“I reckon we can turn allthe lights on without company, if we want to.” Caddy said. “I bet it’s company.” Versh said. “You allbetter go in the back and slip upstairs.”
“I dont care.” Caddy said. “I’llwalk right in the parlor where they are.” “I bet your pappy whip you if you do.” Versh said.
“I dont care.” Caddy said. “I’ll walk right in the parlor. I’ll walk right in the dining roomand eat supper.”
“Where you sit.” Versh said.
“I’d sit in Damuddy’s chair.” Caddy said. “She eats in bed.”
“I’m hungry.” Jason said. He passed us and ran on up the walk. He had his hands in his pockets and he felldown. Versh went and picked himup.
“If you keep them hands out your pockets, you could stay on your feet.” Versh said. “You cant never get themout in time to catch yourself, fat as you is.”
Father was standing by the kitchen steps. “Where’s Quentin.” he said.
“He coming up the walk.” Versh said. Quentin was coming slow. His shirt was a white blur. “Oh.” Father said. Light felldown the steps, on him.
“Caddy and Quentin threw water on each other.” Jason said. We waited.
“They did.” Father said. Quentin came, and Father said, “You can eat supper in the kitchen tonight.” He stopped and took me up, and the light came tumbling down the steps on me too, and I could look down at Caddy and Jason and Quentin and Versh. Father turned toward the steps. “You must be quiet, though.” he said.
“Why must we be quiet, Father.” Caddy said. “Have we got company.” “Yes.” Father said.
“I told you they was company.” Versh said.
“You did not.” Caddy said, “I was the one that said there was. I said I would”
“Hush.” Father said. They hushed and Father opened the door and we crossed the back porch and went in to the kitchen. Dilsey was there, and Father put me in the chair and closed the apron down and pushed it to the table, where supper was. It was steaming up.
“You mind Dilsey, now.” Father said. “Dont let them make any more noise than they can help, Dilsey.”
“Yes, sir.” Dilsey said. Father went away.
“Remember to mind Dilsey, now.” he said behind us. I leaned my face over where the supper was. It steamed up on my face.
“Let themmind me tonight, Father.” Caddy said. “I wont.” Jason said. “I’mgoing to mind Dilsey.”
“You’llhave to, if Father says so.” Caddy said. “Let themmind me, Father.” “I wont.” Jason said, “I wont mind you.”
“Hush.” Father said. “You all mind Caddy, then. When they are done, bring them up the back stairs, Dilsey.”
“Yes, sir.” Dilsey said.
“There.” Caddy said, “Now I guess you’llmind me.”
“You allhush, now.” Dilsey said. “You got to be quiet tonight.” “Why do we have to be quiet tonight.” Caddy whispered.
“Never you mind.” Dilsey said, “You’ll know in the Lawd’s own time.” She brought my bowl. The steamfromit came and tickled my face. “Come here, Versh.” Dilsey said.
“When is the Lawd’s own time, Dilsey.” Caddy said. “It’s Sunday.” Quentin said. “Dont you know anything.”
“Shhhhhh.” Dilsey said. “Didn’t Mr Jason say for you all to be quiet. Eat your supper, now. Here, Versh. Git his spoon.” Versh’s hand came with the spoon, into the bowl. The spoon came up to my mouth. The steam tickled into my mouth. Then we quit eating and we looked at each other and we were quiet, and then we heard it again and I began to cry. “What was that.” Caddy said. She put her hand on my hand.
“That was Mother.” Quentin said. The spoon came up and I ate, then I cried again.
“Hush.” Caddy said. But I didn’t hush and she came and put her arms around me. Dilsey went and closed both the doors and then we couldn’t hear it.
“Hush, now.” Caddy said. I hushed and ate. Quentin wasn’t eating, but Jason was. “That was Mother.” Quentin said. He got up.
“You set right down.” Dilsey said. “They got company in there, and you in them muddy clothes. You set down too, Caddy, and get done eating.”
“She was crying.” Quentin said.
“It was somebody singing.” Caddy said. “Wasn’t it, Dilsey.”
“You all eat your supper, now, like Mr Jason said.” Dilsey said. “You’ll know in the Lawd’s own time.” Caddy went back to her chair.
“I told you it was a party.” she said. Versh said, “He done et allthat.”
“Bring his bowlhere.” Dilsey said. The bowlwent away.
“Dilsey.” Caddy said, “Quentin’s not eating his supper. Hasn’t he got to mind me.”
“Eat your supper, Quentin.” Dilsey said, “You all got to get done and get out of my kitchen.”
