27 Wagons Full of Cotton and Other Plays by Tennessee Williams Page A

addressed to himself. )Yes, a revolution! The atmosphere that I breathe is not the same! Ah, well—I’m an old war-horse. ( He opens his coat and lifts the multiple golden chains from his vest. An amazing number of watches rise into view. Softly, proudly he speaks. )Looky here, young fellow! You ever seen a man with this many watches? How did I acquire this many time-pieces? ( Harper has seen them before. He glances above the comic sheet with affected amazement. )At every one of the annual sales conventions of the Cosmopolitan Shoe Company in St. Louis a seventeen-jewel, solid-gold, Swiss-movement Hamilton watch is presented to the ranking salesman of the year! Fifteen of those watches have been awarded to me! I think that represents something! I think that’s something in the way of achievement! . . . Don’t you?
    H ARPER: Yes, siree! You bet I do, Mistuh Charlie! ( He chuckles at a remark in the comic sheet. Mr. Charlie sticks out his lips with a grunt of disgust and snatches the comic sheet from the young man’s hands. )
    M R. C HARLIE: Young man—I’m talkin’ to you, I’m talkin’ foryour benefit. And I expect the courtesy of your attention until I am through! I may be an old war-horse. I may have received—the last of my solid gold watches . . . But just the same—good manners are still a part of the road’s tradition. And part of the South’s tradition. Only a young peckerwood would look at the comics when old Charlie Colton is talking.
    H ARPER: ( taking another drink )Excuse me, Charlie. I got a lot on my mind. I got some business to attend to directly.
    M R. C HARLIE: And directly you shall attend to it! I just want you to know what I think of this new world of yours! I’m not one of those that go howling about a Communist being stuck in the White House now! I don’t say that Washington’s been took over by Reds! I don’t say all of the wealth of the country is in the hands of the Jews! I like the Jews and I’m a friend to the niggers! I do say this —however. . . . The world I knew is gone—gone—gone with the wind! My pockets are full of watches which tell me that my time’s just about over! ( A look of great trouble and bewilderment appears on his massive face. The rather noble tone of his speech slackens into a senile complaint. )All of them—pigs that was slaughtered—carcasses dumped in the river! Farmers receivin’ payment not t’ grow wheat an’ corn an’ not t’ plant cotton! All of these alphabet letters that’s sprung up all about me! Meaning—unknown—to men of my generation! The rudeness—the lack of respect—the newspapers full of strange items! The terrible—fast—dark—rush of events in the world! Toward what and where and why! . . . I don’t pretend to have any knowledge of now! I only say—and I say this very humbly—I don’t understand—what’s happened. . . . I’m one of them monsters you see reproduced in museums—out of the dark old ages—the giant rep -tiles, and the dino-whatever-you-call-ems. BUT—I do know this! And I state it without any shame! Initiative—self-reliance—independence of character! The old sterling qualities that distinguished one manfrom another—the clay from the potters—the potters from the clay—are— ( kneading the air with his hands )How is it the old song goes? . . . Gone with the roses of yesterday! Yes—with the wind!
    H ARPER: ( whose boredom has increased by leaps and bounds )You old-timers make one mistake. You only read one side of the vital statistics.
    M R. C HARLIE: ( stung )What do you mean by that?
    H ARPER: In the papers they print people dead in one corner and people born in the next and usually one just about levels off with the other.
    M R. C HARLIE: Thank you for that information. I happen to be the godfather of several new infants in various points on the road. However, I think you have missed the whole point of what I was saying.
    H ARPER: I don’t think so, Mr. Charlie.
    M R. C HARLIE: Oh,