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Authors: Erskine Caldwell
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in hot weather.
Two of the women walked through the front door just as if they lived there. I stooped down and looked under the house to see what the kids were doing, and I saw three or four of them hopping around like rabbits on four feet. Just then the screen door on the front porch slammed shut, and I looked up and saw one of the women run down the steps with something tucked in her arms. She went straight to one of the wagons, put something inside, and ran back to the house again.
I ran around to the backyard right away. The men were looking in the woodshed, in the stable; and everywhere else they could. Some of them were turning over boards and sticks of wood as if they were looking for something. While I was watching them, Handsome came leaping out the kitchen door with one of the long-skirted women behind. He ran straight to the woodshed and got inside.
“Now, let’s just take it calm and easy,” Pa said to one of the men wearing a vest. “I want to make some swaps as much as anybody, but I can’t think what I’m doing if I’m rushed. Let’s just take it easy and talk things over.”
Nobody paid any attention to what my old man said, because everyone was busy looking at things and dashing about. One of the men went to the woodshed and stepped inside. Handsome came out as fast as he could.
Just then I heard Ma scream at the top of her voice inside the house. She had been taking a nap, and it sounded as if the women had waked her up out of her sleep and scared her. It wasn’t long until Ma came tearing out of the house.
“What’s going on, Morris?” Ma said. “Who are all these strange people, anyway? I was sound asleep when I woke up and saw two women I’d never laid eyes on before in all my life. They were taking the sheets off the bed!”
“Now, just be calm, Martha,” Pa said. “I’ll have things straightened out in no time. I’ll fix things right in a jiffy.”
“But who on earth are these strange people?” Ma said.
“They’re just some gypsies I met downtown who said they wanted to make some swaps with me. I invited them to come up where we could talk things over. There’s a lot of odds and ends about the place that have needed swapping for a long time. I’ll be glad to get them out of the way.”
Two of the women came out of the house and went up to Ma. Ma backed off, but they pinned her in a corner and started talking so fast nobody could understand what they were saying. One of them began to dance up and down and wave her arms. Then one of the men came to the porch and told Ma the women wanted to swap her for her dress. Ma told them she didn’t want to swap her dress, but the women didn’t pay her any heed at all.
The kids that had been crawling around under the house came out with my baseball bat and a fielder’s glove and raced around the corner of the porch toward the wagons. I started after them, but when I got to the corner, I decided I’d better not try to stop them just then. I called Handsome and told him what they had taken, but he said it would be better not to argue with them. Some of the kids were bigger than either of us, anyway.
“Now, wait a minute, folks,” Pa said, trying to grab the men by the back of their vests. Let’s quiet down and talk these swaps over. I want to know what I’m going to get for the things I trade you.”
“Morris!” Ma yelled. “Get these people away from here! Do you hear me, Morris!”
Pa was so busy trying to calm them down that he didn’t hear a word Ma said. He went to the woodshed and brought out an old ax with a broken handle. One of the men took the ax and looked it over carefully. Then he handed it to another man. The other man hurried out to the wagons with it.
“Now, hold on here!” Pa said. “This ain’t no way to swap. I don’t seem to be getting nothing at all for my end of the deal. That ain’t a fair way to swap. No, sir, it ain’t!”
Another gypsy picked up an old tin bucket with a hole in the
Two of the women walked through the front door just as if they lived there. I stooped down and looked under the house to see what the kids were doing, and I saw three or four of them hopping around like rabbits on four feet. Just then the screen door on the front porch slammed shut, and I looked up and saw one of the women run down the steps with something tucked in her arms. She went straight to one of the wagons, put something inside, and ran back to the house again.
I ran around to the backyard right away. The men were looking in the woodshed, in the stable; and everywhere else they could. Some of them were turning over boards and sticks of wood as if they were looking for something. While I was watching them, Handsome came leaping out the kitchen door with one of the long-skirted women behind. He ran straight to the woodshed and got inside.
“Now, let’s just take it calm and easy,” Pa said to one of the men wearing a vest. “I want to make some swaps as much as anybody, but I can’t think what I’m doing if I’m rushed. Let’s just take it easy and talk things over.”
Nobody paid any attention to what my old man said, because everyone was busy looking at things and dashing about. One of the men went to the woodshed and stepped inside. Handsome came out as fast as he could.
Just then I heard Ma scream at the top of her voice inside the house. She had been taking a nap, and it sounded as if the women had waked her up out of her sleep and scared her. It wasn’t long until Ma came tearing out of the house.
“What’s going on, Morris?” Ma said. “Who are all these strange people, anyway? I was sound asleep when I woke up and saw two women I’d never laid eyes on before in all my life. They were taking the sheets off the bed!”
“Now, just be calm, Martha,” Pa said. “I’ll have things straightened out in no time. I’ll fix things right in a jiffy.”
“But who on earth are these strange people?” Ma said.
“They’re just some gypsies I met downtown who said they wanted to make some swaps with me. I invited them to come up where we could talk things over. There’s a lot of odds and ends about the place that have needed swapping for a long time. I’ll be glad to get them out of the way.”
Two of the women came out of the house and went up to Ma. Ma backed off, but they pinned her in a corner and started talking so fast nobody could understand what they were saying. One of them began to dance up and down and wave her arms. Then one of the men came to the porch and told Ma the women wanted to swap her for her dress. Ma told them she didn’t want to swap her dress, but the women didn’t pay her any heed at all.
The kids that had been crawling around under the house came out with my baseball bat and a fielder’s glove and raced around the corner of the porch toward the wagons. I started after them, but when I got to the corner, I decided I’d better not try to stop them just then. I called Handsome and told him what they had taken, but he said it would be better not to argue with them. Some of the kids were bigger than either of us, anyway.
“Now, wait a minute, folks,” Pa said, trying to grab the men by the back of their vests. Let’s quiet down and talk these swaps over. I want to know what I’m going to get for the things I trade you.”
“Morris!” Ma yelled. “Get these people away from here! Do you hear me, Morris!”
Pa was so busy trying to calm them down that he didn’t hear a word Ma said. He went to the woodshed and brought out an old ax with a broken handle. One of the men took the ax and looked it over carefully. Then he handed it to another man. The other man hurried out to the wagons with it.
“Now, hold on here!” Pa said. “This ain’t no way to swap. I don’t seem to be getting nothing at all for my end of the deal. That ain’t a fair way to swap. No, sir, it ain’t!”
Another gypsy picked up an old tin bucket with a hole in the
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