Says he’ll catch fish.”
Ma was silent a long time.
“Family’s fallin’ apart,” she said. “I don’ know. Seems like I can’t think no more. I jus’ can’t think.
They’s too much.”
Tom said lamely,
“He’ll be awright, Ma. He’s a funny kind a fella.”
Ma turned stunned eyes toward the river.
“I jus’ can’t seem to think no more.”
Tom looked down the line of tents and he saw Ruthie and Winfield standing in front of a tent in decorous conversation with someone inside.
Ruthie was twisting her skirt in her hands, while Winfield dug a hole in the ground with his toe.
Tom called,
“You, Ruthie!” She looked up and saw him and trotted toward him, with Winfield behind her.
When she came up, Tom said, “You go get our folks.
They’re sleepin’ down the willows.
Get ’em.
An’ you, Winfiel’. You tell the Wilsons we’re gonna get rollin’ soon as we can.” The children spun around and charged off.
Tom said,
“Ma, how’s Granma now?”
“Well, she got a sleep today.
Maybe she’s better.
She’s still a-sleepin’.”
“Tha’s good.
How much pork we got?”
“Not very much.
Quarter hog.”
“Well, we got to fill that other kag with water.
Got to take water along.”
They could hear Ruthie’s shrill cries for the men down in the willows.
Ma shoved willow sticks into the fire and made it crackle up about the black pot.
She said,
“I pray God we gonna get some res’.
I pray Jesus we gonna lay down in a nice place.”
The sun sank toward the baked and broken hills to the west.
The pot over the fire bubbled furiously.
Ma went under the tarpaulin and came out with an apronful of potatoes, and she dropped them into the boiling water.
“I pray God we gonna be let to wash some clothes.
We ain’t never been dirty like this.
Don’t even wash potatoes ’fore we boil ’em.
I wonder why?
Seems like the heart’s took out of us.”
The men came trooping up from the willows, and their eyes were full of sleep, and their faces were red and puffed with daytime sleep.
Pa said,
“What’s a matter?”
“We’re goin’,” said Tom. “Cop says we got to go.
Might’s well get her over.
Get a good start an’ maybe we’ll be through her.
Near three hunderd miles where we’re goin’.”
Pa said,
“I thought we was gonna get a rest.”
“Well, we ain’t.