eam, Philo.

_Philo_

It is not a dream! I am the only being in the world who is awake!

_Mrs. W._

My son!

_Philo_

Man sleeps--like the rocks, trees, hills--while all around him, out of
the unseen, beating on blind eyes, deaf ears, numbed brain, sweep the
winds of eternity, the ether waves, the signals from the deeps of space!

_Warner_

Hey, diddle, diddle!

_Philo_

Sleep-walkers all--the people in the streets, the shops--the mad people
with their heaps of gold!

_Mrs. W._

Now don't work yourself up, Philo, with the doctor coming. You want to
tell him about your machine.

_Philo_

Yes. He is a great man. He has studied these things. I will talk to him.
He will not laugh.

_Warner_

Mary Ann, don't you think we'd better bring up some cider? It'll look
more hospitable like.

_Mrs. W._

That city doctor won't care anything about cider.

_Warner_

My cider's good enough for anybody! And Dr. Bellows'll be sure to ask
for it.

_Mrs. W._

Well, wait till he does. (_Looks uneasily about room._) Don't you think,
son, that if you're going to take to having visitors here I'd better
move some furniture up? You could have the haircloth sofa--the springs
are broke anyway--and Alice says she don't want the wax flowers in the
parlor any more. They're turnin' yellow, but you wouldn't notice it up
here.

_Philo_ (_clinching his hands_)

Do what you like, mother, only don't take anything _out_. If anything
happened to my work I believe I'd go crazy!

(_The parents look at each other._)

_Warner_

Thought your work was tendin' the store.

_Philo_

Brother Will is more help there than I am, father.

_Warner_

You're right about that. Will's got a head on.

_Mrs. W._

You'd better go down, Hiram, and meet the doctors.

_Warner_

Alice'll show them up.

_Mrs. W._

Where's that strange smell comin' from? Do you work in the other room,
too, Philo? (_Goes in, left._)

_Philo_

Father ... I'm sorry about the store ... I wish I could tell you ... but
what's the use? You won't believe!

(_Re-enter_ MRS. W.)

_Mrs. W._

Gracious! I couldn't breathe in there! Got to clear _something_ out
before Reba comes up here. She'd have no respect for my housekeeping.

_Philo_

Reba?

_Mrs. W._

Reba Sloan. She's been asking if she couldn't come. She's just wild to
see your machine.

_Philo_

Don't you ever let her up here, mother!

_Mrs. W._

But she asked me, Philo--and a nei