The Sound and the Fury

She went where we could hear Mother.

'Better keep him there.' It wasn't Father. He shut the door, but I could still smell it.

We went down stairs. The stairs went down into the dark and T.P. took my hand, and we went out the door, out of the dark. Dan was sitting in the back yard, howling.

'He smell it.' T.P. said. 'Is that the way you found it out.'

We went down the steps, where our shadows were.

'I forgot your coat.' T.P. said. 'You ought to had it. But I aint going back.'

Dan howled.

'Hush now.' T.P. said. Our shadows moved, but Dan's shadow didn't move except to howl when he did.

'I cant take you down home, bellering like you is.' T.P. said. 'You was bad enough before you got that bullfrog voice. Come on.'

We went along the brick walk, with our shadows. The pig pen smelled like pigs. The cow stood in the lot, chewing at us. Dan howled.

'You going to wake the whole town up.' T.P. said. 'Cant you hush.' We saw Fancy, eating by the branch. The moon shone on the water when we got there.

'Naw, sir.' T.P. said. 'This too close. We cant stop here. Come on. Now, just look at you. Got your whole leg wet. Come on, here.' Dan howled.

The ditch came up out of the buzzing grass. The bones rounded out of the black vines.

'Now.' T.P. said. 'BelIer your head off if you want to. You got the whole night and a twenty acre pasture to belIer in.'

T.P. lay down in the ditch and I sat down, watching the bones where the buzzards ate Nancy, flapping hlack and slow and heavy out of the ditch.

19.9

I had it when we was down here before, Luster said. I showed it to you. Didn't you see it. I took it out of my pocket right here and showed it to you.

1.8

'Do you think buzzards are going to undress Damuddy.' Caddy said. 'You're crazy.'

'You're a skizzard.' Jason said. He began to cry.

'You're a knobnut.' Caddy said. Jason cried. His hands were in his pockets.

'Jason going to be rich man.' Versh said. 'He holding his money all the time.'

Jason cried.

'Now you've got him started.' Caddy said. 'Hush up, Jason. How can buzzards get in where Damuddy is. Father wouldn't let them. Would you let a buzzard undress you. Hush up, now.'

Jason hushed. 'Frony said it was a funeral.' he said.

'Well it's not.' Caddy said. 'It's a party. Frony dont know anything about it. He wants your lightning bugs, T.P. Let him hold it a while.'

T.P. gave me the bottle of lightning bugs.

'I bet if we go around to the parlor window we can see something.' Caddy said. 'Then you'll believe me.'

'I already knows.' Frony said. 'I dont need to see.

'You better hush your mouth, Frony.' Versh said. 'Mammy going whip you.'

'What is it.' Caddy said.

'I knows what I knows.' Frony said.

'Come on.' Caddy said. 'Let's go around to the front.'

We started to go.

'T P. wants his lightning bugs.' Frony said.

'Let him hold it a while longer, T.P.' Caddy said. 'We'll bring it back.'

'You all never caught them.' Frony said.

'If I say you and T.P. can come too, will you let him hold it.' Caddy said.

'Aint nobody said me and T.P. got to mind you.' Frony said.

'If I say you dont have to, will you let him hold it.' Caddy said. 'All right.' Frony said. 'Let him hold it, T.P. We going to watch them moaning.'

'They aint moaning.' Caddy said. 'I tell you it's a party. Are they moaning, Versh.'

'We aint going to know what they doing, standing here.' Versh said.

'Come on.' Caddy said. 'Frony and T.P. dont have to mind me. But the rest of us do. You better carry him, Versh. It's getting dark.'

Versh took me up and we went on around the kitchen.

10.2

When we looked around the corner we could see the lights coming up the drive. T.P. went back to the cellar door and opened it.

You know what's down there, T.P. said. Soda water. I seen Mr Jason come up with both hands full of them. Wait here a minute.

T.P. went and looked in the kitchen door. Dilsey said, What are you peeping in here for. Where's Benjy.

He out here, T.P. said.

Go on and watch him, Dilsey said. Keep him out the house now.

Yessum, T.P. said. Is they started yet.

You go on and keep that boy out of sight, Dilsey said. I got all I can tend to.

1.9

A snake crawled out from under the house. Jason said he wasn't afraid of snakes and Caddy said he was but she wasn't and Versh said they both were and Caddy said to be quiet, like Father said.

10.3

You aint got to start bellering now, T.P. said. You want some this sassprilluh.

It tickled my nose and eyes.

If you aint going to drink it, let me get to it, T.P. said. All right, here tis. We better get another bottle while aint nobody bothering us. You be quiet, now.

We stopped under the tree by the parlor window. Versh set me down in the wet grass. It was cold. There were lights in all the windows.