Class ir^Mi^ Book. ^' ^t 0"1— GoEyiiglitl^?— Il2^^ COPyRIGHT DEPOSIT. THE Ghost Story By BOOTH TARKINGTON Stewart Kidd LITTLE THEATRE PLAYS Edited by GRACE ADAMS Stewart Kidd Little Theatre Plays Edited by Grace Adams The Stewart Kidd Little Theatre Plays are designed to meet two definite demands. The first is that of the many Little Theatres 'for plays of actual dramatic distinction and of artistic impor- tance. The second is that of the general public for plays of true literary value. The Series is under the direct supervision of Miss Adams, who has selected and edited the plays to meet the particular requirements here instanced. The price of the plays has been made unusually low in the effort to bring them within the reach of everyone. Each play is issued in a form that is entirely practical for purposes of pro- duction. At the same time the books are artistic and attractive in appearance. They are by no means merely acting versicms. Bound in art paper, each foc. TITLES No. I. THE GHOST STORY by Booth Tarkington No. 1. SOUNDING BRASS by Edward Hale Bierstadt No. 3. A FAN AND TWO CANDLESTICKS by Mary MacMillan Others in preparation No. 1 STEWART KIDD LITTLE THEATRE PLAYS Edited by Grace Adams THE GHOST STORY The Ghost Story A One-Act Play for Persons of No Qreat Age By BOOTH TARKINGTON STEWART ft KIDD CINCINNATI U. S. A. CINCINNATI STEWART KIDD COMPANY PUBLISHERS -s J' >.s COPYRIGHT, I92Z STEWART KIDD COMPANY All rights reserved / The professional stage rights of this play are reserved by the Author. The amateur stage rights are held by The Ladies Home Journal. For permission to produce the play applications should be made by pro- fessional producers to Mr. Booth Tarkington, Indianapolis, Indiana, and by amateur producers to the Ladies Home Journal. Printed in the United States of America The Caxton Press i)C!.A674275 MftV2572 1 /" THE P^SONS George, an .earnest young gentleman of 22. ANNAy\iyrettyy young girlj(f^20. Mary 'U(>^^Jx / Grace j- Three girls of-jgJbr 20. Lennie J Tom Floyd ^^ Lynn I Fo^^ youths of about the same, Fred J . ., Housemaid. /^/(^-^A^^^""^ Note. — Upon the program it should be mentioned that the curtain will be lowered for a moment during the progress of the play to denote a lapse of about half an hour. THE GHOST STORY The rise of the curtain discloses a comfortable and pleasant livirig-room of commonplace type. It is early evening; a clock on the mantelpiece marks the time as twenty minutes after seven; the lamps are lit. At a piano is seated a pretty girl of twenty; she plays dance music gayly for a few moments; then abruptly her theme becomes senti- mental and she plays a love song^ singing bits of it to herself^ while her expression becomes tender and wistful. An electric bell is heard, and upon this sound she stops singing and playing at once; her look is alert. She considers the room thoughtfully^ then goes to a chair beside a little table, picks up a small leather-bound book, sits and pretends to read with dreamy absorption. The77, behind her, across the room, a door is opened, offering a glimpse of a hallway, where a nervous and earnest young gentleman of twenty-two is hastily conclud- ing the removal of his heavy overcoat and gloves, with the connivance of a housemaid. He comes into the living-room immediately. With an air of complete surprise the girl looks up from her pre- tended reading. THE GIRL Why, George — {She rises.) GEORGE {as the housemaid closes the door) Anna, I came early because — 7 THE GHOST STORY ANNA {as they shake hands and sit) I'm so flattered. I didn't dream you'd do more than just call me up to say good-by. GEORGE You didn't think I'd come jnyself? ANNA Why, no. I didn't think you'd have time; you have to make good-by calls on all your aunts and married sisters and cousins, don't you? I'm really very much flattered. GEORGE I came early, as soon as I could choke down dinner and run, because — well, I wanted to talk to you alone for a few minutes for a novelty. I thought maybe just this once I could get here before the rest of 'em pile in. ANNA "The rest of 'em?" I don't know that any of 'em will "pile in" this evening, George. GEORGE No, you never do; but they pile in, just the same. That's the trouble with you, Anna; you're too popular. {She laughs protestingly. He goes on earnestly^ Oh, yes, you are. It's horrible! ANNA What nonsense! GEORGE It's the truth; it's just horrible for a girl to be like you. ANNA Thanks! 