Rosamond said. “And he won’t stay at home with me. He talks about turning the power on at the mill when he’s drunk, and when he’s sober, he won’t say anything. The last time he came home he hit me.”
Her face was badly swollen. One of her eyes was slightly discolored, and blood had been flowing from her nose.
“Isn’t he working?”
“No, of course not. The mill is still shut down. I don’t know when it will start running again. Some people say it never will. I don’t know.”
Pluto stood up, twisting his hat in his hands.
“I’ve got to be getting back home,” he said. “And that’s a fact.”
“Sit down, Pluto,” Darling Jill told him. “And be quiet.”
He sat down again, placing his hat under the chair and folding his hands in his lap.
“I came over to take you and Will home with me,” Darling Jill said. “Pa says he wants you and Will to help some. He needs Will to help dig, and you can do whatever you like. Pa’s got something on his mind about finding gold for sure this time. I don’t know what got into him.”
“Oh, he always has some new notion,” Rosamond said. “There’s no gold on that place, is there? If there was gold there, they would have found it long before now. Why can’t he stop digging the land full of holes and farm some?”
“I don’t know,” Darling Jill said. “He and the boys think they’re going to strike it soon. That’s what keeps them at it all the time. I wish they would.”
“The Waldens are worse than the darkies, always expecting to find gold somewhere.”
“Pa wants you and Will to come, anyway.”
“Will won’t dig. Pa ought to know that by this time. Will’s always restless when he is away from here.”
“Pa has his head set on you and Will coming over there, anyway. You know how he is.”
“We can’t go tonight. Will isn’t here and I don’t know when he’ll come back.”
“Tomorrow is soon enough. We’ll spend the night. Pluto can sleep with Will, and I’ll sleep with you.”
Pluto started to protest that he had to get back to Marion that night, but neither of them noticed him.
“You’re welcome to stay,” Rosamond said, “but the bed isn’t big enough for Will and Pluto. One of them will have to sleep on the floor.”
“Pluto can,” Darling Jill said. “Just give Pluto a pillow and a quilt and let him make himself a pallet in the hall. He won’t mind.”
Rosamond got up and fixed her hair and powdered her face. She looked better after that.
“I don’t know when Will is coming home. Maybe not at all tonight. Sometimes he doesn’t.”
“He’ll get sober when he goes back with us and digs a day or two. Pa will keep him sober, too.”
All of them turned and listened. There was a noise on the front porch, followed by the sound of someone banging on the door.
“That’s him now,” Rosamond said. “He’s still drunk, too. I can tell.”
They waited in the room while he came through the hall and appeared at the door.
“Well, for God’s sake!” Will said. “You back again?”
He stared at Darling Jill for several moments and started towards her, his hands leading him. She sidestepped, and he went on into the wall.
“Will!” Rosamond said.
“And there’s old Pluto, too! How’s everything out there around Marion these days?”
Pluto got up and tried to shake hands with Will, but Will started sideways toward the other side of the room.
Will sat down in the corner against the wall and placed his head on his arms. He was quiet for such a long time that all of them thought he had gone to sleep. They were getting ready to tiptoe out of the room, and they had got as far as the door when Will looked up and called them back.
“Trying to slip off from me again, weren’t you? Come back here, all of you, and keep me company.”
Rosamond made a gesture of helplessness and sank wearily upon the bed. Pluto and Darling Jill laughed at Will and sat down.
“How’s Griselda?” Will asked. “Is
Her face was badly swollen. One of her eyes was slightly discolored, and blood had been flowing from her nose.
“Isn’t he working?”
“No, of course not. The mill is still shut down. I don’t know when it will start running again. Some people say it never will. I don’t know.”
Pluto stood up, twisting his hat in his hands.
“I’ve got to be getting back home,” he said. “And that’s a fact.”
“Sit down, Pluto,” Darling Jill told him. “And be quiet.”
He sat down again, placing his hat under the chair and folding his hands in his lap.
“I came over to take you and Will home with me,” Darling Jill said. “Pa says he wants you and Will to help some. He needs Will to help dig, and you can do whatever you like. Pa’s got something on his mind about finding gold for sure this time. I don’t know what got into him.”
“Oh, he always has some new notion,” Rosamond said. “There’s no gold on that place, is there? If there was gold there, they would have found it long before now. Why can’t he stop digging the land full of holes and farm some?”
“I don’t know,” Darling Jill said. “He and the boys think they’re going to strike it soon. That’s what keeps them at it all the time. I wish they would.”
“The Waldens are worse than the darkies, always expecting to find gold somewhere.”
“Pa wants you and Will to come, anyway.”
“Will won’t dig. Pa ought to know that by this time. Will’s always restless when he is away from here.”
“Pa has his head set on you and Will coming over there, anyway. You know how he is.”
“We can’t go tonight. Will isn’t here and I don’t know when he’ll come back.”
“Tomorrow is soon enough. We’ll spend the night. Pluto can sleep with Will, and I’ll sleep with you.”
Pluto started to protest that he had to get back to Marion that night, but neither of them noticed him.
“You’re welcome to stay,” Rosamond said, “but the bed isn’t big enough for Will and Pluto. One of them will have to sleep on the floor.”
“Pluto can,” Darling Jill said. “Just give Pluto a pillow and a quilt and let him make himself a pallet in the hall. He won’t mind.”
Rosamond got up and fixed her hair and powdered her face. She looked better after that.
“I don’t know when Will is coming home. Maybe not at all tonight. Sometimes he doesn’t.”
“He’ll get sober when he goes back with us and digs a day or two. Pa will keep him sober, too.”
All of them turned and listened. There was a noise on the front porch, followed by the sound of someone banging on the door.
“That’s him now,” Rosamond said. “He’s still drunk, too. I can tell.”
They waited in the room while he came through the hall and appeared at the door.
“Well, for God’s sake!” Will said. “You back again?”
He stared at Darling Jill for several moments and started towards her, his hands leading him. She sidestepped, and he went on into the wall.
“Will!” Rosamond said.
“And there’s old Pluto, too! How’s everything out there around Marion these days?”
Pluto got up and tried to shake hands with Will, but Will started sideways toward the other side of the room.
Will sat down in the corner against the wall and placed his head on his arms. He was quiet for such a long time that all of them thought he had gone to sleep. They were getting ready to tiptoe out of the room, and they had got as far as the door when Will looked up and called them back.
“Trying to slip off from me again, weren’t you? Come back here, all of you, and keep me company.”
Rosamond made a gesture of helplessness and sank wearily upon the bed. Pluto and Darling Jill laughed at Will and sat down.
“How’s Griselda?” Will asked. “Is
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