Long Day's Journey Into Night

Thank heaven the fog is gone.

I...

I do feel...

out of sorts this morning.

I wasn't able to get much sleep with that awful forghorn going all night long.

Yes, like having a sick whale in the backyard. Kept me awake too.

Did it?

You have a strange way of showing your restlessness.

You were snoring so hard I couldn't tell which was the foghorn.

- Ten foghorns couldn't disturb you. You haven't a nerve in you. You never had.

- Nonsense. You always exagerate about my snoring.

- I couldn't. If you could only hear yourself once.

- What's the Joke, I wonder.

- It's on me I'll bet that much. It's always on the old man.

Yes. It's terrible the way we all pick on you isn't it? You're so abused!

Never mind.

No matter what the joke is, it's a relief to hear Edmund laugh.

He's been so down in the mouth lately.

Some joke of Jamie's I'll wager.

- He's forever making snearing fun of somebody, that one.

- Now!

Don't start in on poor Jamie dear, he'll turn out alright in the end. You wait and see.

He better start soon then, he's nearly 34.

Good heavens.

Are they gonna stay in the dinning room all day? Jamie! Edmund!

Come out on the porch, give Cathleen a chance to clear the table.

You'd make excuses for him no matter what he did.

I've been teasing your father about his snoring.

I'll...I'll leave it to the boys James, they must've heard you.

Though not you Jamie I could hear you down the hall

almost as bad as your father you're like him.

As soon as your head touches the pillow you're off.

And ten foghorns couldn't wake you.

Why are you staring Jamie?

Is my hair coming down? Or... something?

It's hard for me to do it out properly now.

My eyes are getting so bad and I can never find my glasses

No. Your hair's alright Mama I was just thinking how well you look.

Just as I was telling her Jamie. She's so fat and sassy there will soon be no holding her.

Yes you certainly look grand Mama.

And I'll back you up about Papa's snoring. Gosh! What a racket.

I heard him too "The Moor, I know his trumpet."

If it takes my snoring to make you remember Shakespeare

instead of the dope sheet on the ponies, I hope Ill keep on with it.

Jaaaames! You mustnt be so touchy.

Yes, for Petes sake, Papa! The first thing after breakfast! Give it a rest, cant you?

Your father wasnt finding fault with you.

- You dont have to always take Jamies part.

- Let's forget it.

- Youd think you were the one ten years older

- That's right forget everything and face nothing

that's a convenient philosophy in life if you've no other ambitions... than...

- James! Be quiet.

What were you two grinning about like Cheshire cats when you came out?

What was the joke?

Yes, let us in on it, lad.

You remember, Papa, the ice pond on Harkers estate is right next to the farm,

and you remember Shaughnessy keeps pigs.

Well, it seems theres a break in the fence and the pigs have been bathing in the millionaires ice pond,

Good heavens!

The poor pigs, Shaughnessy yelled, had caught their death of cold.

Many of them were dying of pneumonia, and several others had

been taken down with cholera from drinking the poisoned water.

He told Harker he was hiring a lawyer to sue him for damages.

And then he wound up by saying that he had to put up with potato bugs

and ticks and poison ivy and snakes and skunks on his farm

but he was an honest man who had to draw the line somewhere,

and hed be damned if hed stand for a Standard Oil thief trespassing.

So would Harker kindly remove his dirty feet from the premises before he sicked the dog on him. And Harker did!

Heavens! What a terrible tongue that man has.

The damned old scoundrel. By God you can't beat him.

The dirty blagard he'll get me into serious trouble yet.

- I hope you told him I'd be mad as hell

- I told him you'd be tickled to death over the great irish victory

and so you are, stop faking Papa.

- Well I'm not tickled to death.

- You are too James, you're simply denying it.

Well what are you laughing at? There's nothing funny!

A fine son you are to help that blagard(?) get me into a lawsuit.

- Now James! Don't lose your temper.

- Yes I suppose your regretting you weren't there to prompt Shaughnessy

with a few nastier insults. You've a fine

talent for that if for nothing else.

James! There's no reason to scold Jamie!

For God's sake Papa, if you're gonna start that stuff I'll beat it.

God Papa. I should think you'd get sick of hearing yourself.

You mustn't mind Edmund, James.

Remember he isn't well.

A summer cold makes anyone irritable.

It's not just a cold he's got.

The kid is damn sick.

Why do you say that?

It IS just a cold anyone can tell that.

You always imagine things

All Jamie meant is he may have a touch of something else which makes his cold worse.

Sure Mama that's all I meant.

Dr. Hardy thinks it might be a bit of malarial fever

he caught when he was in the tropics.

Dr. Hardy!

I wouldn't believe a thing he said if he swore it on a stack of bibles.

I know what doctors are, they're all alike, anything,

they don't care what to keep you coming to them.

What is it?

What...? What are you looking at?

Is my hair coming down? or... something?

There's nothing wrong with your hair.

The fatter and healthier you are, the vainer you became.

You'll soon spend half the day primping before the mirror.

My eyes are so bad now, I really should have new glasses.

Your eyes are beautiful

- And well you know it.

- James you mustn't be so silly.

- And right in front of Jamie.

- He's onto you now too.

He knows all this talk about eyes and hair is only fishing for compliments. ey Jamie?

- Yes you can't kid us Mama.

- Get along with, both of you.

But I... I did truly have... have beautiful hair once. Didn't I James?

Most beautifull in the world

It.. it was a rare shade of... of redish brown

and so long it came down below my knees

You ought to remember it too, Jamie.

- It wasn't until after Edmund was born that I had a single grey hair.

- And that made it prettier than ever.

Will you listen to your father Jamie. After 35 years of marriage...

He isn't a great actor for nothing, is he?.

What's come over you James? Are you pouring coals of fire

on my head for teasing you about your snoring?

Well then I take it all back. It must've been ONLY the foghorn I heard.

Well...

I can't stay here any longer, even to hear compliments.

I have to see the cook about diner and the day's marketing.

That bridgette is so lazy and so sly she begins telling me about

her relatives so I can't get a word in edgeways to scold her.

Well...

I may as well get it over with.

Don't make Edmund work on the grounds with you James, remember?

Not that he isn't strong enough but he'd perspire

and he might catch more cold.

You're a fine lunkhead! Haven't you any sense?

Don't you know the one thing to avoid is saying anything

that would get her more upset over Edmund?

All right. Have it your way. I still think its the wrong

idea to let Mama go on kidding herself.

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