The Stonemason by Cormac McCarthy Read Free Book Online

missing until they've been gone forty eight hours. Then they put the report in a filing cabinet along with about a thousand others, kids that are missing. Missing or misplaced or lost or people just couldn't remember where they'd left them or maybe no one even noticed they were gone or maybe they had no place to be missing from in the first place.
    B IG B EN Carlotta say the truant officer callin up here wantin to know why he ain't in school.
    B EN Sure. You think the left hand knows what the right is doing? Five years ago they were putting us in jail for sending our kids to school, now they want to jail us for not sending them. I've got to go. I'll be over there after dinner. Tell Osreau to be carrying it up on the back side and we'll set the lintels in the morning. Mama, Bye.
    Ben exits.
    M AMA ( To the closed door ) Bye honey.
    B IG B EN Cain't tell him nothin. Drive around. Where he goin to look for the boy at? Police ain't got no sense. Teachers ain't got no sense. Ain't nobody got any sense but him.
    M AMA Well at least he tryin to do somethin.
    B IG B EN What that suppose to mean?
    M AMA Don't mean nothin. Mean he tryin, that's all.
    B IG B EN He just showin out. What's he goin do? The boy's run off, that's all. He'll be back.
    M AMA Well, you waitin on me to peck holes in Benny you better make yourself comfortable, that's all I got to say.
    B IG B EN You don't need to tell me that. Nooo. You sure don't need to tell me that.
    He fluffs up his paper and turns to read, quietly indignant. Carlotta stubs out her cigarette.
    C ARLOTTA Why are you so sure he's just run away, Daddy?
    B IG B EN He's just that age. Lot of boys his age run off from home. It's just their nature. Young boy like that. . .
    C ARLOTTA Did you?
    BIG BEN No. But I thought about it. Course back when I was comin up young boys was kept busy and out of trouble. It wasn't like now. Nooo. Sure wasn't like now. I was Soldier's age I's workin a sixty hour week just like a man.
    C ARLOTTA Uncle Dyson ran away.
    B IG B EN He was a lot older than me. I never did even know him till I was grown.
    C ARLOTTA How long did he stay gone?
    B IG B EN That was different.
    C ARLOTTA How long did he stay gone?
    B IG B EN I don't know. Twenty some odd years, I reckon. But that was a whole different thing.
    M AMA I don't know what you have to go and bring up Dyson for. Worry that girl more than what she is already.
    B IG B EN Me? I never made the first mention of Dyson.
    C ARLOTTA Mama. Mama. Let it go. He's right anyway. He never made the first mention of him. I didn't even know there was such an uncle till I was in high school. Everybody in this family thinks if you don't mention something then it doesn't exist. There must be some huge skeleton left that I still don't know about. What was it? Was somebody a whore or a horse thief or vote Republican?
    M AMA Now girl don't you start with that mouth.
    C ARLOTTA I don't know where you all get it from. Papaw's not like that.
    M AMA Some things is better left unsaid. That's just common knowledge. Papaw don't tell everthing he knows.
    C ARLOTTA No, but he'll tell you anything you ask him.
    M AMA Everbody has things they'd rather to not talk about.
    C ARLOTTA Well if he does I never heard it. Or maybe he'll talk about it anyway, rather or not.
    M AMA Well they ain't never been no criminals in this family like what you said. Not that I ever heard of. I don't know what use it be tellin everbody if they was though.
    C ARLOTTA Well there's a first time for everything. Right?
    B IG B EN What's that supposed to mean?
    Carlotta gets up from the table. She looks as if she's about to cry.
    M AMA Honey it ain't no crime to run off from home. You just gettin yourself all worked up now. He'll be back. You'll see. I bet Benny brings him back today.
    C ARLOTTA Benny this, Benny that.
    She leaves the room crying. Big Ben puts down his paper and looks after her and then looks at Mama.
    B IG B EN Well, that ought to satisfy you I reckon.
    M AMA (