William Faulkner, SANCTUARY â WordPress.com - literature save 2
William Faulkner, SANCTUARY â WordPress.com - literature save 2
William Faulkner, SANCTUARY â WordPress.com - literature save 2
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
When they reached home Fonzo stopped. "We got to sneak in now," he said. "If<br />
she was to find out where we been and what we been doing, she might not let us stay in<br />
the house with them ladies no more."<br />
"That's so," Virgil said. "Durn you. Hyer you done made me spend three dollars,<br />
and now you fixing to git us both throwed out."<br />
"You do like I do," Fonzo said. 'That's all you got to do. Dont say nothing."<br />
Minnie let them in. The piano was going full blast. Miss Reba appeared in a door,<br />
with a tin cup in her hand. "Well, well," she said, "you boys been out mighty late<br />
tonight."<br />
"Yessum," Fonzo said, prodding Virgil toward the stairs. "We been to prayermeeting."<br />
In bed, in the dark, they could still hear the piano.<br />
"You made me spend three dollars," Virgil said.<br />
"Aw, shut up," Fonzo said. "When I think I been here for two whole weeks almost<br />
. . ."<br />
The next afternoon they came home through the dusk with the lights winking on,<br />
beginning to flare and gleam, and the women on their twinkling blonde legs meeting men<br />
and getting into automobiles and such.<br />
"How about that three dollars now?" Fonzo said.<br />
"I reckon we better not go over night," Virgil said. "It'll cost too much."<br />
"That's right," Fonzo said. "Somebody might see us and tell her."<br />
They waited two nights. "Now it'll be six dollars," Virgil said.<br />
"Dont <strong>com</strong>e, then," Fonzo said.<br />
When they returned home Fonzo said: "Try to act like something, this time. She<br />
near about caught us before on account of the way you acted."<br />
"What if she does?" Virgil said in a sullen voice. "She caint eat us."<br />
They stood outside the lattice, whispering.<br />
"How you know she caint?" Fonzo said.<br />
"She dont want to, then."<br />
"How you know she dont want to?"<br />
"Maybe she dont," Virgil said. Fonzo opened the lattice door. "I caint eat that six<br />
dollars, noways," Virgil said. "Wisht I could."<br />
Minnie let them in. She said: "Somebody huntin you all." They waited in the hall.<br />
"We done caught now," Virgil said. "I told you about throwing that money away."<br />
"Aw, shut up," Fonzo said.<br />
A man emerged from a door, a big man with his hat cocked over one ear, his arm<br />
about a blonde woman in a red dress. "There's Cla'ence," Virgil said.<br />
In their room Clarence said: "How'd you get into this place?"<br />
"Just found it," Virgil said. They told him about it. He sat on the bed, in his soiled<br />
hat, a cigar in his fingers.<br />
"Where you been tonight?" he said. They didn't answer. They looked at him with<br />
blank, watchful faces. "Come on. I know. Where was it?" They told him.<br />
"Cost me three dollars, too," Virgil said.<br />
"I'll be durned if you aint the biggest fool this side of Jackson,"<br />
Clarence said. "Come on here." They followed sheepishly. He led them from the<br />
house and for three or four blocks. They crossed a street of negro stores and theatres and