HEDLEY pulls the ring fastener on his beer can. EMMERSON looks round at him.

HEDLEY:  Well, ‘ere’s to me,  an’ me mother’s only son!

He slurps some beer.

EMMERSON moves to the steps and sits. Using the lid from the biscuit tin as a plate, he starts to eat the cheese, alternating bites with bread from the tin. He eats slowly and carefully.

HEDLEY opens his book and starts to read. He occasionally looks at EMMERSON and inevitably their eyes meet.

HEDLEY: (conversationally) Been doin’ a bit o’ wallin’ then? (EMMERSON looks at his walling.)  I shouldn’t bother if I were you. They’ll  not pay you. They’ll never even notice.

EMMERSON eats.    HEDLEY watches for a moment, goes back to his  book.

He suddenly shuts it and puts it down with his snap bag.

HEDLEY:  Oh, can’t be bothered wi’ that today.  (EMMERSON watches him. He swigs from the can.)    I’ve got an owd autochange record player.  (EMMERSON looks blank.)   I’ve been tryin’ to sort out ‘ow to fix it. None o’t’ electric shops want to be bothered with it yer see.  Only interested in yer if you want to spend many a hundred pound ten on a Toshiba  or summat.   (He takes another swig, waves the book.)   Got this out of Huddersfield library.

EMMERSON eats steadily, HEDLEY watches.

HEDLEY:  Ay…  dear me!  (He takes another swig. Then, almost to himself) You fair sadden me sometimes you do.

EMMERSON: (abrupt but quite soft)    Why?

HEDLEY looks up surprised.

HEDLEY: Er…  thinkin’ out loud. Sorry.  (He takes another swig.)    I say.                      (EMMERSON   looks up.)   Er…  Air-raid shelter there. It belongs to t’ mill you know.

EMMERSON: What?

HEDLEY:  Nowt, I’m just sayin’ like. It is mill property actually.

EMMERSON eats.

HEDLEY: (cont.)    I’ll give it about another year, that’s all.  Er, the mill I mean. (He takes out a packet of cigarettes, low price  Silk Cut.)  Want one o’ these? Low tar. Means you die a lingerin’ death.

EMMERSON shakes his head gently, firmly.

HEDLEY:  No?   (He lights his cigarette during the following.)  Victoria Mill were world famous when me dad worked there.  Look at it.  Their worsted cloth were second to none.  Nulli Secundus. Summat like that.   (He takes a swig.)  You’ve talked to me dad at time an’ time. (to himself) At least, he’s talked to you.

EMMERSON looks up. 

HEDLEY: (contd) Tall feller. Allus walks wi’ a stoop chance ‘e bumps his ‘ead.    (EMMERSON nods.)   Aye. When ‘e worked at Victoria, all t’ sheds were full o’ Jacquards. Bus loads o’ lasses from Barnsley every day. All on piece work. Place were a right bustle. But I mean to say, what is there now? Couple o’ needle looms mekkin’ bits o’ tape an’ bias bindin’. Little dyein’ plant at t’ far end theer. Neither nowt nor summat.

(Slight pause.  He enjoys a draw on his cigarette,)

Me dad ever tell you about Joseph Henry Peace fallin’ in t’ cardin’ engine?

(EMMERSON is packing up his tin.)   ‘E did do.  Fair owd while sin’ like. Me dad were in t’ cardin’ shed.  Them cardin’ engines tek about three minutes to stop. Momentum like.  Great rollers covered in teeth to tear at t’ wool.

(He draws on his cigarette.)

Joseph ‘Enry fell in the feedin’ hopper. Me dad saw it happen an’ ‘e knocked t’ isolater off straight away.  Time cardin’ engine ‘ad stopped,  poor owd Joseph ‘Enry ‘ad come out o t’ other end as red wool

He draws on his cigarette.

EMMERSON takes his tin back to the shelter and collects his lading can.

HEDLEY: (cont.)   Messy job that   (EMMERSON moves to the well and dips in the lading can.)   Me dad reckons the whole mill died that day. I think he’s bloody right an’ all.

He puts out his cigarette.

EMMERSON takes a swig of water.

HEDLEY: Ey. You can’t drink that water can you?

EMMERSON looks at him and takes another swig.

HEDLEY shakes his head, finishes his beer, and settles down against the wall using his snap bag as a cushion for his head.

HEDLEY: Aye.  Head tuner me dad wor. Proud feller. Look at me. Chief nackler. Odd job man.  Chasin’ me tail up a dead end.   (EMMERSON moves back to the steps with his lading can.)    Still, nowt much I can do about it. Stuck with it.

Pause.   HEDLEY yawns gently.

EMMERSON:  (measured)            Know what a Jack Russell is?

