I noddit my head and all. Dint say nothing. Orfing put his han on my sholder and give me a littl shake frendy. I put up my hood and gone out in to the rain. Out to the fents and up on the hy walk.
Lissening to the nite and the rain. I leant my back agenst the fents and looking to the divvy roof. There hadnt ben no Trubba for a long time but we stil hadnt put no sides on it. Sit there nite after nite getting pist with 1 eye on the dark not to get snuck. Lissening to the rain dumming on my hood and looking at the candls and the nite fires in the roof and the crowd all sat there with the rainy dark all roun them. You know some times you get a fealing you dont want to put no words to.
Durster Potter that wer Nimbel Potters dad come a long the hy walk he wer on look out. He said, “I wunt want to be out this nite.” Rain streaming down him and you cudve rung about a buckit of water out of his beard.
I said, “You
He said, “I mean on the out side of the fents.”
I wer thinking how some fents poals and a gate make all the diffrents.
The Big 2 dint drink long jus only for the pearents of it then they roadit out. Ther hevvys come up in the gate house and on the hy walk same as when they come in.
Goodparley lookit up and seen me in the lite of the gate fires and he done some mor nodding. Orfing lookit up and raisit his han. I dint hear him say nothing but I seen his mouf move. I thot he wer saying, “Good Luck.” Off they gone then in to the rain.
I had off nex day no digging to do only in my head for Nex Nite and my connexion. I had a nuff and moren a nuff to connect with all I had to do wer sort it out my head wer perwel humming and spinning with it.
Come the nite and stil raining. Dumming on the divvy roof and the wind blowing and spattering in every time it veert and the torch fires shimmying and smoaking. Peopl shushing the kids and waiting for Straiter Empy and me to do the askings.
Straiter said, “Eusas come to us agen. Weve lookit and weve lissent.”
I said, “Ive lookit and Ive lissent as wel.”
He said, “How is it with you? On or off?”
I said, “On.”
He said, “Is there a connexion?”
I said, “Theres all ways a connexion.”
He said, “Is there a reveal for this crowd?”
I said, “Theres all ways a reveal if itwl come.”
He said, “Is it come?”
I said, “Yes its come. Eusas forage is our meat. Eusas pain is our gain if we look and if we lissen.”
He said, “Tel us.” Then he sat down.
Every body looking at me waiting to hear what kynd of connexion Brooder Walkers boy wer going to do. On my belly I cud feal them 3 stroaks pulling. Torch fires shimmying and the rain spattering in and the shadders shaking over us inside the roof. Faces all ternt to me out of bodys what lookit like wet bundels throwt down on benches and steaming in the warm. Our crowd pong rising which it wer mud and wet it wer meat smoak and sweat long soakt in to the levver and the wool and the hard clof. Suddn it comes to you: What can any body tel any body?
I said, “All right here I am your new connexion man which Im the son of your old connexion man Brooder Walker him as ben kilt in the digging at Widders Dump for a peace of old rottin iron. Here goes my 1st connexion then.”
Befor I write down that 1st connexion I bes say a word or 2 about connexions and I myt as wel tel Truth. When my dad ben a live I all ways thot I cud do better connexions nor him when my chance come. How he done it he wud mummel slow and qwyet and start and stop with long sylents be twean and mosly his connexions wernt nothing very as citing. Every body liket them tho. They all ways gone strait to the hart of the matter plus they wer jus that littl bit else nor mos peopl wuntve thot of it qwite the same way.
Like the time back when I ben 7 or 8 when Littl Salting Fents got largent in by Dog Et Form. That ben up on Top Shoar and we ben down by Fork Stoan then in Crippel the Farn Fents. Every body heard of it tho and talking on it. Dog Et tol some cow shit story of a Outland raid from over water they said thats how Littl Salting got ther Big Man kilt plus 8 mor dead and the res of the crowd sparsit out to who ever wud take them in. In that woal story Dog Et tol there bint a word of Truth only how many dead. Every body knowit Dog Et said, “Les largen in to gether” and Littl Salting said “No” which then it wer arga warga for them.
Wel the Pry Mincer and the Wes Mincer done 1 of ther specials dint they. Coarse they done. My dad tol me that show over when he ben lerning me. I myt as wel tel it here then when I write down the connexion for it thatwl show his styl.
That show ben done by the same Goodparley & Orfing as done the show Ive all ready wrote down. I dont have only the las part of the patter.
Orfing says, “Eusa when you coming up?”
Eusa says rather his voyce says, “I dont know. Longs I stay down no 1 cant put me down.”
Orfing says, “Eusa you dont soun very salty.” Eusas voyce says, “May be thats why every body ben trying to salt me.”
