“Send himaway.” Charlie said.
“I will.” Caddy said. “Let me go.”
“Willyou send himaway.” Charlie said.
“Yes.” Caddy said. “Let me go.” Charlie went away. “Hush.” Caddy said. “He’s gone.” I hushed. I could hear her and feelher chest going.
“I’ll have to take him to the house.” she said. She took my hand. “I’m coming.” she whispered.
“Wait.” Charlie said. “Callthe nigger.”
“No.” Caddy said. “I’llcome back. Come on, Benjy.”
“Caddy.” Charlie whispered, loud. We went on. “You better come back. Are you coming back.” Caddy and I were running. “Caddy.” Charlie said. We ran out into the moonlight, toward the kitchen.
“Caddy.” Charlie said.
Caddy and I ran. We ran up the kitchen steps, onto the porch, and Caddy knelt down in the dark and held me. I could hear her and feel her chest. “I wont.” she said. “I wont anymore, ever. Benjy. Benjy.” Then she was crying, and I cried, and we held each other. “Hush.” she said. “Hush. I wont anymore.” So I hushed and Caddy got up and we went into the kitchen and turned the light on and Caddy took the kitchen soap and washed her mouth at the sink, hard. Caddy smelled like trees.
I kept a telling you to stay away from there, Luster said. They sat up in the swing, quick. Quentin had her hands on her hair. He had a red tie.
You old crazy loon, Quentin said. I’m going to tell Dilsey about the way you let him follow everywhere I go. I’m going to make her whip you good.
“I couldn’t stop him.” Luster said. “Come on here, Benjy.”
“Yes you could.” Quentin said. “You didn’t try. You were both snooping around after me. Did Grandmother send you all out here to spy on me.” She jumped out of the swing. “If you dont take himright away this minute and keep himaway, I’mgoing to make Jason whip you.”
“I cant do nothing with him.” Luster said. “You try it if you think you can.” “Shut your mouth.” Quentin said. “Are you going to get himaway.”
“Ah, let him stay.” he said. He had a red tie. The sun was red on it. “Look here, Jack.” He struck a match and put it in his mouth. Then he took the match out of his mouth. It was still burning. “Want to try it.” he said. I went over there. “Open your mouth.” he said. I opened my mouth. Quentin hit the match with her hand and it went away.
“Goddamn you.” Quentin said. “Do you want to get himstarted. Dont you know he’ll beller allday. I’mgoing to tellDilsey on you.” She went away running.
“Here, kid.” he said. “Hey. Come on back. I aint going to foolwith him.” Quentin ran on to the house. She went around the kitchen.
“You played hellthen, Jack.” he said. “Aint you.”
“He cant tellwhat you saying.” Luster said. “He deef and dumb.” “Is.” he said. “How long’s he been that way.”
“Been that way thirty-three years today.” Luster said. “Born looney. Is you one of them show folks.”
“Why.” he said.
“I dont ricklick seeing you around here before.” Luster said. “Well, what about it.” he said.
“Nothing.” Luster said. “I going tonight.” He looked at me.
“You aint the one can play a tune on that saw, is you.” Luster said.
“It’ll cost you a quarter to find that out.” he said. He looked at me. “Why dont they lock himup.” he said. “What’d you bring himout here for.”
“You aint talking to me.” Luster said. “I cant do nothing with him. I just come over here looking for a quarter I lost so I can go to the show tonight. Look like now I aint going to get to go.” Luster looked on the ground. “You aint got no extra quarter, is you.” Luster said.
“No.” he said. “I aint.”
“I reckon I just have to find that other one, then.” Luster said. He put his hand in his pocket. “You dont want to buy no golf ballneither, does you.” Luster said.
“What kind of ball.” he said.
“Golf ball.” Luster said. “I dont want but a quarter.” “What for.” he said. “What do I want with it.”
“I didn’t think you did.” Luster said. “Come on here, mulehead.” he said. “Come on here and watch them knocking that ball. Here. Here something you can play with along with that jimson weed.” Luster picked it up and gave it to me. It was bright.
“Where’d you get that.” he said. His tie was red in the sun, walking.
“Found it under this here bush.” Luster said. “I thought for a minute it was that quarter I lost.”
