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The Gardener's Son(5)

By:Cormac McCarthy


ROBERT Sir.

TIMEKEEPER If Mr Gregg was to hear that he’d flop in his grave like a fish, God rest his soul. Good manners are never out of place. What he used to say. Well. Tell you what. You can start in by cleanin this here place up some. Right yonder through that door and on the right is a closet and you’ll find a broom in it if I’m not bad mistaken. We’d best get the heaviest dirt out fore cotton starts to volunteer in here. Little as the roof leaks it never would grow noway.

He starts to turn back to his desk, then turns and looks at the boy again.

TIMEKEEPER Can you ... I mean, you can manage a broom all right caint ye? I never thought about. . .

ROBERT I can do anything anybody else can.

The timekeeper watches him swing through and out the door.

Interior. James Gregg's office. He looks up to see the new office boy go past his door. After a while he rises and goes out to the outer office. There is a confrontation taking place between the timekeeper and a ragged man at the door.

TIMEKEEPER I dont care what they told you. We are not takin on any hands.

RAGGED MAN Well they done paid our fare down here on the train to go to work.

TIMEKEEPER Your friends and neighbors did. Took up a contribution.

RAGGED MAN Yessir.

TIMEKEEPER They wont get up no purse to get you back though, will they?

RAGGED MAN I dont know.

TIMEKEEPER Well I do.

RAGGED MAN We never allowed we’d be goin back. They said we could come down here and go to work—put the young’uns to work. And the girls. Said we’d get a sealed house and a garden patch.

JAMES GREEG How many of you are there?

RAGGED MAN Well now, there’s at least eighteen hands. They ain’t but two of them youngerns under twelve year old. Some of them is slight for they age but I guarantee em to turn in a day’s work.

JAMES GREEG How many fares?

RAGGED MAN Fares?

JAMES GREGG We’ll need to know how many half fares and how many whole.

RAGGED MAN We was paid our fares come down here.

JAMES GREEG How many all together?

RAGGED MAN They was twenty-six of us come down.

TIMEKEEPER In one family?

RAGGED MAN Lord God no, not in no one family. They aint but five in my family. They’s three families of us. Some of us is cross kin.

James Gregg goes past the man to the door and looks out. Standing along the edge of the road are a band of filthy and ragged people with bales of bedding and sorry household effects, nearly all barefooted, some appearing to be albinos, a couple of emaciated hound dogs, a few crates of chickens. They are staring hungrily toward the office.

JAMES GREGG Mr Giles.

TIMEKEEPER Yessir.

JAMES GREGG Find out how many fares are here and make arrangements for their tickets back to wherever the hell they came from.

TIMEKEEPER It’s a damned outrage, Cap’n Gregg.

JAMES GREGG Well what would you do with them?

TIMEKEEPER I know. But it’s still a damned outrage.

JAMES GREGG Send up to the church and see if they can get them some dinner.

RAGGED MAN We aint even had no breakfast.

JAMES GREGG And get them out of here on the afternoon train.

Robert McEvoy is sweeping the floor behind them. He has left his crutch and he alternately leans on the broom to hop forward and sweeps with the broom while standing on one leg.

RAGGED MAN Cap’n you sure you aint got no place for us? We come a long way to be turned back. I mean, they showed us a dodger, said to come on.

JAMES GREGG The last bill we put out was four years ago. Mr Giles.

TIMEKEEPER Mrs Cornish will go crazy when she sees this lot. She said the last time she wouldnt put up with it no more.

JAMES GREGG That’s what she said the time before. Tell her some of God’s seed has fallen on barren ground.

TIMEKEEPER Let’s go.

Time keeper and Ragged Man go out. James Gregg watches them, then shakes his head and turns and goes back into his office past McEvoy, not looking at him. McEvoy sweeps to the door and stands leaning on the broom watching the procession of derelicts wend up the road.

Evening. Exterior of factory. Factory bell tolls the end of the day. The sound of the machinery grinds to a halt and some workers appear at the door.

Interior. The office. Martha McEvoy enters and looks about the office for Bobby. She looks into James Gregg's office and he looks up from his desk and sees her.

JAMES GREGG Can I help you?

Martha turns. She is somewhat flustered.

MARTHA I was a huntin my brother.

JAMES GREGG Your brother?

MARTHA Yessir.

JAMES GREGG Well come in. I mean, I dont have him, but we can talk about it.

MARTHA Well, if he aint here . . .

JAMES GREGG Come on in. I wont bite. At least not hard.

Martha comes into the office. She stands nervously on the far side of the desk.

JAMES GREGG Where do they keep you hid at? I dont believe I’ve seen you before.

MARTHA I just work in the spinnin room.