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Back The Darker Face of the Earth
Chapters (27)
  1. Front Cover
  2. Half-Title Page
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. Acknowledgments
  6. Dedication
  7. Cast
  8. Prologue
  9. Act One
  10. Scene 2
  11. Scene 3
  12. Scene 4
  13. Scene 5
  14. Scene 6
  15. Scene 7
  16. Scene 8
  17. Act Two
  18. Scene 2
  19. Scene 3
  20. Scene 4
  21. Scene 5
  22. Scene 6
  23. Scene 7
  24. Scene 8
  25. An Interview with Rita Dove
  26. Biographical Note
  27. Back Cover

The stars can tell you everything—

war and pestilence, love and betrayal.
AUGUSTUS

War? Yes, this is war. Say your prayers,

Massa—you have a hard ride ahead of you.
LOUIS A hard ride, me? I don’t think so.

Aims his pistol at AUGUSTUS.

A man should be able to kill

when he has to, don’t you agree?

Startled by this unexpected turn of events, AUGUSTUS freezes. LOUIS reaches for the bottle on the table with his other hand.

Perhaps you’d care for a bit of bourbon

to warm your way?
AUGUSTUS (Trying to compose himself.)
You can’t stop what’s coming over the hill.
LOUIS (Shakes his pistol at AUGUSTUS, shouting.)
This time I won’t leave things up to chance!

Muttering.

What a fool I was!

I should have smothered the bastard

right there in the basket.

That’s the man’s way.
AUGUSTUS Basket? What basket?
LOUIS

Amalia’s, of course. Amalia’s basket.

It was—

Slight pause; distracted.

The doctor refused to kill it.

What else was there to do?

AUGUSTUS lunges, knocking the gun from LOUIS’s hand and overpowering him.

AUGUSTUS There goes your last chance, fool!

Drags LOUIS by the collar toward center-stage.

This basket—what did it look like?
LOUIS What do you care?
AUGUSTUS (Holds knife to LOUIS’s throat.)
Enough to slit your throat.
LOUIS (Whimpering.)

Oh, it was beautiful! White wicker,

lined in blue satin, tiny red rosettes

marching along the rim . . .
AUGUSTUS (Slowly lets go of LOUIS’s collar.)
And your spurs slipped right inside.
LOUIS

Amalia’s Christmas present.

Oh, was the good doctor relieved!

“It’s a miracle,” he said,

“but the child’s still alive!”
AUGUSTUS

And still lives to this day.

Spurs bite into a horse’s belly—

think what they can do

to a newborn child!

Rips open his shirt.

LOUIS You?
AUGUSTUS

All my life I tried to imagine

what you would look like.

Would you be tall or stooped over?

Blue eyes, or brown?

Would you dress in white linen

or dash around in a dusty greatcoat?

To think that your blood flows

through my veins—

Advances on LOUIS, who staggers back into the chair.