God's Little Acre

God's Little Acre by Erskine Caldwell Read Free Book Online Page B

Book: God's Little Acre by Erskine Caldwell Read Free Book Online
Authors: Erskine Caldwell
a man.”
    “Maybe he didn’t know you were taking a bath in the back yard, Darling Jill. He wouldn’t know it until he came around here and saw you.”
    “Don’t you think he didn’t know it. If you think that, then tell me why it is he comes around the corner of the house every time I’m taking one. Pluto isn’t so dumb as he looks. He’ll fool you by his looks.”
    There was a silence after that, and Pluto knew they had left the yard and gone into the house. He wrung his handkerchief again and attempted to wipe the soap out of his eyes. Feeling his way around to the front of the house, he reached the steps and sat down to wait for Darling Jill to dress and come out. He was not angry with her for throwing soap in his face; nothing could have made him angry with her. She had done things much worse than that to him many times. And she called him the worst names she could think of.
    When he succeeded in drying the soap and in wiping the last of it from his face and hair, he was surprised to look up and see that the sun was almost down. He realized that he would not be able to call on any more of the voters that day. But as long as he was taking Darling Jill to Scottsville, he did not regret it. He would rather be with her than win an election.
    The screen door behind him squeaked, and Darling Jill and Griselda came out.
    They stood on the porch at his back looking down at the top of his head and giggling a little. He could not turn around to see them without getting up, and he decided to wait until they came down the steps before looking at them.
    “Darning your socks, aren’t you, Pluto?” Darling Jill asked him. “You should have done that before you went around to the back yard.”

CHAPTER V
    I T WAS AFTER ten o’clock when they reached Scottsville that evening. Pluto was lost in the maze of mill streets, but Darling Jill had been there many times before and she recognized the house before they got to it. Rosamond and Will’s house was apparently like all the others, but Rosamond usually had blue curtains over the windows and Darling Jill had looked for those.
    Pluto stopped the car but did not shut off the motor. Darling Jill turned the switch and took out the key.
    “Wait a minute,” Pluto said excitedly. “Don’t do that, Darling Jill.”
    She dropped the key into her pocketbook and laughed at Pluto’s protests. Before he could stop her, she had opened the door and stepped to the street. Pluto got out and followed her up the walk to the front door.
    “I don’t hear Will anywhere,” she said, stopping and trying to see through the window.
    They opened the door and went into the hall. The light was burning and all the other doors were open. From one of the rooms came the sound of someone crying. Darling Jill went into one of the dark rooms and snapped on the light. Rosamond was lying across the bed with part of a sheet covering her face. She was sobbing loudly.
    “Rosamond!” Darling Jill cried. “What in the world is the matter!”
    She ran and fell across the bed with her sister.
    Rosamond raised herself on her elbows and looked around the room. She dried the tears on her face and tried to smile.
    “I wasn’t expecting you,” she said, throwing her arms around Darling Jill and bursting into tears again. “I’m glad you came when you did. I thought I was going to die. I must have been out of my head a little.”
    “What did Will do to you? Where is he?”
    Pluto had been standing in the doorway, not knowing what else to do. He tried not to look at Rosamond until she had noticed him.
    “Hello, Pluto,” she smiled. “I certainly am glad to see you again. Take the clothes off the chair and sit down and make yourself at home.”
    “Where’s Will?” Darling Jill asked again. “Tell me what happened, Rosamond.”
    “I suppose he’s down the street somewhere,” Rosamond said. “I don’t know exactly where he is.”
    “But what’s the matter?”
    “He’s been drunk all this week,”

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