LYMON: Berniece . . . I got to do this . . . Boy Willie say he gonna give you half of the money . . . say he want to get Sutter’s land.

BERNIECE: Go on, Lymon. Just go on . . . I done told Boy Willie what to do.

BOY WILLIE: Here, Lymon . . . put that rope up over there.

LYMON: Boy Willie, you sure you want to do this? The way I figure it . . . I might be wrong . . . but I figure she gonna shoot you first.

BOY WILLIE: She just gonna have to shoot me.

BERNIECE: Maretha, get on out the way. Get her out the way, Doaker.

DOAKER: Go on, do what your mama told you.

BERNIECE: Put her in your room.

(MARETHA exits to Doaker’s room. BOY WILLIE and LYMON try to lift the piano. The door opens and WINING BOY enters. He has been drinking.)

WINING BOY: Man, these niggers around here! I stopped down there at Seefus. . . . These folks standing around talking about Patchneck Red’s coming. They jumping back and getting off the sidewalk talking about Patchneck Red this and Patchneck Red that. Come to find out . . . you know who they was talking about? Old John D. from up around Tyler! Used to run around with Otis Smith. He got everybody scared of him. Calling him Patchneck Red. They don’t know I whupped the nigger’s head in one time.

BOY WILLIE: Just make sure that board don’t slide, Lymon.

LYMON: I got this side. You watch that side.

WINING BOY: Hey, Boy Willie, what you got? I know you got a pint stuck up in your coat.

BOY WILLIE: Wining Boy, get out the way!

WINING BOY: Hey, Doaker. What you got? Gimme a drink. I want a drink.

DOAKER: It look like you had enough of whatever it was. Come talking about “What you got?” You ought to be trying to find somewhere to lay down.

WINING BOY: I ain’t worried about no place to lay down. I can always find me a place to lay down in Berniece’s house. Ain’t that right, Berniece?

BERNIECE: Wining Boy, sit down somewhere. You been out there drinking all day. Come in here smelling like an old polecat. Sit on down there, you don’t need nothing to drink.

DOAKER: You know Berniece don’t like all that drinking.

WINING BOY: I ain’t disrespecting Berniece. Berniece, am I disrespecting you? I’m just trying to be nice. I been with strangers all day and they treated me like family. I come in here to family and you treat me like a stranger. I don’t need your whiskey. I can buy my own. I wanted your company, not your whiskey.

DOAKER: Nigger, why don’t you go upstairs and lay down? You don’t need nothing to drink.

WINING BOY: I ain’t thinking about no laying down. Me and Boy Willie fixing to party. Ain’t that right, Boy Willie? Tell him. I’m fixing to play me some piano. Watch this.