7.1
The kitchen was dark. The trees were black on the sky. Dan came waddling out from under the steps and chewed my ankle. I went around the kitchen, where the moon was. Dan came scuffling along, into the moon. "Benjy." T.P. said in the house.
The flower tree by the parlor window wasn't dark, but the thick trees were. The grass was buzzing in the moonlight where my shadow walked on the grass.
"You, Benjy." T.P. said in the house. "Where you hiding. You slipping off. I knows it."
19.11
Luster came back. Wait, he said. Here. Dont go over there. Miss Quentin and her beau in the swing yonder. You come on this way. Come back here, Benjy.
7.2
It was dark under the trees. Dan wouldn't come. He stayed in the moonlight. Then I could see the swing and I began to cry.
19.12
Come away from there, Benjy, Luster said. You know Miss Quentin going to get mad.
7.3
It was two now, and then one in the swing. Caddy came fast, white in the darkness.
"Benjy." she said. "How did you slip out. Where's Versh."
She put her arms around me and I hushed and held to her dress and tried to pull her away.
"Why, Benjy." she said. "What is it. T.P." she called. The one in the swing got up and came, and I cried and pulled Caddy's dress.
"Benjy." Caddy said. "It's just Charlie. Dont you know Charlie."
"Where's his nigger." Charlie said. "What do they let him run around loose for."
"Hush, Benjy." Caddy said. "Go away, Charlie. He doesn't like you." Charlie went away and I hushed. I pulled at Caddy's dress.
"Why, Benjy." Caddy said. "Aren't you going to let me stay here and talk to Charlie a while."
"Call that nigger." Charlie said. He came back. I cried louder and pulled at Caddy's dress.
"Go away, Charlie." Caddy said. Charlie came and put his hands on Caddy and I cried more. I cried loud.
"No, no." Caddy said. "No. No."
"He cant talk." Charlie said. "Caddy."
"Are you crazy." Caddy said. She began to breathe fast. "He can see. Dont. Dont." Caddy fought. They both breathed fast. "Please. Please." Caddy whispered.
"Send him away." Charlie said.
"I will." Caddy said. "Let me go."
"Will you send him away." Charlie said.
"Yes." Caddy said. "Let me go." Charlie went away. "Hush." Caddy said. "He's gone." I hushed. I could hear her and feel her chest going.
"I'll have to take him to the house." she said. She took my hand. "I'm coming." she whispered.
"Wait." Charlie said. "Call the nigger."
"No." Caddy said. "I'll come back. Come on, Benjy."
"Caddy." Charlie whispered, loud. We went on. "You better come back. Are you coming back." Caddy and I were running. "Caddy." Charlie said. We ran out into the moonlight, toward the kitchen.
"Caddy." Charlie said.
Caddy and I ran. We ran up the kitchen steps, onto the porch, and Caddy knelt down in the dark and held me. I could hear her and feel her chest. "I wont." she said. "I wont anymore, ever. Benjy. Benjy.' Then she was crying, and I cried, and we held each other. "Hush." She said. "Hush. I wont anymore. So I hushed and Caddy got up and we went into the kitchen and turned the light on and Caddy took the kitchen soap and washed her mouth at the sink, hard. Caddy smelled like trees.
19.13
I kept a telling you to stay away from there, Luster said. They sat up in the swing, quick. Quentin had her hands on her hair. He had a red tie.
You old crazy loon, Quentin said. I'm going to tell Dilsey about the way you let him follow everywhere I go. I'm going to make her whip you good.
"I couldn't stop him." Luster said. "Come on here, Benjy."
"Yes you could." Quentin said. "You didn't try. You were both snooping around after me. Did Grandmother send you all out here to spy on me." She jumped out of the swing. "If you dont take him right away this minute and keep him away, I'm going to make Jason whip you."
"I cant do nothing with him." Luster said. "You try it if you think you can."
"Shut your mouth." Quentin said. "Are you going to get him away."
"Ah, let him stay." he said. He had a red tie. The sun was red on it. "Look here, Jack." He struck a match and put it in his mouth. Then he took the match out of his mouth. It was still burning. "Want to try it." he said. I went over there. "Open your mouth." he said. I opened my mouth. Quentin hit the match with her hand and it went away.
"Goddam you." Quentin said. "Do you want to get him started. Dont You know he'll beller all day. I'm going to tell Dilsey on you." She went away running.
"Here, kid." he said. "Hey. Come on back. I aint going to fool with him."
Quentin ran on to the house. She went around the kitchen.
"You played hell then, Jack." he said. "Aint you."
"He cant tell what you saying." Luster said. "He deef and dumb."
"Is." he said. "How long's he been that way."
"Been that way thirty three years today." Luster said. "Born looney. Is you one of them show folks."
"Why." he said.
"I dont ricklick seeing you around here before." Luster said.
"Well, what about it." he said.
"Nothing." Luster said. "I going tonight."
He looked at me.
"You aint the one can play a tune on that saw, is you." Luster said.
"It'll cost you a quarter to find that out." he said. He looked at me. "Why dont they lock him up." he said. "What'd you bring him out here for."
"You aint talking to me." Luster said. "I cant do nothing with him. I just come over here looking for a quarter I lost so I can go to the show tonight. Look like now I aint going to get to go." Luster looked on the ground. "You aint got no extra quarter, is you." Luster said.
"No." he said. "I aint."
"I reckon I just have to find that other one, then." Luster said. He put his hand in his pocket. "You dont want to buy no golf ball neither, does you." Luster said.
"What kind of ball." he said.
"Golf ball." Luster said. "I dont want but a quarter."
"What for." he said. "What do I want with it."
"I didn't think you did." Luster said. "Come on here, mulehead." He said. "Come on here and watch them knocking that ball. Here. Here something you can play with along with that jimson weed." Luster picked it up and gave it to me. It was bright.
"Where'd you get that." he said. His tie was red in the sun, walking.
"Found it under this here bush." Luster said. "I thought for a minute it was that quarter I lost." He came and took it.
"Hush." Luster said. "He going to give it back when he done looking at it."
"Agnes Mabel Becky." he said. He looked toward the house.
"Hush." Luster said. "He fixing to give it back."
He gave it to me and I hushed.
"Who come to see her last night." he said.
"I dont know." Luster said. "They comes every night she can climb down that tree. I dont keep no track of them."
"Damn if one of them didn't leave a track." he said. He looked at the house. Then he went and lay down in the swing.
"Go away." he said. "Dont bother me."