down and he took off my shoes and rolled up my trousers. “Now, git in that water and play and see can you stop that slobbering and moaning.”
I hushed and got in the water and Roskus came and said to come to supper and Caddy said,
It’s not supper time yet. I’m not going.
She was wet. We were playing in the branch and Caddy squatted down and got her dress wet and Versh said,
“Your mommer going to whip you for getting your dress wet.” “She’s not going to do any such thing.” Caddy said.
“How do you know.” Quentin said.
“That’s allright how I know.” Caddy said. “How do you know.” “She said she was.” Quentin said. “Besides, I’molder than you.” “I’mseven years old.” Caddy said, “I guess I know.”
“I’molder than that.” Quentin said. “I go to school. Dont I, Versh.” “I’mgoing to schoolnext year.” Caddy said, “When it comes. Aint I, Versh.” “You know she whip you when you get your dress wet.” Versh said.
“It’s not wet.” Caddy said. She stood up in the water and looked at her dress. “I’ll take it off.” she said. “Then it’lldry.”
“I bet you wont.” Quentin said. “I bet I will.” Caddy said.
“I bet you better not.” Quentin said.
Caddy came to Versh and me and turned her back. “Unbutton it, Versh.” she said.
“Dont you do it, Versh.” Quentin said. “Taint none of my dress.” Versh said.
“You unbutton it, Versh.” Caddy said, “Or I’ll tell Dilsey what you did yesterday.” So Versh unbuttoned it.
“You just take your dress off.” Quentin said. Caddy took her dress off and threw it on the bank. Then she didn’t have on anything but her bodice and drawers, and Quentin slapped her and she slipped and fell down in the water. When she got up she began to splash water on Quentin, and Quentin splashed water on Caddy. Some of it splashed on Versh and me and Versh picked me up and put me on the bank. He said he was going to tell on Caddy and Quentin, and then Quentin and Caddy began to splash water at Versh. He got behind a bush.
“I’mgoing to tellmammy on you all.” Versh said.
Quentin climbed up the bank and tried to catch Versh, but Versh ran away and Quentin couldn’t. When Quentin came back Versh stopped and hollered that he was going to tell. Caddy told himthat if he wouldn’t tell, they’d let himcome back. So Versh said he wouldn’t, and they let him.
“Now I guess you’re satisfied.” Quentin said, “We’llboth get whipped now.” “I dont care.” Caddy said. “I’llrun away.”
“Yes you will.” Quentin said.
“I’ll run away and never come back.” Caddy said. I began to cry. Caddy turned around and said “Hush.” So I hushed. Then they played in the branch. Jason was playing too. He was by himself further down the branch. Versh came around the bush and lifted me down into the water again. Caddy was all wet and muddy behind, and I started to cry and she came and squatted in the water.
“Hush now.” she said. “I’mnot going to run away.” So I hushed. Caddy smelled like trees in the rain.
What is the matter with you, Luster said. Cant you get done with that moaning and play in the branch like folks.
Whyn’t you take him on home. Didn’t they told you not to take him offthe place.
He still think they own this pasture, Luster said. Cant nobody see down here from the house, noways.
We can. And folks dont like to look at a loony. Taint no luck in it.
Roskus came and said to come to supper and Caddy said it wasn’t supper time yet.
“Yes tis.” Roskus said. “Dilsey say for you all to come on to the house. Bring them on, Versh.” He went up the hill, where the cow was lowing.
“Maybe we’llbe dry by the time we get to the house.” Quentin said.
“It was all your fault.” Caddy said. “I hope we do get whipped.” She put her dress on and Versh buttoned it.
“They wont know you got wet.” Versh said. “It dont show on you. Less me and Jason tells.”
“Are you going to tell, Jason.” Caddy said. “Tellon who.” Jason said.
“He wont tell.” Quentin said. “Willyou, Jason.”
“I bet he does tell.” Caddy said. “He’lltellDamuddy.”
“He cant tell her.” Quentin said. “She’s sick. If we walk slow it’ll be too dark for them to see.”
“I dont care whether they see or not.” Caddy said. “I’mgoing to tell, myself. You carry him up the hill, Versh.”
“Jason wont tell.” Quentin said. “You remember that bow and arrow I made you, Jason.” “It’s broke now.” Jason said.
