Georgia Boy Read Online Free Page B
Author: Erskine Caldwell
house to the backyard. “Come on, Handsome, and get a hustle on.”
“Me, Mr. Morris, you’re talking to?” Handsome said. Handsome could not walk fast. He always said his arches hurt him when he tried to walk fast. When he did have to hurry, he trotted.
“Hurry up, Handsome,” Pa told him. “Stop complaining.”
We got to the backyard and Pa studied the goats on the ridge plate for a while before saying anything. He liked the goats just about as much as I did, and that was why he wanted them in town where he could see them every day. When they stayed out in the country on the farm, we did not see them sometimes for as long as a week at a time, because we did not go out there every day.
The goats had stopped walking back and forth on the roof and were looking down at us to see what we were up to.
“Handsome,” Pa said, “go get the ladder and put it up against the porch roof.”
Handsome got the ladder and stood it up the way Pa told him to.
“Now, what to do, Mr. Morris?” Handsome asked.
“Go up there and chase them down,” Pa said.
Handsome looked up at the big billy goat. He backed away from the ladder.
“I’m a little scared to go up there where that big billy goat is, Mr. Morris,” he said. “He’s got the meanest-looking set of horns I ever looked at in all my life. If it’s all the same to you, Mr. Morris, I just don’t feel like going up there. My arches has been hurting all day. I don’t feel good at all.”
“Stop that talking back to me, Handsome,” Pa said, “and go on up there like I told you. There’s nothing wrong with your arches today, or any day.”
Just then Ma came out, pinning the white starched collar on her dress that she wore when she dressed up for company. She came as far as the steps and stood looking down at Pa and me.
“Now, Martha,” Pa said, talking fast, “don’t you worry yourself one bit. Handsome and me will have those goats down from there in a jiffy.”
“You’d better get them down from there in a jiffy,” Ma said. “I’ve never been so mortified in all my life. All these women will be coming here to the circle meeting any minute now. What will people say if they see a lot of goats walking around on the roof of my house?”
“Now, calm yourself, Martha,” Pa said. “Handsome is on his way up there now.”
Handsome was still backing away from the ladder. Pa walked over to where he was and gave him a shove.
“Hurry up and do like I told you,” Pa said, shoving him towards the ladder again.
Handsome fidgeted a lot, killing all the time he could by hitching up his pants and buttoning his shirt, but he finally made a start towards the ladder. He climbed to the top and stepped to the porch roof. Then he started backing down again.
“Handsome Brown,” Ma said, running out into the yard where we were, “if you come down that ladder before getting those goats off the roof, I’ll never give you another bite to eat as long as I live. You can just make up your mind to go off somewhere else and starve to death, if you don’t do what Mr. Morris told you.”
“But, Mis’ Martha, my arches has started paining me again something awful.”
“I’ve warned you, Handsome Brown,” Ma said, tapping her shoe on the ground, “and I mean exactly what I said.”
“But, Mis’ Martha, I—”
“I’ve warned you once and for all,” Ma said.
Handsome looked up at the goats, then down at Ma again, and after that he climbed up on top of the kitchen roof. When he had got that far, he cut his eyes down at us to see if we were watching him.
Just then Ma heard some of the women coming up the street. We could hear them talking almost a whole block away. Ma shook her finger at Handsome and ran inside to lock the front door so the women could not get into the house. She figured they would sit on the porch if she did that, because otherwise they might just walk on through the house and come out on the back porch and see what was going on.
Pa and me
“Me, Mr. Morris, you’re talking to?” Handsome said. Handsome could not walk fast. He always said his arches hurt him when he tried to walk fast. When he did have to hurry, he trotted.
“Hurry up, Handsome,” Pa told him. “Stop complaining.”
We got to the backyard and Pa studied the goats on the ridge plate for a while before saying anything. He liked the goats just about as much as I did, and that was why he wanted them in town where he could see them every day. When they stayed out in the country on the farm, we did not see them sometimes for as long as a week at a time, because we did not go out there every day.
The goats had stopped walking back and forth on the roof and were looking down at us to see what we were up to.
“Handsome,” Pa said, “go get the ladder and put it up against the porch roof.”
Handsome got the ladder and stood it up the way Pa told him to.
“Now, what to do, Mr. Morris?” Handsome asked.
“Go up there and chase them down,” Pa said.
Handsome looked up at the big billy goat. He backed away from the ladder.
“I’m a little scared to go up there where that big billy goat is, Mr. Morris,” he said. “He’s got the meanest-looking set of horns I ever looked at in all my life. If it’s all the same to you, Mr. Morris, I just don’t feel like going up there. My arches has been hurting all day. I don’t feel good at all.”
“Stop that talking back to me, Handsome,” Pa said, “and go on up there like I told you. There’s nothing wrong with your arches today, or any day.”
Just then Ma came out, pinning the white starched collar on her dress that she wore when she dressed up for company. She came as far as the steps and stood looking down at Pa and me.
“Now, Martha,” Pa said, talking fast, “don’t you worry yourself one bit. Handsome and me will have those goats down from there in a jiffy.”
“You’d better get them down from there in a jiffy,” Ma said. “I’ve never been so mortified in all my life. All these women will be coming here to the circle meeting any minute now. What will people say if they see a lot of goats walking around on the roof of my house?”
“Now, calm yourself, Martha,” Pa said. “Handsome is on his way up there now.”
Handsome was still backing away from the ladder. Pa walked over to where he was and gave him a shove.
“Hurry up and do like I told you,” Pa said, shoving him towards the ladder again.
Handsome fidgeted a lot, killing all the time he could by hitching up his pants and buttoning his shirt, but he finally made a start towards the ladder. He climbed to the top and stepped to the porch roof. Then he started backing down again.
“Handsome Brown,” Ma said, running out into the yard where we were, “if you come down that ladder before getting those goats off the roof, I’ll never give you another bite to eat as long as I live. You can just make up your mind to go off somewhere else and starve to death, if you don’t do what Mr. Morris told you.”
“But, Mis’ Martha, my arches has started paining me again something awful.”
“I’ve warned you, Handsome Brown,” Ma said, tapping her shoe on the ground, “and I mean exactly what I said.”
“But, Mis’ Martha, I—”
“I’ve warned you once and for all,” Ma said.
Handsome looked up at the goats, then down at Ma again, and after that he climbed up on top of the kitchen roof. When he had got that far, he cut his eyes down at us to see if we were watching him.
Just then Ma heard some of the women coming up the street. We could hear them talking almost a whole block away. Ma shook her finger at Handsome and ran inside to lock the front door so the women could not get into the house. She figured they would sit on the porch if she did that, because otherwise they might just walk on through the house and come out on the back porch and see what was going on.
Pa and me