 Everett Sloan, Cameron Andrews, and Adelaide Klein in the cruise of the cashelot on the Cavalcade of America sponsored by the DuPont Company, maker of better things for better living through chemistry. But first here is Ted Pearson. For those who are always on the lookout for new and better things here's good news. More pleasing to the eye and to the purse are the new plastic combs made by DuPont. You can select a comb with sleek lines and gem-like tones that add a dash of color to your purse or pocket and they're sturdy too. The new DuPont combs are versatile. The crystal clear colors are molded into strong smooth teeth that are gentle to the hair and scalp. Combs made of DuPont plastic offer you the kind of quality which makes them better things for better living through chemistry. The DuPont Company presents the cruise of the cashelot featuring Everett Sloan, Cameron Andrews, and Adelaide Klein on the Cavalcade of America. Dites, we turned the calendar back a hundred years or so to the days when New York's Erie Canal was the biggest stern thing in the old dirt country and when gentlemen wore tall hats and canal men told even taller tales. It's a warm afternoon in Albany. A tall-headed young man named Nathaniel West is passing in front of Willie Sampson's tavern. Suddenly there's a commotion within. The doors are swung open and an old man is unceremoniously ejected. All right now, all right. Come on, come on. Get out and stay out, you old dead beat. And don't come back. You dang, impetent monkey. I got a good monkey. You all right, sir? Here, allow me to help you to your feet. Oh, thank you, sir. Thank you. All right. Must have tripped and lost my balance. There you are, sir. Thank you kindly, Mr. West, Nathaniel West. You ain't from around these here parts, are you? No, I'm from the New York Herald. I'm up here to collect information for an article on the newest developments in transportation. Oh, then you'll be wanting some stories about the canal, won't you? Yes, sir, that's right. Say, has anyone told you about Captain Ben Meeker in his thousand dollar payload from New York to Rochester? A thousand dollar payload on one trip? Yes, sir. Yes, sir. And I'm the only man alive that can tell you the true facts of that heroic and exciting story. Well, say, that's mighty kind of you. I'd certainly like to hear it. Well, it all began when Captain Ben Meeker in his barge, the Louisie, you know, it's a funny thing how this climate partches my throat. Would you believe it right now? It feels so dried up. I can hardly speak a word. I see. Well, why don't we repair to this tavern? Why, that's a right smart suggestion, young man. I lead the way. Yes, sir. Captain Ben Meeker was the fella that done the trick. Fine man, bang fine man. Here you are. Oh, thank you, waiter. That's better. Yes, sir. He started out one spring with a load of ice hauling from Forestport. The day he was to arrive in New York, him and Henry Platt, his new driver, was a setting on the deck, smoking and looking up at the sky. What are you worrying about, Ben? That wife of your own inside? Amy, what did I be worrying about her for? Nothing. Except that she don't let you draw breath without sniffing at it. Nor the time yelling and screeching and making you wash your feet before coming in deep like there was your hand. Oh, that is all right. Truth, she don't hold none with them five-in-a-spirit just liquors, and she sets too much store on cleanliness. But I put that down to a family weakness, just like that high blood pressure on. Underneath it all, Amy's got a hard to go. No such thing. As hard as hers is solid A number one Vermont granite. Well, anyways, that ain't what's bothering me. You know, I've been trying to think what I can get the haul back. Now fertilizer would make a good haul. It's easy on the boat in itself. Amy, you'll never stand for no fertilizer on this boat. Listen here, Henry, I'm master of this here barge, and if I say we haul fertilizer, we'll dang well haul fertilizer no matter what, Amy said. What's that? What's that, you said? Oh, hello, Amy. Did I hear the word fertilizer in connection with this boat? Well, Amy, I was only sort of considering that. I go and have the boat painted a good bright yellow with white trims, affixed the cabin up real day with curtains of the windows and blue and white cupboards and the best Chinese set on the airy. And you want a whole fertilizer. But I smell my geraniums now. Well, now, Amy, there ain't no use. No fertilizer. And that's my last word. So what are you setting there for with dinner waiting on the table? You boys know that pork chops got to be eaten while this isn't hot. Now, you hurry up and wash your feet. Oh, see here, Amy, we don't never wash our feet till supper time. Guess I told her, making a man wash his feet in the middle of the day. Why, they ain't hardly had a chance to get dirty yet. My father used to say there's only one thing to do with the contrary