and jerked him back. He could hear Robbie whimpering, and he rapped Robbie on the head with his knuckles as a warning to be quiet.
“Everything’s all right, is it, boys?” Paul asked them, looking from one to the other.
“Yes, sir, Mr. Benoit,” Pete and Hank said almost simultaneously. “Everything’s just fine, Mr. Benoit,” Vern added.
“Ganus, are they treating you all right?” he asked.
Ganus swallowed. He knew he would not have another opportunity like this, but he could not make himself tell on the white boys. He could see from the corners of his eyes that they were watching him apprehensively, and he wondered what each of them was thinking. He tried to think what he would say if Paul noticed that he did not have his pants on. He was glad it was as dark as it was.
“Yes, sir, Mr. Benoit,” he said finally, looking him straight in the face. He could sense the feeling of relief all around him. “I’m all right, thank you, Mr. Benoit.”
“We just stopped to talk to Ganus for a minute,” Vern spoke up quickly. “We’ll all be going home pretty soon.”
Paul saw Robbie Gunsby for the first time. “What are you doing here, Robbie?” he said. “It’s pretty late for you to be out. You’d better go home soon.”
Robbie glanced up at Pete’s face. He could see the stern look of warning there. Frightened, he said, “Yes, sir, Mr. Benoit.”
Turning away, Paul walked up the alley toward his gate. “Good night, boys,” he called back, without looking at them again.
“Good night, Mr. Benoit,” they said in unison.
Nobody said a word after that for a long time. Nobody even moved until they heard Paul go into his house and close the door.
Vern was the first to say anything. “He could tell on all of us now—if anything happened.”
“Hell,” Hank said derisively, spitting in the direction of Ganus’ feet and walking away from the fence, “who’s scared of Paul Benoit! He’s nothing but a soda jerker who owns the joint.”
“You’d better be scared, Hank Newgood,” Robbie said, breaking away from Pete. “Mr. Benoit’ll know who did it now, if you go and hurt Ganus.”
“How many times have I told you to go home!” Hank said angrily. “It’s Vern’s fault for letting you come along, anyhow. You’re too little to go around with big boys. You stay away from me after this. You hear, Robbie?”
“I thought you just wanted to chunk some rocks at Ganus to scare him. I didn’t know anybody wanted to hurt him. I don’t see why you want to. He never did anything to you. I’ll tell on you, too, if you hurt him. You just wait and see if I don’t. I’ll go straight home and tell everybody.”
“Like hell you will, cry-baby,” Pete said, grabbing him. “You’re not going home and tell on me. I’ll choke the life out of you—if you don’t take that back.” He gripped Robbie’s thin neck with both hands and shook him. “Say it, Robbie! Say it! You’d better take it back! I’ll choke the life out of you till you can’t breathe! Say it, Robbie! You’d better say it!”
“I want to go home,” Robbie muttered faintly, crying again.
Vern pulled Robbie away from Pete. “Go pick on somebody your own size, Pete,” he said.
Hank opened his knife.
“Hank, let’s just beat up Ganus a little and let him go,” Vern said uneasily when he saw the knife. “It’s getting late. Somebody in one of these houses might hear us and come out to see what’s going on. Mr. Benoit might come back. I don’t want to be caught cutting up anybody with a knife. My dad would take the hide off me.”
“I want to go home,” Robbie cried in a louder voice, holding tightly to Vern.
“Christ Almighty!” Hank said in disgust. “Why didn’t all you scaredy-cats stay home with your mamas? I didn’t know there was so many scaredy-cats in town.” Biting his lower lip between his teeth, he drew back his hand and slashed at Ganus with the knife. The blade cut a deep gash across Ganus’
“Everything’s all right, is it, boys?” Paul asked them, looking from one to the other.
“Yes, sir, Mr. Benoit,” Pete and Hank said almost simultaneously. “Everything’s just fine, Mr. Benoit,” Vern added.
“Ganus, are they treating you all right?” he asked.
Ganus swallowed. He knew he would not have another opportunity like this, but he could not make himself tell on the white boys. He could see from the corners of his eyes that they were watching him apprehensively, and he wondered what each of them was thinking. He tried to think what he would say if Paul noticed that he did not have his pants on. He was glad it was as dark as it was.
“Yes, sir, Mr. Benoit,” he said finally, looking him straight in the face. He could sense the feeling of relief all around him. “I’m all right, thank you, Mr. Benoit.”
“We just stopped to talk to Ganus for a minute,” Vern spoke up quickly. “We’ll all be going home pretty soon.”
Paul saw Robbie Gunsby for the first time. “What are you doing here, Robbie?” he said. “It’s pretty late for you to be out. You’d better go home soon.”
Robbie glanced up at Pete’s face. He could see the stern look of warning there. Frightened, he said, “Yes, sir, Mr. Benoit.”
Turning away, Paul walked up the alley toward his gate. “Good night, boys,” he called back, without looking at them again.
“Good night, Mr. Benoit,” they said in unison.
Nobody said a word after that for a long time. Nobody even moved until they heard Paul go into his house and close the door.
Vern was the first to say anything. “He could tell on all of us now—if anything happened.”
“Hell,” Hank said derisively, spitting in the direction of Ganus’ feet and walking away from the fence, “who’s scared of Paul Benoit! He’s nothing but a soda jerker who owns the joint.”
“You’d better be scared, Hank Newgood,” Robbie said, breaking away from Pete. “Mr. Benoit’ll know who did it now, if you go and hurt Ganus.”
“How many times have I told you to go home!” Hank said angrily. “It’s Vern’s fault for letting you come along, anyhow. You’re too little to go around with big boys. You stay away from me after this. You hear, Robbie?”
“I thought you just wanted to chunk some rocks at Ganus to scare him. I didn’t know anybody wanted to hurt him. I don’t see why you want to. He never did anything to you. I’ll tell on you, too, if you hurt him. You just wait and see if I don’t. I’ll go straight home and tell everybody.”
“Like hell you will, cry-baby,” Pete said, grabbing him. “You’re not going home and tell on me. I’ll choke the life out of you—if you don’t take that back.” He gripped Robbie’s thin neck with both hands and shook him. “Say it, Robbie! Say it! You’d better take it back! I’ll choke the life out of you till you can’t breathe! Say it, Robbie! You’d better say it!”
“I want to go home,” Robbie muttered faintly, crying again.
Vern pulled Robbie away from Pete. “Go pick on somebody your own size, Pete,” he said.
Hank opened his knife.
“Hank, let’s just beat up Ganus a little and let him go,” Vern said uneasily when he saw the knife. “It’s getting late. Somebody in one of these houses might hear us and come out to see what’s going on. Mr. Benoit might come back. I don’t want to be caught cutting up anybody with a knife. My dad would take the hide off me.”
“I want to go home,” Robbie cried in a louder voice, holding tightly to Vern.
“Christ Almighty!” Hank said in disgust. “Why didn’t all you scaredy-cats stay home with your mamas? I didn’t know there was so many scaredy-cats in town.” Biting his lower lip between his teeth, he drew back his hand and slashed at Ganus with the knife. The blade cut a deep gash across Ganus’
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