“What do you want.” Jason said. He had his hands in his pockets and a pencil behind his ear.
“We’re going to the cemetery.” Mother said.
“All right.” Jason said. “I dont aimto stop you, do I. Was that all you wanted with me, just to tellme that.”
“I know you wont come.” Mother said. “I’d feelsafer if you would.” “Safe fromwhat.” Jason said. “Father and Quentin cant hurt you.”
Mother put her handkerchief under her veil. “Stop it, Mother.” Jason said. “Do you want to get that damn loony to bawling in the middle of the square. Drive on, T. P.”
“Humup, Queenie.” T. P. said.
“It’s a judgment on me.” Mother said. “But I’llbe gone too, soon.” “Here.” Jason said.
“Whoa.” T. P. said. Jason said,
“Uncle Maury’s drawing on you for fifty. What do you want to do about it.”
“Why ask me.” Mother said. “I dont have any say so. I try not to worry you and Dilsey. I’ll be gone soon, and then you”
“Go on, T. P.” Jason said.
“Hum up, Queenie.” T. P. said. The shapes flowed on. The ones on the other side began again, bright and fast and smooth, like when Caddy says we are going to sleep.
Cry baby, Luster said. Aint you shamed. We went through the barn. The stalls were all open. You aint got no spotted pony to ride now, Luster said. The floor was dry and dusty. The roof was falling. The slanting holes were full of spinning yellow. What do you want to go that way for. You want to get your head knocked offwith one ofthem balls.
“Keep your hands in your pockets.” Caddy said, “Or they’ll be froze. You dont want your hands froze on Christmas, do you.”
We went around the barn. The big cow and the little one were standing in the door, and we could hear Prince and Queenie and Fancy stomping inside the barn. “If it wasn’t so cold, we’d ride Fancy.” Caddy said, “But it’s too cold to hold on today.” Then we could see the branch, where the smoke was blowing. “That’s where they are killing the pig.” Caddy said. “We can come back by there and see them.” We went down the hill.
“You want to carry the letter.” Caddy said. “You can carry it.” She took the letter out of her pocket and put it in mine. “It’s a Christmas present.” Caddy said. “Uncle Maury is going to surprise Mrs Patterson with it. We got to give it to her without letting anybody see it. Keep your hands in your pockets good, now.” We came to the branch.
“It’s froze.” Caddy said, “Look.” She broke the top of the water and held a piece of it against my face. “Ice. That means how cold it is.” She helped me across and we went up the hill. “We cant even tell Mother and Father. You know what I think it is. I think it’s a surprise for Mother and Father and Mr Patterson both, because Mr Patterson sent you some candy. Do you remember when Mr Patterson sent you some candy last summer.”
There was a fence. The vine was dry, and the wind rattled in it.
“Only I dont see why Uncle Maury didn’t send Versh.” Caddy said. “Versh wont tell.” Mrs Patterson was looking out the window. “You wait here.” Caddy said. “Wait right here, now. I’ll be back in a minute. Give me the letter.” She took the letter out of my pocket. “Keep your hands in your pockets.” She climbed the fence with the letter in her hand and went through the brown, rattling flowers. Mrs Patterson came to the door and opened it and stood there.
Mr Patterson was chopping in the green flowers. He stopped chopping and looked at me. Mrs Patterson came across the garden, running. When I saw her eyes I began to cry. You idiot, Mrs Patterson said, I told him never to send you alone again. Give it to me. Quick. Mr Patterson came fast, with the hoe. Mrs Patterson leaned across the fence, reaching her hand. She was trying to climb the fence. Give it to me, she said, Give it to me. Mr Patterson climbed the fence. He took the letter. Mrs Patterson’s dress was caught on the fence. I saw her eyes again and I ran down the hill.
“They aint nothing over yonder but houses.” Luster said. “We going down to the branch.” They were washing down at the branch. One of themwas singing. I could smell the clothes
flapping, and the smoke blowing across the branch.
