said, "you shouldn't call
yourself The Misfit because I
know you're a good man at
heart. I can just look at you and
tell "
"Hush!" Bailey yelled. "Hush!
Everybody shut up and let me
handle this!" He was squatting
in the position of a runner
about to sprint forward but he
didn't move.
"I prechate that, lady," The
Misfit said and drew a little
circle in the ground with the
butt of his gun.
"It'll take a half a hour to fix
this here car," Hiram called,
looking over the raised hood of
it.
"Well, first you and Bobby Lee
get him and that little boy to
step over yonder with you,"
The Misfit said, pointing to
Bailey and John Wesley. "The
boys want to ast you something," he said to Bailey.
"Would you mind stepping
back in them woods there with
them?"
"Listen," Bailey began, "we're
in a terrible predicament!
Nobody realizes what this is,"
and his voice cracked. His eyes
were as blue and intense as the
parrots in his shirt and he
remained perfectly still.
The grandmother reached up to
adjust her hat brim as if she
were going to the woods with
him but it came off in her hand.
She stood staring at it and after
a second she let it fall on the
ground. Hiram pulled Bailey
up by the arm as if he were
assisting an old man. John
Wesley caught hold of his
father's hand and Bobby Lee
followed. They went off
toward the woods and just as
they reached the dark edge,
Bailey turned and supporting
himself against a gray naked
pine trunk, he shouted, "I'll be
back in a minute, Mamma, wait
on me!"
"Come back this instant!" his
mother shrilled but they all
disappeared into the woods.
"Bailey Boy!" the grandmother
called in a tragic voice but she
JOY FEELINGS | DECEMBER ISSUE
243