The Butterfly - James M. Cain [11]
I was shook up plenty myself, because if there was one person in this world I hated it was him, and after all Kady had said, and all I knew from before, I couldn't help wondering what he was doing here, and I knew it had to be something that meant me. So I could feel some connection when I came to my cabin, and from the back room I could hear a baby crying. I went inside, and at the sound of the door, a woman called to know if it was Kady. I said it was Kady's father. She came out then, and from the tall, thin shape she had, and the look of her face and color of her eyes, I knew she was a Tyler. "I think you're my girl Jane."
"And you're my father."
We shook hands, and I patted her hand, and then we sat down, and both of us wanted to give each other a kiss but were too bashful. "Can I call you Father?"
"I don't mind."
"I used to call you Pappy."
"You remember that?"
"I remember a lot, and how sweet you was to me, and how much I loved you, and how tall you was."
"Why not call me Jess?"
"Isn't that fresh?"
"Kady does, but of course she is fresh."
"It's so wonderful about her."
"...What about her?"
"Everything."
She looked down at the floor, and you could see she was awful happy about something, and then she said: "You know about Danny?"
"Who's Danny?"
"Didn't she tell you?"
"Is that Danny in there crying?"
"He won't cry after he's fed. Kady took the truck and ran into town for a lot of things he's got to have, because all you've got here, that he can have, is milk. But she'll be back soon. And as soon as he gets a little something in his stomach he'll be sweeter than sugar."
"What's Moke got to do with him?"
"Have you see Moke?"
I told her what had gone on in the hollow, and she doubled up her fists and said: "I hope I don't see him. I might kill him."
"Hey, hey, none of that kind of talk."
"Moke took Danny."
"First my wife, then my grandson."
"Say that again, Jess."
"He is, isn't he?"
"I wasn't sure you'd remember it."
"I don't forget much."
"What Moke did, and how today I caught up with him, that's part of what's so wonderful. Last week, on account of Kady being gone and my mother not much caring one way or the other, little Danny was mine, and it was heavenly, because maybe I'll never get married, but still I had one of my own. Then when I came home from the store one day he was gone, and Moke was gone, and I went almost crazy, but I knew it had to be Moke that took him, because he was so crazy about him."
"Moke loves somebody?"
"Oh, he gets lonely too. And there I was, fit to be tied. Because Kady, that was my whole life before, was gone I had no idea where, and now with Danny stolen it was more than I could stand. But my mother said if Moke took him, he had to have some place to bring him to, and he still had his shack up in the hollow, and maybe it was there. So she drew it out for me how to get there, and I took the bus over from Blount, and even before I got to it I could hear Danny laughing and Moke playing to him on the banjo. So I wasn't going to take any chance on a fight with Moke. Maybe he wouldn't let me have Danny, but then he'd know I was around, and might run off again, somewhere else. So he said something to Danny about a drink, but I noticed there was no well out back."
"He gets water from a neighbor."
"I thought he might, and right away he came out with a pail and started across the clearing. I went in and grabbed Danny and ran down the path, and when I got to the road I made a man with a wagon give me a ride, because he said he was going as far as the bus line. But then, as we passed this cabin, who should I see but Kady put back, hanging out clothes! Jess, I jumped