"I can name you a dozen men in either league who're more valuable than he is," I says.
"What have you got against Ruth?" Mac says.
"Nothing," I says.
"I haven't got any thing against him. I dont even like to look at his picture." I went on out.
The lights were coming on, and people going along the streets toward home.
Sometimes the sparrows never got still until full dark.
The night they turned on the new lights around the courthouse it waked them up and they were flying around and blundering into the lights all night long.
They kept it up two or three nights, then one morning they were all gone.
Then after about two months they all came back again.
I drove on home.
There were no lights in the house yet, but they'd all be looking out the windows, and Dilsey jawing away in the kitchen like it was her own food she was having to keep hot until I got there.
You'd think to hear her that there wasn't but one supper in the world, and that was the one she had to keep back a few minutes on my account.
Well at least I could come home one time without finding Ben and that nigger hanging on the gate like a bear and a monkey in the same cage.
Just let it come toward sundown and he'd head for the gate like a cow for the barn, hanging onto it and bobbing his head and sort of moaning to himself.
That's a hog for punishment for you.
If what had happened to him for fooling with open gates had happened to me, I never would want to see another one.
I often wondered what he'd be thinking about, down there at the gate, watching the girls going home from school, trying to want something he couldn't even remember he didn't and couldn't want any longer.
And what he'd think when they'd be undressing him and he'd happen to take a look at himself and begin to cry like he'd do.
But like I say they never did enough of that.
I says I know what you need you need what they did to Ben then you'd behave.
And if you dont know what that was I says, ask Dilsey to tell you.
There was a light in Mother's room.
I put the car up and went on into the kitchen.
Luster and Ben were there.
"Where's Dilsey?" I says. "Putting supper on?"
"She up stairs wid Miss Cahline," Luster says. "Dey been goin hit.
Ever since Miss Quentin come home.
Mammy up there keepin um fum fightin.
Is dat show come, Mr Jason?"
"Yes," I says.
I thought I heard de band," he says. "Wish I could go," he says. "I could ef I jes had a quarter."
Dilsey came in.
"You come, is you?" she says. "Whut you been up to dis evenin?
You knows how much work I got to do; whyn't you git here on time?"
"Maybe I went to the show," I says. "Is supper ready?"
"Wish I could go," Luster says. "I could ef I jes had a quarter."
"You aint got no business at no show," Dilsey says. "You go on in de house and set down," she says. "dont you go up stairs and git um started again, now."
"What's the matter?" I says.
"Quentin come in a while ago and says you been follerin her around all evenin and den Miss Cahline jumped on her.
Whyn't you let her alone?
Cant you live in de same house wid yo own blood niece widout quoilin?"
"I cant quarrel with her," I says, "because I haven't seen her since this morning. What does she say I've done now? made her go to school?
That's pretty bad," I says.
"Well, you tend to yo business and let her lone," Dilsey says. "I'll take keer of her ef you'n Miss Cahline'll let me.
Go on in afar now and behave yoself swell I git supper on."
"Ef I jes had a quarter," Luster says, "I could go to dat show."
"En ef you had wings you could fly to heaven," Dilsey says. "I dont want to hear another word about dat show."
"That reminds me," I says. "I've got a couple of tickets they gave me." I took them out of my coat.
"You fixin to use um?" Luster says.
"Not me," I says. "I wouldn't go to it for ten dollars."