Arcadio by William Goyen

Author:William Goyen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Arcadio
ISBN: 9781941531129
Publisher: Dzanc Books
Published: 1983-03-25T16:00:00+00:00

11

Hondo’s Song

BUT ONE DAY THERE was Hondo standing on a corner in a town of a green bayou. I heard a cry Hondo! and twas Tomasso running to a big gray man. Tomasso! the man called back. I dug the hole finally big enough! Hondo Hondo! cried Tomasso. Where is the curl of Sweet Janine’s hair? asked Hondo. And when Tomasso pulled out the Bull Durham sack and pulled out the curl of little hair, the gray man seized up Tomasso and whirled him in the air, twas a joyful reunion. I was ahunting you, said Hondo, at the same time as I am going on my way to find Sweet Janine’s sister Ethelreda Johansson, they are Swedish people. Bohunks? I asked. No, said Hondo, the Missoura jailer Sam Policheck is a Bohunk. I told him said Tomasso. Hondo, this is Arcadio my half blood brother. I am Hondo Holloway, Hondo Holloway says and shook my hand and I fell down alittle from his crushing squeeze and said my God what strength. I am on my way to make amends to Sweet Janine’s big sister, said Hondo to me. Because you did not know your own strength I says to Hondo Holloway. I told him, says Tomasso. Tis a terrible thing when somebody does not know their own strength, I says. Then Tomasso asked Hondo where was Old John. Sick in the Missoura jail he may now be dead, Hondo told Tomasso. Very tired from helping dig the hole for you and for me. Tomasso cried. Do not cry, said Hondo, God will bless Old John for helping you and me to excape, do not fear, said soft kind Hondo Holloway.

I guess I never met a sweeter man than Hondo. It was one of the presents that Tomasso give to me. Got his name from the arroyo he said was borned near Arroyo Hondo in New Mexico, grew up with the Mescans of Nuevo Méjico but was of gringo parents name of Holloway. Hondo had a sweet face of hair, face covered with a soft gray beard and two gray eyes asparkling out, Hondo was a gray soft furry man. And of a deep low voice that you would not think would ever raise up against anybody yet he killed Sweet Janine with’s love. Because he did not know his own strength. Hondo said he was hunting for Sweet Janine’s sister Ethelreda Johansson so that he could present to her the curl of little hair and beg her to forgive him for the accidental death of Sweet Janine, accidental even though he was thrown into the Missoura jail to stay for his lifetime for murder of Sweet Janine—the word that Hondo told me that they used: homicidio. Hondo took out an almost rubbed-out picture of two women, one a beautiful girl of streaming hair and the other a great big woman with a big head and arms, and grande. The big grande woman will not forgive you Hondo, I said. It’s just not in her I told him you can see in the picture that it’s just not in her.

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