WELLES:

Good evening, this is Orson Welles -- (MUSIC: IN) -- bringing you another radio program for Lady Esther. Our story tonight was once made by King Vidor into a hauntingly beautiful silent movie. For the very youngest of my listeners, I hasten to explain that a silent movie is one that you see but can't hear. A radio play, on the other hand, is something you hear but can't see. Admitting at the outset that no two ways of telling a story are more different than these two, we humbly but hopefully present our version of "Wild Oranges" by Joseph Hergesheimer. It's at once a romance and a thriller, which is undoubtedly why some of you have written in asking us to do the story. The good news is that Frances Dee, one of the best actresses we know about, is going to act in it. We'll all do our very best by it and we hope it brings you pleasure. (MUSIC: OUT) Now, first, here's a word from Lady Esther.

LADY ESTHER:

How many times have you said, "I wouldn't have believed it, but I saw it with my own eyes"? That's an expression most people use; and no doubt you've used it, too -- many times.

Yes, there's a lot of truth in the old saying, "Seeing is believing." That's why women all over the country are so thrilled with what I call my Elbow Test. You see, the Elbow Test proves that Lady Esther Face Powder is an entirely new and different kind of powder -- proves that it can make the skin look younger and fresher.

What is the Elbow Test? Well, here's all you do. You know how rough and coarse the skin of your elbow is -- I mean, compared to the skin of your face? Just pat a little Lady Esther Face Powder on one of your elbows, and then look at it. Notice how it has changed? How smooth and lovely it looks now? Notice how the little lines and bumps seem to have vanished.

Now, if my powder can make the rough skin of your elbow look that much better, imagine what it can do for the skin of your face. Imagine how it can hide tired lines, little blemishes, big pores.

So you see, there's a real surprise waiting for you the first time you use Lady Esther Face Powder. You'll see with your own eyes that it can make your skin look smoother and younger. You'll see that Lady Esther Face Powder means a new kind of loveliness for your skin -- a new and exciting flattery.

MUSIC:

FOREBODING INTRODUCTION ... THEN BEHIND JOHN--

JOHN:

I was twenty-five when all the things that I valued were killed for me in an instant. I had just been married and we had gone to live in the country. After two days I had to go into town and when I came back, Ellen met me at the train in a cart and we drove toward the house. Ellen had trouble holding the horses, the train had frightened them. On the road we passed a yard where the laundry had been hung on a line to dry. A skirt fluttered in the breeze. The horse reared and threw the cart. It killed her. The flutter of a white skirt -- and she was dead. (PAUSE) Nothing mattered much after that -- life was inviting and gay before and now there was nothing left, so I did the usual thing. I didn't know where to go, so I went everywhere. I even bought a sailing boat.

My crew was a man from Brooklyn who'd gone to sea when he was ten. Halvard his name was. I took him on when he was forty -- twelve years we were together and never a hard word. He knew when to scold and when to obey; sort of a cross between a father and a first mate -- twelve long years we kept our solitary way. And then one evening at dusk we sailed into a bay off the Georgia coast. Halvard was calling the soundings.

SOUND:

THE SOFT RHYTHMIC BEATING OF THE WAVES AGAINST THE BOAT, THEN A SLIGHT SHUDDER OF THE SHIP

HALVARD:

(OFF MIKE) By the mark, four. By the deep, one. (PAUSE, CLOSER) By the mark, four. By the deep, three. We're over the bar! (PAUSE, SNIFFS A FEW TIMES) Hey, smell that?

JOHN:

(YES) Oleanders and orange trees.

HALVARD:

Yeah.

JOHN:

Queer, too, I didn't know they could grow oranges on the coast of Georgia.

HALVARD:

Like to choke you, that smell. (SEES SOMETHING, GENTLY) Hey! Skipper--?

JOHN:

What's the matter?

HALVARD:

Over there in the water -- what is it -- a shark?

JOHN:

Looks like -- no. It's a woman.

HALVARD:

By gosh, it is.

MUSIC:

QUIETLY TENSE ... THEN BEHIND JOHN--

JOHN:

In the fading light I could just make out the free solid mass of her hair; the naked, smoothly turning shoulder. Then she saw us -- she paused motionless for a breath, then swam quickly away and vanished in the shadows of the trees. Through the tangled growth along the shore, we could see the outline of a house. The windows on the faded wall were broken in, empty and staring like the eyes of the dead. All was quiet. The odor of the orange blossoms was heavy in the air.

