Darling Jill broke in. “It’s none of your business, anyway. Just sit tight, Pluto, and keep your mouth shut.”
She and Rosamond began talking about something else then, and Pluto was unable to follow the conversation. He was almost on the other side of the room from them, and their voices were lowered. He sat uncomfortably in the little chair, wishing he could sit on the floor where he would have a wider seat.
Presently Will came to the door. His face was drawn, but he showed little indication of his drinking. Apparently he had sobered.
“Glad to see you, Pluto,” he said, going over and shaking hands. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you. It’s been nearly a year, hasn’t it?”
“I reckon it has, Will.”
Will drew up a chair and sat down, leaning back to look at Pluto.
“What are you doing now, the same thing as usual?”
“Well, I’m a candidate for sheriff this year,” Pluto told him. “I’m running for office.”
“You’ll make a humdinger,” Will said. “It takes a big man to hold the office of sheriff. Why that is, I don’t know, but it seems to be a fact. I don’t remember ever seeing a skinny sheriff.”
Pluto laughed good-naturedly. He went to the window and spat tobacco juice on the ground.
“I ought to be back home now,” he said, “but I’m glad to have the chance of coming over here to see you and Rosamond. I’ve got to get back the first thing in the morning though, and do some canvassing. I didn’t get a thing done all day. I reckon I started early enough, but I only got as far as the Waldens, and now here I am over here in Carolina.”
“Are the old man and the boys still digging holes in the ground over there?”
“Night and day, almost. But they’re going to get an albino from the swamps to divine it for them. That’s where they are tonight. They left a little before we did.”
Will laughed, slapping his legs with his broad hands.
“Conjur stuff now, huh? Well, I’ll be damned. I didn’t know Ty Ty Walden would start using conjur, old as he is. He’s always been trying to tell me how scientific he is about digging for gold. And now he’s using conjur stuff! I’ll be a suck-egg mule!”
Pluto wished to make a defense of some kind, but Will was laughing so much he was afraid to bring it up.
“That might help some, at that,” Will continued. “And then again it mightn’t. The old man ought to know, though; he’s been fooling around that farm digging for gold nearly fifteen years now, and he ought to be an expert at it by this time. Reckon there’s gold in that ground, sure enough, Pluto?”
“I’d hate to say,” Pluto replied, “but I reckon there must be, because people have been picking up nuggets all over the country around there ever since I can remember. There’s gold somewhere around there, because I’ve seen the nuggets.”
“Every time I hear about Ty Ty digging those holes I sort of get the fever myself,” Will said. “But just take me over there and put me out in that hot sun, and I lose all interest in it. I wouldn’t mind striking gold there, and that’s no lie. Looks like there isn’t much use of waiting around here to make a living in the mill. That is, unless we do something about it.”
Will had turned and was pointing out the window towards the darkened cotton mill. There was no light in the huge building, but arc lights under the trees threw a thin coating of yellow glow over the ivy-covered walls.
“When’s the mill going to start up again?” Pluto asked.
“Never,” Will said disgustedly. “Never. Unless we start it ourselves.”
“What’s the matter? Why won’t it run?”
Will leaned forward in his chair.
“We’re going in there some day ourselves and turn the power on,” he said slowly. “If the company doesn’t start up soon, that’s what we’re going to do. They cut the pay down to a dollar-ten eighteen months ago, and when we raised hell about it, they shut off the power and drove
She and Rosamond began talking about something else then, and Pluto was unable to follow the conversation. He was almost on the other side of the room from them, and their voices were lowered. He sat uncomfortably in the little chair, wishing he could sit on the floor where he would have a wider seat.
Presently Will came to the door. His face was drawn, but he showed little indication of his drinking. Apparently he had sobered.
“Glad to see you, Pluto,” he said, going over and shaking hands. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you. It’s been nearly a year, hasn’t it?”
“I reckon it has, Will.”
Will drew up a chair and sat down, leaning back to look at Pluto.
“What are you doing now, the same thing as usual?”
“Well, I’m a candidate for sheriff this year,” Pluto told him. “I’m running for office.”
“You’ll make a humdinger,” Will said. “It takes a big man to hold the office of sheriff. Why that is, I don’t know, but it seems to be a fact. I don’t remember ever seeing a skinny sheriff.”
Pluto laughed good-naturedly. He went to the window and spat tobacco juice on the ground.
“I ought to be back home now,” he said, “but I’m glad to have the chance of coming over here to see you and Rosamond. I’ve got to get back the first thing in the morning though, and do some canvassing. I didn’t get a thing done all day. I reckon I started early enough, but I only got as far as the Waldens, and now here I am over here in Carolina.”
“Are the old man and the boys still digging holes in the ground over there?”
“Night and day, almost. But they’re going to get an albino from the swamps to divine it for them. That’s where they are tonight. They left a little before we did.”
Will laughed, slapping his legs with his broad hands.
“Conjur stuff now, huh? Well, I’ll be damned. I didn’t know Ty Ty Walden would start using conjur, old as he is. He’s always been trying to tell me how scientific he is about digging for gold. And now he’s using conjur stuff! I’ll be a suck-egg mule!”
Pluto wished to make a defense of some kind, but Will was laughing so much he was afraid to bring it up.
“That might help some, at that,” Will continued. “And then again it mightn’t. The old man ought to know, though; he’s been fooling around that farm digging for gold nearly fifteen years now, and he ought to be an expert at it by this time. Reckon there’s gold in that ground, sure enough, Pluto?”
“I’d hate to say,” Pluto replied, “but I reckon there must be, because people have been picking up nuggets all over the country around there ever since I can remember. There’s gold somewhere around there, because I’ve seen the nuggets.”
“Every time I hear about Ty Ty digging those holes I sort of get the fever myself,” Will said. “But just take me over there and put me out in that hot sun, and I lose all interest in it. I wouldn’t mind striking gold there, and that’s no lie. Looks like there isn’t much use of waiting around here to make a living in the mill. That is, unless we do something about it.”
Will had turned and was pointing out the window towards the darkened cotton mill. There was no light in the huge building, but arc lights under the trees threw a thin coating of yellow glow over the ivy-covered walls.
“When’s the mill going to start up again?” Pluto asked.
“Never,” Will said disgustedly. “Never. Unless we start it ourselves.”
“What’s the matter? Why won’t it run?”
Will leaned forward in his chair.
“We’re going in there some day ourselves and turn the power on,” he said slowly. “If the company doesn’t start up soon, that’s what we’re going to do. They cut the pay down to a dollar-ten eighteen months ago, and when we raised hell about it, they shut off the power and drove
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