“Let him tell.” Caddy said. “I dont give a cuss. Carry Maury up the hill, Versh.” Versh squatted and I got on his back.
See you all at the show tonight, Luster said. Come on, here. We got to find that quarter. “If we go slow, it’llbe dark when we get there.” Quentin said.
“I’m not going slow.” Caddy said. We went up the hill, but Quentin didn’t come. He was down at the branch when we got to where we could smell the pigs. They were grunting and snuffing in the trough in the corner. Jason came behind us, with his hands in his pockets. Roskus was milking the cow in the barn door.
The cows came jumping out ofthe barn.
“Go on.” T. P. said. “Holler again. I going to holler myself. Whooey.” Quentin kicked T. P. again. He kicked T. P. into the trough where the pigs ate and T. P. lay there. “Hot dogs.” T. P. said, “Didn’t he get me then. You see that white man kick me that time. Whooey.”
I wasn’t crying, but I couldn’t stop. I wasn’t crying, but the ground wasn’t still, and then I was crying. The ground kept sloping up and the cows ran up the hill. T. P. tried to get up. He fell down again and the cows ran down the hill. Quentin held my arm and we went toward the barn. Then the barn wasn’t there and we had to wait until it came back. I didn’t see it come back. It came behind us and Quentin set me down in the trough where the cows ate. I held on to it. It was going away too, and I held to it. The cows ran down the hill again, across the door. I couldn’t stop. Quentin and T. P. came up the hill, fighting. T. P. was falling down the hill and Quentin dragged himup the hill. Quentin hit T. P. I couldn’t stop.
“Stand up.” Quentin said, “You stay right here. Dont you go away untilI get back.” “Me and Benjy going back to the wedding.” T. P. said. “Whooey.”
Quentin hit T. P. again. Then he began to thump T. P. against the wall. T. P. was laughing. Every time Quentin thumped himagainst the wallhe tried to say Whooey, but he couldn’t say it for laughing. I quit crying, but I couldn’t stop. T. P. fell on me and the barn door went away. It went down the hill and T. P. was fighting by himself and he fell down again. He was still laughing, and I couldn’t stop, and I tried to get up and I fell down, and I couldn’t stop. Versh said,
“You sho done it now. I’lldeclare if you aint. Shut up that yelling.”
T. P. was still laughing. He flopped on the door and laughed. “Whooey.” he said, “Me and Benjy going back to the wedding. Sassprilluh.” T. P. said.
“Hush.” Versh said. “Where you get it.” “Out the cellar.” T. P. said. “Whooey.”
“Hush up.” Versh said, “Where’bouts in the cellar.”
“Anywhere.” T. P. said. He laughed some more. “Moren a hundred bottles left. Moren a million. Look out, nigger, I going to holler.”
Quentin said, “Lift himup.” Versh lifted me up.
“Drink this, Benjy.” Quentin said. The glass was hot. “Hush, now.” Quentin said. “Drink it.” “Sassprilluh.” T. P. said. “Lemme drink it, Mr Quentin.”
“You shut your mouth.” Versh said, “Mr Quentin wear you out.” “Hold him, Versh.” Quentin said.
They held me. It was hot on my chin and on my shirt. “Drink.” Quentin said. They held my head. It was hot inside me, and I began again. I was crying now, and something was happening inside me and I cried more, and they held me until it stopped happening. Then I hushed. It was still going around, and then the shapes began. “Open the crib, Versh.” They were going slow. “Spread those empty sacks on the floor.” They were going faster, almost fast enough. “Now. Pick up his feet.” They went on, smooth and bright. I could hear T. P. laughing. I went on with them, up the bright hill.
At the top of the hill Versh put me down. “Come on here, Quentin.” he called, looking back down the hill. Quentin was still standing there by the branch. He was chunking into the shadows where the branch was.
“Let the old skizzard stay there.” Caddy said. She took my hand and we went on past the barn and through the gate. There was a frog on the brick walk, squatting in the middle of it. Caddy stepped over it and pulled me on.
“Come on, Maury.” she said. It stillsquatted there untilJason poked at it with his toe. “He’llmake a wart on you.” Versh said. The frog hopped away.
“Come on, Maury.” Caddy said.
“They got company tonight.” Versh said. “How do you know.” Caddy said.
“With allthemlights
