Page:The Sound and the Fury (1929).pdf/25

it to me. Quick. Mr Patterson came fast, with the hoe. Mrs Patterson leaned across the fence, reach­ing her hand. She was trying to climb the fence. Give it to me, she said. Give it to me. Mr Patterson climbed the fence. He took the letter. Mrs Patter­son’s dress was caught on the fence. I saw her eyes again and I ran down the hill.

“They aint nothing over yonder but houses.” Luster said. “We going down to the branch.”

They were washing down at the branch. One of them was singing. I could smell the clothes flapping, and the smoke blowing across the branch.

“You stay down here.” Luster said. “You aint got no business up yonder. Them folks hit you, sho.”

“What he want to do.”

“He dont know what he want to do.” Luster said.

“He think he want to go up yonder where they knocking that ball. You sit down here and play with your jimson weed. Look at them chillen playing in the branch, if you got to look at something. How come you cant behave yourself like folks.” I sat down on the bank, where they were washing, and the smoke blowing blue.

“Is you all seen anything of a quarter down here.” Luster said.

“What quarter.”

“The one I had here this morning.” Luster said.

“I lost it somewhere. It fell through this here hole