HALVARD:

We need some fresh water. I'll go look around.

JOHN:

(BEAT) I'll go.

HALVARD:

(UNEASY) Okay, Skipper, but -- not now, huh?

JOHN:

Why not? I'm just gonna look around.

HALVARD:

I don't like the looks of that place, Skipper. Let's turn in.

JOHN:

(INSISTS) I'm going ashore.

HALVARD:

(BEAT) Okay, Skipper, but watch your step. Remember, all you're after is fresh water.

MUSIC:

QUIET ... THEN BEHIND JOHN--

JOHN:

On the shore I beached the tender and crawled through a dilapidated fence and into an ancient orange grove. The branches of the trees were bending with fruit. I picked one. At first taste it was bitter and I threw it away, but the taste lingered in my mouth and I realized it had a pungency and a flavor I'd never before tasted in an orange. I picked another and ate it as I walked toward the crumbling walls of the old house. The place looked empty and deserted in the moonlight, and I would have thought no one was around if I hadn't noticed the chair.

SOUND:

SLOWLY CREAKING ROCKER ... THEN BEHIND JOHN--

JOHN:

It was a rocker, an old-fashioned rocker, on the porch. As I say, I saw no one, and heard no one -- but the chair was rocking. I stood staring at it and didn't notice her until she was next to me.

MILLIE:

(WITHOUT FEAR) Who are you? What do you want?

JOHN:

Hello. (PUZZLED) That chair--?

MILLIE:

My father was just sitting there. He left when you came. He doesn't like strangers.

JOHN:

Oh, I see. I only want some water. That's my boat out on the bay. (LIGHTLY) We saw you swimming.

MILLIE:

(SERIOUS) We have rain water -- plenty of it. The cistern's full. You're welcome to that.

JOHN:

Thanks. I'll have Halvard come after it. He's my sailor.

MILLIE:

[My father doesn't like strangers.

JOHN:

I suppose I ought to apologize, then. I picked an orange from your grove.

MILLIE:

You won't like it. They're wild.

JOHN:

On the contrary, I find I like them very much. Have a flavor all their own.]

STOPE:

(OFF, FORLORN) Mill-ie? Millie?

MILLIE:

(CALLS) Coming, Father! (TO JOHN) Nicholas mustn't see you [here].

JOHN:

Nicholas? Who's he?

STOPE:

(OFF) Millie!

MILLIE:

(TO JOHN) Goodbye, Mister--?

JOHN:

Woolfolk. John Woolfolk.

STOPE:

(OFF) Millie!

MILLIE:

(HALF-WHISPERS) I must go.

JOHN:

(QUIETLY AMUSED AND ENCHANTED) Goodbye, ... Millie.

MUSIC:

BRIDGE ... BRIEFLY ROMANTIC ... THEN OMINOUS

HALVARD:

(ANGRY) Another time I'll kill him.

JOHN:

What happened? How'd you get hurt?

HALVARD:

I went ashore to that cistern to fill the cask and I was rolling it away when suddenly out of the bushes comes this dumb idiot -- big, baby face, eyes like slits.

JOHN:

(REALIZES) Nicholas.

HALVARD:

"Empty that cask," he says.

JOHN:

Huh? The girl said it was all right.

HALVARD:

Yeah? Well, he just pushed the cask back, and I pushed the other way. I got mad, and you ought to have seen that gorilla! -- He pulled a knife on me. I'd like to get my hands on him.

JOHN:

I'll go ashore and talk to Millie.

HALVARD:

Listen, Skipper -- that big guy's crazy -- he ain't human! You better be careful.

JOHN:

I'll be careful.

MUSIC:

BRIEF TRANSITION ... THEN IN BG

SOUND:

GENTLE SLOSH OF WATER IN BG, IN AGREEMENT WITH FOLLOWING--

MILLIE:

I'm sorry about the water. Nicholas didn't understand. You see, we have no visitors.

JOHN:

Think I can get the water now?

MILLIE:

Here's the cistern, and here's your cask. (SURPRISED) It's a big one.

JOHN:

Well, you need a big one the way we travel.

