Read "They Knew What They Wanted" by Sidney Coe Howard online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
The Scene remains unchanged. It is late evening of the same day. The lanterns out-of-doors have been burining so long that some of them have guttered out. The room is lighted with two oil lamps. TONY lies groaning faintly on a cot, his legs encased in plaster cast, his eternal wine bottle by his side. The DOCTOR sits beside him. Outside the firsta is in full swing. A desperate Italian tenor is singing "La Donna e Mobile" from "Rigoletto" as the curtain rises. His tones ring frantically out. A short pause follows the song, the hiss of a skyrocket is audible. The light from the rocket flares through the windows and a long "Ah" rises from the crowd outside.
TONY. Fireworks!