1
When I was young, I lived
in a town called Jefferson, Mississippi.
That was a long time ago.
Quite a few people took up the land
at a dollar an acre...
and married one another,
and produced children, and built houses.
There was some bragging and lying...
but on the whole, we were a pleasant
and courteous people...
tending to our own business.
It seems to me now that those days
were like an endless summer...
stored with pleasure in my memory.
I suppose it can be said
that I parted from my youth...
on a Saturday morning in the year 1905...
just before noon with the temperature close
to 100 degrees.
Boon!
Here it comes, Boon.
Better hurry up or you're gonna miss it.
I ain't gonna miss anything.
I'll beat you there, bub.
That was the summer my grandfather,
known to all of us as Boss...
had a vision of our nation's
vast and boundless future...
in which the basic unit
of its economy and prosperity...
would be a small mass-produced cubicle
containing four wheels and an engine.
So he bought one.
It was a yellow Winton Flyer.
As for my friend, Boon Hogganbeck...
he found his soul's lily maid...
the virgin's love of his rough
and innocent heart.
Hey, Boon. Does Boss know that you're...
splashing water on this thing
four or five hours every day?
You're gonna soak all the paint off it.
Step back, will you?
You're getting dust on the magneto.
It sure is pretty.
Hey, how do you start this thing?
What do you want to know for?
There's this lovely lady across town
who'd just sit up...
and take notice if I chugged up
in this thing.
She would, huh?
"Honey," I would say to her...
"your man has arrived."
I'm gonna show you what to do
and how to do it.
- First, you adjust the choke.
- Choke.
- Then you adjust the magneto.
- Magneto.
- Then you walk around to the front.
- The front.
- Then you give her a crank. You follow me?
- Nothing to it.
Now...
you step in...
readjust the magneto, readjust the choke.
And you ease her into gear.
You don't crunch it, now.
Just kind of easy-like, you know? All right?
Boon, when do you think I can have her?
String bean, you so much as lay a hand
on this automobile...
I'll jump down your throat
and tap dance on your lungs.
Hey, Boon.
Lucius, get back to that piano.
Get out of the way!
Come here, Ned.
Come back, you...
What are you doing, Boon?
I'm gonna find that son of a bitch,
Ned McCaslin, and I'm gonna kill him!
Look out! Watch out! Get out of the way!
Look out, there!
Oh, shit!
Point that thing down a little bit,
then stand still. You might do better.
Hey, that's not funny!
Boon!
Young man!
Stop that right this minute!
Come on, now!
Been a bit too lively this morning, Boon.
We'll take this matter off the streets.
- Well, I didn't...
- Quiet!
I've had my fill of both of you.
For 20 years...
you've been standing in front of me,
on this strip of carpet...
unwashed and unrepentant.
You...
wandering into our livery stable,
10 years old...
wiping your runny nose on your shirttails.
And you...
abandoned in my back yard...
squalling your lungs out in a wash bucket.
Did any man ever inherit
a more ill-assorted pair?
What was he doing out joyriding in my car?
Your car, Boon?
The family car.
Speaking of family,
I'm more part of it than he is...
seeing as how you and I had the same
great-granddaddy, Mr. Maury.
Let's don't bring that up again.
I've heard it 1,000 times.
But isn't my name McCaslin, same as yours?
Didn't your great-granddaddy,
Lucius Quintus McCaslin...
take a slave girl named
Aunt Molly Beauchamp, who beget Acey...
who beget Maydew,
my mother, and then me?
We're kin. Look in the family Bible.
It's all written down there.
You're there. I acknowledge it.
- You'll end up in the family graveyard, too.
- Quiet!
Now, I'll tell you what I'm going to do.
I'm going to put you both under bond
to keep the peace.
$100 each.
- Is that legal?
- Legal?
We can try. If it isn't, it had ought to be.
My mother's father, Grandfather Lessep...
died that year, at home...
in the same room, and in the same bed,
he had been born in.
We didn't fear death in those days,
because we believed that...
your outside was
just what you lived in and slept in...
and had no connection with what you were.
But we did take funerals seriously...
and so my family traveled to Bay St. Louis...
to see the old man ceremoniously
to his final rest.
I want the automobile locked
in the carriage house.
