Barbara arrives at the gallows. The crowd has become even louder and rowdier as she stands at the base of the steps. The hanging team has no sympathy for her loss of nerve and hustle Barbara up the steep stairs.
Naked but for the rope that binds her wrist behind her back Barbara looks up to see Tree waiting for her. She hissed “You said you would be here for me!”
Tree says “I said I would be here. Today I am your hangman and the noose is over there waiting for you.”
With a deep huff Barbara walks over to the noose waiting for her neck.
She stops beneath the rope that they will hang her from. The mayor shouts to the crowd below “Are you ready to see this wench hang?”
By the volume of the cheers Barbara felt no mercy from the crowd. In front of her the noose dangles before her.
Tree pulls the noose over her head and tightens the loop around her neck. Barbara is annoyed by the weight of the rope laying on her shoulders. She sarcastically asks “Are you sure that is going to hold me?”
“It will not feel heavy to you in a bit” Tree replies.
Barbara doesn’t answer. She stands naked and noosed before the crowd that is waiting to see her hanged. A nun steps up to Barb and says “You will look fabulous hanging by your neck. I can’t wait till they hang you!”
Barbara again does not answer. They are really going to hang her!
There are only a few minutes left before Barbara is hanged. She looks down at Tree as he circles about her and the stool she stands upon. Barb asks “What are you doing?”
He looks up and says “I’m just making sure you’re ready.”
“Well, I’m certainly not ready” Barbara screams down to him.
She needn’t have worried. Barb stands on the stool as a woman reads the charges Barb has been condemned to hang for. It is a wordy declaration. Barb seems almost wishing the woman won’t finish the document.
But the woman does finish the reading the statement and turns to Tree and asks “Hangman, please remove the stool.”
Barb watches with terror as he reaches for the stool with his foot!
Would Tree really hang Barb? He couldn't!