says. Sheriff twist his thick neck around and looks at Shorty's smilin face.
"Yes sir, Sheriff Tom, good afternoon, Sheriff Tom." Shor ty's words slur as he bounces his way over to the sheriff.
"Yes sir, Sheriff Tom, Ah hear it first, yes sir, Ah hear it down Mister Han uer's cuttin shop, yes sir, hear it there. Hear tha t l ittle child gi ts hurt, ancl hear i t some of t h em driftin col oreds that done it, yes sir, that's what Ah hea rs." Shorty fin ished talking but kept smiling up in the sheriff 's face.
The sheriff turned back to the counter, took a sip from his glass, bu t could still feel Shorty's grin grindi n g against his back. Th e n , quicker than swatti ng a buzzi n Uy, I he sheriff
B I L L y I 55
spund around and brought the back of his hand across Shor ty's smiling face. Shorty's dwarflike body went hafeway across the room and landed on one of the tables, then he and the ta ble crashed to the floor. Shorty just laid there, wasn't a smile on his face. Big Jake woke up and Della Robinson got out of Lhere.
"Little girl ain'L hurt, she dead," the sheriff mumbled, then turned back to LeRoy, saying, "I got somethin ugly here, real ugly."
"Umm, what can Ah do for ya, Sheriff?" LeRoy asked.
"I got me a liLtle girl layin out Lhere dead. She got a stab from a knife that let all her blood run out of her. She's dead. Wasn't nothin nobody could do for her once that knife was shoved up in her." The sheriff mumbled something that LeRoy couldn't hear, then was silent for a moment.
"I wanna know, which niggers did this?"
"Ah ain't heard nothin for ya, Sheriff, been here all day." "That ain't what I asked ya, LeRoy."
"Ah ain't heard tell of it till Shorty bring it here." "That ain't what I ask ya."
"Ain't nobody down here, cept Big Jake. He sleepin all day. Della come down here when Shorty git here. She ain't knowin nothin. Ah ain't heard of no drifti n folks bei n around. If Ah do, Ah come and gits ya myself."
"That ain't what I asked ya." Silence.
Sheriff Tom leans from the counler, looks over to Big Jake, but doesn't say anything, then slowly walks towards the door, Lhen pauses in the doorway, wipes the back of his neck, and turns around and looks at LeRoy.
"I reckon it's about four-thirLy, five o'clock abouts. I wa nt them two boys fore that sun goes down. I don't get em, I'm
56 I Albert Fre11ch
not even gonna be ask in why. Ya hear me? Ya want ta fuck again, ya think abou t it," Sheriff Tom mumbled, but LeRoy heard him.
Reverend Sims' eyes went from the road to them bushes and high grass when the corner of his eye catches a glimpse of some quick jerky movement. He sees Della Robinson runnin with her hands flappin like bird wings, and watches her until she reaches the first shack at the road 's end and disappears behind it. He waited. He could hear her voice shouting at the porch-sitters out back of the shack, but could not make out her words. When he could see her again, he stepped down his two steps and walked out into his di1t yard some, so she'd be sure to see him. He knew she would come to him. All sheeps come to the shepherd when wolves come, he thinks.
Della Robinson scoots up between the shacks and sees Reverend Sims standing with his hands folded, his ways call her to him.
"Reverend, Reverend, that sheriff, he just, he, he . . . " "What happen, child, what ya tryin ta tell?"
"That Sheriff Tom he's down LeRoy's. Shmty ain't botherin him. Shorty wasn't
"Ah got on out of there. He say that c hild dead. After he smacks Shorty, he say that child is dead. Ain't no tellin what that fool man be
"Yes sir, Sheriff Tom, good afternoon, Sheriff Tom." Shor ty's words slur as he bounces his way over to the sheriff.
"Yes sir, Sheriff Tom, Ah hear it first, yes sir, Ah hear it down Mister Han uer's cuttin shop, yes sir, hear it there. Hear tha t l ittle child gi ts hurt, ancl hear i t some of t h em driftin col oreds that done it, yes sir, that's what Ah hea rs." Shorty fin ished talking but kept smiling up in the sheriff 's face.
The sheriff turned back to the counter, took a sip from his glass, bu t could still feel Shorty's grin grindi n g against his back. Th e n , quicker than swatti ng a buzzi n Uy, I he sheriff
B I L L y I 55
spund around and brought the back of his hand across Shor ty's smiling face. Shorty's dwarflike body went hafeway across the room and landed on one of the tables, then he and the ta ble crashed to the floor. Shorty just laid there, wasn't a smile on his face. Big Jake woke up and Della Robinson got out of Lhere.
"Little girl ain'L hurt, she dead," the sheriff mumbled, then turned back to LeRoy, saying, "I got somethin ugly here, real ugly."
"Umm, what can Ah do for ya, Sheriff?" LeRoy asked.
"I got me a liLtle girl layin out Lhere dead. She got a stab from a knife that let all her blood run out of her. She's dead. Wasn't nothin nobody could do for her once that knife was shoved up in her." The sheriff mumbled something that LeRoy couldn't hear, then was silent for a moment.
"I wanna know, which niggers did this?"
"Ah ain't heard nothin for ya, Sheriff, been here all day." "That ain't what I asked ya, LeRoy."
"Ah ain't heard tell of it till Shorty bring it here." "That ain't what I ask ya."
"Ain't nobody down here, cept Big Jake. He sleepin all day. Della come down here when Shorty git here. She ain't knowin nothin. Ah ain't heard of no drifti n folks bei n around. If Ah do, Ah come and gits ya myself."
"That ain't what I asked ya." Silence.
Sheriff Tom leans from the counler, looks over to Big Jake, but doesn't say anything, then slowly walks towards the door, Lhen pauses in the doorway, wipes the back of his neck, and turns around and looks at LeRoy.
"I reckon it's about four-thirLy, five o'clock abouts. I wa nt them two boys fore that sun goes down. I don't get em, I'm
56 I Albert Fre11ch
not even gonna be ask in why. Ya hear me? Ya want ta fuck again, ya think abou t it," Sheriff Tom mumbled, but LeRoy heard him.
Reverend Sims' eyes went from the road to them bushes and high grass when the corner of his eye catches a glimpse of some quick jerky movement. He sees Della Robinson runnin with her hands flappin like bird wings, and watches her until she reaches the first shack at the road 's end and disappears behind it. He waited. He could hear her voice shouting at the porch-sitters out back of the shack, but could not make out her words. When he could see her again, he stepped down his two steps and walked out into his di1t yard some, so she'd be sure to see him. He knew she would come to him. All sheeps come to the shepherd when wolves come, he thinks.
Della Robinson scoots up between the shacks and sees Reverend Sims standing with his hands folded, his ways call her to him.
"Reverend, Reverend, that sheriff, he just, he, he . . . " "What happen, child, what ya tryin ta tell?"
"That Sheriff Tom he's down LeRoy's. Shmty ain't botherin him. Shorty wasn't
"Ah got on out of there. He say that c hild dead. After he smacks Shorty, he say that child is dead. Ain't no tellin what that fool man be
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