MILLIE:

Where do you go?

JOHN:

Many places. It depends.

MILLIE:

On what?

JOHN:

Oh, on the winds, and the tides. We don't care much. Right now, we're bound for the Guianas.

MILLIE:

That's South America, isn't it?

JOHN:

Yes.

MILLIE:

[I've traveled so far...on maps. I think I know the names of all the beautiful places on the earth -- Tarragona -- Seriphos -- Cambodia. But I've never seen any of them. I've never been anywhere.]

SOUND:

WAVES GENTLY OUT

JOHN:

You've always lived here?

MILLIE:

I was born in this house. I've never been fifty miles away. (QUIETLY VEHEMENT) Doesn't that seem horrible to you, you who've been everywhere?

JOHN:

(TAKEN ABACK) Well, it isn't exactly--

MILLIE:

I hate it here!

JOHN:

Why do you stay?

MILLIE:

[I have] no place to go. There's no help for it. There's nothing I can do that wouldn't make it worse.

MUSIC:

OUT WITH--

SOUND:

CONCH SHELL BEING BLOWN ... A MOURNFUL WAIL, FROM OFF

MILLIE:

(FRIGHTENED) That's Nicholas. They're calling me. They want me to come in.

SOUND:

OF SHELL

JOHN:

What makes that sound?

MILLIE:

It's a conch shell. (SOUND: OF SHELL) (MOVING OFF) I must go.

JOHN:

Who's this Nicholas? (NO ANSWER) Millie, come back! (SOUND: OF SHELL) Millie, don't go away! Millie -- !

SOUND:

CONCH SHELL BLOWS TWICE MORE

MUSIC:

SAD ... THEN BEHIND JOHN--

JOHN:

All that night on the boat I thought of her. I thought of her life alone in that fragrant and terrible place. Myself, I'd imagined I'd put the world and everything it meant and held for most men away from me forever, but lying awake in my bunk I was no longer sure. I remembered her eyes -- and the fear that lay behind them. Her voice spoke to me again, and I knew the urgency of her need. There was no sleep for me that night.

SOUND:

THUNDER FROM APPROACHING STORM

HALVARD:

Morning, Skipper. How d'you like your breakfast?

JOHN:

Fine, but these oranges taste awful -- there's no flavor.

HALVARD:

Yeah, you've been eatin' them wild oranges, huh? I had one; they're sour. That's why these taste flat.

JOHN:

(HALF-CHUCKLE IN AGREEMENT)

SOUND:

RUMBLE OF THUNDER

HALVARD:

Listen, Skipper, I - I don't care how bad it is, let's get out of here. It ain't no good.

JOHN:

What do you mean?

HALVARD:

Gives me the creeps. Them orange blossoms. That big half-wit. The house. That girl.

JOHN:

(SHARPLY) What about her?!

HALVARD:

Nothin'. [I seen you with her there yesterday.] (UPSET) I [just] don't like you gettin' too chummy with her!

JOHN:

(LOSING HIS TEMPER) Halvard, when I want your advice, I'll ask for it!

HALVARD:

(PLACATING) Okay, Skipper, okay.

SOUND:

RUMBLE OF THUNDER

JOHN:

(QUIETLY) Sorry, Halvard. I didn't mean to yell at you.

HALVARD:

(QUIETLY) Okay, Skipper.

JOHN:

I'm going ashore.

HALVARD:

What?

JOHN:

I said I'm going ashore!

HALVARD:

(PAUSE) You want me to row you in?

JOHN:

No. No, I'll go by myself.

MUSIC:

TENSE TRANSITION ... THEN UNEASY IN BG--

JOHN:

When I beached the boat I noticed a figure in the trees. A heavy, drooping figure. It backed into the foliage and was gone. It must have been Nicholas. [For a moment, I didn't move, wondering whether I should turn back, but I went on to the house.] The old man was sitting on the porch, looking out over the bay. (TO STOPE) Hello.

STOPE:

(STARTLED EXCLAMATION, NERVOUS) What do you want?! (CALLS) Millie?! Nicholas?!

JOHN:

Look here. I didn't mean any harm, sir--

NICHOLAS:

(APPROACHES, INTERRUPTS) Did you call me?

STOPE:

Yes, yes, Nicholas -- this man -- wh-- wh-- what's he doing here?