woman, give her a good hiding with your razor strap. And if that don't work, use a home. Ben, if you was half the man you say, right? Get nice cold. Ain't you got your feet washed yet? I'm a welcome home right now, Amy. Not me. By God, I don't eat with my feet. Ain't gonna wash them. Well, then you don't eat pork chops. You only smell good, don't the Henry? Yeah. And Emmys got a wonderful way with fried potatoes. Yeah, I reckon. Can't nobody on the area make apple pie like Emmys can, Henry? You know, my feet are kind of dirty. You got them starting lines fast, Henry? Time tight. You know, every time we get to New York Harbor, there's more dang boats in it than the time before. Yep, sure is. Say, side all this water makes man mighty thirsty. I think I'll be done with Melissa. Well, that's a powerful, fine idea, Henry. And afterwards we take a gander at that Barnum's Music. I hear Teller got some rare new fleets there. Ah, by Gadfrey, I sure wish I had something I could charge folks for looking at. That's the way to make a living. Well, let's go. Hold on, Ben. Yes, Amy, can you go? Yes, Amy. Well, in the name of Goshen, should I ask Amy, if I aim to go ashore and educate myself, ain't nobody can stop me now. Come on, let's get going. Ben Meeker, where do you think you're going? Oh, Amy. Well, Henry and me, we was just a going for a little walk around New York. I know where you're going and I know where you're staying. Right here on this barge, Ben Meeker. Well, I'll be getting along. I'm warning you, Henry Platt, if you come back here intoxicated, you'll sleep in the mule stalls tonight. As for you, Ben Meeker, get right back inside that cabin. Gozen again. Not at all, my love, not at all. I'm just a mite stimulated by the sight of that new ten-storey building. What's that you got in your hand? What does it say? Oh, this, this, what it says. It's a letter and one for you. I've got it over the post office. For me, a letter will hand it over. My stars are terrible, Mr. Happen. What does it say, Amy? What does it say? Well, give me a chance to read it. Well, you would... Oh, my goodness. My mom's sick again. She's got the sugar darby, this real bad. Ben, I gotta go home to Boonville. I gotta leave right away. Well, that's nice, Anne. What's that? No, I mean, I might be sorry to hear it, Anne, but... How are you gonna get there? Have to take a train of cars, I guess. You want me to help you, Fag, Amy? No, and you needn't be so all fired and patient to get rid of me, neither. Well, no, Amy, how can you say that? Now, you listen to me, Ben Meeker. The minute you get rid of that load of ice, you put the money in the box, and don't you dare touch one single penny. No, Anne. Not for anything, but especially not for alcohol. Yes, Anne. And don't you sit down after eating till the dishes are done. And don't you dash, use my new Chinese hat. No, Anne. And you light up a Boonville. As soon as you get your new cargo aboard. Yes, Anne. And mind you, no fertilizer. How's that jug of cider back this way? Uh, just a minute, Ben. I wonder if Amy's got the Boonville gas. Hey, what do you want all that wax about? There's a whole parcel of books chasing something this way. Big black thing in the water. Hey, state this way. It's a seashell. And that's what it is. No, it's a whale. You know what you're doing in New York? I don't know, but it's getting mighty close to us. Ladies and gentlemen, behold to something. It's going to boot me into us, Ben. Well, what are we going to do? Henry, it's coming straight at us. Ben, get away from that rail. Sit down. You're all going to pull her off. There you go. It's just sort of raised up a thing and died. Well, honey. Hey, Ben. Wait a minute. There's a boat coming around, something. Ben, Meeker. A whale killer. Hey, olden. Ben, how are you going to explain to Amy what happened to the ice money? I don't know. What can you do with a dead whale? Well, I'm going to think about that now. Pass the jug, Henry, so I can do some first-class thinking. Are you thinking, Ben? I'm thinking, Henry. Pass the jug. Thinking, Ben? Still thinking, Henry. Pass it. What are we going to do with this whale? We're going to high-surry board this barge and between here and Albany, we'll dig out the innards. What for? Why, so as we can charge people to go inside, just like Barnum's Music. We'll have a big sign saying, be a Jonah for a dollar. That's by God. We'll get a real bugle and a new harness for the mules and a fancy uniform for you. Thank God for you. Why, Henry, we'll haul this here whale clean up the Rochester. We'll show them folks something to make their eyes pop out. Oh, Henry, I dastardly lose this. Pass the jug. That is very fitted out tonight. Not even one Jonah lived here. Ain't it a marvel? A whole room, a match lumber with a window and a stove and all built inside a whale's belly. You know what I done yesterday? Ordered a pair of glasses off an oculus. A pair of glass eyes for this whale. Big