HARVARD PLAYS "Tie Harvard Dramatic Club Second Series THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES GIFT EDITED BY GEORGE P. BAKER PROFESSOR OF DRAMATIC LITERATURE, HARVARD UNIVERSITY THE HARVARD PLAYS A Collection of One Act Plays SELECTED AND EDITED BY PROF. GEORGE P. BAKER Vol. I. Plays of the 47 Workshops, 1st Series THREE PILLS IN A BOTTLE, by Rachel L. Field. A fantasy, including a dance, for 4 men, 8 women, 1 cbild; 35 THE m GOob MEN DO, by Hubert Osborne. A drama on Shakespeare's death, costume, for 3 men, 3 women; 30 minutes. TWO CROOKS AND A LADY, by Eugene Pillot. An exciting crook play, for 3 men, 3 women; 20 minutes. FREE SPEECH, by Wm. Prosser. An amusing satire, for 7 men; 20 minutes. Vol. II. Plays of the Harvard Dramatic Club, 1st Series THE FLORIST SHOP, by Winifred Hawkridge. A comedy, for 3 men, 2 wo men; 45 minutes. THE BANK ACCOUNT, by Howard Brock. A drama of modern lite, for 1 man, 2 women; 25 minutes. THE RESCUE, by Rita C. Smith. A drama of New England life, for 3 women; 40 minutes. AMERICA PASSES Blf, by Kenneth Andrews. A pathetic comedy, for 2 men, 2 women; 30 minutes. Vol. HI. Plays of the Harvard Club, 2nd Series GARAFELIA'S HUSBAND, hv Esther \V. Bates. A drama of New England life, for 4 men, 1 woman; 30 minutes. THE FOUR-FLUSHERS, by Cleves Kinkead. A satirical farce, for 3 men, 2 women; 30 minutes. THE HARBOR OF LOST SHIPS, by Louise W. Bray. A tragedy of Fisherfolk. for 2 men, T woman, 1 boy; 25 minutes. SCALES AND THE SWORD, by Farnham Bbtep. An exciting drama of social justice, for 6 men, 1 woman, 1 boy, refugees and militiamen; 25 minutes. Vol. IV. Plays of the 47 Workshop, 2nd Series THE PLAYROOM, by Doris Halman. A_ touching fantasy, for 2 men, 2 women, 2 children; 30 minutes. THE FLITCH OF BACON, by Eleanor Hinkley. A lively comedy, costume, for 5 men, one woman; 20 minutes. COOKS AND CARDINALS, by Norman C. Lindau. A farce- co mod v. for 3 men, 2 women; 25 minutes. TORCHES, by Kenneth Rnisbeck. A tragedy, costume, for 2 men, 2 women; 1 hour. PUBLISHED BY BRENTANO'S, NEW YORK PLAYS OF THE HARVARD DRAMATIC CLUB THE HARBOR OF LOST SHIPS By LOUISE WHITEFIELD BRAY X GARAFELIA'S HUSBAND By ESTHER WILLARD BATES SCALES AND THE SWORD By FARNHAM BISHOP THE FOUR-FLUSHERS By CLEVES KINKEAD NEW YORK BRENTANO'S 1921 Copyright, 1919 BY BRENTANO'S First printing, June igao Second printing, July iyai PS V-l. Cop Attention is called to the penalties provided by law for any infringements of the dramatist 's rights, as follows : " Sec. 4966 : Any person publicly performing or representing any dramatic or musical composition for which copyright has been obtained, without the consent of the proprietor of said dramatic or musical composition, or his heirs and assigns, shall be liable for damages therefor, such damages in all cases to be assessed at such sum, not less than one hundred dollars for the first and fifty dollars for every subsequent performance, as to the court shall appear to be just. If the unlawful performance and representation be wilful and for profit, such person or persons shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction be im prisoned for a period not exceeding one year." U. S. Revised Statutes, Title 60. Chap. 3. INTRODUCTION The Harvard Dramatic Club, before the War brought a pause of two years in its activities, had for some ten years produced annually as part of its activity three or four one-act plays. The four new selections from its repertory of one- act pieces included in this volume can hardly re quire any special introduction, for the history of the Harvard Dramatic Club was given in the prefatory matter to the volume of one-act plays of this Club published in 1918, and the reception by the public of the four plays therein contained shows that they were welcome to readers and amateur acting organizations. The plays here printed have not been chosen as the only remain ing four sufficiently worthy, for there are others any editor would be glad to see published in a volume like this, but as a group which perhaps gives the volume best variety and balance. The editor's hope is that they may please their public as well as did the first group of Harvard Dramatic Club plays. When the first volume of one-act plays was printed it looked as if the Harvard Dramatic Club might be discontinued for some time, but now when publication has not exhausted the supply of promising short plays in its repertory, the ap proach of peace permits the Club to make plans [til] CHARACTERS BAL.AK HUTCHINSON GARAFELIA, his wife ORION PIKE, the hired man THE REVEREND MR. STEELE DOCTOR TORREY Originally produced April 6, 1915, by the Harvard Dramatic Club. Copyright, 1915, by Esther Willard Bates. Permission for amateur or professional performances of any kind must first be obtained from The 47 Workshop, Harvard College, Cambridge, Mass. Moving Picture rights reserved. GARAFELIA'S HUSBAND SCENE: A large New England kitchen with dark, stained wainscoting half way up the walls, and above it plaster, once painted a yellow brown, but now faded and shadowy. There are two twelve-paned windows in back with tattered hoi- land shades. At their sills are pots of ivy gera nium and begonia in full bloom.. The floor is dark with age, the ceiling low and dingy, and there are three doors, one leading into the dining room, one to the woodshed, and one to the yard. The latter has two long panels of glass set in the upper portion, and these and the windows look out on a country road, and beyond that, to an orchard. Bare trees and withered grass show that it is late in November. The sky is still pink with sunset. No lamps are lit within, but where the chimney jog widens into an enormous fireplace, the crane is swung back and upon the black andirons a pile of logs is richly blazing. The iron sink with its pump stands between the fireplace and the win dows. Beneath the latter is a shabby, upholstered sofa. There are three stiff-backed kitchen chairs and a table. Between the windows and over the chimney place hang bunches of seed corn affording great masses of orange-yellow color. Above these [3] are strings of red pepper. The effect of the entire room is darkly rich m color. But the most conspicuous object in the room is a large, old-fashioned four-poster bed, with a feather mattress and a brilliant patchwork quilt for covering. Beneath it is a small leather chest, stowed away. On the right-hand side, close to the head, is a light stand with some bottles, a tumbler of water, a teaspoon, and two small bowls, sug gesting herb tea. TIME : A November evening a "few years ago. When the curtain rises, Balak is discovered sunk into the depths of the feather bed. He is an old man of seventy or thereabouts, feeble almost to helplessness, but whose bodily weakness is con tradicted by a vivid look in the eyes and an unexpected vigor of voice. He is asleep, and Garafelia, a woman of fifty- fii'e, straight, thin, with hair drawn tightly back from her face, and wearing a nondescript wrapper, stands looking down at him with tenderness. She smooths the quilt, brings a glass of fresh water, and tucks in the sheet at the head of the bed. GARAFELIA. Balak! [He doesn't answer.} [With great relief] He's sound asleep. [She sighs and reaching under the bed draws out