The Man Who Had All the Luck by Arthur Miller Read Free Book Online Page A

do. I didn’t do anything wrong and . . .
    SHORY: You didn’t have to! [DAVE stares at SHORY.] A man is a jellyfish. The tide goes in and the tide goes out. About what happens to him, a man has very little to say. When are you going to get used to it? DAVID stands staring.
    PAT: You better go home and sleep, Dave. Sleep is a great doctor, you know.
    SHORY [ gently ]: He said it, Dave. Enter J.B. in a hurry.
    J.B.: Where is Dan? Where’s the Marmon?
    PAT: He didn’t come here.
    J.B.: That ox! I tell him I’ll drive it over for him. No, Dan Dibble don’t allow anybody behind the wheel but himself. I go into the house to tell Ellie I’m goin’ and when I come out he’s gone. [ Starts to go right. ] That seven passenger moron . . .
    DAVID: He probably decided to go back home to Burley.
    J.B.: No, I’m sure he’s tryin’ to get here. Rugged individualist! I’ll find him on some dirt road some place . . . [ He shuts up abruptly as a door slams outside. ] All look right.
    DAVID [ alarmed ]: Hester!
    He quickly goes off right. For an instant AMOS, PAT, and SHORY are galvanized. AMOS goes off and returns immediately supporting DAN DIBBLE who is shaking all over and seems about to collapse in distress.
    DIBBLE [ on entering ]: God help me, God in Heaven help me . . . Enter DAVID and J.B. helping HESTER . She is sobbing on DAVID ’s arm and he’s trying to lift her face up.
    DAVID: Stop crying, what’ the matter? Hester, stop it, what happened? J.B.!
    DIBBLE [ goes prayerfully to HESTER]: I couldn’t see him, Miss, how in the world could I see him? His car had no lights . . . HESTER ’s loud sob cuts him off.
    DAVID [ to DAN]: What happened? What did you do?
    DIBBLE: Oh, God in Heaven, help me . . .
    J.B. [ goes to him, pulls his hands down ]: Dan . . . stop that. . . . For Pete’s sake, what happened?
    DIBBLE: This girl’s father . . . an old man . . . I couldn’t see him . . . He was pushing a car without lights. There were no lights at all, and he walked out from behind just as I came on him.
    But for HESTER ’s subsiding sobs, there is silence for a moment. She looks at DAVID , who looks once at her, then comes to life.
    DAVID [ to DAN]: Where is he now?
    DIBBLE [ points upstage ]: I took him to his house . . . she was there. It happened a few feet from his house.
    DAVID [ horrified ]: Well, why didn’t you get a doctor! [ He starts for the back door. ]
    HESTER: No . . . he’s dead, Davey.
    Almost at the ramp, DAVID stops as though shot. After an instant he turns quickly. He comes as in a dream a few yards toward her, and, as in a dream, halts, staring at her.
    He’s dead.
    DAVID stares at her. Then turns his head to PAT , AMOS, SHORY, DAN . . . as though to seek reality. Then looking at her once more he goes to the nail barrel and sits.
    DAVID [ whisper ]: I’ll be darned. [ Goes to HESTER . . . after a moment. ] I’m so sorry.
    HESTER: It was nobody’s fault. Oh that poor man!
    PAT [ goes to DAVID]: You better . . . come home, David.
    DAVID [ he gets up, goes to HESTER , takes her hand ]: Hess? I really am sorry.
    HESTER looks at him, a smile comes to her face. She thankfully throws her arms around him and sobs.
    Don’t Hess . . . don’t cry anymore. Please Hess . . . John, take her to your house for tonight, heh?
    J.B.: I was going to do that. [ Takes HESTER ’s arm. ] Come on, baby. I’ll tend to everything.
    DAVID: Goodnight, Hess. You sleep, heh?
    HESTER: You mustn’t feel any fault, Davey.
    DAVID: I could have gotten him started, that’s all. He said . . . [ A filament of sardonic laughter. ] . . . don’t touch anything I own.
    HESTER: It wasn’t your fault! You understand? In any way.
    DAVID [ nods inconclusively ]: Go to bed, go ahead.
    J.B. [ leading HESTER off ]: We’ll get you home, and you’ll sleep.
    DIBBLE [DAN follows them until he gets to the right edge. Turning to