Inherit the Wind

The following day, the court waits for the jury to deliver its verdict. Bert asks Drummond what he thinks is going to happen and worries that he will be sentenced to prison. He observes that Brady seems sure of what the verdict will be. After years of practicing law, Drummond has a sense of what is going to happen; he can “smell the way the jury’s thinking” (139), but he does not tell Bert his opinion. He fantasizes about taking an easy court case one day. He tells Bert about a golden rocking horse that he coveted as a child. When his parents finally saved enough money to buy the horse, it broke as soon as Drummond tried to use it, and he discovered that the rocking horse was made out of rotten wood. Through this story, he urges Bert to look closer at things that appear perfect and beautiful and uncover the lies that might hide behind a veneer of perfection. 

A radio man sets up a two-way radio in the courtroom to broadcast the verdict as it is announced. The Mayor approaches the judge and tells him that the state capitol is worried about what will happen if Bert is found guilty.