ouside，inhedusandamonghegarbage（herewerefourdogsnow），bernardandjohnwerewalkingslowlyupanddown

“sohardformeorealize，”bernardwassaying，“oreconsrucashoughwewerelivingondifferenps，indifferencenuriesamoher，andallhisdir，andgods，andoldage，anddisease…”heshookhishead“i’salmosinconceivableishallneverundersand，unlessyouexpin”

“expinwha？”

“his”heindicaedhepueblo“ha”andiwashelilehouseousidehevilge“everyhingallyourlife”

“buwhaishereosay？”

“fromhebegi

ingasfarbackasyoucanremember”

“asfarbackasicanremember”johnfrownedherewasalongsilence

iwasveryhoheyhadeaenalooforilsandsweecornlindasaid，“comeandliedown，baby”heyydownogeherinhebigbed“sing，”andlindasangsang“srepocockgeeobanbury”and“byebabybaning，soonyou’llneeddecaning”hervoicegofainerandfainer…

herewasaloudnoise，andhewokewihasaramanwassayingsomehingolinda，andlindawasughingshehadpulledhebnkeupoherchin，buhemanpulledidownagainhishairwaslikewobckropes，androundhisarmwasalovelysilverbracelewihbluesonesinihelikedhebracele；buallhesame，hewasfrighened；hehidhisfaceagainslinda’sbodylindapuherhandonhimandhefelsaferinhoseoherwordshedidnoundersandsowell，shesaidoheman，“nowihjohnhere”hemanlookedahim，henagainalinda，andsaidafewwordsinasofvoicelindasaid，“no”buhemanbenoverhebedowardshimandhisfacewashuge，errible；hebckropesofhairouchedhebnke“no，”lindasaidagain，andhefelherhandsqueezinghimmoreighly“no，no！”buhemanookholdofoneofhisarms，andihurhescreamedhemanpuuphisoherhandandlifedhimuplindawassillholdinghim，sillsaying，“no，no”hemansaidsomehingshorandangry，andsuddenlyherhandsweregone“linda，linda”hekickedandwriggled；buhemancarriedhimacrossohedoor，openedi，puhimdownonhefloorinhemiddleofheoherroom，andwenaway，shuinghedoorbehindhirnhegoup，heranohedoorsandingonipoehecouldjusreachhebigwoodenchhelifediandpushed；buhedoorwouldn’open“linda，”heshouedshedidn’answer

herememberedahugeroom，raherdark；andherewerebigwoodenhingswihsringsfasenedohem，andlosofwomensandingroundhem–makingbnkes，lindasaidlindaoldhimosiinhecornerwihheoherchildren，whileshewenandhelpedhewomenhepyedwihhelileboysforalongime

suddenlypeoplesaredalkingveryloud，andherewerehewomenpushinglindaaway，andlindawascryingshewenohedoorandheranaferherheaskedherwhyheywereangry“becauseibrokesomehing，”shesaidandhenshegoangryoo“howshouldiknowhowodoheirbeaslyweaving？”shesaid“beaslysavages”heaskedherwhasavageswerewhenheygobackoheirhouse，popéwaswaiingahedoor，andhecameinwihhemhehadabiggourdfullofsuffhalookedlikewaer；onlyiwasn’waer，busomehingwihabadsmellhaburnyourmouhandmadeyoucoughlindadranksomeandpopédranksome，andhenlindaughedaloandalkedveryloud；andhensheandpopéweninoheoherroomwhenpopéwenaway，heweninoheroomlindawasinbedandsofasasleephahecouldn’wakeher

popéusedocomeofenhesaidhesuffinhegourdwascalledmescal；bulindasaidioughobecalledsoma；onlyimadeyoufeelillaferwardshehaedpopéhehaedhemall–allhemenwhocameoseelindaoneafernoon，whenhehadbeenpyingwihheoherchildren–iwascold，heremembered，andherewassnowonhemounains–hecamebackohehouseandheardangryvoicesinhebedroomheywerewomen’svoices，andheysaidwordshedidn’undersand，buheknewheyweredreadfulwordshensuddenly，crash！somehingwasupse；heheardpeoplemovingabouquickly，andherewasanohercrashandhenanoiselikehiingamule，onlynosobony；henlindascreamed“oh，don’，don’，don’！”shesaidheraninherewerehreewomenindarkbnkeslindawasonhebedoneofhewomenwasholdingherwrissanoherwaslyingacrossherlegs，sohashecouldn’kickhehirdwashiingherwihawhiponce，wice，hreeimes；andeachimelindascreamedcrying，heuggedahefringeofhewoman’sbnke“please，please”wihherfreehandsheheldhimawayhewhipcamedownagain，andagainlindascreamedhecaughholdofhewoman’senormousbrownhandbeweenhisownandbiiwihallhismighshecriedou，wrenchedherhandfree，andgavehimsuchapushhahefelldownwhilehewaslyingonhegroundshehihimhreeimeswihhewhipihurmorehananyhinghehadeverfel–likefirehewhipwhisledagain，fellbuhisimeiwaslindawhoscreamed

“buwhydidheywanohuryou，linda？”heaskedhanighhewascrying，becauseheredmarksofhewhiponhisbacksillhursoerriblybuhewasalsocryingbecausepeopleweresobeaslyandunfair，andbecausehewasonlyalileboyandcouldn’doanyhingagainshemlindawascryingooshewasgrownup，bushewasn’bigenoughofighagainshreeofhemiwasn’fairforhereiher“whydidheywanohuryou，linda？”

“idon’knowhowshouldiknow？”iwasdifficulohearwhashesaid，becauseshewaslyingonhersomachandherfacewasinhepillow“heysayhosemenareheirmen，”shewenon；andshedidnoseemobealkingohimaall；sheseemedobealkingwihsomeoneinsideherselfalongalkwhichshedidn’undersand；andinheendshesaredcryinglouderhanever

“oh，don’cry，lindadon’cry”

hepressedhimselfagainsherhepuhisarmroundhernecklindacriedou“oh，becarefulmyshoulder！oh！”andshepushedhimaway，hardhisheadbangedagainshewall“lileidio！”sheshoued；andhen，suddenly，shebeganosphimsp，sp…

“linda，”hecriedou“oh，moher，don’！”

“i’mnoyourmoheriwon’beyourmoher”

“bu，linda…oh！”shesppedhimonhecheek