laughter.
‘Wait,’ said Jewell, laughing herself, ‘wait. He said for ewes after the first shearing – “gimmer!” He called the runts “pallies.” He said—’
‘Gimmer! Bumfit!’
‘And granny, that was his wife, mouth straight across like a nail, somebody give her a box of grapefruits once. She didn’t know what they were. Never seen a grapefruit before. You know what she did with them?’
‘Gave bumfit of ’em to the gimmers?’
‘If you’re going to be so smart, why, I won’t say.’
‘Ma! Say it! What did she do with them?’
‘She boiled ’em. Boiled ’em an hour, then brought them to the table on a platter, big pat of melted butter on top of each one. And don’t you know they ate them grapefruit right up, all hot and buttery. Grandpa said, “They’ll never put the ’taties out of business.”’
The orchard and then the barn with its swaybacked and tilting front came in sight. Jewell panted on the rise. Out of the trees the road dust like flour, puffing up at each step. She stopped to catch her breath, looking up at the Nipples’ fields. The chokecherries white with dust. The asters. ‘Look how the juniper’s come into that pasture,’ she said. ‘In only a couple of years. When I think how hard Loyal worked to keep it out of ours I just shudder. I suppose it’ll move right inas fast as it can. Course now that the War’s over, maybe we can find some help. Though it seems like the boys coming back don’t want to work for another man. I guess they got enough of bossin’ around. They all seem to want their own place. And I keep thinkin’ Loyal won’t take to it out west. I expect he’ll come back pretty soon. Make the farm hum.’
‘I can hardly remember what he looks like. Tall. “Use Wildroot Cream Oil Charlie” on his hair. Curly hair. He gave me piggyback rides when I was little. Remember when he gave me the blue doll dishes for my birthday?’
‘Them doll dishes was from him and Dub both.’
The west wall of Nipples’ barn was dotted with thousands of flies and thousands more spun in circles and dipped down to the manure pile. The house stood to the southeast where it caught the winter sun in morning and stood in the barn’s shadow in summer afternoons. As they came up the steps they could see through the screening Mrs. Nipple standing on the porch, rocking on her heels and crying into a dish towel. Her geranium collection, in empty lard tins and rusted-through enamel kettles, lined the edge of the porch. The radio, smashed on the ground, trailed its traitorous cord.
‘We come to help you look,’ said Jewell, opening the screen door. The waxed linoleum gleamed like water. ‘Mernelle thought the dog might come in handy.’ The dog looked a fool, clawed at his fleas.
‘Ronnie’s gone up to Davis’s to call up on their phone for some help. Doris is lookin’ in the barn again. First place we looked, but she says he loves the cows so much she thought that’s where he’d be. He couldn’t of got too far on them little legs of his. It was only a few minutes since we see him, and we was listenin’ to the news about the War bein’ over and everybody screamin’ in New York, just standin’ around the radio when Doris says all of a sudden, “Where’s Rollo?” ’(Mrs. Nipple couldn’t help telling it like a story.) ‘Well, her and me starts to lookin’ upstairs, downstairs, in the pantry, down cellar, Ronnie still listenin’ to the radio, then Doris sees the porch door is open and we look out there, then look in the barn. By this time Doris is real upset and she makes Ronnie go up to your place and the Davis’s. It’s been way over a hour now, and not a threadof that baby! I said to Ronnie, “The time we’re losin’ because of not havin’ no telephone. I want that telephone put in.”’
Mrs. Nipple found Rollo’s sweater for the dog to smell. He took it in his mouth and shook it as though it were a game until Mernelle got it away and led him
‘Wait,’ said Jewell, laughing herself, ‘wait. He said for ewes after the first shearing – “gimmer!” He called the runts “pallies.” He said—’
‘Gimmer! Bumfit!’
‘And granny, that was his wife, mouth straight across like a nail, somebody give her a box of grapefruits once. She didn’t know what they were. Never seen a grapefruit before. You know what she did with them?’
‘Gave bumfit of ’em to the gimmers?’
‘If you’re going to be so smart, why, I won’t say.’
‘Ma! Say it! What did she do with them?’
‘She boiled ’em. Boiled ’em an hour, then brought them to the table on a platter, big pat of melted butter on top of each one. And don’t you know they ate them grapefruit right up, all hot and buttery. Grandpa said, “They’ll never put the ’taties out of business.”’
The orchard and then the barn with its swaybacked and tilting front came in sight. Jewell panted on the rise. Out of the trees the road dust like flour, puffing up at each step. She stopped to catch her breath, looking up at the Nipples’ fields. The chokecherries white with dust. The asters. ‘Look how the juniper’s come into that pasture,’ she said. ‘In only a couple of years. When I think how hard Loyal worked to keep it out of ours I just shudder. I suppose it’ll move right inas fast as it can. Course now that the War’s over, maybe we can find some help. Though it seems like the boys coming back don’t want to work for another man. I guess they got enough of bossin’ around. They all seem to want their own place. And I keep thinkin’ Loyal won’t take to it out west. I expect he’ll come back pretty soon. Make the farm hum.’
‘I can hardly remember what he looks like. Tall. “Use Wildroot Cream Oil Charlie” on his hair. Curly hair. He gave me piggyback rides when I was little. Remember when he gave me the blue doll dishes for my birthday?’
‘Them doll dishes was from him and Dub both.’
The west wall of Nipples’ barn was dotted with thousands of flies and thousands more spun in circles and dipped down to the manure pile. The house stood to the southeast where it caught the winter sun in morning and stood in the barn’s shadow in summer afternoons. As they came up the steps they could see through the screening Mrs. Nipple standing on the porch, rocking on her heels and crying into a dish towel. Her geranium collection, in empty lard tins and rusted-through enamel kettles, lined the edge of the porch. The radio, smashed on the ground, trailed its traitorous cord.
‘We come to help you look,’ said Jewell, opening the screen door. The waxed linoleum gleamed like water. ‘Mernelle thought the dog might come in handy.’ The dog looked a fool, clawed at his fleas.
‘Ronnie’s gone up to Davis’s to call up on their phone for some help. Doris is lookin’ in the barn again. First place we looked, but she says he loves the cows so much she thought that’s where he’d be. He couldn’t of got too far on them little legs of his. It was only a few minutes since we see him, and we was listenin’ to the news about the War bein’ over and everybody screamin’ in New York, just standin’ around the radio when Doris says all of a sudden, “Where’s Rollo?” ’(Mrs. Nipple couldn’t help telling it like a story.) ‘Well, her and me starts to lookin’ upstairs, downstairs, in the pantry, down cellar, Ronnie still listenin’ to the radio, then Doris sees the porch door is open and we look out there, then look in the barn. By this time Doris is real upset and she makes Ronnie go up to your place and the Davis’s. It’s been way over a hour now, and not a threadof that baby! I said to Ronnie, “The time we’re losin’ because of not havin’ no telephone. I want that telephone put in.”’
Mrs. Nipple found Rollo’s sweater for the dog to smell. He took it in his mouth and shook it as though it were a game until Mernelle got it away and led him
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