The Scarlet Cord (Rahab, Part I)
A Golden Age Radio Drama based on the Story of Rahab
By Ethel Barrett
Introductory Comment
This installment of the Heritage Edition features a direct transcription of a mid-century radio script by Ethel Barrett. While the original broadcast dates for this particular episode remain unrecorded, the physical characteristics of the manuscript—from the heavy keystrokes of a manual typewriter to the specific production notations—place it firmly in the late 1940s to early 1950s.
Presented here in its original dramatic format, ‘Rahab I’ showcases the unique ‘story-within-a-story’ technique Ethel Barrett often employed, using a domestic dialogue between a mother and son to bridge the gap between the modern world and the ancient walls of Jericho. We have preserved the script exactly as it was found in the archives, including the technical cues and shorthand of a live radio era.
MUSIC: GAY MOOD: THE OPENING. N.G. Quick1
SOUND: CHILD IMITATING MACHINE-GUN FIRE
MOTHER: What’s going on?
BOY: Watch out! I’m on a secret mission for my country, and you’re under suspicion!
MOTHER: I am? Who’re you?
BOY: You’re not supposed to KNOW who I am.
MOTHER: May I ask WHAT you are?
BOY: I’m a secret agent for my country. Hand over these plans.
MOTHER: Ahaaa. NO. Oh, please, Mr. Secret agent - I’ll give you five thousand dollars to leave me alone.
BOY: No.
MOTHER: Ten million dollars?
MOTHER: Ten inconceivabledrillion dollars?
BOY: No.
BOY: (LAUGHING) Nope.
MOTHER: Would you settle for a molasses cookie and a glass of lemonade?
BOY: Nope. Ha? Do you have lemonade?
MOTHER: Well, you could force me into making some.
BOY: I’d sure like some.
MOTHER: You talked me into it.
BOY: (LAUGHING) I didn’t say anything. How many lemons?
MOTHER: Bring two. And an orange. I have the sugar, and the rest.
SOUND: GLASSES, WATER POURING, ETC., AS CONVERSATION PROGRESSES
BOY: Did I sound like one?
MOTHER: Did you sound like one what? Thanks. Those are nice lemons.
BOY: Did I sound like a spy?
MOTHER: Ohhhhhh. Yes. You were terrifying.
BOY: No kidding. Do you know anything about spies?
SOUND: POUR HERE
MOTHER: Mmmmmm. A little.
BOY: Could you tell me something? Do you have time?
MOTHER: Here.
BOY: Thank you. It looks good. (SIP) It is good.
MOTHER: You’re welcome. Mmmm. It’s good alright. I have all the time in the world. What do you want to know?
BOY: Anything you can think of about spies. So I can play it.
MOTHER: Well pull up a chair, I can’t do a thing until that tub of laundry’s finished. Anyhow I’d rather talk to you. Where do you suppose the safest place would be in a city that was going to be attacked by an enemy?
BOY: Boy. When you told the story of the Holy War, the Castle was the safest place to be.
MOTHER: Where was that?
BOY: Right in the middle of the city.
MOTHER: Well, I know a story about an attack on a city where the safest place to be was right in the city wall!
BOY: Is it about spies?
MOTHER: And it’s about spies. It’s made to order. It’s a tale of a city and of spies and a great army and a woman who was nobody, and who got to be… (FADE)
MUSIC: NARRATIVE BRIDGE DOWN UNDER FOR: NG2
It was a beautiful city there in the Jordan Valley - Jericho! Called the city of palm trees. It was heavily fortified with strong walls and a huge gates that were locked at nite and guarded - and indeed it might well be - for it was an important city - a strategic city the gateway to the west - a city to be envied for its riches - a city to conquer if one would advance into the land of Caanan - a city full of wickedness beyond words to tell. Jericho!
