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Authors: Erskine Caldwell
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it was—durn meanness.”
“You shouldn’t talk about the Lord like that. He knows what He done it for. He knows everything. He wouldn’t have done it if He didn’t have a good purpose in mind. He knows what He makes men and women for. He made Ellie May’s face like that with a good reason in mind. He had the best reason in the world for doing it.”
“What reason?”
“Maybe I ought not to say it, Jeeter.”
“It ain’t no secret between you and the Lord, is it, Sister Bessie?”
“No, ain’t no secrets between us. But I know.”
“You know what?”
“Why He made her lip slit open.”
“Ain’t you going to tell me?”
“Brother Jeeter, He done that to her lip to save her pure body from the wicked men.”
“What men? I’m the only man around here.”
“It’s you, Brother Jeeter.”
“I ain’t wicked. I’m sinful at rare times, but I never been wicked.”
“It’s all the same to God. It don’t make no difference to Him which it is.”
“What did I do? I don’t see how stealing a few measly turnips and sweet potatoes once in a while has anything to do with Ellie May’s face.”
“Brother Jeeter, the Lord done that to her lip to save her pure body from being ruined by you. He knowed she would be safe in this house when He made her like that. He knowed that you was once a powerful sinner, and that you might be again if—”
“That’s the truth,” Jeeter said. “I used to be a powerful sinful man in my time. I reckon I was at one time the most powerful sinful man in the whole country. Now, you take them Peabody children over across the field. I reckon clear near about all of them is half mine, one way or another. And then I used to—”
“You wait till I finish accusing you, Jeeter, before you start lying out of it.”
“I ain’t lying out of it, Bessie. I just now told you how powerful sinful I once was. There was a man and his wife moved here from—”
“As I was saying, you didn’t keep none of it hid from the Lord—”
“But Henry Peabody didn’t know nothing about it though—”
“—He knowed that you might take it into your head to ruin Ellie May. The Lord knows everything, and He’s got his reasons. He knowed you was such a powerful sinful man long years ago that you wouldn’t have obeyed Him if He told you to take your eyes out, if your eyes offended Him.”
“Looking at her slit with my eyes won’t offend nobody. He don’t care about my eyes. What would He want to take them out for?”
“Just like I was saying. If the Lord had told you to cut your eyes out because they offended Him, you wouldn’t have done it. That showed you was a powerful sinner. Or if He had told you to cut off your hand, or your ears, for the same reason, you wouldn’t have obeyed Him. And He knowed if He told you to stop fooling with Ellie May, you wouldn’t have cut off the root of the evil like He said do. That’s the reason He sent Ellie May into the world with a slit in her lip. He figured she would be safe from a sinner like you, because you wouldn’t like the looks of her.”
“The Lord be praised,” Jeeter said. “You sure have opened my eyes to the way of God. I never knowed before about that, I declare. If I had knowed it, I sure would have cut myself off when I was fooling around over there at Peabody’s. Then if I had done that, Ellie May wouldn’t look like she does now, would she, Bessie?”
“It’s just like I said. The Lord knows more about us humans’ ways than we do.”
“I’ve been a powerful sinful man in my time, I reckon. I never knowed I ought to cut myself off before. Maybe it’s not too late now. I sure don’t want to let the devil get hold of me.”
Bessie turned to Dude again, smiling at him and holding her arms tighter around his neck. Dude did not know what to do next. He liked to touch her, and feel her, and he wanted her to hug him some more, as she had done. He liked to feel her arms tight around him, and have her rub him.
“You shouldn’t talk about the Lord like that. He knows what He done it for. He knows everything. He wouldn’t have done it if He didn’t have a good purpose in mind. He knows what He makes men and women for. He made Ellie May’s face like that with a good reason in mind. He had the best reason in the world for doing it.”
“What reason?”
“Maybe I ought not to say it, Jeeter.”
“It ain’t no secret between you and the Lord, is it, Sister Bessie?”
“No, ain’t no secrets between us. But I know.”
“You know what?”
“Why He made her lip slit open.”
“Ain’t you going to tell me?”
“Brother Jeeter, He done that to her lip to save her pure body from the wicked men.”
“What men? I’m the only man around here.”
“It’s you, Brother Jeeter.”
“I ain’t wicked. I’m sinful at rare times, but I never been wicked.”
“It’s all the same to God. It don’t make no difference to Him which it is.”
“What did I do? I don’t see how stealing a few measly turnips and sweet potatoes once in a while has anything to do with Ellie May’s face.”
“Brother Jeeter, the Lord done that to her lip to save her pure body from being ruined by you. He knowed she would be safe in this house when He made her like that. He knowed that you was once a powerful sinner, and that you might be again if—”
“That’s the truth,” Jeeter said. “I used to be a powerful sinful man in my time. I reckon I was at one time the most powerful sinful man in the whole country. Now, you take them Peabody children over across the field. I reckon clear near about all of them is half mine, one way or another. And then I used to—”
“You wait till I finish accusing you, Jeeter, before you start lying out of it.”
“I ain’t lying out of it, Bessie. I just now told you how powerful sinful I once was. There was a man and his wife moved here from—”
“As I was saying, you didn’t keep none of it hid from the Lord—”
“But Henry Peabody didn’t know nothing about it though—”
“—He knowed that you might take it into your head to ruin Ellie May. The Lord knows everything, and He’s got his reasons. He knowed you was such a powerful sinful man long years ago that you wouldn’t have obeyed Him if He told you to take your eyes out, if your eyes offended Him.”
“Looking at her slit with my eyes won’t offend nobody. He don’t care about my eyes. What would He want to take them out for?”
“Just like I was saying. If the Lord had told you to cut your eyes out because they offended Him, you wouldn’t have done it. That showed you was a powerful sinner. Or if He had told you to cut off your hand, or your ears, for the same reason, you wouldn’t have obeyed Him. And He knowed if He told you to stop fooling with Ellie May, you wouldn’t have cut off the root of the evil like He said do. That’s the reason He sent Ellie May into the world with a slit in her lip. He figured she would be safe from a sinner like you, because you wouldn’t like the looks of her.”
“The Lord be praised,” Jeeter said. “You sure have opened my eyes to the way of God. I never knowed before about that, I declare. If I had knowed it, I sure would have cut myself off when I was fooling around over there at Peabody’s. Then if I had done that, Ellie May wouldn’t look like she does now, would she, Bessie?”
“It’s just like I said. The Lord knows more about us humans’ ways than we do.”
“I’ve been a powerful sinful man in my time, I reckon. I never knowed I ought to cut myself off before. Maybe it’s not too late now. I sure don’t want to let the devil get hold of me.”
Bessie turned to Dude again, smiling at him and holding her arms tighter around his neck. Dude did not know what to do next. He liked to touch her, and feel her, and he wanted her to hug him some more, as she had done. He liked to feel her arms tight around him, and have her rub him.
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