Put it on his paper.
Shiverin’, they was, an’ their bellies stuck out like a pig bladder.”
The circle was quiet, and mouths were open a little. The men breathed shallowly, and watched.
The ragged man looked around at the circle, and then he turned and walked quickly away into the darkness.
The dark swallowed him, but his dragging footsteps could be heard a long time after he had gone, footsteps along the road; and a car came by on the highway, and its lights showed the ragged man shuffling along the road, his head hanging down and his hands in the black coat pockets.
The men were uneasy.
One said,
“Well—gettin’ late.
Got to get to sleep.”
The proprietor said,
“Prob’ly shif’less.
They’s so goddamn many shif’less fellas on the road now.” And then he was quiet.
And he tipped his chair back against the wall again and fingered his throat.
Tom said,
“Guess I’ll go see Ma for a minute, an’ then we’ll shove along a piece.”
The Joad men moved away.
Pa said,
“S’pose he’s tellin’ the truth—that fella?”
The preacher answered,
“He’s tellin’ the truth, awright.
The truth for him.
He wasn’t makin’ nothin’ up.”
“How about us?” Tom demanded. “Is that the truth for us?”
“I don’ know,” said Casy.
“I don’ know,” said Pa.
They walked to the tent, tarpaulin spread over a rope.
And it was dark inside, and quiet.
When they came near, a grayish mass stirred near the door and arose to person height.
Ma came out to meet them.
“All sleepin’,” she said. “Granma finally dozed off.” Then she saw it was Tom. “How’d you get here?” she demanded anxiously.
“You ain’t had no trouble?”
“Got her fixed,” said Tom. “We’re ready to go when the rest is.”
“Thank the dear God for that,” Ma said. “I’m just a-twitterin’ to go on.
Wanta get where it’s rich an’ green.
Wanta get there quick.”
Pa cleared his throat.
“Fella was jus’ sayin’—”
Tom grabbed his arm and yanked it.
“Funny what he says,” Tom said. “Says they’s lots a folks on the way.”
Ma peered through the darkness at them.
Inside the tent Ruthie coughed and snorted in her sleep.
“I washed ’em up,” Ma said. “Fust water we got enough of to give ’em a goin’-over.
Lef’ the buckets out for you fellas to wash too.
Can’t keep nothin’ clean on the road.”
“Ever’body in?” Pa asked.
“All but Connie an’ Rosasharn.
They went off to sleep in the open.
Says it’s too warm in under cover.”
Pa observed querulously,
“That Rosasharn is gettin’ awful scary an’ nimsy-mimsy.”