golly! And Ay go visit dem every time Ay gat in port near! [Bursting
with joy.] By yiminy crickens, Ay calabrate dat! [Shouts.] Bring oder
drink, Larry! [He smashes his fist on the table with a bang.]

LARRY--[Coming in from bar--irritably.] Easy there! Don't be breakin'
the table, you old goat!

CHRIS--[By way of reply, grins foolishly and begins to sing.] "My
Yosephine comes board de ship--"

MARTHY--[Touching CHRIS' arm persuasively.] You're soused to the ears,
Dutchy. Go out and put a feed into you. It'll sober you up. [Then as
CHRIS shakes his head obstinately.] Listen, yuh old nut! Yuh don't know
what time your kid's liable to show up. Yuh want to be sober when she
comes, don't yuh?

CHRIS--[Aroused--gets unsteadily to his feet.] Py golly, yes.

LARRY--That's good sense for you. A good beef stew'll fix you. Go round
the corner.

CHRIS--All right. Ay be back soon, Marthy. [CHRIS goes through the bar
and out the street door.]

LARRY--He'll come round all right with some grub in him.

MARTHY--Sure. [LARRY goes back to the bar and resumes his newspaper.
MARTHY sips what is left of her schooner reflectively. There is the
ring of the family entrance bell. LARRY comes to the door and opens it
a trifle--then, with a puzzled expression, pulls it wide. ANNA
CHRISTOPHERSON enters. She is a tall, blond, fully-developed girl of
twenty, handsome after a large, Viking-daughter fashion but now run
down in health and plainly showing all the outward evidences of
belonging to the world's oldest profession. Her youthful face is
already hard and cynical beneath its layer of make-up. Her clothes are
the tawdry finery of peasant stock turned prostitute. She comes and
sinks wearily in a chair by the table, left front.]

ANNA--Gimme a whiskey--ginger ale on the side. [Then, as LARRY turns to
go, forcing a winning smile at him.] And don't be stingy, baby.

LARRY--[Sarcastically.] Shall I serve it in a pail?

ANNA--[With a hard laugh.] That suits me down to the ground. [LARRY
goes into the bar. The two women size each other up with frank stares.
LARRY comes back with the drink which he sets before ANNA and returns
to the bar again. ANNA downs her drink at a gulp. Then, after a moment,
as the alcohol begins to rouse her, she turns to MARTHY with a friendly
smile.] Gee, I needed that bad, all right, all right!

MARTHY--[Nodding her head sympathetically.] Sure--yuh look all in. Been
on a bat?

ANNA--No--travelling--day and a