The monkey house at the Zoo. One
spot of clear gray light falls on the front of one cage so that
the interior can be seen. The other cages are vague, shrouded in
shadow from which chatterings pitched in a conversational tone can
be heard. On the one cage a sign from which the word "gorilla"
stands out. The gigantic animal himself is seen squatting on his
haunches on a bench in much the same attitude as Rodin's
"Thinker." YANK enters from the left. Immediately a chorus of
angry chattering and screeching breaks out. The gorilla turns his
eyes but makes no sound or move.
YANK--[With a hard, bitter laugh.] Welcome to your city, huh?
Hail, hail, de gang's all here! [At the sound of his voice the
chattering dies away into an attentive silence. YANK walks up to
the gorilla's cage and, leaning over the railing, stares in at its
occupant, who stares back at him, silent and motionless. There is
a pause of dead stillness. Then YANK begins to talk in a friendly
confidential tone, half-mockingly, but with a deep undercurrent of
sympathy.] Say, yuh're some hard-lookin' guy, ain't yuh? I seen
lots of tough nuts dat de gang called gorillas, but yuh're de
foist real one I ever seen. Some chest yuh got, and shoulders, and
dem arms and mits! I bet yuh got a punch in eider fist dat'd knock
'em all silly! [This with genuine admiration.
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