Free The Man Who Had All the Luck by Arthur Miller

used to sneak away. And now I can walk in and outa this house fifty times a day and sleep up in his room night after night! [ Looks through the window. ] Wherever he is I bet he still can’t figure it out. Read the encyclopedia if you like. I’ll put on a tie. [ Goes to the landing. ]
    GUS [ looking around ]: Encyclopedia, furniture, new plumbing. . . . When am I going to see a couple of brats around here!
    DAVID [ stops at the landing ]: What’s the rush, you got some old suits you want ruined?
    GUS: Me? I always pick up babies by the back of the neck, but . . . [ Idly. ] without children you wouldn’t have to fix nothin’ in here for twenty years. When nothing breaks it’s boring. [ He sits, reaches over for an encyclopedia volume. ]
    DAVID [ glances above, comes away from stairs. Quietly ]: I been wanting to ask you about that.
    GUS: What?
    DAVID [ hesitates. In good humor ]: Did you ever hear of it happening when people didn’t have kids because of the man?
    GUS: Certainly, why not? Why don’t you talk it over with her?
    DAVID [ laughs self-consciously ]: I can’t seem to get around to it. I mean we somehow always took it for granted, kinda, that when the time was right a kid would just naturally come along.
    GUS: You go to the doctor, then you’ll know. . . . Or do you want to know?
    DAVID: Sure I do, but I don’t know, it just doesn’t seem right, especially when we’ve been all set financially for over two years now.
    GUS: Right! What has this got to do with right or wrong? There is no justice in the world.
    DAVID [ looks at him, then goes to the landing, stops ]: I’ll never believe that, Gus. If one way or another a man don’t receive according to what he deserves inside . . . well, it’s a madhouse.
    HESTER [ from above ]: There’s a car stopping in front of the house! [ Coming down. ] Did you put your boots away?
    DAVID [ slightly annoyed ]: Yeh, I put ’em away! [ Goes across to the door .]
    HESTER [ hurrying downstairs ]: You didn’t! [ Hurrying across the room toward the boots. ] He’ll have the place like a pigsty in a week!
    DAVID opens the door and looks out.
    GUS [ to HESTER]: Get used to it, the place will never be so neat once you have children around.
    DAVID turns to him, quickly, resentment in his face.
    HESTER [ stops moving. An eager glow lights up her expression.
    The boots are in her hand ]: Don’t you think it is a wonderful house for children?
    DAVID: Hello! Hello, Mr. Dibble! Didn’t expect to see you around here today. Come in, come in.
    Enter DAN DIBBLE after wiping his feet carefully on the doormat.
    DIBBLE: Had to see J.B. on some business. Thought I’d stop in, say hello. Afternoon, Mrs. Beeves.
    HESTER: Hello, Mr. Dibble. [ She picks up the boots and goes out. ]
    DAVID: You know Gus Eberson. He’s with me over at the shop.
    DIBBLE: Sure, how are you, Gus? Say, you look more like a banker than a mechanic.
    DAVID: Best mechanic there is.
    DIBBLE: What I always say—never judge a man by his clothes. A man and his clothes are soon parted. [ They laugh. ] Say, J.B. was tellin’ me you used to have a shop of your own here in town—over in Poplar Street was it . . . ?
    DAVID: We amalgamated, Gus and I.
    GUS: Actually, Mr. Dibble, I ran out of money and customers after the first seven months. I am working now for Mr. Beeves since over two years.
    DIBBLE: Well, say, this is the first time I knew a hired man to insist he wasn’t the boss’s partner, and the boss to let on he was.
    GUS [ chuckles ]: Mr. Beeves suffers sometimes from an overdeveloped sense of responsibility.
    DIBBLE: That’s why I spotted him as a natural mink man. Given it any more thought, David?
    DAVID: A lot, Mr. Dibble, a lot—but I’m afraid I haven’t got an answer for you yet.
    DIBBLE: Got time for a few facts today?
    DAVID: Tell you the truth, we’re expecting J.B. and Shory. Goin’ up to