious.)
Oh, surely you can
guess
Do you like what
you see
When you look at
me?
Imagine how we
both
Could live with
all this gold
MCGUINNESS
You’re such a piece of work!
Treachery, thy name
Surely must be Rose!
ROSE
I see lust in your eyes
Is that the answer Yes?
MCGUINNESS
For all the gold you have
I would not bed you down
A bigger prize is mine
When I have Thomas here
ROSE
You stupid little
man!
You ignorant
buffoon!
Who do you think
you are
To refuse me like
that?
ROSE &
MCGUINNESS
You’re not worth
the dirt I walk on
You’re not worth
the phlem I spit
You have nothing
worth my trouble
You’re as small as
navel lent
[developed with
repeat of lyrics]
(CROSS FADE
as Ruby grabs Lester and hustles him downstairs.)
CHORUS OF THE DEAD
Witness how the plan
unravels
Now the fun really
begins
Witness how sparks
fly off most
From those who
realize they’ve been duped
What a
double-crossing scumbag!
What a lying
whoring bitch!
LESTER
Sounds to me she’s
double-crossing
Everyone who’s
talked to her
RUBY
She will not pull
this on Ruby
She is going to
pay big time
LESTER
She’s the one who
does the dealing
We’re the ones who
get the dime
RUBY & LESTER
She’s not worth
the dirt I walk on
She’s not worth
the phlem I spit
She has nothing
worth my trouble
She’s as small as
navel lent
[develop with same
lyrics]
(CROSS FADE back upstairs. McGuinness and Rose remain in the room – and
behind McGuinness comes Miller, holding a huge law book over his head. He
brings it down on McGuinness’ head, and he crashes to the floor.)
MILLER
Madam, I have rescued you!
ROSE
My hero! But you must
Get out of here at once.
(She starts moving him to the door.)
MILLER
What is it, madam?
ROSE
I’ve no time to explain.
MILLER
I’ll wait for you downstairs!
(She hustles him out. Miller goes downstairs. Rose looks down at the
body of McGuinness.)
ROSE
How small men look when they are down
Their power taken ‘way
Who believe the world works just for them
And they alone betray
Who believe a woman cannot think
And cannot make a deal
That everything is run by them
A truth with no appeal
I’ve put my brain against them all
And double-crossed each one
The paintings all belong to me
A woman’s work is done
(CROSS
FADE to downstairs as Miller joins Ruby and Lester.”
(Ruby
draws a pistol on Miller.)
ROSE
Nobody’s going
Anywhere!
MILLER
Madam, I
Don’t understand
(Stump enters.)
I think those Indians
Are up to something.
(At the distraction of his entrance, Lester draws a pistol and points
it at Ruby. Ruby still has a bead on Miller.)
Hold it, Ruby!
RUBY
You double-crossing
Former slave!
LESTER
A free man if
I have a gun.
(Stump draws a pistol and points it at Lester.)
What the hell
Is going on?
(A stalemate. Music. Stump is the only one not looking at the barrel of
a gun: until Rose appears on the stairs and takes a bead on him.)
Careful, Stump!
(Ruby quickly changes her aim from Miller to Rose. Now the stalemate is
complete: Ruby has a bead on Rose, who has a bead on Stump, who has a bead on
Lester, who has a bead on Ruby. Only Miller is free from threat now.)
MILLER
This seems to be a stalemate
RUBY
What I’d like to do
Of course is shoot your first
But can I pull the trigger
Without being shot myself?
MILLER & RUBY
This seems to be a stalemate
LESTER
My first mistake
To trust you, Rose
To think that we
Had made a deal
STUMP
When all along
You schemed a double-
Crossing plan
To do me in
MILLER, RUBY, LESTER, STUMP
This seems to be a stalemate.
That’s what happens
When you think
You know someone
Enough to trust
Them with your life
The moral clear
Trust no one
And play it safe
ROSE
This seems to be a stalemate
Trustworthiness a joke
Selfishness the rule
Blackmail is the game
Treachery the rules
What’s a starving
Artist to do?
This seems to be a stalemate
QUARTET OF THE DEAD
And so greed drives men beyond shame
To acts so vile they’re not yet named
And some men die and some men stay
And Filthy Lucre wins the day
(MUSIC. Miller has been watching this with a certain
fascination.)
MILLER
I am the Byron
Of the West
I am a genius
I confess
My poems will bring
me
Worldwide fame
Everyone
Will know my name
Cincinnatus
Hiner Miller
Poet, lawyer,
Indian fighter
This seems to be a
stalemate.
Perhaps I can
help.
The only problem
is
Which one do I
help?
CHORUS OF FIVE
Me, me, me, me,
me!
