Act 1, Scene 3 Summary

The trio returns from their night on the town, John and Timmy obviously drunk, and Nettie tries to quiet them. The two men are singing silly songs and telling stories and Nettie is losing patience with their behavior, telling them they will wake the neighbors. She wants them both to go to bed but they continue with their tipsy theatrics. Finally, Timmy goes to bed and Nettie comments that he has only been home two nights and he has gone to bed drunk both times. John tells her to ease up a bit, that their son has seen some horrible things in the war and deserves a little down time.

Nettie goes to the kitchen to get an aspirin, not for a headache, but to drop into the vase of roses so that it will help preserve them. She tells John...