NICHOLAS:

I don't know.

JOHN:

That's my boat out there and I only--

NICHOLAS:

(INTERRUPTS) We don't like people comin' 'round here.

STOPE:

No, no! No people!

JOHN:

(ANNOYED) Look here! I'm not asking any favors of you, and I don't like--

NICHOLAS:

(INTERRUPTS) Don't start nothin', I warn you! Don't start nothin'!

MILLIE:

(APPROACHES) Nicholas! Nicholas, give me that knife.

NICHOLAS:

Don't start nothin'.

MILLIE:

Now, Nicholas, you go inside. Father, take him in the house.

NICHOLAS:

We don't like people comin' 'round here.

STOPE:

No, no!

MILLIE:

Father, please go inside and take Nicholas with you. Go ahead. I'll send the man away.

SOUND:

DEPARTING FOOTSTEPS OF STOPE AND NICHOLAS

NICHOLAS:

(MOVING OFF) You send him away.

SOUND:

HOUSE DOOR CLOSES

MILLIE:

(LOW) You shouldn't have come!

JOHN:

I had to.

MILLIE:

What's the matter?

JOHN:

I had to see you.

MILLIE:

They're watching from inside.

JOHN:

Isn't there some place we can go? I have to talk to you.

MILLIE:

No. No, they won't let me.

STOPE:

(OFF, FORLORN) Mill-ie--?

MILLIE:

We'll meet tonight. There's an old boathouse. I'll try to get away.

NICHOLAS:

(OFF, SINGSONG) Mill-ie!

MILLIE:

(MOVING OFF, CALLS) I'm coming, Nicholas!

MUSIC:

UP FOR SOMBER TRANSITION ... THEN GENTLE IN BG

SOUND:

BOAT HOUSE DOOR CREAKS OPENS

MILLIE:

(TENSE WHISPER) John--?

JOHN:

(WHISPERS, OFF) Millie--!

SOUND:

FOOTSTEPS CROSS

MILLIE:

I haven't long. What is it you must tell me?

JOHN:

(TENDERLY) Oh-- Oh, so much, Millie -- [so much.] I have to tell you what I'm feeling. I have to tell you about this thing that's happened to me.

MILLIE:

Has something happened to you? What's happened?

JOHN:

[How can I explain it. It's like this.] For twelve years now I've-- I don't know how to tell you, but I've got to. (PAUSE) Cold. Cold, that's it -- everything's cold. Even in the tropic waters when we'd strip naked, Halvard and I, because of the heat, everything was cold. [There wasn't much laughing. I suppose I could count on my fingers the number of times I've laughed in these twelve years.] That was [the pattern of] my life -- a dull, senseless, cold life -- without meaning, without warmth. It was to be the same till I died. And - and now--

MILLIE:

(PAUSE) Yes?

JOHN:

It's you, Millie. I've seen you -- and talked to you -- and -- and touched you. Why do you turn away?

MILLIE:

(HARDLY BREATHING) I must go.

JOHN:

Dear, what are you afraid of?

MILLIE:

He would have killed you. You must leave -- [you must sail away in your boat -- now --]

JOHN:

(REALIZES) Nicholas! You're afraid of Nicholas. What is it? Why are you afraid?

MILLIE:

I'm to marry him.

JOHN:

(LOW, ASTONISHED) Millie? Millie--!

MUSIC:

OUT

MILLIE:

He came three years ago, as a hired man. [He worked for very little. We had no one else.] At first we didn't think he'd stay, but he did. And then I found out why. I was cleaning his room when I saw it.

JOHN:

What?

MILLIE:

The police notice, with his picture. He's wanted for murder. He's a [homicidal] maniac -- he kills when he gets excited. I told Father to send him away, but he was afraid. I suppose I ought to feel sorry for my father, but I don't. I hate him. And then-- And then one day Nicholas asked me to marry him. He said he loved me.

JOHN:

(AMAZED) And you-- You said you'd marry him?

MILLIE:

Not at first. I - I told him no. He started to cry, and told me I shouldn't say things like that. He begged me not to get him "started."

JOHN:

Started? What did he mean by that?

MILLIE:

He'd kill me. Father, too. He never lets me out of his sight. He's mad, don't you see?! He told me tonight he was gonna kill you. He says you're in love with me.

