By Fred Manfred Jr.Guest columnistThis is the second excerpt from "Elizabeth," a full-length play written by 14 Luverne students during a theater class taught by the author in 1996-97. It is a historical drama about Rock County from 1912-39. Following is most of the final act. "Chris," 18, son of the play's principals, and Barbra, 17, meet for a Saturday date in the Fall of 1939.CHRIS: Yeah. Well, why don't we sit for awhile. On the porch. Before we go, I mean. BARBRA: Why Christopher English. I do believe you're nervous. You're acting like it was our first date. LONG SILENCE. Well, the grand opening of "The Wizard of Oz" awaits us. What is it you want? We don't have reserved seats at the Palace, you know.CHRIS: Ah. Have you used your new gas iron yet? Beats heating 'em on the stove, huh?BARBRA: Our gas iron?! Christopher?!CHRIS: Mother hasn't gotten one yet. I hope you didn't mind ironing the old-fashioned way. She let you use it, didn't she?BARBRA: Yes, she did. And I appreciate them letting me get ready at your house. But what is all this gibberish.CHRIS: Barbra. You're right. I am nervous. I'm nervous every time I'm with you. I don't know what it is. I can't control it. Sometimes I feel sick to my stomach. BARBRA: You're in love is all. Those are butterflies in there CHRIS: Yeah. I guess.BARBRA: But it's a good sick, Chris. Isn't the world crazy?! You're sick in love in Minnesota ... and Hitler and Mussolini are sick in Europe. And it wasn't long ago our parents survived a world war, Depression and a dust bowl. Now, I guess it's our turn. CHRIS: You mean the winter of '36 wasn't our big trial? BARBRA: For country folk it was ... snow so high we walked over the tops of telephone poles and grain roofs. No equipment to open roads. They finally got 75 cleared to the state park.CHRIS: And below zero all of January. But there was still school 'cause most kids lived in town. BARBRA: The only way we got around was by bobsled. What a trial that was! Up at four in the morning. Throw on the wool underwear. Hitch up the horses ... who were not exactly excited about going out. Drive 'em for about half mile, then exchange them for another team at the neighbors. Drive 'em, unhook, hook up and drive 'em again. Eventually we made it to town!CHRIS: What was so important in town?BARBRA: Kerosene. Coffee. Flower. Chewing tobacco. But I don't think anything is worth the effort it takes to pull horses out of a snowbank.CHRIS: I never realized it was so bad in the country.BARBRA: So bad that my frugal father sprang 25 cents to pay Myhre's to develop a role of black-and-white of all the snow in the yard.CHRIS: It's been a tough decade, hasn't it?BARBRA: Tougher if we had been adults.AFTER A PAUSE, CHRIS: I am an adult now, Barbra. Eighteen. PAUSE. And there's rumblings over in Europe. PAUSE. Big rumblings. I might ... I might have to —BARBRA MOVES CLOSE TO CHRIS: Don't say it, Chris. Not tonight at least. Let's just live in Luverne tonight, where it's safe. Where a girl can sit with her guy in the Palace balcony and help Dorothy and Toto find the end of the rainbow.
