I drove on home. There were no lights in the house yet, but theyād all be looking out the windows, and Dilsey jawing away in the kitchen like it was her own food she was having to keep hot until I got there. Youād think to hear her that there wasnāt but one supper in the world, and that was the one she had to keep back a few minutes on my account. Well at least I could come home one time without finding Ben and that nigger hanging on the gate like a bear and a monkey in the same cage. Just let it come toward sundown and heād head for the gate like a cow for the barn, hanging onto it and bobbing his head and sort of moaning to himself. Thatās a hog for punishment for you. If what had happened to him for fooling with open gates had happened to me, I never would want to see another one. I often wondered what heād be thinking about, down there at the gate, watching the girls going home from school, trying to want something he couldnāt even remember he didnāt and couldnāt want any longer. And what heād think when theyād be undressing him and heād happen to take a look at himself and begin to cry like heād do. But like I say they never did enough of that. I says I know what you need, you need what they did to Ben then youād behave. And if you dont know what that was I says, ask Dilsey to tell you.
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