God's Little Acre by Erskine Caldwell Page A

that girl as good-looking as ever? What part of the country did she come from? I’d like to go there some day and take my pick.”
    “Please, Will,” Rosamond said.
    “I’m going to get that girl yet,” Will said determinedly, shaking his head from side to side. “I’ve been wanting her for a long time now, and I can’t wait much more for her, either. I’m going to get her.”
    “Please shut your mouth, Will,” Rosamond said.
    He appeared not to have heard her.
    “Tell me how Griselda’s looking these days, Darling Jill. Does she still look ripe for picking? I’m going to get her, so help me God! I’ve had my eye on her ever since she moved in the house over there. Griselda’s got the sweetest pair—”
    “Will!” Rosamond said.
    “Aw, what the hell is the matter with you,” Will said irritatedly. “It’s all in the family, ain’t it? Why in the hell should you bawl me out for talking about her? Buck wouldn’t care much if I did get her. He can’t use her all the time. Nobody ought to howl about just one tiny little bit when nobody is getting hurt. You act like I was getting ready to run down the King of England’s daughter.”
    “Please don’t talk about it now, then,” Rosamond begged.
    “Now, listen to me,” Will said. “Griselda can’t keep from being the prettiest girl in the country, no more than I can keep from wanting to get her. So what the hell does that make you? I promised myself a piece when I saw her the first time over there in Georgia, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to break my own promise. You get all you bargained for. I can’t help it if you raise a howl, either.”
    “I’ll talk about it some other time, Will, if you promise to stop talking now. Try to remember who’s here.”
    “It’s all in the family, ain’t it? So, what the hell!”
    Darling Jill looked at Pluto and laughed. Pluto felt the blood coming over his face again, and he turned his head toward the wall where the light would shadow it. Darling Jill burst out laughing again.
    There was no use in any of them trying to talk as long as Will was there.
    Rosamond suddenly began to cry.
    “There ain’t a bit of sense in taking on like that,” Will said doggedly. “It’s all in the family, ain’t it? Well, what the hell! Old Pluto, there, is having a good time with Darling Jill, or would if he could, and I reckon I take you plenty of times, except when you get uppity and start talking about the God damn sacredness of approaching a female, or some such talk. So, why in hell can’t I talk about getting Griselda if I want to? You can’t expect a girl like Griselda to put a plug in herself. Why, that would be a God damn shame! It would be a heathen sin. I swear it would. That’d be the damnedest shame I ever heard about!”
    He began to cry at the thought of it. He stood up and the tears ran down his face and he sounded as if his heart were breaking. He tried to stop the flow of tears by twisting his fists into his eyesockets, but the tears fell as heavily as ever.
    Rosamond got up off the bed.
    “I’m glad that’s over with,” she said, sighing. “He’ll be all right now. Just leave him alone for a little while, and he’ll be himself again. Come on into the other room. I’ll turn the light out so it won’t hurt his eyes.”
    Pluto and Darling Jill followed her, leaving Will crying in the corner.
    When they had all found chairs in the other room, Rosamond turned to Pluto.
    “I’m awfully ashamed of what happened in the next room, Pluto,” she said. “Please try to forget it and not think of it again. When Will gets drunk, he doesn’t know what he’s saying. He didn’t mean a word of it. I’m sure of that. I wouldn’t have let him embarrass you for anything, if I could have helped it. Please forget all about what he said.”
    “Oh, that’s all right, Rosamond,” he said, blushing a little. “I don’t hold anything against you or Will.”
    “Well, I don’t suppose you would,”