Sherwood Anderson:Mother

He begins moving heavily about the room and sits down heavily in one of the chairs It's all damned foolishness, I tell you. Now, Mary, you let me handle this.

Begins to grow more angry and a little pompous

This is a man's job. I should never have told you about this mess. Anyway, it may all be a lie. Can't you see what you would get into, butting into this? Suppose it is true that our boy Harry has been fooling with this woman? A man should never tell a woman anything. You've got to be slick in a thing like this.

He is growing angry and more excited

Women are all a lot of fools. I don't know why I told you. Now you look here. If it is true that our Harry has got mixed up with this dressmaker -- a woman old enough to be his mother -- you leave it to me and I'll fix it.

-- 5 --

MARY HORTON

Looking up at him and speaking coldly How? How would you fix it?

GEORGE HORTON

He gets up out of his chair and goes to stand by the bed, bracing himself with a hand against the bed

I'll tell you what I'd do. If it is true that Harry is mixed up with her, I'd get him out of town, that's what I'd do. I'd hide him out till it blows over. If she is going to have a kid, as they say, and Harry's gone she'll blame some one else. She won't get him.

He grows boastful

I tell you I've got influence. Harry can go to some city till it blows over. He ought to get out of this town anyway. He ought to go to some city where he can begin to amount to something. He can go to a city, get a job, and change his name. I can fix it. There are men who come here, traveling men who stop here with us -- you don't know any of them, of course. You are always stuck up here in this room. You don't know nothing and then you butt in. I know men who have plenty of influence. More than one of the men who come here has said to me, George, they've said, that boy Harry of yours is all right, he's a bright boy.

MARY HORTON

Interrupting. She makes an impatient movement with her hand

Yes, yes, I know, but never mind all that. I know how much influence you've got. So you want to make a sneak out of Harry. If he's in trouble with this woman you want him to run away and hide himself. You would. That would be your solution.

-- 6 --

GEORGE HORTON

Also angry

Well, what would you do? You're so smart. What is it you want Harry to be? Do you want him to get tied to this woman almost old enough to be his mother? Do you want him to stick here in this town and amount to nothing, a failure on our hands?

MARY HORTON

Sharply

In any event, he won't be on your hands.

Her voice softens a little

But man, man, we've only got this one child. We don't want to make a sneak out of him.

GEORGE HORTON

Interrupting

But, hell, if you would only let me manage him.

MARY HORTON

Growing hard again

Is this Mabel Clark coming here? Did Fizzy deliver my note? Do you know?

GEORGE HORTON starts to sit on the bed but she stops him. She speaks again Don't sit there.

She points

Go over and sit in that chair.

He goes sullenly to the chair and sits. She speaks again

Now try to be sensible and make everything clear to me. Try to forget yourself for a moment and how much influence you've got. Tell me the whole story, all you know about this affair between Harry and this Miss Clark. Who told you this story?

-- 7 --

GEORGE HORTON

Still angry and impatient

This is a man's affair, I tell you. What do you want Harry to turn out to be -- a sissy, eh -- hanging on to the skirts of his mother?

MARY HORTON