“Let’s go see about Cash,” Darl says.
And I saw something Dewey Dell told me not to tell nobody.
Cash is sick in his leg. We fixed his leg this afternoon, but he is sick in it again, lying on the bed. We pour water on his leg and then he feels fine.
“I feel fine,” Cash says. “I’m obliged to you.”
“Try to get some sleep,” we say.
“I feel fine,” Cash says. “I’m obliged to you.”
And I saw something Dewey Dell told me not to tell nobody. It is not about pa and it is not about Cash and it is not about Jewel and it is not about Dewey Dell and it is not about me.
Dewey Dell and I are going to sleep on the pallet. It is on the back porch, where we can see the barn, and the moon shines on half of the pallet and we will lie half in the white and half in the black, with the moonlight on our legs. And then I am going to see where they stay at night while we are in the barn. We are not in the barn tonight but I can see the barn and so I am going to find where they stay at night.
We lie on the pallet, with our legs in the moon.
“Look,” I say, “my legs look black. Your legs look black, too.”
“Go to sleep,” Dewey Dell says.
Jefferson is a far piece.
“Dewey Dell.”
“If it’s not Christmas now, how will it be there?”