JOHN:

I am, Millie. I am. And I'm going to take you away from here. [I love you and I'll show you all the places you've ever dreamed about.

MILLIE:

I - I know so little about this love you speak of.

JOHN:

But you'll learn.

MILLIE:

Do you think so? Do you think I'll ever get out of this prison I've been in all my life?

JOHN:

Yes, Millie, yes: I'm here to rescue you -- and you will rescue me.]

SOUND:

CONCH SHELL BLOWN, OFF

MILLIE:

Do you hear that? (WHISPERS) It's Nicholas!

JOHN:

Don't pay any attention.

MILLIE:

No, I must go.

JOHN:

No, you stay here with me.

MILLIE:

Please! Please, let me go! Don't hold me - don't-- (THEY KISS)

SOUND:

CONCH SHELL FILLS PAUSE FOR KISS

JOHN:

(WHISPERS) You're mine, Millie. You're mine. That kiss means you're mine. Isn't that so?

MILLIE:

(WHISPERS, HELPLESSLY) Yes.

JOHN:

I'll come for you later.

MILLIE:

But father --

JOHN:

Father, too. Both of you -- you and your father! Watch for a light on the mast -- it'll mean I'm coming, and you'll be at the beach to meet me.

MILLIE:

Yes, we'll be at the beach.

SOUND:

CONCH SHELL

JOHN:

Till then, Millie.

SOUND:

CONCH SHELL

MUSIC:

BRIEF SOMBER TRANSITION

SOUND:

WIND BLOWS, IN BG

HALVARD:

Seems like she ought to be here by now, Skipper.

JOHN:

Yes, something must be wrong.

HALVARD:

Maybe that Nicholas--

JOHN:

(INTERRUPTS) I was thinking of that. I'm not going to wait any longer. I'm going up to the house.

HALVARD:

[Better take this gun, Skipper, you might need it.]

JOHN:

If I'm not back in ten minutes, come after me.

HALVARD:

Okay, Skipper.

MUSIC:

TRANSITION

SOUND:

WIND BLOWS, IN BG

JOHN:

(CALLS, FROM OFF) Millie?

SOUND:

JOHN'S FOOTSTEPS APPROACH

JOHN:

(SOFTLY) Millie? ---- Millie?

SOUND:

DOOR OPENS

MILLIE:

He won't come, John.

JOHN:

What?

MILLIE:

Father won't come.

JOHN:

Let me talk to him. There's no time to lose. We've got to get out of the bay before this storm gets any worse. Where's Nicholas?

MILLIE:

Father sent him to town.

JOHN:

Mr. Stope? ---- Mr. Stope!

STOPE:

(WEAK, FRIGHTENED) Yes?

JOHN:

We've got to leave, sir.

STOPE:

I can't go. I - I - I can't go.

MILLIE:

Come on, Father, put on your coat.

STOPE:

Oh, it's no use, Millie -- cl-cl-close the door. (SOUND: DOOR CLOSES, MUTING THE WIND SOMEWHAT) Listen to me. You've got to go, Millie. (TO JOHN) You, sir -- you take her away.

MILLIE:

Father, I won't go without you, you know that.

STOPE:

I won't go back into that other world of people and - voices. I - I can't go back.

MILLIE:

But why?

SOUND:

SHUTTER BANGS, OFF

STOPE:

(STARTLED GASP) What was that?

JOHN:

Just a shutter.

STOPE:

I - I thought it was Nicholas.

MILLIE:

If you'll come now, Father, we'll be free of Nicholas.

STOPE:

You don't understand -- it isn't that. It isn't Nicholas alone.

JOHN:

Then what are you afraid of?

STOPE:

Everything -- I - I'm just afraid. Sounds I don't understand, voices I've never heard before. I - I'm just afraid. (BEAT) I'm a coward.

MILLIE:

Father!

STORE:

No, no -- let me go on. I've - I've always wanted to say it out, but I've always been ashamed. But now when it means escape for you, Millie, I'll tell ya. You'll despise me, and you'll go away, and that's what I want.

MILLIE:

[Father,] what are you saying?

