The - Dramatic Publishing...current catalogue and are subject to change without notice. Royalty must be paid every time a play is perfonned whether or not it is presented for profit

The fight5n the ql1ill

13JJD. K~ Okla_homa

~~ The Dramatic Publishill9 CompalllJ

© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

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(f)MCMLXXXIX byD.K. OKLAHOMA

Printed in the United States of AmericaAll Rights Reserved

(THE LIGI-IT IN THE MILL)

ISBN 0-87129-900-3


THE LIGHT IN THE MILL

A Full-length PlayFor Two Men and Seven Women

CHARACTERS

NANCY "NAN" MINTON " about 17JANE COOPER. " 0 " ~ about 17MRS. JOSEPHINE POTrER , a widow. middle..agedWILMA ABBOTT 4O 0 .. 0 about 18KATIE KAY SPRAGUE 4O ~ " about 18PmLLIP CARDON " an accountant. about 40MAGDA MARY THORN ".4O 4O ••• 4O about 18MR. ABNER DODGE a handyman., about 25MRS. EDNA THORN " " Magda's mother

TlldE: Autumn. In the mid-1800sPIACE: A textile mill in LowelL Massachusetts

ACfONESCENE ONE: About 7 a.nL of an autumn Monday.

A cloth repair workroom in the textile millSCENE TWO: Later, same scene.

ACfTWOSCENE ONE: Later in Mr. Cardon~s office.

EPIlDGUE: That same evening, the mill workroom.


To my mother, Nancy Lucile Minton Jonest

"Nan Mintont' - who always beli,eved I could do it!


lPRODUcnON NOTES

SETTING: A small workroom devoted to the repair offaulty lengths of cloth. There are two or three long, sturdy, wooden worktables~ with six accompanying stools orchairs on the lower level. A short flight of steps leads upto the office of Mr. Cardon, the accountant for the mill.

MUSIC: During the intermission, just before the startof Act Two, the ballad UMy Little Girlu should be played,if possible. Contact publisher for more informatioa

COSTUMES: The women should wear authentic millwork-clothing of the timet consisting of ankle-length darkskirts and light.-eolored blouses with elbow-length sleeves.They will add work aprons. Shoes are of the era, sturdyand practical

MRS. POlTER will wear a white blouse with long,cuffed sleeves. All the mill women will wear their longhair, braided OT coiled close to their heads, with wisps ofescaping curls on one or two. Some will wear snoods ornets over the back. of their heads to restrain their hair.

NAN should look as much like Mrs. Potter (her idol)as possible in dress and hairstyle. Perhaps they will bothwear similar lockets. Their work aprons will be almostidenticaL

MAGDA will wear a long white dress, simple but almost bride-like~her hair curls down over her shoulders.

MR. CARDON wears a dark wool suit of the times,with a light-colored shirt and a tie. In the beginning hewill either carry or wear winter v.rraps.

MR. DODGE wears rough, dirty work clothes andheavy boots.


MRS. THORN wears dark, heavy clothing, obviouslyshabby. Her hair is untidy, her make-up is harsh and grim.She wears a dark hat and clutches a cloth draw-string bag.

CHARACfER NOTES

NANCY "NAN~'MINTON-About 17, unmarried andinnocent. A lovely girl, quick to defend her friends. Shegreatly admires Mrs. Potter and models herself after theolder woman She is very shy.

JANE COOPER-a little older than Nan, married,pregnant with her second child. She has a baby daughter,Rachel.

MRS. JOSEPHINE POlTER-unofficial supervisorof the cloth repair room by virtue of her seniority. Achildless widow of middle years, she is passionately devoted to her work and absolutely meticulous. She pridesherself on setting a good example to the younger workers.However, she is likable and basically kind. An excellentrole model for the younger women.

WILMA ABBOT -About 18, but seems younger.. Sheis a peculiar gir~ given to irrational fancies and superstitions. She finds prestige among the younger, impressionable girls like Katie Kay by &4seeing visioDS.'ll She is easilyhysterical.

