The Skin of Our Teeth

The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder

Book: The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder Read Free Book Online
Authors: Thornton Wilder
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destruction,—total destruction.
    She points sweeping with her hand to the stage.
    Even of the animals, a few will be saved: two of a kind, male and female, two of a kind.
    The heads of CONVEENERS appear about the stage and in the orchestra pit, jeering at her.
    CONVEENERS:
    Charlatan! Madam Kill-joy! Mrs. Jeremiah! Charlatan!
    FORTUNE TELLER:
    And you! Mark my words before it’s too late. Where’ll you be?
    CONVEENERS:
    The croaking raven. Old dust and ashes. Rags, bottles, sacks.
    FORTUNE TELLER:
    Yes, stick out your tongues. You can’t stick your tongues out far enough to lick the death-sweat from your foreheads. It’s too late to work now—bail out the flood with your soup spoons. You’ve had your chance and you’ve lost.
    CONVEENERS:
    Enjoy yourselves!!!
    They disappear. The FORTUNE TELLER looks off left and puts her finger on her lip.
    FORTUNE TELLER:
    They’re coming—the Antrobuses. Keck. Your hope. Your despair. Your selves.
    Enter from the left, MR . and MRS. ANTROBUS and GLADYS .
    MRS. ANTROBUS:
    Gladys Antrobus, stick your stummick in.
    GLADYS:
    But it’s easier this way.
    MRS. ANTROBUS:
    Well, it’s too bad the new president has such a clumsy daughter, that’s all I can say. Try and be a lady.
    FORTUNE TELLER:
    Aijah! That’s been said a hundred billion times.
    MRS. ANTROBUS:
    Goodness! Where’s Henry? He was here just a minute ago. Henry!
    Sudden violent stir. A roller-chair appears from the left. About it are dancing in great excitement HENRY and a NEGRO CHAIR-PUSHER .
    HENRY:
    Slingshot in hand.
    I’ll put your eye out. I’ll make you yell, like you never yelled before.
    NEGRO:
    At the same time.
    Now, I warns you. I warns you. If you make me mad, you’ll get hurt.
    ANTROBUS:
    Henry! What is this? Put down that slingshot.
    MRS. ANTROBUS:
    At the same time.
    Henry! HENRY! Behave yourself.
    FORTUNE TELLER:
    That’s right, young man. There are too many people in the world as it is. Everybody’s in the way, except one’s self.
    HENRY:
    All I wanted to do was—have some fun.
    NEGRO:
    Nobody can’t touch my chair, nobody, without I allow ’em to. You get clean away from me and you get away fast.
    He pushes his chair off, muttering.
    ANTROBUS:
    What were you doing, Henry?
    HENRY:
    Everybody’s always getting mad. Everybody’s always trying to push you around. I’ll make him sorry for this; I’ll make him sorry.
    ANTROBUS:
    Give me that slingshot.
    HENRY:
    I won’t. I’m sorry I came to this place. I wish I weren’t here. I wish I weren’t anywhere.
    MRS. ANTROBUS:
    Now, Henry, don’t get so excited about nothing. I declare I don’t know what we’re going to do with you. Put your slingshot in your pocket, and don’t try to take hold of things that don’t belong to you.
    ANTROBUS:
    After this you can stay home. I wash my hands of you.
    MRS. ANTROBUS:
    Come now, let’s forget all about it. Everybody take a good breath of that sea air and calm down.
    A passing CONVEENER bows to ANTROBUS who nods to him.
    Who was that you spoke to, George?
    ANTROBUS:
    Nobody, Maggie. Just the candidate who ran against me in the election.
    MRS. ANTROBUS:
    The man who ran against you in the election!!
    She turns and waves her umbrella after the disappearing CONVEENER .
    My husband didn’t speak to you and he never will speak to you.
    ANTROBUS:
    Now, Maggie.
    MRS. ANTROBUS:
    After those lies you told about him in your speeches! Lies, that’s what they were.
    GLADYS AND HENRY:
    Mama, everybody’s looking at you. Everybody’s laughing at you.
    MRS. ANTROBUS:
    If you must know, my husband’s a SAINT, a downright SAINT, and you’re not fit to speak to him on the street.
    ANTROBUS:
    Now, Maggie, now, Maggie, that’s enough of that.
    MRS. ANTROBUS:
    George Antrobus, you’re a perfect worm. If you won’t stand up for yourself, I will.
    GLADYS:
    Mama, you just act

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