SOUND:

IN BG, THE WIND BLOWS A LITTLE LOUDER AS STOPE'S SPEECH UNFOLDS

STOPE:

(SLOWLY) Do you know why we're here? Do you know why we live in this God forsaken hole? This has been my escape. When the war came -- the war between the states -- [I was living in Virginia and] I didn't enlist. Why? Only because I was afraid. [They tried to understand at first -- conscientious objector they said -- but later when the dead and the wounded began to come back from the front it was different] -- it was horrible. They hated me. They mocked me in the streets -- threw stones into my window. [It got so I could go out only at night.] I ran away. I tried living in many places, and always it was the same. Then I came here [and met your mother] -- this was my escape from fear -- but not any more -- not with Nicholas. (SUDDENLY TENSE) Wha--? What was that?

MILLIE:

I didn't hear anything, Father.

STOPE:

(QUICKLY) Nicholas will be back any minute. Go -- go away, both of you.

MILLIE:

No, [father,] I'm staying here with you.

JOHN:

Millie!

MILLIE:

(RESIGNED) I can't help it, John. I'm part of it all. If I go, Nicholas will kill Father.

STOPE:

Don't listen to her. Take her away with you while you can.

SOUND:

NICHOLAS' HEAVY FOOTSTEPS APPROACH

STOPE:

There he is. Don't - don't say anything. Just pretend we're talking about the oranges. Don't - don't say anything.

SOUND:

DOOR OPENS, NICHOLAS' STEPS IN ... WIND BLOWS LOUDER, IN BG

STOPE:

(SLOW, SCARED) Hello, Nicholas.

NICHOLAS:

(GRIM) Why is he here?

MILLIE:

He's just--

NICHOLAS:

He's taking you away.

STOPE:

(DEFIANTLY) Yes, he is! He is taking her away.

NICHOLAS:

You stay here!

STOPE:

Don't you touch my daughter!

NICHOLAS:

She belongs to me!

STOPE:

Stand back! (MAKES CHOKING SOUND) (THROUGH CHOKING SOUNDS) Don't--! Nicholas!

NICHOLAS:

(GRUNTS WITH EFFORT, IN BG)

SOUND:

IN BG, BRIEF SHUFFLE OF FOOTSTEPS, IN AGREEMENT WITH FOLLOWING--

MILLIE:

(SCREAMING) Nicholas!

JOHN:

Get out of the way, Millie!

MILLIE:

He's choking my father! He's killing him!

JOHN:

(SHOUTING) Millie, stand back! -- Nicholas!

NICHOLAS:

(GRUNTS WITH GREAT EFFORT AS--)

SOUND:

STOPE'S BODY FALLS

NICHOLAS:

(SNARLS)

MILLIE:

(STUNNED) Nicholas! -- You've killed him!

JOHN:

Put that knife away, Nicholas!

NICHOLAS:

(SNARLS)

JOHN:

Throw it away or I'll shoot!

SOUND:

TWO HEAVY FOOTSTEPS ... GUNSHOT! ... NICHOLAS' BODY FALLS

MUSIC:

BRIEF TENSE TRANSITION!

SOUND:

CRASHING OF FOOTSTEPS THROUGH UNDERBRUSH, IN BG ... WIND BLOWS, IN BG

JOHN:

(URGENT) Come on, Millie! Come on! Run!

MILLIE (DAZED) He's dead -- father's dead. Nicholas killed him.

SOUND:

FOOTSTEPS SLOW TO A STOP

JOHN:

Millie!

MILLIE:

Father was a brave man.

JOHN:

Halvard's waiting [down] here at the beach. In a few minutes we'll be free.

MILLIE:

Free?

JOHN:

Yes.

SOUND:

BURBLING CONCH SHELL, FROM OFF

MILLIE:

(RESIGNED) There's Nicholas. He must want me.

JOHN:

(DISBELIEF) Nicholas? He's still alive. (CALLS, DESPERATELY) Halvard! Halvard?!

SOUND:

BURBLING CONCH SHELL

JOHN:

(CALLS) Halvard!

SOUND:

HALVARD'S RUNNING STEPS IN SAND APPROACH AND STOP BEHIND--

HALVARD:

(APPROACHES) What's wrong, Skipper?

JOHN:

It's Nicholas. I - I thought I'd killed him, but he's following us. Hold him off until I get Millie in the tender.

HALVARD:

Where's the old man?

JOHN:

Nicholas killed him.