KATIE KAY SPRAGUE-a few months younger thanW~ but not as bright. She worships the older girl andbangs on her every word Whatever Wilma says, Katie


believes.. She quickly catches Wilmats hysteria and augments it with her own impressionable imagination.

Plm..LIP CARDON -Accountant for the mill.. A weakm.an, rather frail in appearance. He has a slight limp andis physically timid. About 40.

MAGDA MARY llIORN -She is about 18, very paleand slim, almost wraithlike. She is lovely, with a tragic,doomed quality. Her hair hangs loose..

MR. ABNER DODGE-About 25 t a shambling, illtempered handyman who cleans the mill and does oddjobs. He is a secret gambler and drunkard who resentsthose he considers ~4his betters.." Potentially dangerousand always somewhat ominous. He is carelessly dressedand dirty.

MRS. EDNA THORN - Magdats mother, a selfish,manipulative woman who has exploited Magda all of herlife.. She is financially dependent on Magda due to herown poor health, but she resents this dependence. Magdais her only childa There is something of madness in Mrs..Thorn and much that is mean and small


ACT ONE

AT RISE: Before~ Monday morning, early autumn,1843, Lowell, MA. A workroom for repairing cottoncloth in a bustling textile mill. The work day has not yetbegun. The room is in deep shadows, very dimly lightedby the approaching dawn. NOTE: All of the action takaplal;e on the same day.. Erterior lights should change accordingly..

SETTING: Two or three lon& heavy worktables and sixwooden workstooLs DCCUpy the rntJin space. They are covered with numerolLf colorful bolts of patterned cottoncalico material and work implements; spools and bobbins of colored thread in baskets, scissors, long needles,etc. Bins holding upright rolls and bolts of material areabout the roo~ Some of the cloth is spread out acrossthe tables, just as it was left at the end of the last workperiod. Small, varied boxes or baskets of personal belongings are under each workstation. 1hree or four geranium or chrysanthemum plants bloom in clay potsabout the TOOm. Very talt unscreened, wide windows arealong the back walL There are wide wooden plank floors,brick pillars and arches. A short flight of steps leads uptD another level, shut off by a wooden door. A scrimforms a wall between the interior of the upper level (Mr_Cardon~ office) and the audience. Beneath this level is acluttered storage space, about 4 to 5 feet high beneath

5


Page 6 THE llGHT IN THE Mll.L Act I

the upper level floor. Much of this i5 in deep shadow.NOTE: If two levels are not possible, the storage spacecan be a specific area to the side of the office~

SOUND: A soft, melodic glass chime. This is Magda's spe..cial sound that will always OLcDmpany her appearances.Magda~ ghost appears, moving in her own blue light.She wears a long white dress with a distinctive blue satinribbon sash. Her hair is shoulder-length. She is lovely.(She will never enter by conventional doorways, alwaysas if through a solid walt and never from the stDragearea.) She drifts ocross the stage, accompanied by thechime, pausing to touch her fonner workstation, perhapsa bolt of cloth, etc. She drifts to the stairs to Mr. Cardon ~ office and touches the rail, perhaps she will enterthe office itself if it is on the same level and lightly touchhis chair. This appearance should take no mare thtm 45to 60 seconds and then she will fade into the shadowsand disappear: The blue light vanishes with her, and thesoft chime ceases. The lights change.

