finished me. Taking care of other people's kids, always listening
to their bawling and crying, caged in, when you're only a kid
yourself and want to go out and see things. At last I got the
chance--to get into that house. And you bet your life I took it!
[Defiantly.] And I ain't sorry neither. [After a pause--with
bitter hatred.] It was all men's fault--the whole business. It was
men on the farm ordering and beating me--and giving me the wrong
start. Then when I was a nurse, it was men again hanging around,
bothering me, trying to see what they could get. [She gives a hard
laugh.] And now it's men all the time. Gawd, I hate 'em all, every
mother's son of 'em! Don't you?

MARTHY--Oh, I dunno. There's good ones and bad ones, kid. You've
just had a run of bad luck with 'em, that's all. Your Old Man,
now--old Chris--he's a good one.

ANNA--[Sceptically.] He'll have to show me.

MARTHY--Yuh kept right on writing him yuh was a nurse girl still,
even after yuh was in the house, didn't yuh?

ANNA--Sure. [Cynically.] Not that I think he'd care a darn.

MARTHY--Yuh're all wrong about him, kid, [Earnestly.] I know Old
Chris well for a long time. He's talked to me 'bout you lots o'
times. He thinks the world o' you, honest he does.

ANNA--Aw, quit the kiddin'!

MARTHY--Honest! Only, he's a simple old guy, see? He's got nutty