brother, Guthrie."
She looked at them but the blank expression didn't change.
He took her to the opposite wall to show her the gold Medal of Honor, with its crossed oars. "Government gave that to my papa. He was a hero, Teetoncey."
Nothing.
Ben said, "Whew."
He led her back into the living room and sat her down on the couch. She folded her hands.
Then he thought about that British professor who'd come out to investigate all the words that didn't sound so strange to the Bankers at all. If the words were from Devon, maybe she'd know them.
He pulled a chair up. "If someone tells you they caught a slew of feesh, that's many.
Slew
is many.
"Mama is
couthy.
That means she's capable."
He pointed out the window. "That timber out there for the laundry line is a
postie.
An' we get
waspies
an'
nesties
in our chimney summers.
"
Disremember
is to forget an'
disencourage
means what it says.
Mindable
is payin' attention an'
studiments
is lessons...
"We
traveled
him to you means we brought him to you...
"
Swayzed
means it moved aroun'...
"Fid an' Boo Dog are
critters
... I'm a
youngun'
...
"
Fleech
means to flatter..."
Offhand, he couldn't think of any more that the professor had gotten so all-fired excited about, but it didn't make any difference. He might as well have been talking to a postie.
She was looking down at the floor.
Ben said angrily, "Tee, why don't you get some sleep," and took her back into the bedroom. He thought he might have been better off going to Mrs. Farrow's and listening to Ecclesiastes.
He couldn't understand it. His mother seemed to have no trouble at all. She jabbered on as if she was getting answers to everything. And he'd never seen her so happy, not even when Reuben came home safe. He made a guess that after taking care of four men she was inspired to do all sorts of things, from making more dresses for Tee to getting Mr. Burrus to order some hair curling irons from Elizabeth City.
The clock ticked on and Ben slowly went out of his mind waiting for his mother to return.
10
T HE NEXT DAY Frank Scarborough and Kilbie Oden, who were twelve and thirteen, respectively, came by just to take a look. They stuck their heads in the door and got their look, but didn't say anything.
Ben watched Tee. She was on the couch. She didn't seem to know what to make of it.
Rachel said, "Come on in, boys."
Frank answered, "No, ma'am, Mis' O'Neal."
Ben was sure they did not want to be around a freak.
They pulled their heads back out. Frank was nice looking but Kilbie had bad skin. His mother daubed salve that contained sweet spirit of niter, and something else, on it. He was speckled white a lot of the time. But Kilbie was plagued with an unfortunate face, anyway. It looked like piecrust with a round nose jammed in the middle. His hair was reddish. But Ben had always said, "They're as good-a-boys as any."
Of the three of them, Kilbie, despite his looks, was the smartest, in Ben's opinion; including himself. He knew a lot about many things but he had his weaknesses, too. They had only "gotten" to Kilbie on one occasion, in Ben's memory, and it was over snakes.
It was around the time that Jabez Tillett took the three of them up the feeder ditch to Lake Mattamuskeet. Vines hung over that wine-colored ditch and snakes lay up in the vines. It was not a recommended trip for those who were skitterish.
That morning a few dropped into the boat and Jabez, Frank, and Ben were frantic with the oars trying to get them out. They hit each other as much as they did the snakes.
But Kilbie stayed calm and wisely just reached down to pick them up one by one and toss them over the side. They weren't "pizen," he said. He even laughed when Frank hit Ben in the mouth with an oar blade, drawing blood.
Two days later they got back at Kilbie. They made a cut in the rear wall of the Odens' outhouse and found a long, crooked stick. When Kilbie came out just past sunrise and sat down Ben guided the stick through the hole and up. He
She looked at them but the blank expression didn't change.
He took her to the opposite wall to show her the gold Medal of Honor, with its crossed oars. "Government gave that to my papa. He was a hero, Teetoncey."
Nothing.
Ben said, "Whew."
He led her back into the living room and sat her down on the couch. She folded her hands.
Then he thought about that British professor who'd come out to investigate all the words that didn't sound so strange to the Bankers at all. If the words were from Devon, maybe she'd know them.
He pulled a chair up. "If someone tells you they caught a slew of feesh, that's many.
Slew
is many.
"Mama is
couthy.
That means she's capable."
He pointed out the window. "That timber out there for the laundry line is a
postie.
An' we get
waspies
an'
nesties
in our chimney summers.
"
Disremember
is to forget an'
disencourage
means what it says.
Mindable
is payin' attention an'
studiments
is lessons...
"We
traveled
him to you means we brought him to you...
"
Swayzed
means it moved aroun'...
"Fid an' Boo Dog are
critters
... I'm a
youngun'
...
"
Fleech
means to flatter..."
Offhand, he couldn't think of any more that the professor had gotten so all-fired excited about, but it didn't make any difference. He might as well have been talking to a postie.
She was looking down at the floor.
Ben said angrily, "Tee, why don't you get some sleep," and took her back into the bedroom. He thought he might have been better off going to Mrs. Farrow's and listening to Ecclesiastes.
He couldn't understand it. His mother seemed to have no trouble at all. She jabbered on as if she was getting answers to everything. And he'd never seen her so happy, not even when Reuben came home safe. He made a guess that after taking care of four men she was inspired to do all sorts of things, from making more dresses for Tee to getting Mr. Burrus to order some hair curling irons from Elizabeth City.
The clock ticked on and Ben slowly went out of his mind waiting for his mother to return.
10
T HE NEXT DAY Frank Scarborough and Kilbie Oden, who were twelve and thirteen, respectively, came by just to take a look. They stuck their heads in the door and got their look, but didn't say anything.
Ben watched Tee. She was on the couch. She didn't seem to know what to make of it.
Rachel said, "Come on in, boys."
Frank answered, "No, ma'am, Mis' O'Neal."
Ben was sure they did not want to be around a freak.
They pulled their heads back out. Frank was nice looking but Kilbie had bad skin. His mother daubed salve that contained sweet spirit of niter, and something else, on it. He was speckled white a lot of the time. But Kilbie was plagued with an unfortunate face, anyway. It looked like piecrust with a round nose jammed in the middle. His hair was reddish. But Ben had always said, "They're as good-a-boys as any."
Of the three of them, Kilbie, despite his looks, was the smartest, in Ben's opinion; including himself. He knew a lot about many things but he had his weaknesses, too. They had only "gotten" to Kilbie on one occasion, in Ben's memory, and it was over snakes.
It was around the time that Jabez Tillett took the three of them up the feeder ditch to Lake Mattamuskeet. Vines hung over that wine-colored ditch and snakes lay up in the vines. It was not a recommended trip for those who were skitterish.
That morning a few dropped into the boat and Jabez, Frank, and Ben were frantic with the oars trying to get them out. They hit each other as much as they did the snakes.
But Kilbie stayed calm and wisely just reached down to pick them up one by one and toss them over the side. They weren't "pizen," he said. He even laughed when Frank hit Ben in the mouth with an oar blade, drawing blood.
Two days later they got back at Kilbie. They made a cut in the rear wall of the Odens' outhouse and found a long, crooked stick. When Kilbie came out just past sunrise and sat down Ben guided the stick through the hole and up. He
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