Me, me, me, me,
me!
MILLER
I think I’m quite
confused.
(MUSIC
change. Suddenly the door bursts open – and a miner comes in, an arrow in his
body. )
The savages
attack!
(He falls
dead. A camp follower stumbles in, also shot by an arrow.)
To think my
beautiful hair
Is going to be
scalped!
(She falls
dead. Now all the miners and camp followers come in, all with arrows in their
bodies.)
When savages
attack
It’s like the end
of days
No one will
survive
None to tell the
tale
All of this
because
We dug up some old
bones
And they’re so
primitive
Bones mean more
than gold
Bones mean more
than gold!
They know no more
than this
Bones mean more
than gold!
They know not what
they do
(MUSIC. The
scene is washed over in red light, heat and fire.)
QUARTET OF THE DEAD
Every lout deserves
A proper death
With oratory, song
Even a prayer
Though a life be full of lies
A corpse is nothing to despise
It doesn’t hurt too much
To sing a hymn
CHORUS OF DEAD MINDERS
All I ever wanted
Was the best
Just like the tycoons living
On the hill
But pap worked for a small pittance
And I got no inheritance
Everything I got
I had to steal
CHORUS OF DEAD CAMP FOLLOWERS
I don’t want your pity
Not a smidge
You can stick your pity
Up your arse
We navigated with our wits
Scratched out a living bit by bit
Your husbands always picking
Up the check
COMBINED CHORUSES
When you’re dead there’s nothing
To be done
It doesn’t matter what you
Have to say
When the next wave comes around
We’ll be rotting in the ground
Quite without a mem’ry
Of all this
QUARTET OF THE DEAD
All day blood flowed deep
Into the land
The very land that offered
All the gold
And only two of them survived
And managed to escape alive
A poet of the west,
A broken man.
(Red lights fade. SPOT up on McGuinness. At last he has his cigar.)
Never have I seen such a massacre
Never have I seen so much blood
The Indians showed little mercy
They fought as if fighting for their Soul
I awoke to horrid cries and screaming
I was too afraid to wander down
Staying on the floor, I feigned death
Feigning death, I somehow stayed alive
For months I thought I was the sole survivor
Until I saw an item in the press
Hiner had obtained his fame and fortune
In London, called the Poet of the West
(CROSS FADE to Miller, fully buckskinned, in London as the Poet of the
West.)
MILLER
I sing of the West and I sing of the greed that
makes a man act outlandish
And all for the lure of Oregon gold — that's
Oro Oregono in Spanish.
Into the deserts and mountains they come,
like hornets swarming to honey.
They sacrifice home and family and friends,
and all for the greed for money.
They dig for days and weeks and months til
blisters turn to stone.
As hard as ore their hands become, and
muscles 'round their bones.
A nugget here! A nugget there! Nature lures
them well,
And so they dig and dig again, how long we
cannot tell.
They found his bones in a deep long hole
across the desert sand.
His hand clutched 'round a sterile stone, a
pick ax in his hand.
But here's the telling mark, my friend —
though the stench was strong and vile,
This miner felt no grief or pain — his lips
were in a smile!
And in the desert sand beside the grave
wherein he sprawled,
In careful printed hand, this very message
had been scrawled:
'Yes, a sinner rotted here, whose greedy
smile has vanished,
Who lusted after Oregon gold!' — that's Oro
Oregono in Spanish!
(Off Miller, back to McGuinness.)
MCGUINNESS
But I had trouble sleeping every night
I could not share the truth of what I saw
The stench of burning flesh remained with me
The screams became the chorus of my life
For a while I thought I would recover
I would learn the meaning of all this
The meaning seemed to be a constant trembling
The meaning seemed to be the lack of sleep
The meaning seemed to be that gold is evil
When it consumes a man’s very soul
But how can greed be evil when so common?
Who would have the will to deny gold?
The meaning seemed to say that sometimes
living
And staying in this world is worse than death
(CLOSING MUSIC. McGuinness joins the quartet of the dead, as
…)
Extree, extree!
Read all about it!
Massacre in Canyon
City!
Indians on the
warpath!
Extree, extree!
QUARTET OF THE DEAD PLUS ONE
We are the dead
Our rotting flesh
The buzzards’ treat
Killed because
We dug for gold
And found instead
Ancestral bones
Arrows from
The savage bow
Rained upon
Our weary flesh
And struck us down
Our scalps removed
An honored prize
Mourn for our
Disfigured souls
We are the dead
(All the other characters come out.)
FULL CHORUS
We only went
Where greed will go
We only sought
What greed will seek
Since greed is good
We’ve done no wrong
We are the dead
Who did no wrong
We are the dead
Who did no wrong.