“I’m a-gonna miss them dances,” Tom said. “Them was some of the nicest dances I ever seen.
Well, I’m gonna turn in.
So long.
I’ll be seein’ you someplace.” He shook hands.
“Sure will,” said Jule.
“Well, so long.” Tom moved away into the darkness. *
In the darkness of the Joad tent Ruthie and Winfield lay on their mattress, and Ma lay beside them.
Ruthie whispered,
“Ma!”
“Yeah?
Ain’t you asleep yet?”
“Ma—they gonna have croquet where we’re goin’?”
“I don’ know.
Get some sleep.
We want to get an early start.”
“Well, I wisht we’d stay here where we’re sure we got croquet.”
“Sh!” said Ma.
“Ma, Winfiel’ hit a kid tonight.”
“He shouldn’ of.”
“I know.
I tol’ ’im, but he hit the kid right in the nose an’, Jesus, how the blood run down!”
“Don’ talk like that. It ain’t a nice way to talk.”
Winfield turned over.
“That kid says we was Okies,” he said in an outraged voice. “He says he wasn’t no Okie ’cause he come from Oregon.
Says we was goddamn Okies.
I socked him.”
“Sh!
You shouldn’.
He can’t hurt you callin’ names.”
“Well, I won’t let ’im,” Winfield said fiercely.
“Sh!
Get some sleep.”
Ruthie said,
“You oughta seen the blood run down—all over his clothes.”
Ma reached a hand from under the blanket and snapped Ruthie on the cheek with her finger.
The little girl went rigid for a moment, and then dissolved into sniffling, quiet crying.
In the sanitary unit Pa and Uncle John sat in adjoining compartments.
“Might’s well get in a good las’ one,” said Pa. “It’s sure nice. ’Member how the little fellas was so scairt when they flushed ’em the first time?”
“I wasn’t so easy myself,” said Uncle John.
He pulled his overalls neatly up around his knees. “I’m gettin’ bad,” he said. “I feel sin.”
“You can’t sin none,” said Pa. “You ain’t got no money.
Jus’ sit tight.
Cos’ you at leas’ two bucks to sin, an’ we ain’t got two bucks amongst us.”
“Yeah! But I’m a-thinkin’ sin.”
“Awright.
You can think sin for nothin’.”
“It’s jus’ as bad,” said Uncle John.
“It’s a whole hell of a lot cheaper,” said Pa.
“Don’t you go makin’ light of sin.”
“I ain’t.