MUSIC: OUT
The two strangers walked along the busy market streets - minding their business - mingling with the crowds - and listening. Here they stopped at the edge of a crowd to watch a fight between two peasant boys - there they rested in the shade beside a well - pretending to snooze - and listened to the gossip of the people who came to get water and stayed to chat. The gossip was all about the one thing that was on everyone’s mind. The great and terrible army just across the Jordan river - the Israelites, led by Joshua! It was useless to fight them - they had a living God Who performed miracles. The old timers told how he had parted the waters of the Red Sea and they’d walked across it on dry land - forty years ago many of them remembered when it had happened! And now - this army of Joshua’s was on its way toward the city - almost sure to attack it. All they had to do was get across the Jordan river. Everyone was scared to death. The two strangers slumped, snoozed and listened. THEY WERE SPIES.
BOY: They were?
MOTHER: They were spies from Joshua’s army, sent ahead to spy out the city and report what they found. When they’d heard enough - they got up (YAWN) - and moved on lazily - down the street - up an alley toward the city wall. It was getting along toward sundown.
MUSIC: NARRATIVE BRIDGE. NG
Now in that city lived a woman - who may have lived her life and died and never been heard of, except that God had singled her out to weave her into the pattern of His plans. Her name was Rahab. And the door that these two spies knocked on was hers.
SOUND: (KNOCK)
RAHAB: (OFF MIC) Just a minute. (ON MIC) Well?
SPY: May we lodge here?
RAHAB: Who are you?
SPY: We only ask shelter for the nite. Does it matter who we are?
RAHAB: Come in.
SPY: You seem frightened.
RAHAB: Who isn’t frightened? Everybody’s scared to death. With an army ready to march on us any - You’re not from Jericho. You’re not one of us. I knew there was something about you. You’re you’re Israelites. (WHISPER) Aren’t you?
SPY: Will you let us stay?
RAHAB: If you’re found here, I’ll be killed.
SPY: We won’t be found. Our God is watching over us. He has given us this city.
RAHAB: Your God. The living God of Israel. God in Heaven above - God of all the earth. I know.
SPY: You seem to know us very well.
RAHAB: It’s true that He parted the waters of the Red sea for His people isn’t it?
SPY: It is true.
RAHAB: Some don’t believe it. I believe it. I believe that He’s given you this city too. He must be a wonderful God.
SPY: Do we stay?
RAHAB: You stay. I’ll risk it. Out this way. You may wash, I’ll get you something to eat.
MOTHER: Rahab was risking more than she knew for the presence of the spies was known in the city already the news had reached the king!
MUSIC: OMINOUS KEY: DOWN UNDER FOR: Hamlet #6
MOTHER: It was evening now the city was restless and uneasy. There was fear in the very air, as people began to disappear from the streets and lights in the windows began to go on. In her house in the city wall, Rahab had gone upstairs to prepare a room for the strangers, when from an upper window she saw - far up the street - a small group of soldiers - the king’s guards - coming down the street - in the direction of her house! She whirled around, down the stairs -
RAHAB: Soldiers coming this way. Quickly.
SPY: Can you hide us?
RAHAB: There’s no place - they may search the house - except the roof! Come on! Oh - quickly!
MOTHER: They flew up the stairs, their feet scarcely touching the ground - to the roof. Rahab crouched - scooted over to where the stalks of flax were spread out on the roof to dry - began to scrape them together.
RAHAB: Come over here - lie down - over here - keep low! You can be seen from the street. Here. I’ll cover you up with flax stalks.
MOTHER: She did, working feverishly. Then, crouching, she crossed the roof to the stairs, brushing the flax fibers from her clothing - went back down stairs. She bent over a candle, lighted it - the light shot her shadow up the side of the wall, like a giant, when -
MUSIC: OUT
SOUND: LOUD KNOCKING
MOTHER: She opened the door. Yes - it was the soldiers.
RAHAB: Yes?
SOLDIER: We are searching for Israelite spies - they were soon coming this way, entering your house. Let us in - in the name of the king.
RAHAB: Oh THOSE men.
SOLDIER: Then you have seen them?
RAHAB: Yes they came here. Who were they?
SOLDIER: Spies. From Joshua’s army.
RAHAB: Spies! They’ve gone. They went toward the city gates. I’ll bet they got out just before the gates were closed.
SOLDIER: Did they say where they were going?
RAHAB: No but if you go quickly, you can overtake them. They can’t have gone far!
SOLDIER: Thank you.
RAHAB: That’s alright. I hope you catch them.