as apples they are. Hey, that ought to give her a real active appearance. Yes, sir, and I'll stick a flag in her nose. You know, Henry, we need something to make this place look a little homeier. I reckon I'll get the curtains out in the cabin and put some of Amy's Chinese set in that cupboard over there. Hey, Amy, your skin, you're arriving me too. You know how she feels about them and their curtains and that Chinese. Now, you listen to me, Henry. I spent a lot of time and a lot of money getting this whale fixed up real pretty inside and by gum, no woman's foolish notions is going to stand in my way. I beat Ben Meeker, the whale killer. Invite Gad Free if I can kill a ferocious man eating whale. I reckon I can handle my wife, Amy. You are listening to the Cruise of the Casualot featuring Everett Sloan as Captain Ben Meeker, Cameron Andrews as Henry, and Adelaide Klein as Amy on the Cavalcade of America, sponsored by the DuPont Company, maker of better things for better living through chemistry. Well, as I was telling you, after Ben and Henry got the whale oil pretty fired up and ready to go, they started off up rivet. First time in history that a whale ever come up the Erie Canal. Here you are, sir. Oh, thank you, thank you. We'll take another glass of strapped. Well, sir, the first stop the boys made was up disconnected. The order's getting too strong, Ben. Looking as the vapors get higher, our price will have to get lower. Citizens of Fort Plain, as a special offer, we're reducing the price to 75 cents. The price is usually 25 cents, but today we've got a special rate. Two for a quarter. That's me the job, Henry. All right, come, Ben. This was the most exciting week of my life. I've never seen people's crazy spending money. Henry, let us toast our success. Hand me two of them, his good, shiny cups. Well, there's just one left that ain't broke. There you go. I think I ought to pick up the pieces of them. Oh, no, don't bother, don't bother. My hands is all grecian. Well, wipe them off on the curtains. They're all streaked with grease. You know, Henry, even though the credit is over, it's crossed our price down to 10 cents. You know how much we took in today? No, how much? $100.05. $100.05? Where'd the 5 cents come from? Followed with only one eye, beat me down. Said he couldn't see only half as much as other folks. Say, how about fixing up a dish of beans? Oh, sure. Oh, you mean washing a dish? There ain't no clean ones left in the cupboard, Dad. Well, now don't crave beans that bad. Just pass the jug back here. Yeah, it's too bad we've been having so much sunshine. Sure makes the credit swell up, doesn't it? Yeah, yeah. There's a dang shame having to trim her down today, but it was the only way we could pass under the bridge. Well, she ought to hold it together to kill Rochester. She will. And after Rochester, I'm going to have $1,000, clear profit. $1,000? All right, Gum, Ben. That's more than I can earn in 10 years. 10 years. You made it in one week. You know, I'm going to let you in on a secret, Henry. I'm cutting you in for a share of the profits. Yeah, I've been. Yes, son. Yes, son. Your man never had a more loyal friend. Thanks, Ben. That's mighty handsome of you. Yes, it is. But won't Emmy have something to say about that? Oh, no need to worry about Emmy. She'd probably stay up in Booneville all summer. Gum, she comes back and finds out what you've been up to. Now, listen, Henry, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm a different man now. I'm fearless Ben Meeker, the whale killer. No man and no woman can tell me what to do. A master of my own life now. And if Emmy tries any of her own uppity ways with me, so help me, Hannah, I'm a... You're going to do what, Ben Meeker? I'm going to take her by the scruff of the... Emmy! Now, conniving rascal, you know good bees are born. Look what you've done to my beautiful boy. Now, Emmy, dear... You look at this cabin, look at it, empty-sided jugs all over the place, dirty dishes. Oh! Ben Meeker, where's my best Chinese? Now, Emmy, we guess bardic for the room. We build inside the way... You get out of here! That's my history. My beautiful tiny inside that stick and fish. Ben Meeker, I'm not going to make you in that no-cow-hit-me-flat-pay-for-this-your-die-un-day. It's a blessed thing I came back when I did. Now, the first thing you two are going to do is heed that big, stinking fish overboard. Where'd you get it in the first place, in the fish market? No, I killed it, in New York Harbor. You killed it? You ain't got strength enough to kill a catfish. Must have been dead when you got it. No, it wasn't. I killed it. I killed it after a terrible hand-to-hand fight. A fearless film-meeker who ain't if you feared a man... You never dared. If I gagged free, it took a man eatin' whale to make a man out of me, and I proved takin' orders from women. Now, Ben, I never meant no harm. I'll take my profits and hire me a cook. One that