The Grapes of Wrath

“After. Jus’ wait.”

“Keep-a-stirrin’ that mush, you. Here, lemme put on some coffee. You can have sugar on your mush or in your coffee. They ain’t enough for both.”

Pa came back with one tall can of milk. “’Leven cents,” he said disgustedly.

“Here!” Ma took the can and stabbed it open. She let the thick stream out into a cup, and handed it to Tom. “Give that to Winfiel’.” Tom knelt beside the mattress. “Here, drink this.”

“I can’t. I’d sick it all up. Leave me be.” Tom stood up. “He can’t take it now, Ma. Wait a little.” Ma took the cup and set it on the window ledge. “Don’t none of you touch that,” she warned. “That’s for Winfiel’.”

“I ain’t had no milk,” Rose of Sharon said sullenly. “I oughta have some.”

“I know, but you’re still on your feet. This here little fella’s down. Is that mush good an’ thick?”

“Yeah. Can’t hardly stir it no more.”

“Awright, le’s eat. Now here’s the sugar. They’s about one spoon each. Have it on ya mush or in ya coffee.” Tom said, “I kinda like salt an’ pepper on mush.”

“Salt her if you like,” Ma said. “The pepper’s out.” The boxes were all gone. The family sat on the mattresses to eat their mush. They served themselves again and again, until the pot was nearly empty. “Save some for Winfiel’,” Ma said.

Winfield sat up and drank his milk, and instantly he was ravenous. He put the mush pot between his legs and ate what was left and scraped at the crust on the sides. Ma poured the rest of the canned milk in a cup and sneaked it to Rose of Sharon to drink secretly in a corner. She poured the hot black coffee into the cups and passed them around.

“Now will you tell what’s goin’ on?” Tom asked. “I wanta hear.” Pa said uneasily, “I wisht Ruthie an’ Winfiel’ didn’ hafta hear. Can’t they go outside?”

Ma said, “No. They got to act growed up, even if they ain’t. They’s no help for it. Ruthie— you an’ Winfiel’ ain’t ever to say what you hear, else you’ll jus’ break us to pieces.”

“We won’t,” Ruthie said. “We’re growed up.”

“Well, jus’ be quiet, then.” The cups of coffee were on the floor. The short thick flame of the lantern, like a stubby butterfly’s wing, cast a yellow gloom on the walls.

“Now tell,” said Tom. Ma said, “Pa, you tell.” Uncle John slupped his coffee. Pa said, “Well, they dropped the price like you said. An’ they was a whole slew a new pickers so goddamn hungry they’d pick for a loaf a bread. Go for a peach, an’ somebody’d get it first. Gonna get the whole crop picked right off. Fellas runnin’ to a new tree. I seen fights— one fella claims it’s his tree, ’nother fella wants to pick off’n it. Brang these here folks from as far’s El Centro. Hungrier’n hell. Work all day for a piece a bread. I says to the checker, ‘We can’t work for two an’ a half cents a box,’ an’ he says, ‘Go on, then, quit. These fellas can.’ I says, ‘Soon’s they get fed up they won’t.’ An’ he says, ’Hell, we’ll have these here peaches in ‘fore they get fed up.’” Pa stopped.

“She was a devil,” said Uncle John. “They say they’s two hunderd more men comin’ in tonight.”

Tom said, “Yeah! But how about the other?” Pa was silent for a while. “Tom,” he said, “looks like you done it.”

“I kinda thought so. Couldn’ see. Felt like it.”

“Seems like the people ain’t talkin’ ’bout much else,” said Uncle John. “They got posses out, an’ they’s fellas talkin’ up a lynchin’’ course when they catch the fella.”

Tom looked over at the wide-eyed children. They seldom blinked their eyes. It was as though they were afraid something might happen in the split second of darkness. Tom said, “Well— this fella that done it, he on’y done it after they killed Casy.”

Pa interrupted, “That ain’t the way they’re tellin’ it now. They’re sayin’ he done it fust.”

Tom’s breath sighed out, “Ah-h!”

“They’re workin’ up a feelin’ against us folks. That’s what I heard.

All them drum-corpse fellas an’ lodges an’ all that. Say they’re gonna get this here fella.”

“They know what he looks like?” Tom asked.

“Well— not exactly— but the way I heard it, they think he got hit. They think— he’ll have—”

Tom put his hand up slowly and touched his bruised cheek.

Ma cried, “It ain’t so, what they say!”

“Easy, Ma,” Tom said. “They got it cold. Anything them drum-corpse fellas say is right if it’s against us.” Ma peered through the ill light, and she watched Tom’s face, and particularly his lips. “You promised,” she said.

“Ma, I— maybe this fella oughta go away. If— this fella done somepin wrong, maybe he’d think, ’O.K. Le’s get the hangin’ over. I done wrong an’ I got to take it.’ But this fella didn’ do nothin’ wrong. He don’ feel no worse’n if he killed a skunk.”

Ruthie broke in, “Ma, me an’ Winfiel’ knows. He don’ have to go this-fella’in’ for us.”

Tom chuckled. “Well, this fella don’ want no hangin’, ’cause he’d do it again. An’ same time, he don’t aim to bring trouble down on his folks. Ma— I got to go.”