“You stay down here.” Luster said. “You aint got no business up yonder. Them folks hit you, sho.”
“What he want to do.”
“He dont know what he want to do.” Luster said. “He think he want to go up yonder where they knocking that ball. You sit down here and play with your jimson weed. Look at them chillen playing in the branch, if you got to look at something. How come you cant behave yourself like folks.” I sat down on the bank, where they were washing, and the smoke blowing blue.
“Is you allseen anything of a quarter down here.” Luster said. “What quarter.”
“The one I had here this morning.” Luster said. “I lost it somewhere. It fellthrough this here hole in my pocket. If I dont find it I cant go to the show tonight.”
“Where’d you get a quarter, boy. Find it in white folks’pocket while they aint looking.” “Got it at the getting place.” Luster said. “Plenty more where that one come from. Only I got
to find that one. Is you allfound it yet.”
“I aint studying no quarter. I got my own business to tend to.” “Come on here.” Luster said. “Help me look for it.”
“He wouldn’t know a quarter if he was to see it, would he.”
“He can help look just the same.” Luster said. “You allgoing to the show tonight.”
“Dont talk to me about no show. Time I get done over this here tub I be too tired to lift my hand to do nothing.”
“I bet you be there.” Luster said. “I bet you was there last night. I bet you all be right there when that tent open.”
“Be enough niggers there without me. Was last night.” “Nigger’s money good as white folks, I reckon.”
“White folks gives nigger money because know first white man comes along with a band going to get it allback, so nigger can go to work for some more.”
“Aint nobody going make you go to that show.” “Aint yet. Aint thought of it, I reckon.”
“What you got against white folks.”
“Aint got nothing against them. I goes my way and lets white folks go theirs. I aint
studying that show.”
“Got a man in it can play a tune on a saw. Play it like a banjo.”
“You go last night.” Luster said. “I going tonight. If I can find where I lost that quarter.” “You going take himwith you, I reckon.”
“Me.” Luster said. “You reckon I be found anywhere with him, time he start bellering.” “What does you do when he start bellering.”
“I whips him.” Luster said. He sat down and rolled up his overalls. They played in the branch.
“You allfound any balls yet.” Luster said.
“Aint you talking biggity. I bet you better not let your grandmammy hear you talking like that.”
Luster got into the branch, where they were playing. He hunted in the water, along the bank.
“I had it when we was down here this morning.” Luster said. “Where ’bouts you lose it.”
“Right out this here hole in my pocket.” Luster said. They hunted in the branch. Then they all stood up quick and stopped, then they splashed and fought in the branch. Luster got it and they squatted in the water, looking up the hillthrough the bushes.
“Where is they.” Luster said. “Aint in sight yet.”
Luster put it in his pocket. They came down the hill. “Did a ballcome down here.”
“It ought to be in the water. Didn’t any of you boys see it or hear it.”
“Aint heard nothing come down here.” Luster said. “Heard something hit that tree up yonder. Dont know which way it went.”
They looked in the branch.
“Hell. Look along the branch. It came down here. I saw it.” They looked along the branch. Then they went back up the hill. “Have you got that ball.” the boy said.
“What I want with it.” Luster said. “I aint seen no ball.”
The boy got in the water. He went on. He turned and looked at Luster again. He went on down the branch.
The man said “Caddie” up the hill. The boy got out of the water and went up the hill. “Now, just listen at you.” Luster said. “Hush up.”
“What he moaning about now.”
“Lawd knows.” Luster said. “He just starts like that. He been at it all morning. Cause it his birthday, I reckon.”
“How old he.”
“He thirty-three.” Luster said. “Thirty-three this morning.” “You mean, he been three years old thirty years.”
“I going by what mammy say.” Luster said. “I dont know. We going to have thirty-three candles on a cake, anyway. Little cake. Wont hardly hold them. Hush up. Come on back here.” He came and caught my arm. “You old loony.” he said. “You want me to whip you.”
“I bet you will.”
“I is
