Copyrighted Sept. 30, 1912. _^_ ^ WITH EYES OF LOVE 4- X BY CARRIE WYATT BANKS The Peace Pipe Press, Publishers gci.D :na75 Wl'TH EYES OF LOVE by Carrie Wyatt Banks SCENE — Give full description of set. At rise of curtai)i stage empty, light loir. A liO'ise at door ami after a moment Dick enters, cautioKslg flashing tlie gleam from a dark-la)tt'/ru into the room. He goes quicldg atxnif the rocrm, peering into corners) Dick — Not much chance for dough in di^; ]>Iace. [Makes further search. Discovers evening paper on table and. reads headlines by light of his Janters) •'Five hundred dollars reward for return of dia- mond necklace. No questions asked." (Takes n-xk- lace from pocket and holds it to to light.) No qu3E- tions asked. Looks like a bait to pinch nie. (Puts necklace hack into pocket). Oan't make a raise on dat now. They'd get me sure. [Takes step l)ack and runs intc- chair.) Got to make a raise some- how. Mother [speaking off up stairs) — Walter! is that you. Dick — Gee, some one's coming (hides behind chair at left.) Mother [opening door at top of landing.) — Walter! Not liere. (Comes slowly dcnrn stairs.) I thought i lieard a noise.. [Feels her inn; ^.■ ele( trie light at foot of stairs.) I'll turn on tlio iight It will make it lu'ight ar.d cheerful when he conus Dick (takes rerolrtr froni pocket and stand: ready. As she nio/'cs a cross stage she bumps int( chair.) Blind (he puts gun into pocket and stand looking at her.) > Mother — Why, i c'iid not leave this chair here. Some one lia.s heen here. (^4 siffli of heavy hreath- ing bij Dic/c.) There is some one Isere — W]id' is here? Speak, please speak. non't 1)3 afraid. Xothir.g ':'an harm yon. Only good can ccme her.\ Dick {coiiiiitfj slonhi fonvard.) Mother — Give me yonr hand. Mow di;] _\ou get in here l Uick — Through the door. Mother— What did yon ccmc f:: ? Dick — I was hungry. Mother — I'm glad you came here. Aiy wjw Walter will be glad to share his lunch with yon. He'll be here sone. He's working late at tiie bnnk tonight. Dick — Lady, 1 lied to \ou. I'm here to steal. Mother — To steal ? Then von are a — a— Dick—A thief, lady. Dat's right. C'all me In my right name, a thief. Mother — No, no. I will call you my son. Dick^Your son ! I never knowed a mother. Mother — Poor boy. How old are you? Dick — Twenty years old, lady. Mother — Just the age of my other boy. (to<1 protect him wherever he is tonight. {She foiidhs his hands.) You have lost a finger. How Jid it happen ? Dick — De last time I was in jail. I — Mother — In jail! Poor boy. You must prom- ise me never to steal again. Tell me, how did you get into such a life? Dick— Me f adder died when I was about eigiit years old, and den I lived in alleys and bunked in. ash barrels. De old man was always Inill of 1; )oze and I tried to take care of him, but he got in a lig'it one night {wipes his eyes.) La ly, I ain't don;^ notin' but steal since. Mother — F)Ut from now, you will cntc^r into n new life. Listen, my son. 1, too, was in ])ris<)n i'oi' many years, dealousy, hatred, revenge, drove my husband fi'om me. and when lie left our home, h • took one of our twin boys. Then came years of bodily sufforiii,!^' mid inontnT ;i^-ony. Tlio prisori doors nev(M- opcucMl -. nnd tlieJi caiui' a day wlien ' could no longei' see the bo;»" that was iei't to me — iii,v boy Walter. The darkness Vv^-as intolerable, nn bearable. T cnrsed, T raged, and then in iuy agoii;. and despair, 1 fell n-pon my knees and pra>-ed (!(>'! tb give me Ijaek my sight — to give me back my sight just long enough to raise my i)oy. And thei! a little hand e]asi)ed mine, even as I elas]i yours now. and a child's voice said "Mother, don't he afi-aid, ! will lead yon, — I will be \'onr eyes." I ('!as])es, and in that moment the ]>eace that "passeth all un- derstanding" came to me. And in. all these years, njy 1)oy has cared for me. The love that eidered my heart that moment l)rough.t to me the true light. So you see, my son, 1 too kno^v what it is to have 1)een m ])rison. But now the doors ai'e oim'U, aud we are freed from bondage. {CloiJ: stii/niif/, Itis husiiiess.) Dick — I got to go, lady. 1 got to go — Mother — Won't yon wait and see Walter:' Dick — No, lady, no. I got to go — Mother — But you will come back, you wdl come back tomori'ow '! Dick — Yes, lady. I will come back as sooir as 1 can — ^lother — Here. Take this, take it. dis|»osi' ol' the jewels iu it, — I don't \-alue it except I'oi" the good it will do. ()p.en it and give me the pactui'e in it. Dick (Idkliif/ !)i()()rJi)—(jod. it's me ladder! ( With .sliiiL'nifi, frcmhrnifj JiaiirJs, lie j)>its it hac/,- on. Ihr hih/c) ilere, huly, I can't take it,— I got to go. ( !>ilsi lic.^s, and (IS hi' passes her, he sfirups floiri! and iah-('s a pica: of Iu:.!- dress in his hands and Jiisses if.) Mother — Grood night, good night, my boy. 1 shall expect yon tomorrow. {lie ei'its, dosinc) door. She feds her ivaij across the stage to a stand on. u-hleh, yt'.sts a bible, — nothing is said, sJic siniplg feels fh" pages cuid funis sci-craJ limcs! loifil slic comes to her right passcKjc. (Did tlwu she reads irith her fingers. At the. finish of the speech, a heg is put into the door, and Walter enters.) Walter — Up so hile. iittio luotlicr :' \\'li\-, this is a surprise. {Euihiaces hey.) Tell lue the reason. Mother — Hearing a noise, 1 came down stairs, and I have had snch a strange experience. I fouiirl a boy of twenty, jnst the age of yonr t"win bi'other, — I found hira suffering and unhappy. Walter — Who was lie? ^loth.er — 1 don't know. But he lias ]^roniised to coDie l)n('k tomorrow. Walter — Oh, yes, tliat must have been the fellow I met a block away from here. He looked at me very strangely, and then asked me if I was Walter. I was a little startled, but answered "yes," and then he gave me this ])ackage, and told me to read the evening paper. Let us see what we have here? {Und&ys the little package, takes 'out the necklace.) Mother — What is it, my son? Walter — A diamond necklace. {Hands il to hrr.) Mothei' — A diamond necklace. Walter (quicklg tah'ing ))apcr and reading the large lieadlincs of rcirard for necklace. Rcj)cats reward) — ^?^]otlier, motliev. whv that was the thief! Thai was the thief! Mother — My sou, my smi ! .judge im»I. h-st \.' be .ludgecl. lie I'lomlscd mc \m fcfoi-in: in ciilci into a new life; and this is his tirst act. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 017 199 365 9 ^