The Devil's Backbone by Bill Wittliff

Author:Bill Wittliff [Wittliff, Bill]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Published: 2014-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

. . . but that o’Inyin just kept a’looking straight out there somewheres, Papa said, like we wadn’t even in the World.

WE CROSSED OUR COWS IN LITTLE BUNCHES

at a time, Papa said, and you could see how that Creek was coming up higher and higher each trip we made from all the Ice Ball melt. Wadn’t long and the Creek was just a’gushing and that poor o’one-eyed Inyin was still a’setting out there in the middle of it in his wagon and me and Annie was getting worried for him and so was his o’Horse a’watching from the other side and just a’crying. That Water’s gonna get him if he ain’t careful Granny, Annie said. Yes it is, Granny said, and you better go on off somewheres you don’t wanna see it. I’m gonna go fetch him back, Papa said. Ain’t no power on this earth can fetch that Old Man back, Granny Oster said, he got his mind set on the Beyond and you can go out there and whack him on the head nine times with a fence post it ain’t gonna make no difference. And all this time we was talking, Papa said, that Creek was coming up Higher and Higher and Higher and in just a minute it was half way up on his wagon and still a’coming up some more and I said I better go get him now or he ain’t gonna be there to get got. Hurry, Annie said, we don’t wanna lose him to the Water. He’s already lost to the Water Granny said then give me a squinty look, Papa said, and said I wouldn’t go risking my Life on something already decided. But Papa took a rope, tied one end to Granny’s wagon and the other end around his waist and waded on out and Oh it was cold, he said, and that Water running way harder and fastern it looked like from the bank and it was all I could do to keep my feet under me so I wouldn’t go to washing on off down the Creek with all them Ice Balls and sticks and whatnot but I got to the wagon and that o’Inyin was just a’setting there on the seat with his one eye and his hands on his knees all calm to where you would a’thought he was setting out there on the porch somewhere just a’smoking his pipe. We need to go back now I said, Papa said, this Water’s gonna come up here and get you in a minute if we don’t. He didn’t even look at me, Papa said, so I reached up and took a’holt a’his sleeve and went to pulling on it. Hey I said, Papa said, Hey Hey Hey but he didn’t take no notice a’that neither so I pulled on his sleeve harder and went to hollering Hey Hey Hey Hey Hey loud as I could but the Water went past the wagon so loud now he couldn’t

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