DAVENPORT

Get a doctor!

(Several men lift the prostrate BRADY, and stretch him across three chairs. MRS. BRADY rushes to his side.)

JUDGE

Room! Room! Give him room!

MRS. BRADY

Matt! Dear God in Heaven! Matt!

(DRUMMOND, HORNBECK and CATES watch, silent and concerned—somewhat apart from the crowd. The silence is tense. It is suddenly broken by a fanatic old WOMAN, who shoves her face close to BRADY’S and shrieks.)

WOMAN

(Wailing)

O Lord, work us a miracle and save our Holy Prophet!

(Rudely, MEEKER pushes her back.)

MEEKER

(Contemptuously)

Get away! (Crisply) Move him out of here. Fast as we can. Hank. Bill. Give us a hand here. Get him across the street to Doc’s office.

(Several men lift BRADY, with difficulty, and begin to carry him out. A strange thing happens. BRADY begins to speak in a hollow, distant voice—as if something sealed up inside of him were finally broken, and the precious contents spilled out into the open at last.)

BRADY

(As he is carried out; in a strange, unreal voice)

Mr. Chief Justice, Citizens of these United States. During my term in the White House, I pledge to carry out my program for the betterment of the common people of this country. As your new President, I say what I have said all of my life….

(The crowd tags along, curious and awed. Only DRUMMOND, CATES and HORNBECK remain, their eyes fixed on BRADY’S exit. DRUMMOND stares after him.)

DRUMMOND

How quickly they can turn. And how painful it can be when you don’t expect it. (He turns) I wonder how it feels to be Almost-President three times—with a skull full of undelivered inauguration speeches.

HORNBECK

Something happens to an Also-Ran.

Something happens to the feet of a man

Who always comes in second in a foot-race.

He becomes a national unloved child,

A balding orphan, an aging adolescent

Who never got the biggest piece of candy.

Unloved children, of all ages, insinuate themselves

Into spotlights and rotogravures.

They stand on their hands and wiggle their feet.

Split pulpits with their pounding! And their tonsils

Turn to organ pipes. Show me a shouter,

And I’ll show you an also-ran. A might-have-been,

An almost-was.

CATES

(Softly)

Did you see his face? He looked terrible….

(MEEKER enters. CATES turns to him. MEEKER shakes his head: “I don’t know.”)

MEEKER

I’m surprised more folks ain’t keeled over in this heat.

HORNBECK

He’s all right. Give him an hour or so

To sweat away the pickles and the pumpernickel.

To let his tongue forget the acid taste

Of vinegar victory.

Mount Brady will erupt again by nightfall,

Spouting lukewarm fire and irrelevant ashes.

(CATES shakes his head, bewildered. DRUMMOND watches him, concerned.)

DRUMMOND

What’s the matter, boy?

CATES

I’m not sure. Did I win or did I lose?

DRUMMOND

You won.

CATES

But the jury found me—

DRUMMOND

What jury? Twelve men? Millions of people will say you won. They’ll read in their papers tonight that you smashed a bad law. You made it a joke!