Tarts can’t hang on to dough. But I’m a bartender and I work hard for my livin’ in dis dump. You know dat, Larry.

LARRY

With inner sardonic amusement—flatteringly.

A shrewd business man, who doesn’t miss any opportunity to get on in the world. That’s what I’d call you.

ROCKY

Pleased.

Sure ting. Dat’s me. Grab another ball, LARRY.

LARRY pours a drink from the bottle on willie’s table and gulps it down. ROCKY glances around the room.

Yuh’d never tink all dese bums had a good bed upstairs to go to. Scared if dey hit the hay dey wouldn’t be here when Hickey showed up, and dey’d miss a coupla drinks. Dat’s what kept you up too, ain’t it?

LARRY

It is. But not so much the hope of booze, if you can believe that. I’ve got the blues and Hickey’s a great one to make a joke of everything and cheer you up.

ROCKY

Yeah, some kidder! Remember how he woiks up dat gag about his wife, when he’s cockeyed, cryin’ over her picture and den springin’ it on yuh all of a sudden dat he left her in de hay wid de iceman?

He laughs.

I wonder what’s happened to him. Yuh could set your watch by his periodicals before dis. Always got here a coupla days before Harry’s birthday party, and now he’s on’y got till tonight to make it. I hope he shows soon. Dis dump is like de morgue wid all dese bums passed out.

WILLIE OBAN jerks and twitches in his sleep and begins to mumble.

They watch him.

WILLIE

Blurts from his dream.

It’s a lie!

Miserably.

Papa! Papa!

LARRY

Poor devil.

Then angry with himself.

But to hell with pity! It does no good. I’m through with it!

ROCKY

Dreamin’ about his old man. From what de old-timers say, de old gent sure made a pile of dough in de bucket-shop game before de cops got him.

He considers willie frowningly.

Jees, I’ve seen him bad before but never dis bad. Look at dat get-up. Been playin’ de old reliever game. Sold his suit and shoes at Solly’s two days ago. Solly give him two bucks and a bum outfit. Yesterday he sells de bum one back to Solly for four bits and gets dese rags to put on. Now he’s through. Dat’s Solly’s final edition he wouldn’t take back for nuttin’. Willie sure is on de bottom. I ain’t never seen no one so bad, except Hickey on de end of a coupla his bats.

LARRY

Sardonically.

It’s a great game, the pursuit of happiness.

ROCKY

Harry don’t know what to do about him. He called up his old lady’s lawyer like he always does when Willie gets licked. Yuh remember dey used to send down a private dick to give him the rush to a cure, but de lawyer tells Harry nix, de old lady’s off of Willie for keeps dis time and he can go to hell.

LARRY

Watches WILLIE, who is shaking in his sleep like an old dog.

There’s the consolation that he hasn’t far to go!

As if replying to this, willie comes to a crisis of jerks and moans.

LARRY adds in a comically intense, crazy whisper.

Be God, he’s knocking on the door right now!

WILLIE

Suddenly yells in his nightmare.

It’s a God-damned lie!

He begins to sob.

Oh, Papa! Jesus!

All the occupants of the room stir on their chairs but none of them wakes up except HOPE.

ROCKY

Grabs his shoulder and shakes him.

Hey, you! Nix! Cut out de noise! willie

opens his eyes to stare around him with a bewildered horror.

HOPE

Opens one eye to peer over his spectacles—drowsily.

Who’s that yelling?

ROCKY

Willie, Boss. De Brooklyn boys is after him.

HOPE

Querulously.

Well, why don’t you give the poor feller a drink and keep him quiet?

Bejees, can’t I get a wink of sleep in my own back room?

ROCKY

Indignantly to LARRY.

Listen to that blind-eyed, deef old bastard, will yuh? He give me strict orders not to let Willie hang up no more drinks, no matter—

HOPE

Mechanically puts a hand to his ear in the gesture of deafness.

What’s that? I can’t hear you.

Then drowsily irascible.

You’re a cockeyed liar. Never refused a drink to anyone needed it bad in my life! Told you to use your judgment.