Tobacco Road Page #5

Now, look, Lord,

this time I ain't fooling.

I'm in a powerful bad fix.

You know, they're figuring on

taking Ada and me to the poor farm.

You know what a powerful sinner

I've been.

You know there ain't been

no bigger sinner than me...

...between here and Savannah.

And you know there's nobody been

any sorrier for their sins than I have...

...once they was done.

But what I'm here to tell you is...

...that you'd better watch out pretty

close for me the next couple of days...

...because I wanna do what I gotta do

without committing any real big sin...

...because I know

how you feel about stealing.

Now, I like Sister Bessie

about as well as the next one...

...or I wouldn't give

her new automobile a thought...

...but I'm here to tell you, Lord...

...you'd better step in

and help me out pretty quick...

...or I'm afraid I'll have to take matters

in my own hand.

Amen.

Sister Bessie!

Sister Bessie,

you sure are a fine-looking woman.

- Yeah. Where's Dude?

- He'll be back in a minute.

- How you feeling, Jeeter?

- Why, I...

I sure spent me a heart-broke night.

You know, Jeeter, I feel just about

as sorry for what Dude done...

...as anything I ever seen in my life.

- Why, he darn near broke my arm.

Them yams smell good, don't they?

- Yeah.

- Can I get you a cup of chicory?

Chicory?

Well, I wouldn't wanna be...

Wouldn't wanna be putting you out...

Aah!

Oh, you ain't putting me out none.

Just sit down.

Yeah, this is the arm

I do all my farming with.

You know, I do all my good farming

with this arm...

...and it's a sin and a shame,

the way it's gonna hold me up.

That Dude ought to be ashamed

of himself.

Yeah, I knew you'd be sorry.

If there was only something on earth

I could do.

- Well, maybe there is, Sister Bessie.

- Well, what is it?

Well, the matter of fact is...

...I've got a very important matter

coming up with Captain Tim tomorrow...

...and after that I'll be all set

for the year.

But right now I just need

a little change to get along on.

- Yeah?

- As I was coming up the road there...

...I seen a load of cut wood

over in that field and I said to myself:

"Wouldn't it be smart if I was to haul

that wood to Augusta and sell it?"

Why, that's Henry Peabody's wood,

ain't it?

- But he ain't here.

- I know, but it don't seem just right.

Wait a minute. I ain't stealing it.

I'm just figuring on selling it

and giving Henry half of that money.

Why, he'll be mighty happy to get it...

...without the trouble of hauling it

down to Augusta.

Well, I reckon, in that case...

No, sirree, Bob. I ain't forgot.

- I'm sanctified.

- Hallelujah.

- Yeah. Would you lend me your car?

- To haul wood in?

Well, wait a minute. You know

I wouldn't be asking you no favors...

...if it wasn't for my arm...

It's near broken

and I can't do no farming.

Well, I'm just thinking

what Dude would say.

Dude? What's Dude got...?

- You tell your husband everything?

- No, no.

- Well, wait...

- It's only...

Maybe... Can't tell.... I'll be back here

by sundown maybe with a pretty for you.

I guess it's all right. But I reckon you

better get going before he gets back.

Going? Sister Bessie, I'm gone.

Top up, will you...?

Get down there, top. I'll bust you.

Why, you crazy top, I'll tear you.

Dude boy, Dude. Dude.

What are you doing?

Why, this durn old top

didn't wanna go down!

- Did you hurt the car much?

- Oh, not the running of it.

- And the horn wasn't hurt none.

- Say, Dude boy...

...Jeeter wants to take wood

to Augusta and sell it.

Clear to Augusta?

Climb in and I'll drive you.

Well, I wasn't exactly figuring

on anybody going with me.

I was figuring

on going down there by myself.

Ain't nobody in the world

gonna drive this except me.

I ain't gonna stay here by myself.

- Let's get the wood in there.

- I ain't never drove clear to Augusta!

Come on, Jeeter,

we'll just pull us a big one.

Jeeter.

Come on, let's get it

all in there. Put in the wood.

That's violation of city ordinance

number 382.

You get out and sell the wood. I'll be

waiting here on the corner somewhere.

You looking for somebody?

Yes, sir, I wanna see the banker.

Susie May, this gentleman

wants to see the banker.

May I ask your name?

- Sure.

- Well, what is it?

- Jeeter.

Jeeter Lester, from Tobacco Road.

Oh, yes. Just a minute, Mr. Lester.

Well, what kind of a year

are you gonna have, Mr. Lester?

Ain't gonna have no year at all

unless we get some money.

Will you come in, Mr. Lester?

How do you do, Mr. Lester?

Come right in.

Well...

...say, is you the banker?

Why, of course.

We met the other day

with young Tim Harmon.

- I was hoping you'd drop in.

- Well, I gotta be going now.

What's the matter?

Didn't you come to pay the money?

No, I come to borrow it.

Well, so long.

A hundred dollars, huh?

Ain't nobody gonna buy no wood.

Maybe we better start back

toward Fuller, huh?

And not have nothing to eat?

I'm hungry.

Hey, wait, wait. Wait just a minute.

You know, I been sitting there looking

at that hotel and I got me an idea.

The idea what I got, I never spent me

all night in a hotel in my life...

...and the idea was maybe

we could sell something...

...and all three of us

stay all night in that hotel.

Nobody ain't gonna sell my brand-new

automobile, if that's what you're thinking.

Well, everybody ought to spend them

one night in their life in a hotel...

...so they have something to go home

and tell folks about.

What you figure on selling, old man?

Come here, come here, come here.

Look at there. See that spare tire?

That ain't no good, you can only ride

four of them at one time.

- Hi, mister.

- Good evening.

We all wanna stay all night

in your hotel.

- Okay, sign right here.

- You sign it.

- All right, what's your name?

- Jeeter.

- Jeeter what?

- Jeeter Lester, from Tobacco Road.

All right. What's his name?

- Dude's name is Dude.

- Dude what?

- Dude Lester.

- All right.

- And hers?

- Hers is Mrs. Dude.

- Him and me's married.

- All right. Touch the pen.

Come on, touch the pen.

That'll be a dollar and a half.

This way, please.

I'll bet Ada wishes she could be

us, so she could stay all night in a hotel.

- Beep-beep! Toot-toot!

- Shut up, will you.

It sure is a fine place.

- Here we are.

You know, I never knowed hotels

was such fine places as this before.

I wish Lov Bensey could see me now.

One of these days, I'm gonna spend me

the rest of my life in one of these hot...

Hey!

- That ain't much of a bed for three.

- This is theirs. You're sleeping in here.

Well, what do you think of that?

Different rooms for different people.

- They gonna lock us in?

- You know, I betcha...

...Ada won't believe me

when I tell her.

It's already 8:
00. Let's go to bed.

Look at that electric light.

I'm gonna sit me up all night long...

...and look at that electric light.

Well, good night, good night.

Good night, Jeeter.

Hey there, mister. Hey.

Hello.

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