Long, Hot Summer, The Page #4

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If you see a young fellow along the way|who happens to take your eye...

- you can put him behind you|and ride double.|-

Miss Clara?

You were right the first time.|I got "no" written all over my face.

That don't bother me none at all.

- A lot of women say "no"|when they mean "yes."|- That's for sure!

I ain't foolin'|about these horses.

The man that buys one of these|will get the best horseflesh|he ever drove for the money.

Naturally they got spirit.|I ain't sellin' no crow bait.|Who's gonna start with a bid?

Tell you what I'll do. I'll give you|ten dollars for that there fiddlehead.

Ten dollars? You couldn't buy|that much dynamite for ten dollars!

There isn't a horse in there|can't run a mile in three minutes.

You put 'em out to pasture,|they're gonna board themselves.

Work 'em all day long,|and every time you think about it.

Pretty soon every one of them|gonna be so tame...

you'll have to put 'em out of the house|at night like a cat.

start it off with a bid?

- Minnie, what are you doin'?|- Buzz!

I got a hum in my blood,|and I feel as if I'd swallowed a bee.

You swallowed five bottles of beer in|the hot sun. That's what you swallowed.

- Who's gonna give me $40 for that horse?|- Ten dollars, take it or leave it.

- Eleven.|- That's the way, Pa.

- Shut up, son.|- " Thirteen."

- Wait a minute. What are you doin'?|- Fifteen.

Fifteen dollars. I got fifteen dollars|bid on that fiddlehead horse.

Who's gonna make it 20?

Kiss me, Will.

I got a number|of friends...

and, uh,|associates here.

I'm your friend. I'm your associate.|I have been for ten years.

Then what's the matter?

Will, all this time,|this summer...

all I've done is put up|22 jars of piccalilli...

and I put down a corn beef|in a crock.

And I say to myself...

"Minnie, where is it all|gonna end?"

It's gonna end with me eatin'|a corn beef. You know I'm partial to it.

At midnight suppers after you've|come sneakin' up the back stairs.

I want to serve it to you|right here at 6:00.

- Minnie.|- "Forty dollars."

What are you tryin'|to say?

I made plans, Will.

Matrimonial plans.

Matrimonial plans.

Now, you ain't ever heard me|say the word..."matrimony."

to overlook that.

- You know my married sister|in Tallahassee?|- "Uh-huh."

Well, she's makin' me up|some hand-crocheted sheets.

And I've sent away for some flatware|with the initial "V" on it.

Minnie...

I'm 61 years old.

Look, honey, it's no good|you tryin' to tell me you're too old.

I happen to be in a position|to deny it.

Hmm.

Just hand it over here. Thank you,|thank you. Twenty-two dollars from you.

Twenty-five from you. Thirty-two|from you, and thirty from you.

Thank you,|gentlemen.

Don't forget 'bout bangin' them horses|over the head till they get used to you.

- They won't give you any trouble.|- That's all there is to it?

- That's it.|- They belong to us now?

Yeah. Get yourself a rope|and go on in there and take the horse|that belongs to you.

All right, we'll need some rope.|Come on, Joe.

You're not much of a prospect,|Miss Clara.

You don't need my money.|You've got everybody else's.

Yeah, but it's the holdout|that challenges me.

I'll tell you, Mr. Quick.

The last time I parted with my money|to a pitchman, I was 12 years old.

- And nobody's ever taken you since.|- Nope.

Nobody ever will.

Well, life's very long|and full of salesmanship, Miss Clara.

You might|buy somethin' yet.

Here they come!|Look out!

Oh!

That's a musical horse.

Here, don't you bring|your filthy feet in here!

They'll go on all night|tryin' to catch them rabbits.

Boy, you got something|belongs to me.

You ain't no better|than a crook.

Well, you ain't nothin' better|than a con man.

You sell|my crooked merchandise.

Never mind the name-calling.|Now, where's my share?

I got somethin'|for you, boy.

Come on.

- Whoa, you!|- Head 'em off! Head 'em off!

Whoa!

stallion, you.!

The man that built this place,|his name's forgotten.

This was his dream|and his pride.

Now it's dust.

Must be a moral|there somewhere.

- Looks like that's about all there is.|- I don't know.

They got a legend|about this place.

They do say there's money buried|around here on the grounds...

at the time Grant overrun the country|on the way to Vicksburg.

- What's that got to do with me?|- I been watching you.

I like your push.

Yes, I like your style.|I like your brass.

It ain't too dissimilar|from the way I operate.

You've been here a few days,|you've gone up an inch.

That's 'cause you|listen to me.

You go on listenin' to me, and someday,|in a wild burst of generosity...

I might just make you a present|of this place.

Thank you for nothing.|It's falling apart.

You're a shrewd boy.

You'll find a way|of gettin' some good out of it.

Mister. You've been makin' me|a lot of promises.

- One of these days|I'm gonna collect on 'em.|- Surely.

I just ain't passin'|the time of day with you.

I'm aware of that.

Come to supper with me, boy,|at the big house.

You ornery critter!

There goes another one|on the creek bridge.

Could be, you know,|them poor unfortunates...

could come out ahead|on the deal after all...

get their money's worth|in health and outdoor exercise.

A night like this is good for him.|It stimulates his liver.

those horses, Mr. Varner.

They'll catch them and make|good work teams out of them.

You figure you know them redneck farmers|better than me, huh?

Suppose that's 'cause|the, uh, Stewart family's...

than the Varners.

About 200 years.

That's a long time|to live in one place.

You don't believe|in living in one place, Mr. Quick?

Well, my family moved.|Not that they wanted to.

They was encouraged|by the local citizens.

- You a hunted man or somethin'?|- Somethin', Miss Eula.

I'd like to hear|a yes or no answer to that, boy.

Well, ifhe's hunted...

he ain't caught.

Lucius, pass the drinks. Who's for|drinkin' some of my fine brandy, huh?

Alan, you're partial|to my brandy.

Let's see. How many years|you been drinkin' it now, huh?

Five? Six?

- I've enjoyed your hospitality|a long time, Mr. Varner.|-

I sometimes ask myself, do we get|the major part of your attention...

or are you brightenin' up|other parlors around the county?

That's Alan's|personal business, Papa.

Don't get yourself fussed,|sister.

Alan knows a friendly inquiry|when he hears it, don't you, Alan?

- When I hear one.|- Sure, sure!

A friendly inquiry|never bothered nobody.

As I understand it,|when you ain't here with us...

you keep pretty close to your house,|uh, with your mother.

Papa, I can't stand this.

that my mother is a widow.

- She relies strongly on me.|- Widow?

Your old man ain't dead.|He just disappeared.

Just wandered off.

- The end result is the same.|She's alone.|- No, she ain't, Alan.

She's got you.

She sure has you.

- I do my best.|- Not around here, you don't!

my conversation tonight.

- Guess I'll direct a little bit at you.|- "I didn't say nothin'."

You see Ben Quick here?

as a clerk right alongside of you.

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