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THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD

SARA. She's in the boreen making spade, and supposing he flings up the
game of Shaneen Keogh. two halves of that skull, what'll be
CHRISTY. Then I'll be going to said then in the papers and the courts
her now. (He runs out followed by the of law?
girls.) JIMMY. They'd say it was an old
WIDOW QUIN. Well, if the worst Dane, maybe, was drowned in the
comes in the end of all, it'll be great flood. (Old Mahon comes in and sits
game to see there's none to pity him down near door listening.) Did you
but a widow woman, the like of me, never hear tell of the skulls they have
has buried her children and destroyed in the city of Dublin, ranged out like
her man. (She goes out.) blue jugs in a cabin of Connaught?
CURTAIN PHILLY. And you believe that?
JIMMY -- (pugnaciously.) Didn't
ACT III a lad see them and he after coming
from harvesting in the Liverpool
SCENE, (as before. Later in the boat? "They have them there," says he,
day. Jimmy comes in, slightly drunk.) "making a show of the great people
JIMMY -- (calls.) Pegeen! (Crosses there was one time walking the world.
to inner door.) Pegeen Mike! (Comes White skulls and black skulls and
back again into the room.) Pegeen! yellow skulls, and some with full
(Philly comes in in the same state.) teeth, and some haven't only but one."
(To Philly.) Did you see herself? PHILLY. It was no lie, maybe,
PHILLY. I did not; but I sent for when I was a young lad there was
Shawn Keogh with the ass cart for to a graveyard beyond the house with the
bear him home. (Trying cupboards remnants of a man who had thighs as
which are locked.) Well, isn't he a long as your arm. He was a horrid
nasty man to get into such staggers at man, I'm telling you, and there was
a morning wake? and isn't herself the many a fine Sunday I'd put him to-
divil's daughter for locking, and she gether for fun, and he with shiny
so fussy after that young gaffer, you bones, you wouldn't meet the like of
might take your death with drought these days in the cities of the world.
and none to heed you? MAHON -- (getting up.) -- You
JIMMY. It's little wonder she'd be wouldn't is it? Lay your eyes on that
fussy, and he after bringing bankrupt skull, and tell me where and when
ruin on the roulette man, and the there was another the like of it, is
trick-o'-the-loop man, and breaking splintered only from the blow of a loy.
the nose of the cockshot-man, and PHILLY. Glory be to God! And
winning all in the sports below, rac- who hit you at all?
ing, lepping, dancing, and the Lord MAHON -- (triumphantly.) It was
knows what! He's right luck, I'm tell- my own son hit me. Would you be-
ing you. lieve that?
PHILLY. If he has, he'll be right- JIMMY. Well, there's wonders
ly hobbled yet, and he not able to say hidden in the heart of man!
ten words without making a brag of PHILLY -- (suspiciously.) And
the way he killed his father, and the what way was it done?
great blow he hit with the loy. MAHON -- (wandering about the
JIMMY. A man can't hang by his room.) -- I'm after walking hundreds
own informing, and his father should and long scores of miles, winning
be rotten by now. (Old Mahon passes clean beds and the fill of my belly
window slowly.) four times in the day, and I doing
PHILLY. Supposing a man's dig- nothing but telling stories of that na-
ging spuds in that field with a long ked truth. (He comes to them a little

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