Plainsong (Plainsong #1)(75)

Well, what in the goddamn? Harold said. What’s this?

What have we got here? Raymond said. Guthrie boys?

The two old men were wearing their flannel striped pajamas, their short stiff hair standing up like wire brushes. They had already been asleep.

Yes sir, Ike said.

Well goddamn, boys, Harold said, come in, come in. What are you doing? Is that your horse out there?

Yes sir.

You rode out here?

Yes sir.

Who else you got with you? Is your dad with you?

Nobody. Just us.

Well damn, boys, that’s a pretty good ride. Are you boys lost?

No sir.

You just decided to take yourself a horseback ride of a Sunday evening. Is that it?

We thought we’d come out here to see you, Bobby said.

You did? he said. Well. He looked at them, studying their quiet serious faces. But is there something in particular you had in mind you wanted to see us about?

No.

Nothing in particular. Is that so? Well then. That’ll have to do, I reckon. I guess you better come on in, what do you think?

Is our horse going to be all right out there? Ike said.

Is she tied up pretty good, so she won’t run off?

Yes sir.

She’ll be all right then, I expect. We’ll look at her in a little bit.

She got sweaty coming on the highway and again on the road.

I see that. We’ll wipe her down after a while. You come on in here now.

So they entered and immediately the kitchen seemed very warm and brightly lighted after being out in the dark. They stood beside the table, not knowing what to do now that they had arrived.

Now for the first time the girl said something. Would you like to sit down? she said. Her voice sounded kindly. They looked at her, and in the light they could see that she was a high school girl, not so much older than themselves, but she was so big in front. They knew enough to know that she was carrying a baby, though it made them uncomfortable to look at her. Wordlessly they pulled out two chairs and sat down.

You must be tired, she said. Have you eaten anything? I bet you’re hungry, aren’t you.

We had something to eat a while ago, Ike said.

When was that?

A while earlier, he said. We had something at lunch.

Then you must be starving, she said. I’ll get you something to eat.

She seemed very efficient at what she was doing. They sat at the table and watched her moving about in the kitchen, this black-haired girl with the tremendously swollen stomach, and avoided her eyes so much that whenever she turned toward them they seemed to be looking elsewhere. She moved back and forth familiarly, from the refrigerator to the stove, warming their food. When it was ready she set it out before them on the wood table: meat and potatoes, warmed-up canned corn, with glasses of milk and a plate of bread with butter. Go ahead, she said. Help yourselves.

Aren’t you going to eat? Ike said.

We ate hours ago. I’ll sit down with you, if you like. Maybe I’ll have a glass of milk, she said.

While the boys ate, Harold went out to see to their horse. He walked the mare over to the corral and let her drink at the stock tank, then he led her into the barn, hauled off her saddle and wiped her down with a gunnysack and afterward grained her and left the half-door open so she could move back to the water if she wanted to.

Meanwhile Raymond went into the other room to the phone and carried it on its long cord into the parlor and made a call. He spoke in a quiet low voice. Tom? he said.

Yes.

We got em out here with us.

Ike and Bobby?

By God, Tom, they come out here ahorseback. All this way.

I knew they had the horse. I had the police out looking for them, Guthrie said. I didn’t know where they were. I’ve been worried sick.

Well. But they’re here now.

Are they all right?

It appears like it. I reckon they are. They seem kind of upset, though. Pretty quiet.

I’ll be right out.

Tom, the old man said. He looked out into the kitchen where the two boys were seated at the table with the girl. She was talking to them, and both were watching her intently. I just wonder if you don’t want to leave em to stay out here tonight.

Out there?

That’s right.

What for?

I think it’d be better.

What do you mean, better?

Well. Like I say, they seem kind of upset.

There was quiet on the other end of the line.

You could come out in the morning and get em, Raymond said. You’ll want to bring along a horse trailer when you come.

I got to think about this, Guthrie said. Would you hold a minute?

He could hear Guthrie talking to somebody in the background. After a time he came back.

I guess it’s all right, Guthrie said. I have Maggie Jones here with me and she thinks you’re right. I’ll come out in the morning.

Right. We’ll see you then.

But you tell them you talked to me, Guthrie said, and that I’ll be there the first thing in the morning.

I’ll tell em. Raymond hung up and went back to the kitchen.

When the boys were finished eating, the girl made them a bed with blankets in the parlor. The McPheron brothers shoved the old recliner chairs out of the way and she spread the thick blankets down on the wood floor in the middle of the room and found them a pair of old pillows and said, I’ll be right in here.