Dead South Page #2

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Covered with creek silt.

This could be good land

but Stokes keep floodin' it

to help irrigate his own land.

Right 'Cher yonder.

What we going to do, hilde?

We don't have nearly enough for

the potion man,

we can't sell this,

and we don't have enough

for planting or labor.

Look, the way I see it,

i could bandit for the money.

- No...

- That feller in town, Stokes,

thinks he owns our land.

Well, I could kill him,

take what he got.

You know that'll 'cause

more problems for us

then it'll solve.

Look, we wouldn't have

nearly enough time

to sell the farm before we run.

Then we'd just be

on the run with no money,

instead of just having no money.

Yeah, well, either way,

he ain't getting nightshade.

This here farm

is our only chance.

Come on, now,

you got another solution?

Oh... oh...

Looks like maybe the solution

to our problems

been living rough right here.

We're the charmington's.

My name is Beau,

this here is my brother, hilde,

and this property is ours.

I told you they didn't look

nothin' like Stokes' men.

Stokes is done

lordin' over what ain't his.

Hush up!

If Stokes ain't dead,

he ain't done lordin'.

Well, we got paper that say

different and so do the law.

We ain't got nowhere else to go

'cause them

free-work niggrahs...

Made it where

an honest man can't work.

We been tryin' to hold up

waitin' for Jim everette

to make it back,

so we can work with him,

help him get nightshade

up and croppin' again.

What's your name squatter?

My name's Ferris,

Ferris hoagland.

And these here is my people,

even if it ain't by name.

Well Ferris,

Jim everette is dead.

Nightshade is ours now.

Now, y'all can run off if you

want to, but come first rain,

we fixin' to start croppin'

and make a go of it

here at nightshade.

Now, we gonna need all

the money from the crop,

but if you work

the land with us,

we'll deed this farm over

to whoever done helped us.

Are you sayin' we work

this season for free,

then y'all gonna

give us the land?

That's right.

- We 'spose to believe that?

- We ain't croppin' with

no niggrahs!

I ain't your boss, squatter,

but you don't like who I hire,

you can take your chances

out on the roads or the woods

or in town.

Or y'all can stay and work.

We only plannin' on staying

this one season,

then we going home

to our people.

You work or leave.

What y'all fixin' to crop?

Hemp, peanut, tobacco.

Whatever we can

afford the most of.

Charmington's huh?

Well, y'all definitely

ain't from around here.

I need to order some supplies,

Mr. Jenkins.

I got cash money.

The charmington brothers

want to buy some hemp seed.

Much obliged, sir.

Sir, you still wantin' me

to take Stokes' order

out to his place?

You's the most ignorant fool

I've been displeasured

to ever know.

I can't take your money, Silas.

You better take

that money and ride on.

Exactly what you think gone

come of you foolin' around

with them nightwalker?

Everybody want a

piece of you right now:

Stokes, them plantation boys,

Lester hunt and the

rest of them eaters.

If you want to live, boy,

you best to move on.

I can't leave, Silas.

And I got me some land to crop.

Land to... what?

Boy, you been drinkin'

corn liquor from them jugs.

- Move on, griff.

- It's for true, Silas.

Now, them brothers,

they ain't got no money to pay,

but they going to keep

the crop money

and pay whoever crop with them,

with the land.

And you fool enough

to believe them spookies?

I need you to listen to me

on this here, Silas.

Now, you ain't seen them

when they said it.

Now, these spookies here

is... they's different.

They's different than everybody.

They's different, Silas,

and they paying with the land.

Now, this here be's

our chance here, Silas.

Now, we gonna have to share

the farm with those squatters

and whoever crop with us,

but it's gonna be ours.

Our land, Silas.

You hearin' me, old man?

Our land.

What's on the list of supply?

How you figure to get that

there, with Jenkins how he is?

No, we, we can't

get the seed from Jenkins,

gotta go to bachelorville,

or lake Weir for that.

About two weeks 'til first rain.

But they should wait,

so Stokes don't get

no word of it.

But I could get

everything else on here.

And some of our people to work.

We gone have us some land.

Yeah, boy...

We gone have us some land...

You got some nerve

drawing down on me, niggrah.

I was gonna field dress you

quick, with my ax.

But, now...

You let me pass,

or I aim to kill

the first one of you Jimmy's

that's bold enough to stop me.

Would you look at this.

I want to thank you all

for coming to my

humble planters party.

We have plenty

to rebuild something better.

And, free or not,

we don't have to worry about

our slaves leavin' us.

Because they are deadly afraid

of Royce and Lester's men...

Goddammit, Lester!

Now, go ahead and play,

play something nice.

I said play,

you malingering bastard.

Now, folks, there's no need

for you to get upset about this,

we're all used to

Lester and his boys

with a wild streak.

We have, on the veranda,

some spiced custard

and mint julep.

Please, go this way, and I'll be

rejoining y'all, momentarily.

Beautiful dress.

I told you, did you not hear me,

that I would not abide

you disrupting

these festivities?

- Now...

- This goddamn ghoul

- was moving funny...

- ...Take your boys and go.

Now!

This ain't right.

This ain't no kinda balance

a power like you talked about.

Them ghouls is practically

running the show.

We ain't on even ground

here with this thing.

I have four fresh coloreds

waitin' out by the barn

for you boys.

You can have your pick

of three of them.

Mm-hm. We just getting

Royce's hand me downs.

They ain't nearly

as fresh as you say.

Hardly got no strength

left in 'em.

They's fresh enough.

Now, the barn, Lester.

Come on, boys.

Please... please accept

my deepest apologies.

But you can't completely

blame Lester, now, can you?

Those charmington boys,

they launched

an unprovoked attack

on Lester and his men yesterday.

Now, they may not be local,

but they must abide

by the rules.

I expect those boys to be

punished appropriately.

You just gotta get a feel

for it, the weight, the balance.

You don't think about it,

know the blade will hit.

Outta help the next time

you run out of bullets.

All right, then.

That's the spot.

In the hollow of the neck.

Use two hands,

you do not stop pressing.

Your blade should be looking

for daylight on the other side.

You're pretty good with that.

Yeah, well, I had to work at it.

You're a natural.

Go on back now, I'll catch up.

Yes, sir.

Yeah... I had to work at it.

It's pretty much all

I'm good for, is killing men...

And trees

farther from home

with each and every one.

Your dresses have been

particularly beautiful lately.

Do you have a gentleman in mind?

I noticed the men

gathered outside the stables,

daddy.

Odd sort for honest man's work.

I hire them sometimes.

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