He came and took it.
“Hush.” Luster said. “He going to give it back when he done looking at it.” “Agnes MabelBecky.” he said. He looked toward the house.
“Hush.” Luster said. “He fixing to give it back.” He gave it to me and I hushed.
“Who come to see her last night.” he said.
“I dont know.” Luster said. “They comes every night she can climb down that tree. I dont keep no track of them.”
“Damn if one of them didn’t leave a track.” he said. He looked at the house. Then he went and lay down in the swing. “Go away.” he said. “Dont bother me.”
“Come on here.” Luster said. “You done played hell now. Time Miss Quentin get done telling on you.”
We went to the fence and looked through the curling flower spaces. Luster hunted in the grass.
“I had it right here.” he said. I saw the flag flapping, and the sun slanting on the broad grass.
“They’ll be some along soon.” Luster said. “There some now, but they going away. Come on and help me look for it.”
We went along the fence.
“Hush.” Luster said. “How can I make them come over here, if they aint coming. Wait. They’llbe some in a minute. Look yonder. Here they come.”
I went along the fence, to the gate, where the girls passed with their booksatchels. “You, Benjy.” Luster said. “Come back here.”
You cant do no good looking through the gate, T. P. said. Miss Caddy done gone long ways away. Done got married and left you. You cant do no good, holding to the gate and crying. She cant hear you.
What is it he wants, T. P. Mother said. Cant you play with him and keep him quiet. He want to go down yonder and look through the gate, T. P. said.
Well, he cannot do it, Mother said. It’s raining. You will just have to play with him and
keep him quiet. You, Benjamin.
Aint nothing going to quiet him, T. P. said. He think if he down to the gate, Miss Caddy come back.
Nonsense, Mother said.
I could hear themtalking. I went out the door and I couldn’t hear them, and I went down to the gate, where the girls passed with their booksatchels. They looked at me, walking fast, with their heads turned. I tried to say, but they went on, and I went along the fence, trying to say, and they went faster. Then they were running and I came to the corner of the fence and I couldn’t go any further, and I held to the fence, looking after themand trying to say.
“You, Benjy.” T. P. said. “What you doing, slipping out. Dont you know Dilsey whip you.” “You cant do no good, moaning and slobbering through the fence.” T. P. said. “You done
skeered themchillen. Look at them, walking on the other side of the street.”
How did he get out, Father said. Did you leave the gate unlatched when you came in, Jason.
Of course not, Jason said. Dont you know I’ve got better sense than to do that. Do you think I wanted anything like this to happen. This family is bad enough, God knows. I could have told you, all the time. I reckon you’ll send him to Jackson, now. If Mrs Burgess dont shoot him first.
Hush, Father said.
I could have told you, all the time, Jason said.
It was open when I touched it, and I held to it in the twilight. I wasn’t crying, and I tried to stop, watching the girls coming along in the twilight. I wasn’t crying.
“There he is.” They stopped.
“He cant get out. He wont hurt anybody, anyway. Come on.” “I’mscared to. I’mscared. I’mgoing to cross the street.” “He cant get out.”
I wasn’t crying.
“Dont be a ’fraid cat. Come on.”
They came on in the twilight. I wasn’t crying, and I held to the gate. They came slow. “I’mscared.”
“He wont hurt you. I pass here every day. He just runs along the fence.”
They came on. I opened the gate and they stopped, turning. I was trying to say, and I caught her, trying to say, and she screamed and I was trying to say and trying and the bright shapes began to stop and I tried to get out. I tried to get it off of my face, but the bright shapes were going again. They were going up the hill to where it fell away and I tried to cry. But when I breathed in, I couldn’t breathe out again to cry, and I tried to keep fromfalling off the hill and I felloff the hillinto the bright, whirling shapes.
Here, loony, Luster said. Here come some. Hush your slobbering and moaning, now. They came to the flag. He took it out and they hit, then he put the flag back. “Mister.” Luster said.
He looked around. “What.” he said. “Want to buy a golf ball.” Luster said.
“Let’s see it.” he said. He came to the fence and Luster reached the ballthrough. “Where’d you get it.” he said.
“Found it.” Luster said.
“I
