"My feet hurt," she complained. "Kin we take a few minutes an" rest?"
He thought for a moment, then nodded. "I guess so."
She followed him off the road into a field and they sat down beneath a tree. They quickly took off their shoes and, lying back, let their toes wiggle in joyous freedom. "The on"y thing I don" like "bout goin" to town is shoes," she said.
"I don" like "em neither," he agreed. He rubbed his feet. "But I guess we"ll have to git used to "em."
"My mouth is dry," she said. "I wish we had some water."
"There"s a brook "bout three miles fii"ther on," he said. *"We kin get a drink then an" have our san"wiches."
"An" wash our feet too?"
He laughed. "That too." He got to his feet. "Let"s go."
She stared at his feet. "You didn" put your shoes on."
"I reckon we ought to save "em," he said. "Otherwise by the time we git to town they"ll be all wore out."
She smiled. "That"s good thinkin"."
Carrying their shoes, they began once again walking down the hill. After a few minutes, she spoke. "Dan"l."
"Yes?"
"D"you think Mr. Fitch really meant what he tol" Paw?"
"I reckon he did."
"You don" like him, do you?"
Daniel didn"t answer.
"Well, it don" matter, ifn he really kin git us the jobs he said."
Daniel thought for a moment. "I reckon it don"t."
"Dan"l." A strained note came into her voice. "Dan"l, I don"t feel too good."
He looked at her quickly. She had suddenly gone pale, and there were beads of perspiration standing on her forehead. Quickly he pulled off his hat and put it on her head. Her long light brown hair was hot to his fingers. He took her arm. "Come over here "n" set," he said. "You have a tetch o" the sun."
She let him lead her slowly to the shade of another tree. He put her down gently. "You rest a mite."
She shook her head weakly. "No. We have to keep on or we won" git there."
A note of command crept into his voice. "You set. We ain" goin" to git there if"n you git sunstroke neither. You lay there while I see if n I can fin" us some water."
She leaned back, closing her eyes. *"A11 right, Dan"l," she said meekly.
Nimbly he untied the knot that bound his sack and found the tin mug that he had placed among his clothes. He ran down the hill toward a larger group of trees. Generally, where there were that many trees there would be water. He knelt and scooped a handful of earth and sniffed at it. It was damp.
Dropping to his hands and knees, he crept along, tracking the moisture. When his fingers came up wet with the earth, he began to scratch away the surface with his hands. The water began to trickle through when he was about a foot deep into the ground.
Quickly he scooped out a round hole in the ground, then patted the earth hard around its sides. Spreading his fingers, he pressed the heel and palm of one hand down against the bottom of the hole and threw his weight against the earth. A moment later the water began to gather around his fingers. He kept up the pressure until it had almost reached his wrist and was beginning to drain away into the sides; then with his other hand he held the cup until it was filled with water.
Holding the cup carefully, he ran back to his sister. Molly Ann was lying quietly, her eyes closed. She didn"t seem as pale as she had been. She opened her eyes wearily and tried to sit up.
"Be still," he said, kneeling beside her. He pulled a small kerchief from his pack. Moistening it, he pressed it to her forehead and gently wiped her face.
"That do feel good," she whispered.
He wrung out the kerchief and moistened it again. This time he squeezed the drops out against her parched lips. Her lips moved, and her tongue licked at them. "Better?" he asked.
She nodded. "I"m sathirsty. Kin I have a drink?"
"Jes" a little." He put an arm under her shoulders and raised her. He held the cup to her lips, "Not much, now," he warned. "Jes" a taste."
She took a small sip, then sighed. She looked up at him. "I jes" don" know what come over me."
""You should"ve wore a hat," he said. "That there sun"s powerful strong."
"Kin I jes" rest a bit?" she asked. "Then I"ll be all right an" we kin go."
"No hurry," he said. "Mr. Fitch"ll be there when we git there."
She leaned back and closed her eyes. A moment later, she was asleep. Slowly he wiped her face again with the kerchief and then let her rest. A little sleep would do no harm.
Daniel sat back and squinted up at the sun, then down at the road shimmering in the heat. It had to be about noon. No sense getting back on the road now. For the next few hours it would be like the inside of an oven. It would be best to wait until after two o"clock. By that time the sun would be over the hills to the west and the road would begin to cool. He lay back, putting his arms behind his head, and closed his eyes. A moment later, he too was asleep.
A warbler, sitting on a branch over his head, woke him up. Peering through the leafy branches at the clear blue sky, he stared up at the singing bird for a moment. Then he sat up. The bird, startled by the movement, flew away.
He looked at his sister. Her eyes were open. "How"re you feelin"?" he asked.
"Better," she said.
He pushed himself to his feet. "Mought as well go, then."
She sat up. "That never happened to me afore."
He smiled. "You never been out in the sun fer four hours with your head uncovered afore neither,"
"I s"pose." She rose and stood there for a moment, then looked at him. "I"m all right now."
He nodded and began to tie up his clothing again.
""We"ll git you a real drink when we reach the brook." This time he picked up her sack as well as his own, and they started down the road.
She made a gesture to return his hat. ""No, you keep it," he said. "I"m more used to it "n" you are."
They walked along silently for about a half-hour before they came to the brook. They left the road and joyously washed their faces and drank their fill.