HEDLEY:            Hmmm?

EMMERSON:  Jack Russell. Know what it is?

HEDLEY:  Dog do you mean?

EMMERSON:  Quarry lad that I knew when we were nippers,  Jabez, ‘e ‘ad

a Jack Russell. Quick.  Very quick of thought. Could size up his situation, fast as fartin’.

HEDLEY: Eh?

EMMERSON:  Terrier. Jack Russell. Quicksilver.

HEDLEY:  (fairly disinterested)   Oh aye?

EMMERSON:  Out rabbitin’ this particular mornin’ that I’m mentionin’ to yer. ‘E spies a dog fox an’ runs it into this clay bankin’ that ‘as more ‘oles in it than a draggletail’s comforter.  ‘E follows after it an gone, same as a stone into a pond.

Where is ‘e? ‘E doesn’t come out. Must be fast somewhere. Dig ‘im out.

Jabez comes for me where I’m tyin’ up cord wood into bundles with grandfather an’ some more. An’ off we go, me with grandfather’s scapplin’ axe. An’ all that particular afternoon we dig, with spades an’ a pick-axe. And we find a hundred dens an’ spots where ‘e might ‘ave been trapped. We see many an’ many a skull an’ a skeleton, an’ we knock a dozen rats or more.

An’ then it’s droppin’ dark. We’ve been toilin’ for five hours an’ more, half the hill dug away, an’ no sign.

An’ so some’dy says to stop. That’s it. Bugger’s stuck. Who knows wheer. It’s pissed on its own platter an’ nuthin’ to be done. We can’t keep rooitin’ an’ doin’, we’ll finish up in t’ warm spot.

Jabez starts meitherin’ an’ shudderin’ to ‘issen.

An’ then, this certain feller from Masham lets out such a roar an’ a curse. An’ then ‘e starts laughin’ fit to bust ‘is belly.  Sittin’ behind us, watchin’ all the sweatin’ an’ the strainin’,  is little dog. A wide grin on ‘is face an’ a dead dog fox by his side.

‘Ow long he’d been attendin’ to us strugglin’ an’ doin’ who could say?   (Slight pause.)    There were some ale poured down a few throats that particular night that I’m mentionin’ to yer. There wor that!

(He looks at HEDLEY who has closed his eyes and is no longer listening.)

Aye

EMMERSON takes his lading can and moves across to HEDLEY.

He watches him for a moment.

He throws the rest of the water in his lading can hard into HEDLEY’s face.

HEDLEY jerks awake.

HEDLEY:  Phwor!!   What… ?

EMMERSON moves up the banking towards  the shelter doorway.

HEDLEY wipes his face with his hands.

HEDLEY:  (cont.)    Bloody ‘ell fire. You barmy owd bastard.  (Shouts)            I’ll kick your bloody arse for yer!

EMMERSON quickly lifts his coat over his back and point a his backside as a target towards HEDLEY.

Don’t think I bloody wouldn’t either.

HEDLEY picks up his empty beer can and throws it with force into the mill rubbish. He looks back at EMMERSON who is still crouched.

Daft bugger! You’re bloody mad!

He picks up his snap bag and places the book inside it.  EMMERSON, motionless, watches HEDLEY between his legs.

You’ll finish up in t’ loony bin you will. Eh?  Listenin’? Dick Dully?

EMMERSON stands abruptly, disturbed, caught out. Stands still, facing away from HEDLEY.

Aye that’s it in’t it?  Eh?  Dick Dully. That’s what owd man Bower calls yer. It’s right an’ all in’t it? Eh?

The mill buzzer blows for the end of lunchtime. HEDLEY puts his snap bag on his shoulder.

HEDLEY:  (contd.) S’pect you ‘ave to live like a bloody badger if you can’t behave yourself wi’ folk. Eh? Dick Dully?

He jumps over the wall.

He looks back at the motionless figure of EMMERSON.

He turns abruptly and leaves, kicking at the  rubbish.

EMMERSON turns and looks after HEDLEY.

He stoops and puts his lading can with the box and the tin.

He moves thoughtfully to the steps and sits.  We hear distant sounds of cars being parked, doors slamming.

A more distant sound of light machinery being started up.

EMMERSON suddenly buries his face in his hands.

The sound gets slightly louder.

EMMERSON stays motionless.

Lights fade.

BLACKOUT

SCENE TWO

Evening the same day.

Lights fade up.

The light is going rosy, it is a pleasant summer evening.

EMMERSON is sitting in the same place on the steps.  By his side is a bottle of Guinness.   He is holding his stomach and rocking himself.

JACKY:  (off)    Mr. Mathers

He straightens up.   Suddenly he stands and goes to the shelter doorway. From the biscuit tin he takes an egg.

