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Chapter 19
- University Press of Mississippi
- Chapter
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• N I N E T E E N JlMON GERRARD sat for a long time in his office above the store, but he no longer tapped the pen staff against the open ledger, nor did he smile. The shadows were lengthening in the square outside when he got to his feet with a grunt. He took out a large handkerchief and swabbed his neck far down below the shirt collar, exposing the line where the sun-reddened flesh divided into whiteness. He mopped his bald head and smoothed his monkish fringe of hair. At the top of the steps, he paused and walking to a cracked mirror strung to the wall on an enormous nail, he buttoned his collar so that his thick neck bulged enflamed above it. He slipped his blue fourin -hand tie firmly into place. He rolled down his sleeves and buttoned the cuffs. Then he picked up his hat and passed down the stairs and through the store. "Mist' Gerrard?" the young clerk said by way of greeting. "Evenin', Bub. Hot enough for you?" said Simon Gerrard, and went out to his big black car. When Felix McKie heard footsteps approaching him across the back yard, he laid aside the length of plank in his hand and stood in the middle of his own darkness, inquiring twice to the sky, as though men were giants: "Afternoon, friend. Who is it?" Then he heard the heavy breathing and perhaps his senses brought him more mysteriousevidence, for he tilted his slick, unwrinkled face higher yet to the light and said: "Si?" "The same." Felix grunted. He had been wanting a talk with Simon for some time. Since he was here alone, he had no means of grading the high bluff that separated his hilltop from the Gerrard land, and he knew 257 S that every rain was robbing him, and for Felix it was a very easy step to equate the rain with Simon.Insult had turned to injury when after a downpourin June, an inlet of ground had undermined and dropped out below the fence, leaving a stout bordock post to swing uprooted in air. For two monthsnow the sinkhole, shaped like an inverted keyhole , the round lobe extending inward toward the house, had lain untouched in Felix's back yard. A note to Simon had brought no reply ; he was too proud to send another, and last night Felix's old nightmare —that of walking off the bluff into high water—had recurred. Unease dogged his footsteps through the morning; he found that if he was to do any work in peace he would have to lay planking over the danger spot. Later, some night soon, he would get down in there himself, down there at the bottom of the narrow deep drop, and he wouldfixthings the best he could. Sohe was planning when he heard the car ascend the hill, heard the knocking at the front door, and at last footsteps movingtoward him over the grass. "It's about time you came to see about this bluff," said Felix. "Nearly all summer gone since I sent you word. If this keeps up you'll be tending my grape arbors on your own land and I won't have stick nor stone—" "You can stop that act right now," Simon broke in. "'Justice,' you sent that boy to say to me. I saw through that before it was good out of his mouth. I know you, Felix McKie. I know what you want. I know you don't forget." "I don't know what you're talking about," Felix said. "But if you ain't come to do your duty by this gully, you can get your meddling feet off my land." He struck the ground before him once with his strong hickorycane. "You better hear me," Simon said. "It's your meddling that brings me here." "Meddling! Ha! You see here? Your confounded meddling gully is washing my land out from under me with every drizzle that falls. You see that hole? Thirty feet deep if it's an inch and ready to cave 258 [35.173.125.112] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 13:39 GMT) back farther with no more encouragement than a heavy dew. Weaned on meddling, you were, and now you say 'meddling'. Get off my land, what measling trifles of it I got left to me. I got work to do." "Listen, old man," said Simon Gerrard, and for some...