The exterior dDor opens and MR. DODGE enters furtively, carrying a dimly lighted lantern.. He is nervous andexhausted, breathing heavily, a bit frantic. His boots aremuddy. He briefly checks to be sure no one is in the office then puts the lantern down Dn a worktable and hurries back outside. After a beat, he reappears, staggeringsomewhatJ carrying a large heavy, blanket-wrapped object over his shoulder (Magda's body). Her trailing armor the hem ofher dress should be visible so we can iden-tify the burden. He goes directly to the storage space anddeposits the body there with a dull thump. A lowi strident bell sounds~ MR DODGE emerges and snatches up


Act I TIm UGHT IN TIlE MIlL Page 7

the lantern, headi,ng fDr the outside door but hears thesounds (offJ of approaching worke7S.~ NAN MINTONand lANE COOPER, talking, and realizes he is cut offHe blows out the lightJ thrusts the lantern under the storage space instead and exits hurriedly by another door into the interior of the milL He closes the Dther door justbefore JANE and NAN enteT~ The lights go up slightly.The first few lines are spoken offstage and as JANE andNAN enter. They are wearing shawls and other wraps.JANE carries a small bouquet of autumn flowers, whichshe will put under her workstatinn during the foUowing.They remove their WTapSJ and hang them on pegs on thewall, taking up aprons. They are both subdued and unhappy.

JANE (off). There was a real chill in the air this morning,wasn't there?

NAN (off). And such a fog over the river.JANE (of/). I could hardly see the bridge.

(NAN enters.)

NAN. And frost on the grass!

(JANE enters.)

JANE. I hate to come to work in the dark... (Meaningfully.) ....especially today..

NAN .. I know. (They pause at Magda's bench, lipstightened, faces sad.)

JANE. I just can't believe it.NAN. She was the same age as me, did you know that?JANE. Poor thing.


Page 8 THE UGHT IN THE MIll. Act I

NAN.. It's like a bad dream.JANE (notices open window). O~ look at that! Someone

left the window open..NAN.. Wilma forgot again. Mrs. Potter will scold her..JANE. It must have been open since Saturday night..

(Closes it.)NAN.. That girl never thinks.."JANE. I know. (Returning from the window) piela up a

pair o/worn cotton wOTk mitts from the tlIble,,) O~ Nan!Her mitts" Right where she left them... (Strangely.)You can still see the shape of her hands in them.

NAN" Perhaps...we should collect her things. Her motherwill surely want them.".

JANE. Yes... (Continues to look at the mitts.)

(MRS. POTTER enters,,)

MRS. POlTER" Good morning, girls.. (Removes hershawl and bonnet tmd hangs them on pegs.)

JANE.. Good morning, Mrs. Potter..NAN. 'Morning.MRS: POTIER. What have you got there?JANE~ Magda's mitts.".s-should we do something with

her things"."MRS. POTTER. Yes, I suppose we must. rn tend to it.

You girls go along. Business as usual. It~s best. What'sdone is done.

NAN. Yes, ma·am.JANE (overlapping). y~ ma'am.MRS" PO'ITER, Did either of you see the old lantern? It

wasn't on the hook at the bottom of the stairs. I nearbroke my neck..

JANE and NAN. No, ma'am.


Act I THE UGHT IN THE MILL Page 9

MRS~ PO'ITER. Well, if you find it. -put it back beforeMr. Cardon sees it missing....be likes things in theirplace.

JANE. Yes. ma'am.. -NAN (cwerlaps). Ye~ ,ma'am.MRS. POTI'ER. Letts see, now....where were we? (Puts

on her work apron, adjusting her locket on a chain correctly so it will show. She loola over the fabric on thetable..)

NAN (shyly). I was almost done with the red... (She surreptitiously adjusts her little locket on a chain to matchMRS. P01TER, her idol) The yellow's finished.

JANE (observes NAN with a smaJl secret smile, knowingher friend's admiration fOT MRS.. P01TER). Your newlocket is very pretty, Nan. (Puts on her own workapron..)

NAN (pleased). Thank you.

(JANE and NAN go to their adjacent workstations, DCand prepare for the day~ wori; adjusting the cloth, etc.WILMA and ](ATIE KAY rwh in, breathless and full ofsecrets.. As they pass Magtkz~sworkstation, they hold up ahand to shield their eyes from the sight of it and make asmall detour to avoid it as they scurry past. MRS. POTTER notes this action and frowns. ](ATIE KAY andWILMA hurry to their own workbenches, tugging at theirWT"Ps, etc..)