8 THE GHOST STORY GEORGE {emphatically) It is. Nobody can ever get within a mile of you. And what I hate about it is that girls hang around you just as much as the rest of us do. ANNA {demurely) You think it's queer that girls like me, George ? GEORGE It isn't "queer," no. {Adds in a burst of con- fidence.) But it's been pfetty painful to me these holidays. ANNA {staring) What are you talking about? GEORGE Well, that's what I came early to tell you. ANNA You came early to tell me what you're talking about? GEORGE {a little confused) What I mean to sav — listen; it's just this: I— I— I— ANNA {reminding him) You began by saying it's horrible that any- body seems able to stand me. GEORGE It's horrible that I always have to see you in a crowd; that's what I mean. If there aren't four or five men around you, then there are four or five girls; and if there aren't just four or five girls, or four or five men, then there are four or five of both of 'em! 9 THE GHOST STORY ANNA But look, George. Look under the piano, and under the chairs, and under — GEORGE What for? ANNA For all those people you said were always around me. It's queer, but you do seem to me to be the only one here. GEORGE Yes, just this minute. But you know as well as I do that pretty soon the bell will begin ringing, and they'll come pouring in. Then when they're here they stay and stay and stay and — Why, it is horrible! ANNA Aren't you a funny boy! GEORGE I wish I could see any fun in it! (He rises and paces the floor as he talks.) Why, I believe if I'd known it was going to be like this I wouldn't have come home for the holidays. You don't know how I looked forward to coming home and — and seeing you! Why, I've hardly thought of anything else, all the fall term! ANNA {incredulously) You don't mean you thought of it during the football season? GEORGE No. I mean yes. Yes, I was looking forward to it even then, too. I kept thinking; "Just wait till the Christmas holidays come; then I'll get to see a whole lot of Anna. I'll get to 10 THE GHOST STORY dance with her a lot, to take her to a lot of things — maybe, even, I'll get some evenings alone with her by the fire, and we'll read some poetry or something together." That's what I thought! {He laughs bitterly.) And look what's happened! You were booked up solid for every last little thing a person could hope to take you to! Fve never got once clear around with you a single time you've danced with me — some frenzied bird always cut in — and every afternoon or evening I've found you at home I've had to sit about seventeen rows back and just be audience for the bickering that went on. And now it's my last evening; my train leaves at nine-fifty-one, and I won't see you again till June, after commencement; and I know I'm not going to get a chance to talk to you five minutes! Some of these birds'll be breaking in here any second. That's why it's horrible! ANNA But they haven't broken in yet, George. GEORGE Yes, but they will! ANNA {shyly) Well, but if you — if you do like being alone with me, why don't you — well, why don't you just like it until they do come? GEORGE "Like it?" You don't seem to realize my train is the nine-fifty-one, and I'll have to leave here at least half an hour before then; and I'll have II xHE GHOST STORY to say good-by to you with people around, so I cant say what I want to! ANNA But what is it you want to say to me — except just good-by? GEORGE Well, it's something I couldn't say with people around. ANNA {nervously) But — but there aren't any people around now, George. GEORGE {shaking his head gloomily) Oh, there would be, before I could say it! I know 'em! ANNA {noncommital) Well— GEORGE {taking a chair near her suddenly) Anna, it's just this. I want you to understand the position I'm in. I want you to understand what I — what I have in mind. {Break ig off abruptly if' a tone of abysmal despair.) But what's the use? Some of 'em are sure to come in. Couldn't you send word you're not at home? ANNA Well, you see, Lennie Cole and Tom Ban- nister and Mary and Grace and Fred — GEORGE I knew it! And you said you didn't know they'd be piling in! ANNA I don't — not precisely, that is. But — but, of course it's possible. And they'd certainly 12 THE GHOST SIORY know it wasn't so if I sent word "not at home," and they'd feel hurt. GEORGE {despairingly) That's it! That's my regular luck with you! Isn't there any way to get rid of 'em? ANNA {seemingly reproachful) They are friends of mine, you know, George. GEORGE {despondently) J«'£:>/\'6/^W7r """' Pardon me. ANNA Very well. GEORGE Listen. What I was saying — ANNA {quickly) Yes, George? GEORGE {speaking hurriedly) I wanted to tell you, I have been looking for- ward to the holidays because I thought this would be the time I'd be — ah — justified, as it were, in saying something I — something I had in mind to say to you. ANNA Yes, George? GEORGE I've had it in my mind to say ever since — well, for quite a time — ever since — ever since — ANNA Is it something about your studies, George? GEORGE . 1 No, it certainjy isn't. It's about — well, I've wanted to say it — ah — a long time. NNA How long? THE GHOST STORY GEORGE Ever since — well, it was that day you wore a blue dress. ANNA What sort of a blue dress? GEORGE I don't know. It was — it was blue. ANNA With flounces? And lace on the blouse? GEORGE I don't know. It was just — sort of blue. ANNA But I haven't had a blue dress this year. GEORGE No. It wasn't this year, ANNA Why, the last time I wore a blue dress was that summer at the lake, three years ago. GEORGE Yes. That was when it was. You wore it the day we went canoeing for water lilies. That was the day it happened. ANNA The day what happened? GEORGE The day you wore the blue dress. ANNA Oh, yes. GEORGE Yes. It was then. {Both of them are very serious.) 