Her Own Way | Page 4

others--adore her!
GEORGIANA. What a good time!
CHRISTOPHER. Oh, we're having the beautifulest time, Auntie!
PHILIP. Great!
ELAINE. Perfectly lovely!
TOOTS. Um! Ice cream! Lots!
GEORGIANA. That's good! Stuff all you can, Toots! Are you ready to
cut the cake?

ALL THE CHILDREN. Yes! Yes!
PHILIP. We waited for you.
CHRISTOPHER. We wouldn't let grandma.
[GEORGIANA drops her furs on the sofa and then comes to the table.
GEORGIANA. There's a ring in it. Whoever gets it will be married in a
year.
[Starts to cut the cake.
TOOTS. I want the ring!
PHILIP. Hush up, you're only a baby!
[A loud knock on the door Left.
GEORGIANA. Oh, yes, I forgot. Cousin Sam wants to wish you many
happy returns, Philip. May he come in?
PHILIP. Pshaw! Another man!
CHRISTOPHER. [In a "stagewhisper" to ELAINE.] He's the
one--auntie's sweetheart!
GEORGIANA. [Amused.] Nonsense, Christopher, that's silly talk. Stop
that for good! [Loud knocks repeated. To PHILIP.] May Cousin Sam
come in? [PHILIP nods.] All right, he's got some presents! Come in,
Mr. Coast.
[COAST comes in and goes straight to PHILIP. SAM COAST is a tall,
slender, but strong-looking man, rather "raw-boned." He is dressed
most fashionably and most expensively,--over-dressed, in fact, and yet
not too vulgarly. A man of muscle and nerve, who makes his own code
and keeps his own counsel.
COAST. Shake, Phil.

[Shakes his hand.
PHILIP. [His hand hurt.] Golly! He can squeeze, can't he, Aunt
Georgiana?
GEORGIANA. Well, really! Miss Elaine Jackson--Mr. Coast.
ELAINE. [Embarrassed, rises, and curtseys.] How do you do?
COAST. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Hello, rest of you.
CHRISTOPHER and TOOTS. Hello!
CHRISTOPHER. Are you Auntie Georgiana's beau?
COAST. Yes!
GEORGIANA. Chris!
CHRISTOPHER. Lizzie says so!
LIZZIE. I never!
TOOTS, CHRISTOPHER, and PHILIP. Yes, you did! You did too!
You did too!
LIZZIE. [To GEORGIANA.] I never did, miss!
PHILIP. Yes you did, you did too!
GEORGIANA. I hope you didn't, Lizzie. You may leave the children
with me now.
LIZZIE. Yes, ma'am.
[LIZZIE, MOLES, and FOOTMAN go out at Right, each taking some
plates, etc.
GEORGIANA. [To COAST.] I hope you don't mind.

COAST. Of course I don't. It's true as far as I'm concerned.
GEORGIANA. [Laughing.] It's not!
COAST. Listen, will you bet?
GEORGIANA. [Laughing.] Not before the children!
PHILIP. Come on, let's cut the cake!
GEORGIANA. Blow out the candles!
[All the children blow out the candles and then get down from the table.
COAST. And here's my contribution to the party.
[Brings out six big German mottoes from his pocket, and goes to table
with them.
GEORGIANA. [In pretended excitement.] What? Mottoes!
ALL THE CHILDREN. [In delighted chorus.] Oh, mottoes!
PHILIP. Are those the silver mines?
COAST. No! Why?
[Laughing and handing the mottoes around, while GEORGIANA cuts
the cake.
PHILIP. I heard grandma say the other day, you had pockets full of
silver mines.
GEORGIANA. The cake's ready!
[All take a piece of cake. The children line up and down Centre from
Right to Left: ELAINE, TOOTS, PHILIP, CHRISTOPHER.
COAST. Your motto!

[Handing one to GEORGIANA.
GEORGIANA. One for me too! Oh, thank you!
COAST. Certainly, because I want a bit of cake. I'm after that ring.
[Goes up back of table for cake.
GEORGIANA. Don't anybody swallow the ring.
[All eat the cake and now speak with their mouths full.
CHRISTOPHER. I haven't got it yet, Auntie.
ELAINE. Nor I.
GEORGIANA. Don't talk. Everybody eat till some one gets it!
TOOTS. [Crying.] I can't eat my cake! I can't eat my cake!
GEORGIANA. Why not, dear?
TOOTS. 'Cause I haven't got no place! I haven't got no place to put it!
[Crying.
PHILIP. He's full up!
GEORGIANA. Never mind, Toots, dear, you shall have a piece for
supper.
TOOTS. Will I have room then?
CHRISTOPHER. [A sudden loud and frightened cry.] Oh! Oh!
ALL. What's the matter?
[All gather around CHRISTOPHER.
GEORGIANA. [Frightened.] What is it, Chris?

CHRISTOPHER. [Screaming.] Oh!
GEORGIANA. What is it, dear?
CHRISTOPHER. I've swallowed it!
ALL. What?
CHRISTOPHER. I've swallowed the ring!
ELAINE. That isn't fair!
PHILIP. Just like Chris, 'fraid some one else'd get it.
GEORGIANA. No, Chris, dear! [To COAST.] What will we do?
COAST. Chris has made a mistake, here is the ring! [Finding it in his
own piece of cake.] There weren't two, were there?
GEORGIANA. No, that's the one!
CHRISTOPHER. [Smiling and greatly relieved.] Oh! I guess I
'magined it, then.
GEORGIANA. [Affectionately pretending to shake him.] Well, young
man, you can imagine yourself spanked for giving us all a fright. Now,
come along, the mottoes. [To COAST.] Of course the ring wasn't meant
for you. What are you going to do with it?
COAST. Keep it.
GEORGIANA. No, you mustn't; it's the children's!
COAST. Philip, may I keep the ring?
PHILIP. [On the hobby horse.] Yes, sir.
COAST. And I'll