Tickless Time

by Susan Glaspell

Genre: Comedy, Drama
Setting: America
Format of Original Source: Play
Recommended Adaptation Length:

Candidate for Adaptation? Promising

EXCERPT:

[Now is heard the smothered voice of a cuckoo.

ALICE

[Jumping.] What’s that?

ELOISE

The cuckoo. I suppose it’s lonesome.

ALICE

[Outraged.] Cuckoo! [Pointing.] In that grave? The cuckoo we gave you? [ELOISE nods.] You buried our wedding present? [ELOISE again nods. EDDY and ALICE draw together in indignation.] Well, I must say, the people who try to lead the right kind of lives always do the wrong thing. [Stiffly.] I am not accustomed to having my wedding presents put in graves. Will you please dig it up, Eddy? It will do very well on the mantel in our library. And my back nearly broken digging for your cook!

[She holds her back. While EDDY is digging up the cuckoo, ANNIE and IAN appear and march across from gate to house, ANNIE triumphantly bearing her alarm clock, IAN–a captive at her chariot wheels–following with suit-case, shawl strap and long strings of bag around his wrist. A moment later IAN comes out of the house, looks at each dug-up thing, stands by the grave of the sun-dial. Enter MRS. STUBBS.

MRS. STUBBS

Oh, Mr. Joyce, I’ve come to see your sun-clock again. Mr. Stubbs says he’ll not be run from Philadelphia. He says if you have got the time straight from the sun–[Sees that the sun-dial is gone.] Oh, do you take it in at night?

IAN

The sun-dial lies buried there.

MRS. STUBBS

You’ve buried the sun-clock? And dug up all the wrong clocks? [With a withering glance at ELOISE.] That’s how a smart man’s appreciated! What did you bury it for, Mr. Joyce?

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