God's Little Acre Read Online Free PDF Page B

to stand up, but he did not move from his seat. He could not get out in the heat of the day and walk down the dusty road calling on voters.
    Buck and Griselda came back with two large Senator Watson watermelons and a salt-shaker. Buck also had a butcher-knife in his hand. Pluto forgot his troubles when he saw the two large melons, and sat up. Ty Ty pulled himself out of his crouched position. After Buck and Griselda had put the melons on the porch. Ty Ty went over and cut them into quarters.
    Griselda carried Pluto his portion, and he thanked her many times over for her consideration. There would have been no need for his getting up to go for his slice of watermelon inasmuch as Griselda was already standing. And if she had not brought it to him, he did not know whether he could have gone after it or not. She had sat down beside him and was watching him lower his face into the cool meat. The melons had been cooling on the bottom of the well for two days and they were ice-cold.
    “Mr. Swint,” she said, looking up at Pluto, “your eyes look like watermelon seeds.”
    Everyone laughed. Pluto knew she was right. He could almost see himself at that moment.
    “Now, Griselda,” he said, “you’re just making fun of me again.”
    “I couldn’t help saying it, Mr. Swint. Your eyes are so small and your face is so red, that you do look exactly like a watermelon with two seeds showing.”
    Ty Ty laughed again, louder than before.
    “There’s a time for fun, and a time for work,” he said, spitting out a mouthful of seeds, “and now is the time for work. We’ve got to be up and doing, boys. We’ve sat around the house here long enough for one day, and now we’ve got to be on our way. I aim to rope that albino sometime between now and daybreak tomorrow morning. Let’s be up and doing.”
    Pluto wiped his hands and face and laid the rind aside. He wished to wink at Griselda, and to lay his hand on her knees. In a minute or two he found the courage to wink at her with his watermelon seeds, but try as he might he could not bring himself to touch her. The thought of laying his hand on her knees and maybe trying to push his fingers between her legs brought a blush to his face and neck. He drummed on the steps with his fingers in seven-eighths time, whistling under his breath, and scared to death that somebody would read his thoughts. “Buck’s got a fine-looking wife, hasn’t he, Pluto?” Ty Ty asked him, spitting out another mouthful of watermelon seeds. “Did you ever see a finer-looking girl anywhere in the country? Just look at that creamy skin and that gold in her hair, not to mention all that pale blueness in her eyes. And while I’m praising her, I can’t overlook the rest of her. I reckon Griselda is the prettiest of them all. Griselda has the finest pair of rising beauties a man can ever hope to see. It’s a wonder that God ever put such prettiness in the house with an onery old cuss like me. Maybe I don’t deserve to see it, but I’m here to tell you I’m going to take my fill of looking while I can.” Griselda hung her head and blushed.
    “Aw, now, Pa,” she begged.
    “Ain’t I right, Pluto?”
    “She’s a perfect little female,” Pluto said. “And that’s a fact.”
    Griselda glanced up at Buck and blushed again. Buck laughed at her.
    “Son,” Ty Ty said, turning to Buck, “wherever in the world did you happen to find her, you lucky dog?”
    “Well, there’s no more where she came from,” he said. “She was the pick of the crop.”
    “And I’ll bet they’ve given up trying to raise any more, there at that place, after seeing you come and take away the beauty of them all.”
    “Now stop that, Pa, you and Buck,” Griselda said, putting her hands over her face and trying to keep them from seeing her.
    “I hate to cross you, Griselda,” Ty Ty said determinedly. “Once I get started about you, I can’t stop. I’ve just got to praise you. And I reckon any man would who has seen you