ain't so fussy about clean feet. Oh, Ben, dear, maybe I have been amite fussy, but I've been good to you, Ben, and I'll try to do better. Ah, well, see what you do. Now I'm hungry. Clean up the dishes and fix Henry and me some beans. Oh, yes, Ben. Can I get you anything else? Yeah. See that jug of cider over there? Huh? Set it over here by me. Yes, Ben, dear. There's just one more question I want to ask you. What'd you do with the whale after Rochester? Oh, I got big plans for this whale. After Rochester, it'll be the biggest load of fertilizer on the Erie Canal. Oh, nice. Young man, that's the story of the $1,000 haul. Wow. And thanks for relieving my dry throat condition. You're quite welcome, Mr. Meeker's the name, son. What? Yep, I beat Fearless Ben Meeker, the greatest whale killer ever sailed round the horn. Fearless Ben Meeker, who ain't afraid of man or woman. No series. The woman don't live. Who can tell Ben Meeker what to do, and I... Is that you, Ben, ma'am? Oh, hello, Amy, dear. Don't you, Amy, dear, me. You're good for nothing, old rascal. For hours and hours, I'll look hard to keep rigging off. What's the feat? All right, I'm getting... Well, so long, Mr. West. In any time you want some authenticated historical information about the yearly canal, just ask for Fearless Ben Meeker. Ah! Better make it just plain, Ben Meeker. Phone Cameron Andrews, Adelaide Klein, and to all the other members of tonight's DuPont Cavalcade cast. Now, here is Ted Pearson. Rain, rain, go away. Come again some other day. Yes, youngsters have been chanting that ancient rhyme for no one knows how many centuries. And when it rains, all of us try to wish it away because, well, that's about all we can do. We can improve the weather. We can, however, improve our protection against the weather. Slowly, as centuries passed, and man's intelligence grew, methods of protection against rain were developed. Bundles of straw were born as raincoats in the Orient. The forerunner of the modern raincoat appeared in England more than a century ago. After that, cloth was treated with linseed oil to make it waterproof, oil skin, it was called, and with vulcanized rubber to make the familiar black raincoat of the traffic cop on Main Street. But today, we have rainwear made water repellent by chemical treatment without surface coating. Treated with compounds like the DuPont Company's Zealand durable repellent finish, this has a great advantage over the older kinds of rainwear in that it offers you style and smartness and comfort, rain or shine. Working with the cumbersome materials of yesterday, the clothing manufacturer was limited by his material. He could give you weather protection, yes, but that was about all. If you look like a circus tent walking down Main Street, well, you just had to put up with it. But today, with chemical treatment of the fibers of the material, the manufacturer of rainwear is able to use light, colorful fabrics and tailor them as smartly as any other clothing you wear. Garments treated with Zealand, for instance, can be made of fabrics which are also vat dyed for color fastness and sand-forized against shrinking. Garments treated with DuPont's Zealand are easy to wash or clean because the soil remains on the surface. They resist perspiration in other stains, ordinary spots except grease can be sponged off with a damp cloth, and DuPont's Zealand is a lasting finish. It can stand repeated washing and cleaning. Reprocessing is unneeded. Modern rainwear, more versatile and much more attractive, is chemically treated rainwear. Zealand durable repellent finish is one of the DuPont companies better things for better living through chemistry. With tonight's broadcast, the DuPont Cavalcade takes a summer vacation of eight weeks. Cavalcade will return on August 26th for its 12th season on the air. The DuPont company is grateful to everyone who's been connected with the broadcasts of our Cavalcade of America program during the past season. We thank them most sincerely. We're very grateful too for the many cards and letters you, our listeners, have sent us. They encouraged and stimulated us to do our best to continue bringing you the dramatic entertainment that you want and enjoy. We hope that upon our return to the air on August 26th, you will once more receive the Cavalcade of America as a welcome guest in your home each Monday evening. The music for tonight's DuPont Cavalcade was composed by Arden Cornwell and conducted by Donald Boyle. Our Cavalcade play was written by Priscilla Kent and was based on a story from the book Mostly Canalers by Walter Edmonds. This is Dwight Weese thanking you for your friendly interest and inviting you to be with us again when we return to the air on Monday, August 26th. Goodbye until then from the Cavalcade of America brought to you by the DuPont Company of Wilmington, Delaware, maker of better things or better living through chemistry. Thank you and all broadcasts and stuff.