"That there"s good water," he said.
She smiled in agreement. "Tas"e" lak sugar."
"We got to keep movin"," he said.
"I"m ready," she said.
He led the way back to the road just as a mule and wagon came around ft-om behind the curve hidden by the trees. He stopped at the edge of the narrow road to let it pa.s.s. She halted behind him.
A lanky young man, his face half hidden by his wide-brimmed mountain man"s hat, sat in the driver"s seat, the reins dangling loosely from his fingers. "Git a move on, there!" he called to the reluctant animal, who was dragging in the heat.
The mule never changed his pace, but just kept plodding along. The young man swore good-humoredly. "Goldanged critter!"
The wagon drew opposite to where they were standing, and the young man looked over the side of the wagon at them. "You kids want a ride into town?"
Molly Ann put a restraining hand on her brother"s arm. "Dan"l. Paw tol" us to walk,"
Almost angrily, he shook her hand away. Dumb girl. Didn"t she know she was in no condition to make it? He looked up at the lanky young man. "We suah do, mistuh," he said.
"*Pleased to meet ya," he said, smiling. He looked at the girl. From what he could see of her face, hidden by the wide-brimmed hat that was obviously her brother"s, she was very pretty. ""Been walkin" fur?"
Daniel nodded. ""Bout fifteen miles since early momin". But the heat made it slow goin".""
"How fur you goin"?"
"FitchvUle."
Jimmy smiled again. "That"s where I"m headin" too. Visitin"?"
Daniel shook his head. "No. We"re goin" to work/"
"You got jobs already?"
"Not yet. But Mr. Fitch tol" my paw he would see to it."
"Fer both of you?"
"Yes."
Jimmy fell silent. The old b.a.s.t.a.r.d had the country by the b.a.l.l.s. There wasn"t anything that went into or came out of the hills that he didn"t have his long greedy fingers into, even people. But there was no way the son of a b.i.t.c.h could lose with a whole town named after his great-great-grandfather.
Daniel glanced into the wagon. He recognized the jugs, even though they were covered by old sugar bags. He turned back to the road. It was none of his business.
Jimmy looked at the girl. She was leaning against her brother, her body swaying gently with the rolhng wagon, her eyes closed. She seemed to be dozing. "If"n your sister is tired," he said, "we kin fix up a place in the wagon fer her to lie down."
Molly Ann straightened up. "I don" want to be no trouble," she said quickly.
He stopped the mule. "No trouble "tall. "Specially fer such a pretty girl." He climbed over the seat into the wagon and moved a row of jugs to the side. Quickly he made a mattress of the cotton sugar bags, then rigged a small cover over part of the pallet to shield her fi*om the sun. "It"s not bad," he said, straightening up. "Slep" there myse"f las" night." He held out a hand to her.
Molly Ann looked at her brother for approval. He nodded. She took Jimmy"s hand and stepped back across the seat. She looked up into his face. ""You"re very kin", Mr. Simpson."
He grinned. ""Jimmy. Ever"body calls me Jinmiy.""
"Jimmy," she said.
Suddenly he became aware that he was still holding her hand. He dropped it. "Make yerse"f comfortable," he said awkwardly.
She felt her heart beating wildly inside her breast and a flush beginning to rise into her face. She didn"t trust herself to speak. She must have taken more sun than she realized. She only nodded.
He climbed back into his seat and picked up the reins. A quick glance over his shoulder confirmed that she was already lying down. He snapped the reins. "Giddap, danged critter!" he swore, in a voice that was almost a whisper so that he would not disturb the girl.
Molly Ann awakened suddenly, feeling the evening chill in the air. As she started to sit up, she became aware that she had been covered with a coa.r.s.e blanket. She pushed it down and drew a deep breath. She was better now.
She turned and saw her brother and the young man sitting, their backs toward her, silhouetted against the evening sky. Idly she wondered how long she had slept. The young man shook the reins. Again she felt a warmth in her face. He was nice.
"You"re awake?" Daniel had heard her.
"Yes."
Jimmy turned toward her. "Want to come up here?"
She nodded. He stopped the mule and held out his hand. She took it. Again she felt her heart begin to beat wildly. In confusion, she let it go. "*How fur we have to go?"
" "Nother couple hours," Jimmy said. *"I cain"t git this critter to move. He"s the lazies" mule in the county."
She looked at Daniel. ""It"ll be late when we git there. What if Mr. Fitch"s store is closed?"
"We"ll git him in the momin", then," Daniel replied, *"Got a place to stay?" Jimmy asked. ""Any kinfolk?"
"No," Daniel answered.
"I kin fix you up at my place," Jimmy said. "The Widdy Carroll runs a fine boardin"house."
They looked at each other hesitantly.
"She won" charge you nothin" fer the night," Jimmy said quickly. "Y"all are my guests."
"We kin pay," Daniel said as quickly. "We got money. It"s jes" that we wanted to git to work as soon as we could."
"Where you goin" to work?" Jimmy asked. "At the mill?"
Again Molly Ann looked at her brother. "We don" rightly know," Daniel admitted. "He jes" tol" our paw fer us to come down an" he would take care ofit."
"Fitch didn" say what kin" o" work you"d be doin"?"
"Nope. Jes" said we"d git good money. Four, mebbe five dollars a week."