MILLIE:

(SOBS BROKENLY)

HALVARD:

(MOVING OFF) Okay, Skipper, I'll take care of that guy!

SOUND:

CONCH SHELL ... WIND UP, FOR TRANSITION ... THEN IN BG

MILLIE:

(STILL DAZED) Why are we waiting?

JOHN:

For Halvard.

MILLIE:

Where is he?

JOHN:

He's gone to stop Nicholas.

MILLIE:

Nicholas is so strong.

JOHN:

Halvard's strong too, Millie.

SOUND:

HEAVY DRAGGING OF FOOTSTEPS IN THE SAND, OFF

JOHN:

Here he comes now.

MILLIE:

Who?

JOHN:

I don't know. It's one of them.

SOUND:

FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING CLOSER

MILLIE (NERVOUS, WHISPERS) John--?

JOHN:

I can't see who it is.

MILLIE:

(WHISPERS) Nicholas?

JOHN:

No, I can't tell.

MILLIE:

(WITH DREAD CERTAINTY) Nicholas.

SOUND:

FOOTSTEPS STOP BEHIND--

JOHN:

(WHISPERS) Halvard? (SEES HALVARD, RELIEVED) Halvard! Thank God it's you. (BEAT) What's the matter? You hurt?

HALVARD:

(HOARSELY) Just a scratch, Skipper. I've had worse in my time. Let's shove off. We gotta sail out tonight.

JOHN:

(DOUBTFUL) Can we cross the bar in this storm?

HALVARD:

We can try.

MUSIC:

GRIM ACCENT ... THEN IN BG

SOUND:

OF STORM ... WIND, WAVES, ET CETERA ... IN BG

JOHN:

Halvard? You take the wheel.

HALVARD:

Yeah.

JOHN:

Millie'll stay with you. I'll call the soundings. It's going to be tricky business getting over that bar.

HALVARD:

(WEAKLY) We'll get over, Skipper.

MUSIC & SOUND:

UNDERSCORING AND STORM UP SLIGHTLY, IN BG

JOHN:

(CALLS OUT, SLOWLY) By the mark, four; by the deep, one. By the mark, three; by the deep, five. By the mark, three; by the deep-- (INTERRUPTED BY--)

SOUND:

BIG WAVE HITS THE SHIP

JOHN:

(CALLS OUT) Halvard? Halvard! Have you lost the wheel?!

MILLIE:

(OFF) He was hurt! Badly hurt! He couldn't hold on! I - I've taken the wheel.

JOHN:

Where is he?

HALVARD:

(WEAKLY, OFF) Here I am, Skipper, on the deck.

JOHN:

Halvard, lay still!

HALVARD:

(FADING IN, SLOW AND WEAK) She'll - she'll make a good sailor, Skipper -- a good sailor--

JOHN:

Oh, lay still, Halvard -- you're badly hurt.

HALVARD:

(DYING) That - that big Nicholas was tougher than I thought -- you'd better get those soundings, Skipper.

JOHN:

(CALLS) Hold her against it, Millie! (BEAT) By the mark two; by the deep four. (BEAT) Halvard? (NO ANSWER) Halvard? (NO ANSWER, REALIZES HE'S DEAD, VERY QUIET) Halvard-- (BEAT, UP) By the mark, two--

MILLIE:

(CALLS) John, what's happened to him?

JOHN:

I - I'm afraid--

MUSIC:

OUT WITH--

SOUND:

CRASH! OF TERRIFIC WAVE ... WHICH SWEEPS HALVARD'S BODY OVERBOARD

JOHN:

Halvard! (PAUSE) He's gone, Millie. Gone. He was dead. (A QUIET PRAYER) I commit his body to the deep, looking for the final resurrection in Christ, Amen. (UP AGAIN) By the mark, two; by the deep, five.

MILLIE:

(IN CLOSE, SLOWLY REALIZES) If it hadn't been for me, he wouldn't have been killed.

JOHN:

You mustn't say that! He wouldn't want you to say that!

MILLIE:

(SLOWLY) They were brave men, he and -- and my father, too. They died for us.

JOHN:

We must live for them. By the mark, two; by the deep, five.

SOUND:

STORM SUBSIDES

MILLIE:

(QUIETLY ECSTATIC) Oh, John -- John, it's - it's so different.