14 / THE GHOST sYoRY ANNA Yes. That one was blue linen, and very simple. It was another one that had flounces — with lace on the blouse. . _^^ .^^ GEORGE " Well — ever since then I've thought that some day I might feel that I was in a — well, in a position to — to justify — ah — what I'd like to say. You see, I — well, I was pretty young then; we both were, in fact. ANNA Yes, I suppose we were. GEORGE Yes. I suppose I hardly realized how young I was at the time. Funny, isn't it? I thought I was a real grown-up man of the world, and I was only nineteen! Looking back on it over these years a person sees how much he had still to learn! My goodness! When I think of all I've been through since then— ANNA You mean at college? GEORGE Yes, and here at home, too — like what I've been through these holidays, for instance. ANNA Have you? Why, I thought you looked so well, George. GEORGE I mean not getting near you. You know. What I was talking about. ANKA But that couldn't be very severe, George. 15 THE GHOST STORY GEORGE . Yes, it could, because it ja»s. Anna, my father stopped off a day to see me at college in October — ANNA (': ,; • "H>7£/)L1 How pice ! GEORGE We had a pretty serious talk about my future. ANNA ^ ^ ^t%\^^^' Oh, I'm^sorry it was serious^ George. GEORGE What I mean — it was business-like. About my future in business. ANNA {somewhat vaguely) Oh, yes. GEORGE Next June, when I get home, he's going to take me right in with him. He thinks — well, he thinks I'll get along all right. He — he's going to give me a ten-per-cent interest in the business, Anna. ANNA''' '^A/l///^^-( How Jovely! GEORGE {swallowing) So that's — that's why I said I feel — ah— justified — in saying what I want to get a chance to — to say to you, x^nna. ANNA Yes, George.^ GEORGE What I mean — I mean that's why I'm sure ro have sufficient means to — to settle down, a'^ r were — and so I — I thought — I — i6 THE GHOST STORY ANNA Yes, George? GEORGE You see, that day you wore the blue dress I was only nineteen, and I hadn't had this talk with my father, because, in fact, I never did have this talk with him until just this October — as it were — and so — and so — ANNA Yes, George? GEORGE {solemn but increasingly nervous) And SO — well, the time has come — the time has come — ANNA {glancing over her shoulder at the hall door) The time has come? Yes, George? GEORGE The time has come when I — when I want to ask you if — if — if — the time has come — it's come — it's come — ANNA Yes, George? {The bell rings loudly.) GEORGE {leaping to his feet) I knew it! I knew they'd come piling in here just the instant I — {He turns up-stage^ clasp- ing his brow.) Oh, my heavens! I knew it! ANNA {The door into the hall is opened by the house- maid^ and two girls of nineteen or twenty are re- vealed^ divesting themselves of outer wraps. They 17 THE GHOST STORY at once come hurrying gayly down to Anna^ greeting her with a jumble of words and laughter^ to which she contributes in like manner^ as they exclaim: "We just thought we'd frohc over to see you, old thing," and "Nothing doing at our house, so we thought we'd see if you knew anything." Anna responds simultaneously ^ "Just lovely of you! We were just hoping you'd take it into your heads to drop in. How nice of you!" and so forth. The newcomers greet George with "Hello, George.") GEORGE {responds pessimistically) Howdy-do, Mary. Howdy-do, Grace. ANNA George just dropped in to say good-by. MARY Gracious.! Hope we're not interfering. GEORGE {feebly) , iA/fiZA-'> - Oh, no. Not at all! ANNA {laughing) Why, of CQuxse not! {The bell rings.) GEORGE Oh, my goodness! Here's some more! GRACE {reproachfully) College EngHsh, George? Don't they teach you to say "Here arfi-jnore"? GEORGE {with gloomy absent-mindedness) Yes, there certainly are! I knew-it! {The hall door opens to admit five more lively young people: a gij'l and four youths. The girl's THE GHOST STORY name — // appears during the ensuing greetings — is LENNIEy and the young gentlemen are known to those present as TOM, FLOYD, LYNN, and FRED. They chatter phrases and half sentences of greeting all together for a Jew moments, though George takes only a pessimistic and fragmentary part in the ceremonies; then Lennie shouts louder than any of the others and obtains a hearing.) LENNIE But what are we going to do? We aren't just going to sit around and talk, are we? MARY Let's all go somewhere. SEVERAL OF THE OTHERS Well, where? Where is there to go? Where do you want to go? LENNIE Well, most anywhere. GEORGE ~J^J> JGf^lXf ' ' That's a sensible idea. MARY Where do ^u say to go, Anna? ANNA I ? Oh, nowhere. I thought I wouldn't go out to-night. GRACE All right, then; we'll stay hergi -N__B Ui ■ l^^'tvNr^l M c«o ^B "^"^ \ \.»j'"^^PB Ui ■ ^i^^-- >^ ac O B fflkr* ^ I ta ca ",JI^^ 1 99 CA A a NCINNAU U. S. 1