He hasn't come home.
Something has happened to him.
We let something happen to him."
Then we saw him.
He came up along the ditch and then turned straight across the field, riding the horse.
Its mane and tail were going, as though in motion they were carrying out the splotchy pattern of its coat: he looked like he was riding on a big pinwheel, bare-hacked, with a rope bridle, and no hat on his head.
It was a descendant of those Texas ponies Flem Snopes brought here twenty-five years ago and auctioned off for two dollars a head and nobody but old Lon Quick ever caught his and still owned some of the blood because he could never give it away.
He galloped up and stopped, his heels in the horse's ribs and it dancing and swirling like the shape of its: mane and tail and the splotches of its coat had nothing whatever to do with the flesh-and-bone horse inside them, and he sat there, looking at us.
"Where did you get that horse?" pa said.
"Bought it," Jewel said.
"From Mr Quick."
"Bought it?" pa said.
"With what?
Did you buy that thing on my word?"
“It was my money," Jewel said.
"I earned it.
You wont need to worry about it"
"Jewel," ma said;
"Jewel."
"It's all right," Cash said.
"He earned the money, He cleaned up that forty acres of new ground Quick laid out last spring.
He did it single handed, working at night by lantern.
I saw him.
So I dont reckon that horse cost anybody anything except Jewel.
I dont reckon we need worry."
"Jewel," ma said.
"Jewel . . ." Then she said: "You come right to the house and go to bed."
"Not yet," Jewel said.
"I aint got time.
I got to get me a saddle and bridle.
Mr Quick says he..."
“Jewel," ma said, looking at him.
I'll give—I'll give. . .give . . ." Then she began to cry.
She cried hard, not hiding her face, standing there in her faded wrapper, looking at him and him on the horse, looking down at her, his face growing cold and a little sick looking, until he looked away quick and Cash came and touched her.
"You go on to the house," Cash said.
"This here ground is too wet for you.
You go on, now."
She put her hands to her face then and after a while she went on, stumbling a little on the plow-marks. But pretty soon she straightened up and went on, She didn't look back.
When she reached the ditch she stopped and called Vardaman.
He was looking at the horse, land of dancing up and down by it.
"Let me ride, Jewel," he said.
"Let me ride, Jewel."
Jewel looked at him, then he looked away again, holding the horse reined back.
Pa watched him, mumbling his lip.
"So you bought a horse," he said.
"You went behind my back and bought a horse.
You never consulted me; you know how tight it is for us to make by, yet you bought a horse for me to feed.
Taken the work from your flesh and blood and bought a horse with it."
Jewel looked at pa, his eyes paler than ever.
"He wont never eat a mouthful of yours," he said.