“Morning,” he said pleasantly.
Tom stopped pumping and looked up.
“Mornin’.”
The man ran his fingers through his coarse, short, graying hair.
“You people looking for work?”
“We sure are, mister.
Lookin’ even under boards.”
“Can you pick peaches?”
“We never done it,” Pa said.
“We can do anything,” Tom said hurriedly. “We can pick anything there is.”
The man fingered his gold football.
“Well, there’s plenty of work for you about forty miles north.”
“We’d sure admire to get it,” said Tom. “You tell us how to get there, an’ we’ll go a-lopin’.”
“Well, you go north to Pixley, that’s thirty-five or -six miles, and you turn east.
Go about six miles.
Ask anybody where the Hooper ranch is.
You’ll find plenty of work there.”
“We sure will.”
“Know where there’s other people looking for work?”
“Sure,” said Tom. “Down at the Weedpatch camp they’s plenty lookin’ for work.”
“I’ll take a run down there.
We can use quite a few.
Remember now, turn east at Pixley and keep straight east to the Hooper ranch.”
“Sure,” said Tom. “An’ we thank ya, mister.
We need work awful bad.”
“All right.
Get along as soon as you can.” He walked back across the road, climbed into his open roadster, and drove away south.
Tom threw his weight on the pump.
“Twenty apiece,” he called. “One—two—three—four—” At twenty Al took the pump, and then Pa and then Uncle John.
The tire filled out and grew plump and smooth.
Three times around, the pump went. “Let ’er down an’ le’s see,” said Tom.
Al released the jack and lowered the car.
“Got plenty,” he said. “Maybe a little too much.”
They threw the tools into the car.
“Come on, le’s go,” Tom called. “We’re gonna get some work at last.”
Ma got in the middle again.
Al drove this time.
“Now take her easy.
Don’t burn her up, Al.”
They drove on through the sunny morning fields.
The mist lifted from the hilltops and they were clear and brown, with black-purple creases.
The wild doves flew up from the fences as the truck passed.
Al unconsciously increased his speed.
“Easy,” Tom warned him. “She’ll blow up if you crowd her.
We got to get there.
Might even get in some work today.”
Ma said excitedly,
“With four men a-workin’ maybe I can get some credit right off.
Fust thing I’ll get is coffee, ’cause you been wanting that, an’ then some flour an’ bakin’ powder an’ some meat.
Better not get no side-meat right off.