31 Plays in 31 Days: #8 "Rich Men's Sins"
As you may remember from The Tailor of Riddling Way, the golden boy of the Loring family Rowan Loring enlisted in World War I despite all expectations. I have been wondering if maybe there is a play in the story of what happened to him there. I haven't given much thought before to the details, although it is well known that he died a hero. This is a little piece of what it might have been like when he was serving. I'm not sure what the larger arc would be-- it may be that he would have to be a supporting character in someone else's story --but here's a little musing.
Day #8 - "Rich Men's Sins"
ROWAN LORING, an enlisted officer in WWI
HENRY MORSE, his aide
~~~
HENRY: You’ll be along with us?
ROWAN: Of course. Can’t just throw you all to the wolves, can I?
(HENRY sighs.)
ROWAN: Do you have something to say, soldier?
HENRY: Nothing you care to hear, sir.
ROWAN: Still. You seem damn determined that I hear it any way. So out with it and enough of this.
(Pause.)
HENRY: You ought not to be here, sir.
ROWAN: Is that so?
HENRY: Since you asked, sir.
ROWAN: Have I been such an incompetent commander as that?
HENRY: It’s not that, so much. Might not be if you could sit in an armchair at headquarters and write letters to the front.
ROWAN: I’m afraid that’s rather above my grade. I’m stuck here on the front with the rest of the fellows.
HENRY: But you’re not one of the fellows, are you?
(Pause.)
HENRY: You’re a rich man accustomed to a soft life. It’s a rougher turn for you than it is for the rest of us.
(Pause.)
HENRY: I’m out of turn.
ROWAN: Perhaps. But you’re not wrong. I’m sorry it’s so, but I don’t disagree.
HENRY: Then… why are you here?
ROWAN: We all have to do our part, don’t we? What would you think of a rich man who used his place so that regular fellows could die in his stead?
HENRY: I suppose.
ROWAN: But you’d prefer I not drag you all down, eh?
HENRY: I don’t mean it like that. It’s only… we’re all in the line, here. There’s danger enough without having the skills to take it on.
ROWAN: I couldn’t just stay out of it all.
HENRY: It goes both ways, I’m sure. There had to be something a rich man can do that the rest of us couldn’t.
ROWAN: That’s the trouble. There are some sins that only rich men can do.
HENRY: Sins, sir?
ROWAN: And how are we to pay for them, Henry? With money? When men around us are dying for them?
HENRY: I don’t know what you mean, sir.
ROWAN: It’s no matter. Just that no one escapes what’s coming to us. Might as well meet it as best we can.
(He stands.)
ROWAN: Tell the men I’ll be along, won’t you?
(He exits.)