“I dont want any more supper.” Quentin said.
“You’ve got to eat if I say you have.” Caddy said. “Hasn’t he, Dilsey.”
The bowl steamed up to my face, and Versh’s hand dipped the spoon in it and the steam tickled into my mouth.
“I dont want any more.” Quentin said. “How can they have a party when Damuddy’s sick.” “They’ll have it down stairs.” Caddy said. “She can come to the landing and see it. That’s
what I’mgoing to do when I get my nightie on.”
“Mother was crying.” Quentin said. “Wasn’t she crying, Dilsey.”
“Dont you come pestering at me, boy.” Dilsey said. “I got to get supper for all them folks soon as you allget done eating.”
After a while even Jason was through eating, and he began to cry. “Now you got to tune up.” Dilsey said.
“He does it every night since Damuddy was sick and he cant sleep with her.” Caddy said. “Cry baby.”
“I’mgoing to tellon you.” Jason said.
He was crying. “You’ve already told.” Caddy said. “There’s not anything else you can tell, now.”
“You all needs to go to bed.” Dilsey said. She came and lifted me down and wiped my face and hands with a warm cloth. “Versh, can you get them up the back stairs quiet. You, Jason, shut up that crying.”
“It’s too early to go to bed now.” Caddy said. “We dont ever have to go to bed this early.” “You is tonight.” Dilsey said. “Your pa say for you to come right on up stairs when you et
supper. You heard him.”
“He said to mind me.” Caddy said. “I’mnot going to mind you.” Jason said.
“You have to.” Caddy said. “Come on, now. You have to do like I say.”
“Make thembe quiet, Versh.” Dilsey said. “You allgoing to be quiet, aint you.”
“What do we have to be so quiet for, tonight.” Caddy said.
“Your mommer aint feeling well.” Dilsey said. “You allgo on with Versh, now.”
“I told you Mother was crying.” Quentin said. Versh took me up and opened the door onto the back porch. We went out and Versh closed the door black. I could smell Versh and feel him. “You all be quiet, now. We’re not going up stairs yet. Mr Jason said for you to come right up stairs. He said to mind me. I’m not going to mind you. But he said for all of us to. Didn’t he, Quentin.” I could feel Versh’s head. I could hear us. “Didn’t he, Versh. Yes, that’s right. Then I say for us to go out doors a while. Come on.” Versh opened the door and we went out.
We went down the steps.
“I expect we’d better go down to Versh’s house, so we’ll be quiet.” Caddy said. Versh put me down and Caddy took my hand and we went down the brick walk.
“Come on.” Caddy said, “That frog’s gone. He’s hopped way over to the garden, by now. Maybe we’ll see another one.” Roskus came with the milk buckets. He went on. Quentin wasn’t coming with us. He was sitting on the kitchen steps. We went down to Versh’s house. I liked to smell Versh’s house. There was a fire in it and T. P. squatting in his shirt tail in front of it, chunking it into a blaze.
Then I got up and T. P. dressed me and we went to the kitchen and ate. Dilsey was singing and I began to cry and she stopped.
“Keep himaway fromthe house, now.” Dilsey said. “We cant go that way.” T. P. said.
We played in the branch.
“We cant go around yonder.” T. P. said. “Dont you know mammy say we cant.” Dilsey was singing in the kitchen and I began to cry.
“Hush.” T. P. said. “Come on. Lets go down to the barn.”
Roskus was milking at the barn. He was milking with one hand, and groaning. Some birds sat on the barn door and watched him. One of them came down and ate with the cows. I watched Roskus milk while T. P. was feeding Queenie and Prince. The calf was in the pig pen. It nuzzled at the wire, bawling.
“T. P.” Roskus said. T. P. said Sir, in the barn. Fancy held her head over the door, because T. P. hadn’t fed her yet. “Git done there.” Roskus said. “You got to do this milking. I cant use my right hand no more.”
T. P. came and milked.
“Whyn’t you get the doctor.” T. P. said.
“Doctor cant do no good.” Roskus said. “Not on this place.” “What wrong with this place.” T. P. said.
“Taint no luck on this place.” Roskus said. “Turn that calf in if you done.”
Taint no luck on this place, Roskus said. The fire rose and fell behind him and Versh, sliding on his and Versh’s face. Dilsey finished putting me to bed. The bed smelled like T. P. I liked it.
“What you know about it.” Dilsey said. “What trance you been in.”
“Dont need no trance.” Roskus said. “Aint the sign of it laying right there on that bed. Aint the sign of it been here for
