Three Plays: The Fiddler's House, The Land, Thomas Muskerry Part 47

MUSKERRY Say "G.o.d be good to Thomas Muskerry."

GORMAN _(taking off his hat)_ "G.o.d be good to Thomas Muskerry, the man who was good to the poor." Is that all, Master?

MUSKERRY That's--that's all.

_Gorman goes to the door_.

GORMAN In a little while you'll hear my pipes on the road.

_He goes out. There is the sound of heavy breathing from the bed.

Then silence. The old pauper with the staff enters. He is crossing the ward when his attention is taken by the humming of the bees at the window pane. He listens for a moment_.

THE OLD PAUPER A bright day, and the clay on their faces. That's what I saw. And we used to be coming from Ma.s.s and going to the coursing match. The hare flying and the dogs stretching after her up the hill. Fine dogs and fine men. I saw them all.

_Christy Clarke comes in. He goes to table for his bag. He sees the figure on the bed, and goes over_.

CHRISTY I'm going now, Mister Muskerry. Mister Muskerry!

Mister Muskerry! Oh! the Master is dead. _(He runs back to the door)_ Mrs. Crilly. Mrs. Crilly. _(He goes back to the bed, and throws himself on his knees)_ Oh! I'm sorry you're gone, Thomas Muskerry.

THE OLD PAUPER And is he gone home, too! And the bees humming and all!

He was the best of them. Each of his brothers could lift up their plough and carry it to the other side of the field. Four of them could clear a fair. But their fields were small and poor, and so they scattered.

_Mrs. Crilly comes in_.

MRS. CRILLY Christy Clarke, what is it?

CHRISTY The Master is dead.

MRS. CRILLY My G.o.d, my G.o.d!

CHRISTY Will I go and tell them below?

MRS. CRILLY No. Bring no one here yet. We killed him. When everything is known that will be known.

CHRISTY I'll never forget him, I think.

MRS. CRILLY What humming is that?

CHRISTY The bees at the window pane. And there's Myles Gorman's pipes on the road.

_The drear call of the pipes is heard_.

END OF PLAY

"Thomas Muskerry" was first produced on May 5th, 1910, by the Abbey Theater Company, at the Abbey Theater, Dublin, with the following cast:--

THOMAS MUSKERRY Arthur Sinclair MRS. CRILLY Cara Allgood CROFTON CRILLY J.M. Kerrigan ALBERT CRILLY Eric Gorman ANNA CRILLY Maire O'Neill MYLES GORMAN Fred O'Donovan FELIX TOURNOUR Sydney Morgan JAMES SCOLLARD J.A. O'Rourke CHRISTY CLARKE U. Wright MICKIE GRIPES Fred Rowland TOM SHANLEY Ambrose Power AN OLD PAUPER J.M. Kerrigan.