MRS. POTTER. Good morning.'V~Katie Kay.WD...MA and KATIE KAY. Good mornin& Mrs.. Potter..MRS.. POlTER. What's that you were doing there,

Wilma?WILMA (caught). N-n-nuthin...


Page 10 THE UGHT IN TIm Mll.L Act I

MRS. POTTER. Don't you want to look at Magda'splace?

KATIE KAY (stammering). W-whafd you mean? Db....you see...we...

MRS. POlTER You act like you're afraid of your poorlittle friend's place?

WILMA (lying). Why, no...uh, no, ma'am...KATIE KAY (lying). N-noooo....MRS. POTTER. Let me look at the two of you. Why are

you so flushed?WILMA.. Flushed? O~ o~ we're not, uh....KATIE KAY (blurts). Wilma bad a dream.... (Claps her

hand over her nwuth, looking fearfully at WILMA.)MRS .. POTTER. What's that you say? (Glares at

WILMA.) Another dream? (To KA TIE KAY:) Tell meabout it, girL

KATIE KAY (in a rwh, enjoying the dramatics). Well, lastnight Wilma had this terrible dream about poorMagda... at least she thinks it was Magda...all pale andforlorn and moaning and crying like the winter wind.And holding out her hands, like this .... (Demonm-ates asleep-walker~ stanc~) and.....

MRS. POTfER (sternly). Now stop i1gbt there, Katie KaySprague! (Turns to WILMA.) What did I tell you lastmonth, about spreading this sort of nonsense?

WILMA (hangdog). You said not to no more.MRS. POlTER. "Not to" what?WILMA. Not to talk albout ghosts and such.MRS. POlTER. Reverend Jones said he spoke to you

about it...as I requested, and you promised him you'dstop_ .

WILMA.. yes'm....


Act I THE UGHT IN THE MILL Page 11

MRS" POTTER" Breaking a promise to a man of God, islike breaking a promise to the Lord himself..

WILMA Yes'm.MRS. POTIER There's no such thing as ghosts! Do you

hear me?WILMA Yes'm. I hear. (Sullen and defiant.)MRS. POTTER We must put a stop to this! I~ll ask Rev..

erend Jones to pray for you, myself.... and.... (A bitpompous) just to be sure, I'll add you to my ownprayers this very night!

WILMA (sullen). But...MRS. POTTER.. NO i no. Don't thank me, Wilma. It's

merely my Christian duty. (Turns to KATIE K4Y:) Andyo~ Katie Kay, you must help, too.

KATIE KAY (big-eyed and scared). Me?MRS" POTTER. If she starts to talk like that again, close

your ears and repeat the Lord's Prayer, or sing ahymn.....just as loudly as you~ no matter where youare.

KATIE KAY (a quit:k side glance at WILMA). Yes'm.MRS. POTTER. We can't encourage this nonsense.KATIE KAY (not convinced). No, ma'am.~s. POlTER. So. That's settled. Now, get to your sta

tions. Quick!KATIE KAY and WILMA. Yes'm. (They hurry to their

places.)MRS. POTTER (to NAN and JANE)A And you girls.. "

don't let this nonsense go any further.."for the good ofall concerned.

NAN. Yes, ma'am. We won't.MRS. POTTER. Now! We've got orders to fill. The com

pany's counting on us. (Looks around) Where's thatnew batch from Lot 30?


Page 12 TIlE LlGIIT IN THE MILL Act I

JANE. I haven't seen i~ ma'am.MRS. POTfER.. Dodge was supposed to bring it over

Saturday! I dontt see it! That man! I don't know whythey keep him on! Well, we can't wait on himl Itll gopick it up myselt (Exiting.) Carry on, girls.

