nee. He was so big he couldn't
hardly move his self. He laid in one spot so long he growed moss on
him and everybody thought he was uh log layin' there; till one day Ah
set down on him and went to sleep. When Ah woke up ah wuz in Middle
Georgy.

(General laughter. Two women enter left and go in store after
everybody has spoken to them)

LINDSAY
Layin' all sides to jokes now, y'all remember dat rattlesnake Ah kilt
on Lake Hope was 'most big as dat one.

WALTER
(Nudgin' Lige and winking at the crowd) How big did you say it was, Joe?

LINDSAY
He mought not uh been quite as big as dat one--but jes' bout fourteen
feet.

HAMBO
Gimme dat lyin' snake! He wasn't but fo' foot long when you kilt him
and here you done growed him ten feet after he's dead.

(Enter Simms followed by the girl with an all day sucker. Simms has a
small package in his hand.

SIMMS

(Gives the package to the child and resumes his seat.)

Run 'long home now. Tell yo' ma to put on uh pot uh peas.

(Child exits right trotting and sucking her candy.)

WALTER
They's some powerful big snakes round here. We was choppin' down de
weeds in front of our parsonage yistiddy and kilt uh great big ol'
cotton mouf moccasin.

SIMMS
Yeah, look like me or some of my fambly 'bout to git snake-bit right
at our own front do'.

LIGE
An' bit by uh Baptist snake at dat.

LINDSAY
How you make him out uh Baptist snake?

LIGE
Nobody don't love water lak uh Baptist an' uh Moccasin.

(General laughter)

HAMBO
An' nobody don't hate it lak de devil, uh rattlesnake an uh Meth'dis.

(General laughter. Enter Joe Clark from store. Stands in door)

SIMMS
Dis town needs uh cleanin' in more ways than one. Now if this town was
run right, when folks misbehaves, they oughter be locked up in jail
and if they can't pay no fine, they oughter be made to work it out on
de streets--chopping weeds.

LINDSAY
How we gointer do all dat when we ain't got no jail?

SIMMS
Well, you orta _have_ uh jail. Y'all needs uh whole heap of
improvements in dis town. Ah ain't never pastored no town so way back
as this one here.

CLARKE
(Stepping out before Simms) What improvements you figgers we needs?

SIMMS
A whole heap. Now for one thing, we really does need uh jail, Brother
Mayor. Taint no sense in runnin' people out of town that cuts up. We
oughter have jails like other towns. Every town I ever pastored had
uh jail.

CLARKE
(Angrily) Now hold on uh minute, Simms! Don't