The Collected Stories of William Humphrey by William Humphrey Read Free Book Online Page B

stuffed it with practically every stitch the family owned.
    Grandmother recalled the bag of candy she had brought and fished it out of her purse. She took one herself and called Harold over and gave him one.
    Laura snapped off the washer and said, “Don’t feed him that junk this near dinnertime.”
    â€œLet him have it,” Grandmother insisted, and with a look at the washer, “I don’t suppose he got much while you was saving up for that thing.”
    â€œI declare, Mama, I never thought I’d see the day,” said Laura, “when you’d envy your own daughter a little comfort and not like to see her come up in life.”
    â€œComfort,” said her mama, “is for them as can afford it.”
    â€œWell, you just let me worry about affording it. And this is only the first. I mean to have a lot of nice things and I’m looking around now to decide what I’ll get when the crop’s in.”
    â€œYes, I’ve seen a new player piano,” her mama sighed, “and a new second-hand car come to our house and seen the men come and take them away when they was half paid for.” She shot the bag of candy at the boy; it was giving her a toothache. “Probably the last you’ll see for some time,” she mumbled.
    Harold looked at his mother to have this denied.
    Laura snapped at him, “I reckon you get enough candy.”
    â€œI don’t either,” he appealed to his Granny. “I’ve never got enough candy in my whole life.”
    Laura sent him out the door and no buts about it. The old woman called after him, “You just come over to your Granny’s. She’s always got a little candy for her boy.”
    â€œYou better send that thing back,” she said. She was serious now. “You never know what’s going to happen to keep it from getting paid for.”
    â€œYou’re just mad,” said Laura, “that Dan wants me to have a few nice things when Papa never bought anything nice for you.”
    â€œNever mind that kind of talk. You just better get rid of it.” She clamped her bonnet on and gave the washing machine a scampering look.
    â€œI was going to say you could bring your wash over and use my new machine,” said Laura, “and to show you how big I can be, you still can.”
    Her mama replied with a lift of her nose to show that she wouldn’t be caught dead doing it, “No, thank you. Thank you just the same. I’ve come this far without it and I reckon my rub-board will see me the rest of my way. You as much as said I keep a dirty house. Besides we ain’t got as much clothes as all that,” and she gave Laura’s wash pile a look that said as plain as day: But it’s a good deal more than you all have.
    IV
    When the cotton was in the ground they all drew a deep breath. He was only a week or so behind with it, and then he started seeding his corn. That went so well that Dan spoke of taking off to go fishing. Laura looked forward to it and had it on her mind as she carried whey to the chickens. What a pity Harold was in school, she was thinking, when Dan came over the hill on Daisy.
    Laura poured the whey in the trough and went out to meet him. He looked disgusted with something, so the fishing trip fizzled out.
    â€œWhat happened?” she asked, holding the reins. Then she stooped under the mule’s neck and she saw where Dan’s leg dangled down and floated stiffly inside his bloody pants. Just above the knee his leg took a sickening jump to one side, like a pencil seen through a glass of water.
    Laura crept out from under Daisy’s head and started to look up, when she fainted. Dan slid off Daisy and got his good leg under him. But there he was stuck. He thought, Daisy might take it into her head any minute to make off for oats in the barn. Then what would he do? The nearest support was a fence post he could never reach. He couldn’t possibly get on her