JOHN:

Dearest, what is?

MILLIE:

Everything. The future. The - the whole world. Before it was so ugly and hopeless, and now - now, because those two who loved us were brave--

JOHN:

We must be brave for them! By the mark, three; by the deep-- (REALIZES, QUIETLY) By the deep, two. (SLOWLY, WITH GREAT RELIEF) We're over. We're over the bar, Millie. We're free.

MUSIC:

SNEAKS IN DURING ABOVE, THEN UP FOR A CURTAIN ... THEN SOMETHING MORE LIGHTHEARTED, IN BG

WELLES:

That was "Wild Oranges" -- "Wild Oranges" by Joseph Hergesheimer. Millie was played by Frances Dee. Ray Collins was her father; Paul Stewart played Halvard; Gale Gordon was Nicholas; and John Woolfolk was played by your obedient servant. (TO FRANCES DEE) Frances, it's always a real pleasure to have you with us.

FRANCES:

The pleasure is mine, Orson. But tell me one thing...

WELLES:

Yes?

FRANCES:

This story has made me very curious. Have you ever eaten a wild orange?

WELLES:

No, I haven't, but--

RAY:

Well, you know I--

WELLES:

Yes, Ray? Have you ever eaten a wild orange?

RAY:

No, no. I - I was just going to say that I had some wild strawberries once. Good, too.

WELLES:

Well, I'm sure they were good, and I wonder if hereafter we can have fewer wild irrelevancies around here? (MUSIC: OUT) We have a radio show to do. And this is Almanac time and today is November 3rd, 1941.

This is the best time to plant tulip bulbs. The Department of Agriculture also advises citizens to try a hand at raising food in their gardens these days.

There's a full moon -- a Hunter's Moon. It's called that because right at this time of the year the full moon is above the horizon almost eighteen hours, making it easy for the hunter to see his quarry. Also, I'm sure, making it easy for the quarry to see the hunter.

Disturbing note -- It is illegal to speak English anywhere in the State of Illinois. I will repeat that remarkable and disturbing note. It is illegal to speak English anywhere in the State of Illinois.

This week's important anniversaries -- the death of the poet Milton; the birthday of William Cullen Bryant, once editor of the New York Evening Post and also a poet; achievement of the Pacific Ocean by the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

And this week's important birthdays include -- William Cullen Bryant, aforementioned; Rodin, the sculptor; Edmund Keane --

FRANCES:

Joel McCrea.

WELLES:

That's right, Frances Dee -- Joel McCrea. Ah, Joel McCrea, by coincidence, is Frances Dee's husband. That about brings us to the end of our Almanac, and now it's time for a word from Lady Esther.

LADY ESTHER:

Do you ever think to yourself, when you feel a little low, "Oh, if I could only go out and buy a new hat or a new dress!"

Clothes can do a lot for you, can give you a real lift. But not even lovely clothes can do as much for you as a face powder that's truly flattering. Because, you see, a flattering powder can make your skin look younger, more glamorous. Many women tell me that Lady Esther Face Powder makes them look years younger! They say it hides little lines, makes the skin look smoother and fresher.

There's a good reason why Lady Esther Face Powder is so flattering. It's made differently -- made my exclusive Twin Hurricane way. It's blown and re-blown until it's much softer, much finer, than powder usually is.

So if you want a lift not even new clothes can give -- if you want the thrill of a smoother, younger-looking skin -- use Lady Esther Face Powder.

MUSIC:

WALTZ ... THEN IN BG

WELLES:

Well, it's just about time to wind up the program again, ladies and gentlemen.

Next week our show will include a story by one of our favorites -- Ring Lardner. The story's called "The Maysville Minstrel," and if you've read it, I think you'll want to tune in to hear it, particularly when I tell you that Stuart Erwin is going to play in it, and so is June Collier. And so is Ray Collins. And so is Joe Cotten. I'd like to thank you before we tune off-- I'd like to thank those of you who've written in about our show and I'd like to ask those who haven't to do so. Please believe me, we're all anxious to give you the stories you'd like to hear -- all of us. Which is to say Lady Esther and everybody in the Mercury Theatre, who remain, as always, obediently yours.

MUSIC:

WALTZ UP TO FINISH

ANNOUNCER:

This is the Columbia Broadcasting System.