The Floatplane Notebooks Read Online Free PDF Page B

they’d let it go, then trim it back, then let it go, and now look at that. You let one of them wisterias get loose and it’s gone every which way. They’ll never get that one back under control. They’re the meanest plants you ever seen.” She called to Meredith, “Get that dog off that grave. He looks like he’s about to take a notion to dig.”
    â€œAin’t my dog.”
    â€œI don’t care whose dog it is. Get him off there.”

THE VINE
    I was planted as a seedling by the back steps soon after first light on the day the field hand died planted by a woman named Cora Rosa Hunter Novella Caroline Hildred Martha Bird Taylor Copeland. Her husband Walker called her Puss. Others called her Caroline.
    She dug a hole by the back steps with the piece of a grub hoe she used for her flowers. It was very early in the morning and cool. Beyond the pasture and the pond a wisp of low fog flung along just dipping into the tops of trees.
    Walker called from inside. Puss where you?
    Out here planting a wisteria.
    Walker stepped onto the back porch stopped pulled his suspender straps over his shoulders.
    Caroline pressed loose dirt with her foot. It’ll have a chance to get a good start before it gets too hot. I want to get something started back here. And I want you or Isaac one to build a trellis.
    Caroline walked over into the kitchen and started a fire to cook breakfast. The children Isaac Vera and Ross the smallest came out of the house and went briefly to their spots in the woods. When they came back Vera washed her hands with water from a pan on the porch and then pulled up a cloth-covered pail of milk from the well.
    Ross looked around then picked up a rock and threw it at a chicken as a man came out of the smokehouse. Thomas Pittman the field hand.
    Don’t do that Thomas Pittman said.
    Ross frowned and went into the kitchen.
    Thomas Pittman took breakfast in the yard sitting with his back against a tree.
    They finished eating and the children and Walker fed the animals then they all went to the field.
    Before the sun was straight above Walker rolled Thomas Pittman back into the yard in a wheelbarrow one foot dragging.
    Ross was with Walker. He stood watching as Walker with difficulty got Thomas Pittman up onto the back porch and laid him down went inside got a long coat covered the body down to just below the knees then said to Ross Now you stay here and watch him. Don’t let the dogs get at him. And shell that there pan of peas while you’re at it.
    Yessir.
    Walker stared at the covered corpse scratched himself then started back to the field.
    Ross sat on the back steps and looked for a while at the shape of Thomas Pittman under the coat. Then he stood and walked with long bouncing strides over into the kitchen.
    Two bird dog puppies ran from around the corner of the house. One stopped squatted peed then scrambled up the steps toward the corpse. The other one followed. The first approached the head of the corpse bit and held the coat at Thomas Pittman’s head growled shook it back and forth and moved backward uncovering the head. The other puppy started for Thomas Pittman’s pale face stopped wagged his tail and suddenly reared onto his hind legs then went for the ear licked it bounded back bounded forward again and licked the neck below the ear then started barking.
    Ross came running. Git away from there. Git. Git. He ran up the steps grabbed the puppies dropped them down off the porch and placed the coat back over Thomas Pittman’s head pausing looking at the face. Thomas Pittman’s eyes and mouth were open.
    The puppies’ mother Trader came slowly from around the corner of the house followed by three more puppies. The porch puppies went for her. She lay on her side in the shade of the eaves over little holes made by rain dripping from the roof and gave milk tiny puppy-mouth hairs touching her nipples tongues and mouths making tight sucking