Page 11 - Contrast1965Spring

still half covered by young tobacco plants just
drawn that morning from their beds.
"Here." She indicated a bushel basket with
a wave of her freckled hand.
~runting, Buddy took the basket by both
andles and hoisted. He staggered to the
planter where he dropped it beside his father
who was still seated wi th his back to the
water tank and both legs stretched out before
him.
His father grinned. "Fill her up."
With both hands, the boy dug into the basket
a n d , .Ii1fttling out the sticky plants, let them
drop int o the box before his father.
"hEas y, easy, ".. said h is father scooping up
t ose that had fallen to the ground. He straight-
ened his pl ants l.nto a carefully blocked pi.le,
every root pointed in. "Fill the other box."
,.'J oe, you get the milk?" called Cap'n Jim
the handkerchief
from. the tractor, stuffing
back into his hip pocket.
"Yeah" , ye 11e d the tall boy, rat srng his voice
to b: ?eard above the drone of the tra ct or , "I
~~t l~ In your refrigerator. That's okay, Buddy.
aht s plenty." He slid onto the vacant side
o f t e planter.
Cap'n Jim turned and looked back. "You
ready?"
"Yeah" , rep l'led Buddy's father.
The tracr or ' s drone sputtered and groaned
lnto a roar and they bounced down the lane
to the end of the field and turned in. Buddy
9
saw his father release the lever and heard
the cli-elack, cli-clack of the planter begin.
"Buddy," his mother scolded like a broken
record. "Come on here. You've gotta help.
You're old enough to work."
He turned toward the wagon, shuffling his feet
in the dust. It covered his shoes and got onto
his socks.
"Buddy! Come on. Don't take all day." She
sighed to the other woman, "I swear, I've
never seen any boy who hates work more."
She took an empty basket, knocked it against
the wagon, spilling the dirt onto the ground.
"Here, you can use this one."
Sighing, the boy sat the basket on the tongue
of the wagon, and took a handful of plants.
Shaking the dirt clods from the roots, he
pulled half-heartedly at the dead leaves and
stowed the cleaned plants in the basket. Then
he took another handful and another.
Cap'n Jim's wife calmly interrupted him, "Yer
puttin' 'em in backwards. Here." She paused
to take out the last handful and turn them
around so that all the roots lay facing her.
Deftly her hand picked out a broken plant and
two dead leaves and tossed them behind her.
"That one ain't no good."
A small figure came pattering down the lane,
ears swinging, tail high.
"Here come that old hound of Davids'," his
mother remarked crossly.
The dog paused, sniffed at the tractor wheels,
and came to Buddy.