The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner [80]
And just about the time I got ready to begin on it because if Earl thought I was going to dash up the street and gobble two bits worth of indigestion on his account he was bad fooled. I may not be sitting with my feet on a mahogany desk but I am being payed for what I do inside this building and if I cant manage to live a civilised life outside of it I’ll go where I can. I can stand on my own feet; I dont need any man’s mahogany desk to prop me up. So just about the time I got ready to start I’d have to drop everything and run to sell some redneck a dime’s worth of nails or something, and Earl up there gobbling a sandwich and half way back already, like as not, and then I found that all the blanks were gone. I remembered then that I had aimed to get some more, but it was too late now, and then I looked up and there she came. In the back door. I heard her asking old Job if I was there. I just had time to stick them in the drawer and close it.
She came around to the desk. I looked at my watch.
“You been to dinner already?” I says. “It’s just twelve; I just heard it strike. You must have flown home and back.”
“I’m not going home to dinner,” she says. “Did I get a letter today?”
“Were you expecting one?” I says. “Have you got a sweetie that can write?”
“From Mother,” she says. “Did I get a letter from Mother?” she says, looking at me.
“Mother got one from her,” I says. “I haven’t opened it. You’ll have to wait until she opens it. She’ll let you see it, I imagine.”
“Please, Jason,” she says, not paying any attention. “Did I get one?”
“What’s the matter?” I says. “I never knew you to be this anxious about anybody. You must expect some money from her.”
“She said she——” she says. “Please, Jason,” she says. “Did I?”
“You must have been to school today, after all,” I says. “Somewhere where they taught you to say please. Wait a minute, while I wait on that customer.”
I went and waited on him. When I turned to come back she was out of sight behind the desk. I ran. I ran around the desk and caught her as she jerked her hand out of the drawer. I took the letter away from her, beating her knuckles on the desk until she let go.
“You would, would you?” I says.
“Give it to me,” she says. “You’ve already opened it. Give it to me. Please, Jason. It’s mine. I saw the name.”
“I’ll take a hame string to you,” I says. “That’s what I’ll give you. Going into my papers.”
“Is there some money in it?” she says, reaching for it. “She said she would send me some money. She promised she would. Give it to me.”
“What do you want with money?” I says.
“She said she would,” she says. “Give it to me. Please, Jason. I wont ever ask you anything again, if you’ll give it to me this time.”
“I’m going to, if you’ll give me time,” I says. I took the letter and the money order out and gave her the letter. She reached for the money order, not hardly glancing at the letter. “You’ll have to sign it first,” I says.
“How much is it?” she says.
“Read the letter,” I says. “I reckon it’ll say.”
She read it fast, in about two looks.
“It dont say,” she says, looking up. She dropped the letter to the floor. “How much is it?”
“It’s ten dollars,” I says.
“Ten dollars?” she says, staring at me.
“And you ought to be dam glad to get that,” I says. “A kid like you. What are you in such a rush for money all of a sudden for?”
“Ten dollars?” she says, like she was talking in her sleep. “Just ten dollars?” She made a grab at the money order. “You’re lying,” she says. “Thief!” she says. “Thief!”
“You would, would you?” I says, holding her off.
“Give it to me!” she says. “It’s mine. She sent it to me. I will see it. I will.”
“You will?” I says, holding her. “How’re you going to do it?”
“Just let me see it, Jason,” she says. “Please. I wont ask you for anything again.”
“Think I’m lying, do you?” I says. “Just for