disrespect,” Mrs. Hall called across. “Not that, exactly. But I see Lou’s point. I wouldn’t have come today, Joan. I don’t mind telling you.”
“What would I do at home?” Joan asked. “Sit?”
“Exactly what led me to my discussion,” said Missouri. “What
sitting
does, is—”
“You could have stayed around and helped out,” Mrs. Hall said. “Made tea and things. A person needs company at a time like this. And James there, why, he is very close to being Janie’s cousin-in-law, or once removed, or whatever you call it—”
Once again they all looked at Joan, but she went on grouping leaves and they sighed and turned back to the table.
“
Anyway
,” said Mrs. Hall, “with his own brother on the verge of—”
“Well, this is sort of pointless,” Joan said. “You just think one way, and me another. I don’t think she wants any more than her own husband there, and that’s what she’s got. And Simon too, if she wants him.”
“Ain’t
that
a funny thing,” Lily said suddenly. “Up to last week, it was Janie
Rose
she never paid no attention to—”
“You hush,” Missouri said. “This is Miss Joan’s
relatives
we’re talking about.”
“Well, I know that. Now, won’t it Simon she used to brag on all the time? Won’t it Simon that was spoiled so rotten he—”
“Hush.”
“My feet are killing me,” said Mrs. Hall.
Her second hander, the pale one named Josephine, looked down at Mrs. Hall’s feet and gave one of them a gentle kick with the toe of her sneaker. “With me it’s sneakers or barefoot,” she said. “What you wearing leather shoes for?”
“Because I’m older than you. I have to look decent.” She snapped off her twine and turned to the barn. “Boy!” she called.
“Will you look?” said Missouri. “She’s a stick and a half ahead of me, and you two are poking along. Hurry it up, Lily.”
Lily handed her the next bunch and then stretched, raising her thin black arms an enormous length above her head. To show her disapproval Missouri jerked her string with a twanging sound, and one of Lily’s leaves fell out of its bunch on the stick and landed in the dust. “Oh, Lord,” Missouri said. She handed her string to Joan and bent to pick up the leaf, holding the small of her back with one hand. A pink slip strap slid down over her shoulder. “Four hours ago it was four o’clock,” she said when she retrieved the leaf. “Now it’s four thirty. When’ll it ever be five?”
“Won’t help you if it is,” called Mrs. Hall, “so long as you’ve still got leaves on your table.”
“Well, I can’t help it if they loaded the most leaves on me.” She pulled her strap up again and took the end of the twine away from Joan. “I was saying something,” she said. “I have that fidgety feeling, like I wasn’t finished.”
“Sitting,” Joan reminded her.
“Sitting? Oh, sitting. My lord, how long I been
on
that? Well, anyway.” She snapped her fingers at Lily, who was gazing open-mouthed at a pecan tree, and Lily jumped and handed her another bunch of leaves.“Originally,” Missouri said, “I was getting around to a remedy for Mrs. Pike. Well, now I’ve gotten to it. Mrs. Pike is going to have to start working again.”
“Working?” Lily said. “
I
didn’t know Mrs. Pike worked.”
“Will you
hush?
” Missouri switched the twine to her left hand and reached across to slap Lily’s arm. “I don’t know where you spend all your time, Lily,” she said. She took up the twine in her right hand again and snatched Joan’s leaves from her. “Well, it so happens she does work. She’s a seamstress. Teen-iney stitches and a Singer for her machine work. Miss Joan can tell you. Most of it’s altering things, but she makes things from scratch also. Reason you might not know,” she told Lily, “is she does it at home. Works in. A lot of right important people go there. Mrs. Lawrence, the judge’s wife, does—saw her drive up to the door
“What would I do at home?” Joan asked. “Sit?”
“Exactly what led me to my discussion,” said Missouri. “What
sitting
does, is—”
“You could have stayed around and helped out,” Mrs. Hall said. “Made tea and things. A person needs company at a time like this. And James there, why, he is very close to being Janie’s cousin-in-law, or once removed, or whatever you call it—”
Once again they all looked at Joan, but she went on grouping leaves and they sighed and turned back to the table.
“
Anyway
,” said Mrs. Hall, “with his own brother on the verge of—”
“Well, this is sort of pointless,” Joan said. “You just think one way, and me another. I don’t think she wants any more than her own husband there, and that’s what she’s got. And Simon too, if she wants him.”
“Ain’t
that
a funny thing,” Lily said suddenly. “Up to last week, it was Janie
Rose
she never paid no attention to—”
“You hush,” Missouri said. “This is Miss Joan’s
relatives
we’re talking about.”
“Well, I know that. Now, won’t it Simon she used to brag on all the time? Won’t it Simon that was spoiled so rotten he—”
“Hush.”
“My feet are killing me,” said Mrs. Hall.
Her second hander, the pale one named Josephine, looked down at Mrs. Hall’s feet and gave one of them a gentle kick with the toe of her sneaker. “With me it’s sneakers or barefoot,” she said. “What you wearing leather shoes for?”
“Because I’m older than you. I have to look decent.” She snapped off her twine and turned to the barn. “Boy!” she called.
“Will you look?” said Missouri. “She’s a stick and a half ahead of me, and you two are poking along. Hurry it up, Lily.”
Lily handed her the next bunch and then stretched, raising her thin black arms an enormous length above her head. To show her disapproval Missouri jerked her string with a twanging sound, and one of Lily’s leaves fell out of its bunch on the stick and landed in the dust. “Oh, Lord,” Missouri said. She handed her string to Joan and bent to pick up the leaf, holding the small of her back with one hand. A pink slip strap slid down over her shoulder. “Four hours ago it was four o’clock,” she said when she retrieved the leaf. “Now it’s four thirty. When’ll it ever be five?”
“Won’t help you if it is,” called Mrs. Hall, “so long as you’ve still got leaves on your table.”
“Well, I can’t help it if they loaded the most leaves on me.” She pulled her strap up again and took the end of the twine away from Joan. “I was saying something,” she said. “I have that fidgety feeling, like I wasn’t finished.”
“Sitting,” Joan reminded her.
“Sitting? Oh, sitting. My lord, how long I been
on
that? Well, anyway.” She snapped her fingers at Lily, who was gazing open-mouthed at a pecan tree, and Lily jumped and handed her another bunch of leaves.“Originally,” Missouri said, “I was getting around to a remedy for Mrs. Pike. Well, now I’ve gotten to it. Mrs. Pike is going to have to start working again.”
“Working?” Lily said. “
I
didn’t know Mrs. Pike worked.”
“Will you
hush?
” Missouri switched the twine to her left hand and reached across to slap Lily’s arm. “I don’t know where you spend all your time, Lily,” she said. She took up the twine in her right hand again and snatched Joan’s leaves from her. “Well, it so happens she does work. She’s a seamstress. Teen-iney stitches and a Singer for her machine work. Miss Joan can tell you. Most of it’s altering things, but she makes things from scratch also. Reason you might not know,” she told Lily, “is she does it at home. Works in. A lot of right important people go there. Mrs. Lawrence, the judge’s wife, does—saw her drive up to the door
Similar Books