Enter JACKY stage right.

EMMERSON spots her but takes no notice.

She is carrying a greaseproof bag.

JACKY:  Hello Mr. Mathers. (He returns to the steps withy his lading can

and the egg.)   Sorry to shout but I didn’t know what you might be..... er... (He looks up.)     Hedley Turner told me your name.

He pours the Guinness into the lading can.

Well, I mean, you see, I thought you were Mr. Emmerson. You see.

He breaks the egg into the Guinness.   She watches, interested.

He takes a brown paper bag from his pocket and puts the egg shell into it. He wipes his hands on some woollen waste and puts the whole lot back into his pocket.

JACKY:  (contd.)   My name’s Jacky, I live just down there, that stone cottage.

He takes a swig from the lading can.  She looks away.

She looks down at the greaseproof bag and decides to tell him.

JACKY: (cont.)   I’ve… er…  I’ve made this.

(She shows him a small apple tart in a dish.  He looks at it, then at her.)   

It’s Friday like. Well, me mother always bakes on a Friday so I thought I would. Weekend an’ that.

(He looks down, sips his Guinness.) 

It’s apple.

(She slots the tart back into its bag and moves towards the wall, slightly unnerved by his silence)

Right tip over there isn’t it? They ought to clear it up a bit, their bloomin’ rubbish.

(Slight pause.)

They don’t mind you usin’ their air-raid shelter then?

(He looks at her.)

Well why should they, an’ I certainly hope they don’t anyway.

(He sips his Guinneas, watching her over the top of his lading can.)

Anyway, I just thought I ‘d pop up with it.

(She ‘dusts’ a flat stone on the wall and puts down the tart in its bag. She moves as if to leave. Sudden thought)

I hope you like apple.

(He looks away. She starts to lose patience.)

It’s for you. I say. Only, if you don’t want it I’ll take it back.

(He puts down his lading can and moves to the wall.)

Will you try a bit?

He looks at her, then at the pie again. She suddenly giggles loudly and tries to

smother it.

He turns sharply.

EMMERSON: What?

Slight pause.

JACKY: Pardon? (He turns his back on the pie.)  I’m sorry. (tetchy)   Look, it’s not like charity or owt. (Slight pause.)  Oh look, I’ll just take it back.

She moves towards the pie.

EMMERSON: Do you know Hamshaw’s size works?

She stops.

JACKY: What?

EMMERSON: Hamshaw’s size works.

JACKY: Do you mean the abattoir?

EMMERSON: I were t’ teamer there. Grand,  ‘andsome ‘orses.

JACKY: Used to be some sort of a factory din’t it?

EMMERSON: Knacker’s yard.

JACKY: Yeh, stunk to ‘igh ‘eaven, they made glue an’ that.

EMMERSON: Apples’s what I’m mentionin’.

JACKY: Eh?

EMMERSON: There were a lot of buildin’s belongin’ Hamahaws.  Far end o’t’ yard. Lot of ‘em. They kept two or three pigs.  Beasts.  But at this particular time that I’m mentionin’ to yer, in the buildin where I stayed, there were pigeons. Fancy  ‘uns. Clever ‘uns. Pouters. Tumblers an’ such as this. Enthrallin’ creatures to watch. Take yer ease an’ watch ‘em perform.

He takes a drink from the lading can.

JACKY: Yes, well I ought to be…

EMMERSON:  A certain lad theer, covetous sort of a feller, Milt Batty wer ‘is name an’ ‘e were a fleshings  walloper.  ‘E knew t’ buildin’s where I stayed, an’ ‘e’d  ‘ad ‘is eye on these pigeons for some time.  So, this certain Saturday ‘e brought me one or two apples up in a basket for a present. An’ there were a certain glimmer in the way that ‘e regarded me. (He takes a sip of Guinness.)   “I’ll call for the basket later”, ‘e said. ‘E’d  put’n his apples in a pigeon basket. A covered up basket for carryin’ pigeons in.   (He puts down the can, screws his eyes up.) (quietly)   Aye, that’s what he’d done

He holds the top of his head with his hands.

JACKY: Have you got headache? Mr… er…, look I’m going to fetch you some… well, some Hedex or something. I’ll not be a minute.

She leaves.

EMMERSON lifts his head and watches her go. He suddenly crosses to the pie and wolfs  it down.

He runs his finger round the dish and eats the crumbs.

He leaves the dish on the wall and returns to his lading can. He looks at the contents and decides against them.

He goes to the well, washes out the can and takes a drink of water. Then he fills his can and washes his hands vigorously.

JACKY returns carrying a packet of Hedex.

JACKY: You could try these. They work for me.

She offers them. EMMERSON looks at the packet as he wipes his hands on some woollen waste from his pocket.

<  >