He said, “I dont know nothing like that realy I dont know nothing only what any chard coal berner myt know.”
I said, “You wunt know who the yeller boy is?”
He said, “No I wunt know nothing like that is he some 1s brother?”
I said, “You know a song about brothers?”
He lookit at me all brite eyed and wicket and he sung:
I said, “That souns like the end of the song. What about the beginning?”
He said, “Thats jus it you see thats why he wer too late he never come in to it at the beginning.”
I said, “You never
He said, “I never sung no beginning becaws you wont never fynd no beginning its long gone and far pas. What ever youre after youwl never fynd the beginning of it thats why youwl all ways be too late. Onlyes thing youwl ever fynd is the end of things. What ever happens itwl be what you dint want to happen. What ever dont happen thatwl be the thing you wantit. Take your choosing how you like youwl get what you dont want. Howd you get dog frendy?”
I said, “I dint get dog frendy it wer the dogs as got frendy with me.”
He said, “O I see youre a very special kynd of bloak then aint you. Parbly 1 day youwl be some thing big like Dog Pry Mincer.” He begun to kil his self larfing at that.
I dint know if I shud keap on talking to him or jus go my road. I fealt like if I kep stopping there I myt get los from what I wer going to Cambry for. I fealt like that old man myt make things happen on some other track. Wel I can put it plainern that. What I wer lissening wer Power. What ever it wer. The 1 Big 1 or the Spirit of God or the Littl Shyning Man or what ever. I cud feal that yellerboy stoan scrabbling to get out of it bag I cud feal how it wantit to get to that old man and I cud feal as he knowit what to do with it. Only I dint know who he myt be for and who agenst. Dint know if I shud show my han or not. The chard coal berners wer in with the dyers at the forms I knowit that much but I dint know if they wer Mincery men or what they wer. 1ce every year they come in to the forms for ther red clof then back in to the woodlings and ther blue smoak they gone. They kep to ther selfs they wernt frendy with no 1 nor no 1 never give them no Trubba. Every 1 wer a littl bit afeart of them they thot they mus be some way clevver.
And stil I aint said all there is to say about that littl old hook nose man. That day when I seen him for the 1st time and stanning there talking to him it wer like a dream I cudnt wake up out of. There wernt nothing terbel happening and yet there wer. Whats so terbel its jus that knowing of the horrer in every thing. The horrer waiting. I dont know how to say it. Like say you myt get cut bad and all on a suddn there you are with your leg opent up and youre looking at the mussl fat and boan of it. You all ways knowit what wer unner the skin only you dont want to see that bloody meat and boan. Never mynd.
That old man tho. That old man he ben the man to Goodparley when Goodparley ben a boy and here wer that old man stil going strong. Jus looking at him you cud see he wuntve ben kilt by Goodparley. Not him. Wel I wer afeart of him thats the Truth of it I wer afeart of what he myt happen. He drawt me. I fealt like he wer going to make me happen or I wer going to make him happen.
He said, “Cheer up it may never happen.” I ben stanning there shrunk in my thots I musve ben looking down struck. He said, “Wel you bes go your road Ive got my harts to look after. May be wewl sing songs agen some time I all ways like a good song. Keap in memberment to tel Goodparley you seen Drop John.”
I said, “Wait a minim.”
He said, “What is it then?”
I said, “Never mynd.” I had my hans in my pockits. Fealing old blackent Punch with my right han and that yellerboy stoan with my lef.
Granser said, “Right you are.” Opent the gate and in to the fents he gone and closd the gate agen. I heard him singing behynt the fents:
I startit off then I stoppit and looking back and going tords the gate agen. Them 2 nexters they begun grooling and smarling and showing toofy.
I said, “All right then have it your way.” Off we gone tords Cambry then.
