Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Page #4

MILLY:

Take them home, this very instant!

BENJAMIN:

We can't! The pass is closed.

ADAM:

Girls were too loud. I guess we'll have to wait 'till spring.

The BOYS, minus GIDEON, start to laugh.

MILLY:

You heartless, cruel men! How could you do such a thing?

GIDEON:

I'm real sorry, Alice. But it was the only way I could get to marry you. Hey Adam! We forgot the priest!

Girls cry, Adam looks annoyed. MILLY sizes him up.

MILLY:

That's it. You're all sleeping in the barn tonight - the house is for the girls. I'm ashamed of you, all of you! Git, now!

THE BOYS, looking rather sorry, exit. ADAM stays behind. The GIRLS enter the house, leaving MILLY.

ADAM:

Now Milly, you've gotta understand, I did this for the boys. If we hadn't done that, they wouldn't have gotten them girls.

MILLY:

You think the girls will marry them now? You think 'cause you got a wife so easily that love happens just like that? You just snatched these girls right from their homes and now... now I can't even look at you!

MILLY exits, furious. Adam sighs, sitting down on the steps. GIDEON and BENJAMIN reenter, joining him.

BENJAMIN:

Not exactly how I was expectin' to spend the night - in a barn!

ADAM gets up, picking up the saddle from the porch.

Adam, where you goin'?

ADAM:

Up to the trappin' cabin. Need to... need to get away for a bit. I'll be back when the pass is open.

BENJAMIN:

You can't go up there! What if you get sick, or break your leg?

ADAM:

I can't stay here, not while Milly's... like this.

ADAM exits, BENJAMIN following. GIDEON stands up and knocks on the door of the house.

GIDEON:

Milly? It's Gideon, I've gotta talk to you. It's real important.

MILLY (offstage, behind door)

What is it?

GIDEON:

It's Adam. He's goin' up to the trappin' cabin. Milly, please, just talk to him. Tell him he can't go.

(pause)

Milly?

MILLY:

He needs to learn that he can't treat people this way.

Gideon, disheartened, exits with a sigh. LIGHTS DIM, the boys reenter. They're doing chores around the yard. Lights go normal.

DANIEL throws down his shovel.

DANIEL:

That's it, I can't take this any more!

FRANK:

Stop it, you won't get anything from it.

GIDEON:

Come on, just get back to work.

RUTH and MARTHA stand on the deck, smiling innocently.

MARTHA:

Hey Caleb! Ephriam!

CALEB and EPRHIAM turn. The girls throw snowballs at them, and BENJAMIN laughs.

BENJAMIN:

You boys afraid of a few snowballs?

DORCAS peeks through the window, throwing a snowball at BENJAMIN. He looks down and picks one up.

Snowballs with rocks in 'em. Poor little dears... sobbin' buckets of tears.

DORCAS blows him a raspberry and ducks back inside with RUTH and MARTHA.

Lights dim, all exit.

- - -

Scene III

Boy's bedroom, now inhabited by the girls on cots.

RUTH and SARAH stand by the window. DORCAS and ALICE are lying on beds, Alice reading a book. The other girls are sewing.

RUTH:

Does it ever do anything but snow up here?

SARAH:

We've had a blizzard every day for the past three weeks.

MARTHA:

Ruth, Sarah, come away from that window.

LIZA:

I find it disgusting that you're standing there where THEY can see you.

DORCAS (dreamily)

I wonder which one slept in this bed?

LIZA (gasps)

Dorcas Gailen!

DORCAS:

What, didn't it ever occur to you that you're sleeping in one of their beds?

LIZA:

I've thought of no such thing. I never even think of those brutes.

DORCAS:

Then what were you doing yesterday, behind the woodpile? You certainly weren't thinking then!

LIZA:

How dare you!

DORCAS:

I saw it with my own eyes.

RUTH:

So did I.

LIZA:

You take that back!

DORCAS, LIZA and RUTH begin to fight. The other girls scream. MILLY enters, running to break up the squabble.

MILLY:

Girls, please don't fight! Not now, not when I need you most!

The girls stop, all of them looking at Milly with concern.

ALICE:

Are you alright, Milly?

MILLY:

Quite fine. It's just... well... it seems that I'll be having a baby.

LIZA:

A baby!

The girls get excited, forcing Milly to sit down as they cheer her.

ALICE:

You'll need to rest. We'll do all the chores!

MARTHA:

Cooking, cleaning, washing, anything!

MILLY:

Oh, that really won't be necessary.

RUTH:

Milly, when's the baby coming?

MILLY:

Well, you'll have to be patient. They don't come out of nowhere.

RUTH:

But when?

MILLY (sighing happily)

In the spring.

MILLY exits contentedly, and the girls sigh.

DORCAS:

It's so romantic...

SARAH:

Oh, Dorcas...

DORCAS:

I always wanted to be a june bride. And have a baby right off... in the spring, maybe...

SONG #8 - "JUNE BRIDE"

The girls all dream of getting married and having families of their own. Lights fade, girls put on their dresses.

SONG #9 Part I - "SPRING SPRING SPRING"

The girls sing of the neverending winter. MILLIE enters just before the march verse for her solo, smiling gleely. Song ends, then all exit.

- - -

Scene IV

Pontipee farmyard. The BOYS are with their GIRLS, flirting mercilessly.

SONG #9 Part II - "SPRING SPRING SPRING"

The pairs are singing about the coming of springtime, and how there is new life and families. Just a silly love ditty.

FRANK exits for a moment towards the beginning of the last verse, then reenters at the last one.

FRANK:

Benjamin, Caleb, Daniel, Ephriam, Gideon, everyone! Milly's having her baby!

The girls shriek excitedly, the boys hustle them off. All exit. Lights dim, a few adjustments to make the scene the TRAPPING CABIN.

Adam sits on the porch, GIDEON enters. Lights go on.

ADAM:

Gideon! Finally decided to leave, eh? Milly been drivin' you crazy?

GIDEON (hesitantly)

I've come to get you, Adam.

ADAM:

Oh yeah?

GIDEON:

'Cause Milly's had a baby. Came the day before yesterday.

ADAM:

I don't believe it.

GIDEON:

Well it's as true as I'm standin' here.

ADAM:

I said I don't believe it. It's just another one her tricks to bring me back! I said I'd be back when the pass was open, and no sooner.

ADAM goes onto the porch, grabbing some furs.

GIDEON:

So that's it? You won't come back for your own wife? Your own kin? You're own little girl?

ADAM:

A girl, eh? I might've known she'd have a girl.

GIDEON goes on the porch, sizes up ADAM.

GIDEON:

Adam, you're my eldest brother. Now I've always looked up to ya, tried to be like you. But today I'm ashamed of you. Now I know you can lick me, lick the tar outta me! But I wouldn't hold myself no kind of man unless I showed ya how I felt!

GIDEON punches ADAM, who clutches his shirt.

ADAM:

Why you...

ADAM forces the furs into GIDEON's arms, pushing towards the exit.

Now git!

GIDEON exits, looking back in despair. ADAM sighs, looking down.

A girl...

ADAM exits.

- - -

During the scene change, lights are dimmed, the town bell is rung.

DAVID(offstage)

The pass is open! The pass is open! All able-bodied men are to attend a meeting in the town square! Bring your rifles, your pitchforks, whatever you can find!

SAM:

We'll show them Pontipees we mean business!

DAVID:

The pass is open! You ready boys?

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