ACT II.

Scene: George F. Goodkind’s Library. New York.

Ten months later. The set has only two essentials—a wide, curtained, glass door L., and an ordinary, heavy wooden door down R. The first gives entrance to the music room, which is indicated rather completely when the door is open. The second, by way of a hall and a flight of stairs, leads to the main entrance of the house. For the rest, the library is a shallow room, very much like any other library in the home of any other rich and well educated man. It is a little richer and more luxurious than most, perhaps, with—here and there—priceless things from palaces in Venice or art collections in Rome. The obsession of business is suggested by various utilities, transient and otherwise—a row of law books, a small file, and a pile of papers upon the substantial library table.

At Rise: It is a Saturday evening in November, 1919. The Goodkinds have been entertaining informally at dinner, and, having finished the chief business of the occasion, the company is now diverting itself in the music room. This room is brilliantly illuminated; one sees the shadow of a man leaning against the glass door. Dilly Gilliam, at the piano, is playing one of the syncopations popular at the time. After a moment, a servant, with a card tray, enters R., crosses and exits L. An instant later, Goodkind, in evening clothes, enters L. He has a card in his hand. The Servant re-enters, re-crosses, and re-exits, stopping, en route, to switch on the lights. Goodkind looks at the pile on the table, and turns the topmost paper face down. Benfield, also in evening clothes, enters L.

Benfield

What the h——

Goodkind

Shut the door.

[Benfield does so. As he returns, Goodkind gives him the card]

Benfield

[Reading]

“Labor conciliators.”

[Throws the card on the table]

What the h——

Goodkind

What are labor conciliators? Mostly thugs. When you’ve been director in a coal mining company a little longer you’ll know. We’ve got a million dollars’ worth of ‘em handling this strike.

Benfield

Police duty?

Goodkind

No; spies and agents provocateur. I hate the breed, but what are you going to do about it? This fellow, Max Stedtman, got into the union five or six years ago, and now he’s one of the delegation they’ve sent up to me…. Where’s Jerry?

Benfield

I gave him the high sign.

Goodkind

[Offering cigars]:

Smoke?

Benfield

[Taking one]:

Thanks…. Why didn’t you go down to West Virginia?

Goodkind

Had to look over that power plant in Canada.

Benfield

Oh, yes!

Goodkind

Anyway, what do I know about coal mining?

Benfield

You’re president of the company.

Goodkind

Yes, but that means digging up money—not coal. I’ve never set foot in West Virginia in my life; and I don’t want to!

Benfield

Yes, but in a serious situation like this—

Goodkind

I sent Jerry. Jerry has a dozen qualifications and no scruples. And I sent Gilchrist.

Benfield

Who has scruples and no qualifications.

Goodkind

Thus striking a balance. I mean that! Don’t make any mistake about Gilchrist. He’s a valuable man. I didn’t hire him because I was sorry he got fired out of the church… and only a little because I knew his father. I hired him because he had theories, and I wanted to try ‘em out!

Benfield

I’ll say he’s got theories!

Goodkind

Yes, and the remarkable part of it is… sometimes they work. They worked up at that power plant. A year ago I wouldn’t have taken it as a gift. Gilchrist applied a little soft soap—

Benfield

Soft soap or gold dust?

Goodkind

Well, both; but, damn it, Charlie, with all the increased wages and decreased working hours, the plant’s making money now for the first time!

[Enter Jerry L. He is a little sullen—the result of brandy and resentment. He, too, is in evening clothes, and he closes the door behind him.]

Goodkind

There’s something in Gilchrist!

Jerry

Mostly bugs!

Goodkind

All right!

Jerry

I told you what he was doing at the mines. Now he wires you, “Everything settled if you accede to rational conditions,” and up comes this delegation! What are the conditions? I’ll tell you now—surrender! You’re crazy if you see these workmen! We’ve nothing to discuss! They’re our mines, and we’ll run ‘em as we like! If this philanthropist of yours carries out instructions we’ve got ‘em whipped!… What was the idea of the high sign?

Goodkind

[As Benfield picks up the card to answer]:

Stedtman.

Jerry

Where?

Goodkind

On the way up.

Jerry

Of course, we’re leaving our guests flat!

Benfield

Your wife’s in there!

Jerry

Clare resents our talking business at home.

Goodkind

Resents—and you haven’t been married a year! Palaver’s a wife’s job! They oil the machinery while we shovel in coal! [The Servant re-enters R.]

Servant

Mr. Stedtman.

[Enter Max Stedtman. He is a wiry little man, with the face of a ferret and the furtiveness of a rat. His nervousness does not indicate lack of self-confidence. That quality has made Stedtman the man he is today. For the rest, he is 40, and faintly Semitic. The Servant exits.]

Goodkind

How do, Stedtman? This is Mr. Benfield—one of our new directors.

[They acknowledge the introduction]

You know my son.

Stedtman

[Nods]: Saw him down to Black River.

[They sit—Jerry down L.; Benfield left of the table; Goodkind back of it; Stedtman R.]

Goodkind

Well?

Stedtman

Well… the committee’s on its way.

Goodkind

Who’s in this delegation?

Stedtman

I’m chairman. We got a Pole called Umanski.

Goodkind

[Writes]:

Umanski.

Stedtman

He’s a radical. You can’t do anything with him. But there’s a fellow named Joe Hennig….

Goodkind

Who’ll listen to reason?

Stedtman

I think so.

Goodkind

Why?

Stedtman

He’s got a pretty wife.

Benfield

What the he——

Goodkind

What has that to do with it?

Stedtman

Lots. Pretty wives like pretty things. Hennig’s in debt, and this girl’s on his neck every minute. She’s a peach. You know her, Mr. Jerry!

Jerry

No.

Stedtman

Pearl Hennig?

Jerry

No.

Stedtman

Oh! I thought I saw you talking to her onct. Anyhow, Gilchrist knows her… well.

Benfield

You mean….

Stedtman

I mean I wouldn’t mention Gilchrist to Joe Hennig. [Benfield whistles.]

Goodkind

That’s rot!

Stedtman

Anyhow, Hennig and me are two votes, and I figure Hennig’s’ll cost about….

[He looks at them narrowly.]

… fifteen thousand dollars.

[All three show surprise.]

Goodkind

I don’t like bribery.

Benfield

Not when it isn’t necessary.

Goodkind

And Gilchrist wired yesterday: “Everything settled.”

Jerry

On conditions.

Stedtman

Yeh—on their conditions! Take it from me, this Gilchrist has double-crossed you!

Benfield

I told you!

Jerry

He’s a….

Stedtman

[Goes right on, without heeding the simultaneous interruption]:

He’s been at union meetings! He got ‘em to send this delegation, and he tried to get ‘em to turn down Hennig—our one best bet! You take it from me—

Goodkind

[Quietly]: I won’t take it from you, Stedtman. [Looks around] Or from anybody else. I know this man.

Stedtman

[Cowed]: Well, he’s gone around talkin’ compromise. Compromise ain’t no way to settle a strike. Givin’ ‘em confidence. Why, we got a couple o’ hundred representatives among the workmen tellin’ ‘em they got no chance. We got special police clubbin’ ‘em every time they try to hold a meeting. You wouldn’t believe what we done down there in the way of harmony!

Goodkind

It’s all been done before.

Stedtman

Never no completer! We’re workin’ the black list and, if a man opens his mouth too...