MOTHER: She closed the door, leaned against it, trembling. Then she carried the candle upstairs to her room. Forced herself to move slowly, casually. She set the candle down on a stand, blew it out then dashed for the stairs to the roof! Crouched, scooted over to the piles of flax.
RAHAB: They’ve gone!
MOTHER: The spies crawled out, followed the woman down from the roof. They went to an upper window that looked out from the city wall, and peered into the darkness. Even tho they knew the soldiers had gone, they still whispered.
RAHAB: I know that Jehovah hath given you this land. Your terror has fallen upon us - everyone in Jericho trembles because of you. I’ll let you down this window by a rope. You can hide in the mountains until they’ve given up the search. But first -
MOTHER: She anchored a red cord to the window, dropped the end out into the darkness turned to face them.
RAHAB: I pray you - since I’ve shown you this kindness that you will show my family kindness -
SPY: What would you have us do?
RAHAB: Spare our lives - my mother and father - my sisters and brothers - when you come back to take the city.
SPY: You ask a great deal.
RAHAB: I know. Will you promise?
SPY: We will promise. If you promise not to tell of our mission here.
RAHAB: No - no. I won’t tell.
SPY: When we come back leave a portion of this red cord hanging from your window and your family all into this house. Only those found in this house will be saved.
RAHAB: Alright.
SPY: If they or you go out from this house when the attack begins, or if you tell our secret your blood will be on your own head. We don’t have to keep the promise.
RAHAB: Alright. It will be as you say.
MOTHER: She held her breath as they let themselves out the window, down the rope - disappeared into the darkness. No one had seen them.
MUSIC: FORBODING: ESTABLISH: THEN OUT: Hamlet #6
The days that followed were busy ones for Rahab. She had to get her father and mother and brothers and sisters and all that they had. And she had to convince them that her house was the only safe place. The gates of the city were kept closed all the time now. And the fear grew and grew - and Rahab watched over the plains from the upper window - and made sure the red cord was still there. How would they get across the Jordan river? That was the question in Jericho. The Jordan river was deep and wide and right now it was over-flowing its banks. They might send a few men across but how could they send a whole army? The intelligence force of the king of Jericho was working overtime - watching every move the Israelites made. If they got across Jordan, believe me the folks in Jericho wanted to know how they did it! I imagine the day it happened, the Jericho soldiers on reconnaissance duty were out scouting - I’ll bet their eyes bulged when they saw the front ranks of that great army marching right up to the banks. I can hear them -
1st SOLDIER: Their leader is speaking to them!
2nd SOLDIER: What do you suppose they’re going to do?
1st S: He’s too far away to hear. They seem to be just waiting.
2nd S: What is the golden box they carry by poles on their shoulders?
1st S: It’s the Ark - I’ve heard it’s the most sacred place of the Spirit of their living God. It always goes with them. They -
2nd S: Wait! They’re stepping toward the water - No! The fools!
1st S: They’re walking right into the river!
2nd S: No they’re walking on a dry path THROUGH the river - the water on the north has stopped flowing down - the water on the south has gone on down to the sea - the river bed here is dry! They’re walking across the river!
1st S: Run - run - tell the king - run for your lives!
MUSIC: DRAMATIC BRIDGE (Hamlet P/2 in)
BOY: Well go ON.
MOTHER: I can’t. There’s no more time.
BOY: Oh NO. You couldn’t leave it in a worser place!
MOTHER: (LAUGHING) Couldn’t leave it in a BETTER place. I’ll tell you the rest, very next chance I get. And you remember the story so far, so you can piece it all together.
MUSIC: POLISH OFF
Production Note on “N.G.” Markings: In this manuscript, the handwritten notation “N.G.” frequently appears alongside music cues. In the context of mid-century radio production, this shorthand stood for “Next Groove.” It served as a technical instruction for the audio engineer to quickly advance the needle on the transcription disc (the large lacquer records used for sound effects and music) to the next track, ensuring a seamless transition between scenes without “dead air.”
The NG annotation could also mean “No Good” as a reminder to not use in the final production. The “NG” is handwritten and while “Next Groove” appears obvious in the above use, in other places, it is less obvious if it is “no good” or “next groove.”