Fearlived with Wade, fear that shook his soul and
made him wakescreaming in the night. Ah driv deminter de swamp de day de Yankees
come, but de Lawd knows how wegwine git dem.
The road down to the river lay red and scorching
between the ruinedcotton fields. But Melanie reached out a weak arm and drew the
wailing child toher.
Then she started downthe road toward Tara, the
heavy basket cutting into her flesh.
There was a scraping noise on the back porch.
Havent Iinherited the steadiest head in Clayton County? Mammy, I want you to tell me
about Mother. Oh, Miss Scarlett, now dat Miss Ellens inde grabe, whut is we gwine
ter do? It was not that she was basically unkind.
The house was dead and to Scarlett, it was as ifall
the Wilkeses, too, were dead in its ashes. They moved in,some general, his staff,
crowding in. But they were of her blood, part of Tara.
But no one talkedback to Scarlett these days. And I
said that they would be burning it over my head.
Scarlett thought of the scores of bales Tara
usuallyyielded and her head hurt worse.
Scarlett sat down on the column, too sick at the
sight to go on.
I told them there was sickness in the house, the
typhoid, and itwas death to move them. But anyone at Tara who wont workcan go hunt
up the Yankees.
The others grumbled, too:Miss Scarlett, ness I gits
mo to eat, I kain nuss neither ofthese chillun. There was no one on whose shoulders
she couldrest her burdens. His stubbly chin sankheavily in loose folds of flesh on
his chest. She mighty tired and nervous likeand scared fo this baby. Mammy turned
withthreatening violence on Dilcey.
An den it tuck her,Miss Scarlett, an Ah seed right
off dat twarnt no use. Here was the Wilkes pride in the dust at her feet. If the
girls recovered,Ellens family would have to take them, whether they liked it ornot.
Were they really there, whispering wordlessencouragement to her, or was this part of
her dream?
Thats quite all right, Pork, and thank you. Aunt
Pitty and the Burrs inMacon could take Melanie and her baby. Now, trot right out in
the yard and play, and dont come inhere again.
Malign fate had broken their necks, perhaps, but
never theirhearts. Scarlett sat down on the column, too sick at the sight to go
on.
She did not know she was drunk, drunk with fatigue
and whisky.
They camped all round the house, everywhere, in the
cotton, in thecorn. Now, Yankees and a cross voicewere linked forever in his mind
and he was afraid of his mother.
Oh, Ashley, she thought, I hope you are dead!