(WINING BOY sits down at the piano and plays and sings. The song is one which has put many dimes and quarters in his pocket, long ago, in dimly remembered towns and way stations. He plays badly, without hesitation, and sings in a forceful voice.)

WINING BOY: (Singing.)

I am a rambling gambling man

I gambled in many towns

I rambled this wide world over

I rambled this world around

I had my ups and downs in life

And bitter times I saw

But I never knew what misery was

Till I lit on old Arkansas.

I started out one morning

to meet that early train

He said, “You better work for me

I have some land to drain.

I’ll give you fifty cents a day,

Your washing, board and all

And you shall be a different man

In the state of Arkansas.”

I worked six months for the rascal

Joe Herrin was his name

He fed me old corn dodgers

They was hard as any rock

My tooth is all got loosened

And my knees begin to knock

That was the kind of hash I got

In the state of Arkansas.

Traveling man

I’ve traveled all around this world

Traveling man

I’ve traveled from land to land

Traveling man

I’ve traveled all around this world

Well it ain’t no use

writing no news

I’m a traveling man.

(The door opens and BERNIECE enters with MARETHA.)

BERNIECE: Is that . . . Lord, I know that ain’t Wining Boy sitting there.

WINING BOY: Hey, Berniece.

BERNIECE: You all had this planned. You and Boy Willie had this planned.

WINING BOY: I didn’t know he was gonna be here. I’m on my way down home. I stopped by to see you and Doaker first.

DOAKER: I told the nigger he left out of here with that sack of money, we thought we might never see him again. Boy Willie say he wasn’t gonna see him till he got broke. I looked up and seen him sitting on the doorstep asking for two dollars. Look at him laughing. He know it’s the truth.

BERNIECE: Boy Willie, I didn’t see that truck out there. I thought you was out selling watermelons.

BOY WILLIE: We done sold them all. Sold the truck too.

BERNIECE: I don’t want to go through none of your stuff. I done told you to go back where you belong.

BOY WILLIE: I was just teasing you, woman. You can’t take no teasing?

BERNIECE: Wining Boy, when you get here?

WINING BOY: A little while ago. I took the train from Kansas City.

BERNIECE: Let me go upstairs and change and then I’ll cook you something to eat.

BOY WILLIE: You ain’t cooked me nothing when I come.

BERNIECE: Boy Willie, go on and leave me alone. Come on, Maretha, get up here and change your clothes before you get them dirty.

(BERNIECE exits up the stairs, followed by MARETHA.)

WINING BOY: Maretha sure getting big, ain’t she, Doaker. And just as pretty as she want to be. I didn’t know Crawley had it in him.