WIlMA (sullen). Lot she knows, the old biddy!KATIE KAY.. Shhh.Wll.MA. I don't care! She thinks she's so smart... telling

on me to Reverend Jones!KATIE KAY. Ah, that's not so bad.Wll.MA. That's what you thinkI He had me praying on

my knees for hours! I don't care if he is a minister. Heforced that promise from me, and that don't count. TheBible itself tells about dreams...just like mine!

KATIE KAY. Shhh. You wouldn't -want to lose yourplace here.. "

WILMA (louder). Over a dream? And me so fast and all?Besides, who said she could be so bossy! She acts likea supervisor"!

JANE. Dh Wilma! (Laughs.) What an idea! She's aWO'fl1Qrt!

KATIE KAY. A woman supervisor! Next you'll tell usthey've hired the Irish!

NAN. In the mill? The idea!KATIE KAY. They'll never have Irish in the mills!WilMA. I sure wouldn't stay if they did!JANE. Shh. Mrs. Potter doesn't mean to be bossy. She

just looks after us.NAN. If we ever did have a woman supervisor, she'd be

the one I'd want.WILMA. We~ I don't want her looking after me!


Act I THE liGHT IN THE MIlL Page 13

KATIE KAY. Me, either! Thatts why I left my Aunt Minnie and come to lowell in the first place. Aunt Minniewas always prayint over me. I don't like it.

waMA. Me, neitber. And besides, my dre"ams are ablessing.

KA.TIE KAY (impTf!S$ed). A bkssing?Wll..MA.. One day everyone will come to hear about my

dreams...youtll see..KATIE KAY. Tell moe again, Wilma. How did Magda

look?JANE (warning her). Db. Wilma!NAN. There she goes again!WD..MA. I'll tell you! (Ignoring the others and enjoying the

ef!ect'she is having D1I KATIE K:4~) All in white, shewas, just like in her coffin, with her hair hanging downto her shoulders and the pretty blue satin ribbon in it.But she was -wet and dripping...col~ grey water fromthe canal. I could bear -the drops fall, splot, splot,splot~ .. over her moans, of course.

KATIE KAY (bug-eyed). And what did she say to you,exactly?

WILMA (improvising). I couldn't catch the exact words ofit, with the water dripping and all, but she was sort ofmoaning and crying, or maybe she was saying aname...

KATIE KAY. A name?Wll.MA (prolonging the suspense). It sounded like...KATIE KAY (breathless). Yes.~Ayes ....~MAlike ...

(WILMA breaks off ~ MR. CARDON enters. He is apre-occupied, unhappy man of middle years, handsomebut weak looking, lacking in self confidence. He is totally


Page 14 TIlE UGHT IN THE MIlL Act I

JUJaWQn! of the girls. They stop talJdng and watch him ashe limps across the floor and mounts the short flight ofstain to his office.)

Wll.MA (continues). Good morning, Mr. Cardon.NAN" Good morning.. (OverllJpping.)KATIE KAY. Good morning, sir.JANE (overlapping). Good morning.

(MR. CARDON doesn Jt Tespond or acknowledge theirwords. They watch him, fascinated. He enters his officeand closes the door.)

KATIE KAY. He acted like he didn't even hear us.Wll.MA.. What do you tlbink of that?JANE. How strange. He usually says something.NAN. Perhaps his wife's ill again. How long has it been?JANE. You me~ since her last baby died? At least a

yearD I thought she was getting better. I saw her inchurch once.

KATIE KAY.. Maybe he's upset about Magda He alwaysspoke to her.

JANE. That must be it.NAN. O~ I doubt he even heard about her yet. There's

hundreds of girls work in this mill.WILMA. Not as pretty as Magda!NAN.. The things you say! She's barely in her grave!WILMA. WeR she was pretty. That hail', and her big

eyes.JANE.. Of course, she was pretty, poor thing, but I never

saw him pay her any more attention than he did therest of us. He's a ma...rried man!


Documents

The - Dramatic Publishing...current catalogue and are subject to change without notice. Royalty must be paid every time a play is perfonned whether or not it is presented for profit