The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Author:John Steinbeck
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, azw3, pdf
Publisher: Penguin Group UK
Published: 1976-03-24T16:00:00+00:00

Tom walked in among the willows, and he crawled into a cave of shade to lie down. And Noah followed him.

“Gonna sleep here,” Tom said.

“Tom!”

“Yeah?”

“Tom, I ain’t a-goin’ on.”

Tom sat up. “What you mean?”

“Tom, I ain’t a-gonna leave this here water. I’m a-gonna walk on down this here river.”

“You’re crazy,” Tom said.

“Get myself a piece a line. I’ll catch fish. Fella can’t starve beside a nice river.”

Tom said, “How ’bout the fam’ly? How ’bout Ma?”

“I can’t he’p it. I can’t leave this here water.” Noah’s wideset eyes were half closed. “You know how it is, Tom. You know how the folks are nice to me. But they don’t really care for me.”

“You’re crazy.”

“No, I ain’t. I know how I am. I know they’re sorry. But—Well, I ain’t a-goin’. You tell Ma—Tom.”

“Now you look-a-here,” Tom began.

“No. It ain’t no use. I was in that there water. An’ I ain’t a-gonna leave her. I’m a-gonna go now, Tom—down the river. I’ll catch fish an’ stuff, but I can’t leave her. I can’t.” He crawled back out of the willow cave. “You tell Ma, Tom.” He walked away.

Tom followed him to the river bank. “Listen, you goddamn fool——”

“It ain’t no use,” Noah said. “I’m sad, but I can’t he’p it. I got to go.” He turned abruptly and walked downstream along the shore. Tom started to follow, and then he stopped. He saw Noah disappear into the brush, and then appear again, following the edge of the river. And he watched Noah growing smaller on the edge of the river, until he disappeared into the willows at last. And Tom took off his cap and scratched his head. He went back to his willow cave and lay down to sleep.

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