[NARRATOR circles the theatre, carrying the HATCHET, during the scene until where indicated.  JEM, SCOUT, TOM, and MAYELLA enter in bare feet. JEM and SCOUT cross to the STEPS on the north side of screen where there is a pile of SHOES.  MAYELLA sits on the same side of the SCREEN, in the center, as if on the witness stand.  TOM sits on the other side of the SCREEN, as if on the witness stand as well.  TOM and MAYELLA each have a BUCKET in which they carry more SHOES.  As JEM, SCOUT, MAYELLA, and TOM speak, they try on SHOES.  MRS. DUBOSE speaks from her BATHTUB until indicated.  All performers trying on SHOES make shoe THUMPS where indicated.] [9]

JEM

You know something, Scout?  I’ve got it all figured out, now.  I’ve thought about it a lot lately and I’ve got it figured out.  There’s four kinds of folks in the world.  There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, [THUMP] there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, [THUMP] the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, [THUMP]  and the Negroes. [THUMP]

SCOUT

What about the Chinese?  And the Cajuns down yonder in Baldwin County?

JEM

I mean in Maycomb County.  The thing about it is, our kind of folks don’t like the Cunninghams, the Cunninghams don’t like the Ewells, and the Ewells hate and despise the colored folks. [THUMP] [THUMP]

MAYELLA

Well sir, I was on the porch and—and he came along and, you see, there was this old chiffarobe in the yard Papa’d brought in to chop up for kindlin’— “I said come here, nigger, and bust up this chiffarobe for me, I gotta nickel for you.” [THUMP]  He coulda done it easy enough, he could.

SCOUT

If that was so, then why didn’t Tom’s jury, made up of folks like the Cunninghams, acquit Tom to spite the Ewells?

TOM

“I was goin’ home as usual that evenin’, an’ when I passed the Ewell place Miss Mayella were on the porch, like she said she were, when she says for me to come there and help her a minute. [THUMP] Well, I went inside the fence an’ looked around for some kindlin’ to work on, but I didn’t see none, and she says, ‘Naw, I got somethin’ for you to do in the house.  Th’ old door’s off its hinges an’ fall’s comin’ on pretty fast.’ [THUMP] [THUMP]

JEM

You know, I’ve seen Atticus pat his foot when there’s fiddlin’ on the radio, and he loves pot liquor better’n any man I ever saw—[THUMP] [THUMP]

SCOUT

Then that makes us like the Cunninghams.  I can’t see why Aunty—

JEM

No, lemme finish—it does, but we’re different somehow.  Atticus said one time the reason Aunty’s so hipped on family is because all we’ve got’s background and not a dime to our names. [THUMP]

TOM

I went up the steps an’ she motioned me to come inside, an’ I went in the front room an’ looked at the door. [THUMP]  I said, Miss Mayella, this door look all right.  I was wonderin’ why it was so quiet like, an’ it come to me that there weren’t a chile on the place, not a one of ‘em—[THUMP] [THUMP] [THUMP]

MRS. DUBOSE

Don’t fool yourselves—it’s all adding up and one of these days we’re going to pay the bill for it.

TOM

I said Miss Mayella, where the chillun?--an’ she says—she was laughin’, sort of—she says they all gone to town to get ice creams. [THUMP]

MAYELLA

Took me a slap year to save seb’m nickels, but I done it.  They all gone to town. [THUMP] [THUMP]

MRS. DUBOSE

I hope it’s not in you children’s time…

JEM

Background doesn’t mean Old Family—I think it’s how long your family’s been reading’ and writin’. Somewhere along when the Finches were in Egypt one of ‘em must have learned a hieroglyphic or two and he taught his boy.

SCOUT

Well I’m glad he could, or who’da taught Atticus and them, and if Atticus couldn’t read, you and I’d be in a fix.  I don’t think that’s what background is, Jem. [THUMP]

TOM

Miss Mayella, that’s right smart o’ you to treat ‘em

MAYELLA

You think so? [THUMP]

SCOUT

Naw, Jem, I think there’s just one kind of folks.  Folks.

MAYELLA

You think so? [THUMP]

MRS. DUBOSE

Delete the adjectives and you’ll have the facts. [THUMP] [THUMP] [THUMP]

JEM

That’s what I thought, too when I was your age.

MAYELLA

So he come in the yard an’ I went in the house to get him the nickel and I turned around an for I knew it he was on me. [THUMP] He got me round the neck, cussin’ me an’ sayin’ dirt—[THUMP] [THUMP] He hit me agin an’ agin—“

TOM

I felt right sorry for her. [THUMP] [THUMP] [THUMP]

JEM

If they’re all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other?

MRS. DUBOSE

Thought you could kill my Snow-on-the-Mountain, did you? [THUMP]

[Trying on of the SHOES becomes more frantic.]

MAYELLA

He chunked me on the floor an’ choked me’n took advantage of me. [THUMP] Reckon I hollered for all I was worth, kicked and hollered loud as I could. [THUMP]  Next thing I knew Papa was in the room a’standin’ over me hollerin’ who done it, [THUMP] [THUMP] who done it? [THUMP] [THUMP]

TOM

She seemed to try moren’ the rest of ‘em--

MRS. DUBOSE

Next time you’ll know how to do it right, won’t you? [THUMP] [THUMP] [THUMP]

MAYELLA

I got somethin’ to say. [THUMP]

TOM

She watered them red flowers every day—[THUMP]

MRS. DUBOSE

Next time you’ll pull it up by the roots, won’t you? [THUMP]

MAYELLA

I got somethin’ to say an’ then I ain’t gonna say no more. [THUMP] [THUMP]

TOM

She says just to step on that chair yonder an’ git down that box from the chiffarobe. [THUMP]

MAYELLA

That nigger yonder took advantage of me--

[THUMP]

TOM

She grabbed me around the legs—she says she had never kissed a grown man before—[THUMP]

MAYELLA

He took advantage—[THUMP]

TOM

She says what her papa so to her don’t count. [THUMP] [THUMP]

MRS. DUBOSE

You got chirren of your own. [THUMP] [THUMP] [THUMP]

MAYELLA

He took advantage an’ if you fine fancy gentlemen don’t wanta do nothin’ about it then you’re all yellow stinkin’ cowards, the lot of you.

TOM

You’d be scared too.

[THUMP] [THUMP] [THUMP]

[Trying on of SHOES accelerates to a climax; all kick them off and throw them back into the PILE or BUCKET.]

[MRS. DUBOSE shrieks with laughter from the BATHTUB.]

MRS. DUBOSE

I think I’ll be a clown when I grow up.  There ain’t one thing in this world I can do about folks except laugh, so I’m gonna join the circus and laugh my head off.

JEM

You got it backwards.  Clowns are sad; it’s folks that laugh at them.

MRS. DUBOSE

[Emerging from the BATHTUB, crossing to center.]  Well I’m gonna be a new kind of clown.  I’m gonna stand in the middle of the ring and laugh at the folks.  [Laughs.]

JEM

Scout, I think I’m beginning to understand something.  I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time . . . it’s because he wants to stay inside.