Tobacco Road Page #2

You know, I feel better already.

- Jeeter Lester.

- Yeah.

You've sinned.

- Who, me?

- Yes, sir.

This morning when I was laying abed

thinking, a voice come to me and said:

"Sister Bessie, get up and go down

to Jeeter Lester, he's at it again. "

You sure you ain't got me

mixed up with somebody else?

- The voice said it was you.

- I ain't done nothing, Sister Bessie.

- Not one little sin?

- Well, not one big sin.

Maybe a little sinning in general,

but nothing you could call a real sin.

How come the voice say it was you?

Oh, that's easy. The Lord knows

what a powerful sinner I was.

I guess I was about the most

sinningest man in the whole world.

- Nothing lately?

- No, no, nothing lately, Sister Bessie.

Well, I'm mighty glad

to hear that, Jeeter...

...because I'm out this morning

to run all the sin off Tobacco Road...

...and I got a good start.

- How's your folks?

- Oh, they're all right.

They just... They ain't up yet.

- This morning, they is just a little tired.

Tell them I said hey.

I sure will, Sister Bessie.

Psst!

Jeeter.

What are you doing hiding here?

- I near about run into her.

- Well, is it nice here?

Jeeter, Captain John's coming back.

- Captain John's dead.

- It's his son, Captain Tim. It's the same.

He's coming back to Tobacco Road.

- He's gonna give us farmers credit?

- That's what everybody says.

Ada. Ada.

Praise the Lord,

Captain John's coming back.

- Why, I thought Captain John was dead.

He is.

Gonna get me a good mule

and some seed cotton...

...and some guano, and I'm gonna...

Who put this old plow

down in the dirt?

You did, seven years ago.

First thing I'm gonna do

is to burn off all this old broom-sedge...

...and clear my fields.

And, Dude, see if you can find

some harness.

There used to be a bridle

in the kitchen.

Oh, I think Grandma ate it.

Yes, sir. It looks to me

like Dude and me...

...we is gonna raise us

about a bale an acre...

...because the way I feel now, Ada,

it's just like I used to feel every spring.

Why, you can smell

the smoke from the burning sedge...

...and the wind blowing

from the fresh-plowed ground...

...it just gets down into your soul...

...and you just feel like you...

Just feel like you gotta plant

or bust.

What ails you now?

Spring come and gone already?

Well, there ain't no use

starting today. Look.

What? I don't see nothing.

Well, there ain't no use

starting a fire...

...if a rain's gonna come up

and put the fire out, is there?

You ain't gonna have no crop

no how, Jeeter Lester.

Not if Mr. Tim was to come,

give you a mule and some seed cotton...

...some guano and the sun

would shine day and night...

...you still ain't gonna have no crop

this year.

What are you talking about?

You ain't gonna have no crop

because you got a sin on your soul.

You stole them turnips from Lov...

...and it's the wrong time

of the year for stealing.

Lov is my son-in-law.

You can't steal from your son-in-law

because he's kinfolks.

And right on top of that...

...you got to go and tell Sister Bessie,

a religious woman...

...that you didn't steal no turnips.

And I didn't, neither.

The Lord don't hold with anybody

that steals around planting time...

...and he sure don't hold with anybody

that steals...

...and then lies and says he didn't.

You wait. You'll see.

Well, I ain't scared.

You just wait.

Well, I ain't scared.

No little old turnips

is gonna scare me.

No, sir, no...

No use getting scared of a turnip.

A little old turnip.

Whoever heard tell of such a fuss

over a few little old turnips.

Jeeter, that one was pretty close.

Ada, you know what I...

What I done to Lov Bensey is sure

beginning to bother my conscience.

- Morning, Henry.

- Hey, Jeeter.

Is Sister Bessie home?

Sister Bessie? Jeeter...

Well, hallelujah, Brother Jeeter.

- Hallelujah, Sister Bessie.

- Well, Sister Ada...

...I am glad to see you

looking so fine.

Jeeter's got something to tell you.

Yeah, Sister Bessie, I done made me

a great big mistake yesterday...

...but it clean slipped my mind

at the time.

But the Old Nick

got the upper hand of me...

...and I done taken

some turnips from Lov Bensey.

He stole them turnips.

Yes, Sister Bessie, I stole them...

...and I'm sure needing prayer

about as bad as any man you ever seen.

I just gotta clear my soul...

...so nothing won't stand

between me and a crop of cotton.

Jeeter, where them turnips now?

Well, to tell you the truth,

Sister Bessie, we ate them.

AII...

Well, all excepting this one.

Why, that's a summer turnip.

Where on earth did Lov Bensey

get summer turnips?

That ain't no summer turnip.

That's a winter turnip.

- You don't suppose I told him...

- That's a summer turnip.

You sure?

Let me taste it.

- It tastes like it, all right.

- Let me taste it.

- Tastes like a summer turnip.

- That's a summer turnip, all right.

I'd go down there now if I wasn't afraid

he wouldn't beat me with a stick.

All right, now, get down.

Get down on your knees.

Oh, Lord, Jeeter Lester's at it again.

He stole all of Lov Bensey's turnips

and now he's ate them all up.

It's too late to do anything

about that now...

...but it seem to me

like you never did see...

...such a stealing man

in all my born days.

- Amen!

- Now, Lord, you gotta make him quit...

...right now for good and all. Amen.

Does that clear me?

It will if you don't do it no more.

Anybody else?

Well, while you're at it, you might...

You might mention Dude...

...because he's the most sinningest

in the family.

Dude? Is this Dude?

Come on here, Dude,

Sister Bessie's gonna pray for you.

Well, I do declare.

If he ain't a grown-up man now.

Why, when I went away, he weren't

nothing but a skinny little old boy.

Yeah. I guess he must be

about 20 now, ain't he, Ada?

Mm-hm.

You know, I do wish...

...he had more sense, though.

Well, I guess he's about

got his growth, though.

Oh, he's pretty too.

- Kneel down, Dude.

- I don't want nobody praying for me.

- Kneel before I knock you down.

- You lay a hand on me...

...I'll toss you over this house.

- You see.

That's what you gotta pray for.

He ain't got no respect for his pa.

Lord, save Brother Dude

from the Old Nick...

...and make a place for him in heaven.

That's all. Amen.

Lord be prai...! Wait a minute, here.

That seems to me like a darn

short prayer for a sinner like Dude.

Dude don't need no praying.

He's just a boy.

Hey, you!

Look at the old scoundrel,

still full of beans.

How are you, Jeeter?

- Captain Tim.

- Praise the Lord.

- Captain Tim.

- Praise the Lord.

Captain...

Captain Tim.

You look more like your pa every day.

I sure am glad to see you,

Captain Tim.

- You remember Ada, don't you?

- Why, sure. How are you, Mrs. Lester?

And Dude.

- Dude.

- Don't you go there.

- He might let me blow the horn.

- How would you like to have a horn?

- Nobody gonna give me no horn.

Come sit down here beside me,

and I'll give you a horn of your own.

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