Billy by Albert French Read Free Book Online

head no.
    " Who did that to y ou, then?" th e s h e riff asks. "That other one ," J e nny answer s .
    "Two of em , yo u s a y tw o o f e m c am e d o wn th e r e ? " " That' s all Ah s e e n ."
    "You ever s ee n th ese ni g g e r s b efo r e?" " Ah ain't n e v e r see n e m a round h e r e . "
    "That on e that sc rat c h e d y ou , did that t o y our fac e, w h a t he look like ?"
    " Ah ain't n eve r see n him befo r e. H e wa s on e o f th e m dark kind , ain ' t had n o hai r . "
    "You mean h e w a s old , had a b a ld h e a d?" " No, h e was j u s t a bo y, h e w a sn' t rea l o ld. " " You say he w as ju s t a bo y ?"
    " H e wa s bigger tha n th e o th e r on e, but h e w a s n ' t old .'' " That on e that hurt Lori, wa s h e ju s t a bo y?' '
    B I L L Y I 37

    "He was a little skinny nigger." "How old you think they might be?"
    "Ah don't know, Ah don't know. Ah ain't sure."
    "You thinkin they might be fifteen . . . sixteen . . . maybe even twenty?"
    "They wern't that old yet, they were little niggers."
    "You thinkin they maybe . . . twelve . . . thirteen . . . about that?"
    "Maybe."
    "You think you might know em if you see em again?" "That one that knifed Lori, I'd know him for sure." "What they have on, you remember? What were the y
    wearin?"
    "Ah don't know, just shirts and pants, Ah guess." "That one that hurt you, what did he do to you?" "Ah was chasin him, and he hit me in the face." "You chased him, did he have a knife?"
    "I chased him, he ran all up in them bushes, then he hit me and ran away."
    "Did he have a knife too?" "Ah ain't seen one."
    "Did the other one beat on Lori?"
    "No, she beat him up, then let him go." "She beat him up , you say?"
    "She got him good. He started cryin and all, she let him up."
    "What happen then, tell Sheriff Tom, what happen e d then?"
    "He . . ."
    "Is that when he got that knife out and hurt Lori?" "Uh huh."
    The dogs started barking and howling again. The old bat-
    38 I Albert f?rN1ch

    tere    "Where is she, where's Lori?" Red Pasko shouts, hops up t he porch steps, yan ks t he screen door open, and burst through the doorway, his wife's screams trail behind him.
    Doctor Henry P. Grey had cleaned most of the blood off Lori, taken the bloody sheets and put them in a corner, made sure they were out of sight. Then he'd removed her shirt, folded it up tightly , and put it into his bag. He found one of Ginger's blouses that buttoned up the back and put Lori's limp arms through the sleeves, th e n folded her hands beneath her breast. He looked at her babylike face, shook his head , then reached out with his hand, gently c lo se d her eyes, and pulled the blanket over her head. He would sit with her, that he could do for h er .
    Doctor Grey i s up now, h e ha s h eard the shouts and th e screams, and now h e hears th e une ven thu mp of so meon e rumbling into th e hou se. H e opens th e bed room door for R ed Pasko , looks into hi s face until he ca t ches his eyes wit h his own, then he leaves Lori wi th h er father and slowly walks through t h e house, out onto th e s i tti n g porch.
    The midaft ernoon s u n glares, th e blue s k y see m s t o sim mer. The porch is silent, exce pt for so ft sob bing, it i s si lent. Sheriff Tom has brought Jenny back t o t h e porch and sa t her with the younger ones. Now he leans against the porch post, h i s arms folded and resting above hi s ma ssive belly. Ginger Pasko is motionless, s h e sits with her elbows on her l egs and
    R I L L y I 39

    her face buried in her hands. David is with her. Kevin has come to the porch and sits with his cousin