I don't want you to drive it while I'm away.
- You own it.
- You remember it.
Lucius, I don't believe we've ever
left you alone at home before.
However, I expect your behavior
will be a credit to the family.
Don't be rude to Callie,
and don't be advised by Boon.
He knows no obstacles, counts no costs,
fears no dangers.
- Yes, sir.
- All aboard.
I know you're sometimes afraid
to sleep by yourself.
Don't be. Trust in the Lord.
He's up all night.
Why did we stop all the way out here for?
Take a deep breath.
Smell that east wind?
Somebody's cutting grass.
You know something?
I think I see some fuzz
popping out on your cheeks.
You're sure growing up. Won't be long until
you'll be stropping a straight razor.
Yeah, we'd better be getting on home.
Callie doesn't like to keep dinner waiting.
Yeah, you'll be shaving,
then you'll be smoking.
You smoked yet?
Once. I got sick all over
my Sunday School suit.
Well, there's other things that'll sit easier.
And you'll find them.
- Move over.
- What for?
Take the wheel. Drive. See what it feels like.
- Right now? You mean this minute?
- Hurry up, before I change my mind.
You look dandy, Lucius.
But sit up straight so you can see out.
Ready?
What if I was to wreck it?
We'd have to get us two tickets on a boat
and just head for China. That's what.
Now, put your hand here.
Take off the brake.
Let her rip!
Good.
- Enjoying yourself?
- Yeah.
How long do you estimate they'll be gone?
- Father said four days.
- Four days.
- That ought to be long enough.
- For what?
For two men in an automobile
to go to Memphis, Tennessee.
Have you ever heard real streetcar bells...
seen the inside of a penny arcade,
or looked inside of a tattoo parlor?
We could stay up all night, if you wanted to,
and come in at dawn.
Boss said we should take the automobile
home and lock it up.
I put a lot of store into what Boss says.
You know I do.
But if you ever want
to reach your manhood...
sometimes you gotta say goodbye
to the things you know...
and hello to the things you don't.
Watch it.
But, Aunt Callie, she changed her mind
at the station.
She told me to go up to my Uncle Ike's
and stay with him.
Nope. You're my business until
your mom gets back.
But she said I could, Callie.
Boon heard her.
The reason I'm telling you
is so you'll know where I am...
in case anybody should ask.
Please?
It's too hot to sit on anybody today.
If you've gotta go, go.
Make sure you get there before dark.
- More cane, please.
- Henry, Luke, more cane.
Now what was you saying, Lucius?
Tell it to me again, slowly.
I said, Callie's doing the housecleaning,
and I'd be underfoot...
so I'm supposed to stay
with either Cousin Zack or you.
But if it wouldn't hurt your feelings any,
I'd kind of like to stay with Cousin Zack.
See, he found this new fishing hole
he wants me to try.
If I know Zack,
that fishing hole ain't on his property.
You be careful you don't get
your pants shot off.
- All right.
- We'll see you, Boon.
You left Aunt Callie
to go out to Uncle Ike's...
to tell him that you're coming to me...
to tell me that you're going fox-hunting
for four days with Ned.
You're a regular Wandering Jew.
Is it all right?
If it's all right with your mama,
it's all right with me. Lucius!
She did say you could go, didn't she?
Remember, you're on your honor
while she's gone.
I know it. I wouldn't lie.
Put your cap on,
'cause it's gonna be a hot one.
Well, I'll be damned.
Come on. Let's get away from here.
And so we were off.
And I had already told more lies
than I thought I was capable of inventing...
and I'd had them believed...
a fact which had me spellbound,
if not appalled.
How do you feel about things now?
I don't know yet.
We're going to have fun. I'm telling you,
we're gonna have a good time.
Maybe the best time of our whole lives.
When we get there, I want to drive her in.
All right, you'll do that.
Right across the Fourth Street bridge...
in front of all those hotels and right smack
into the center of town, okay?
Camptown ladies sing that song
Doo-dah! Doo-dah!
Camptown racetrack five miles long
Oh! The doo-dah day!
Gonna run all night!
Gonna run all day!
Gonna bet my money on a bob-tail nag
Somebody bet on the bay
You see, Boon knew something I didn't.
That the rewards of virtue...
are cold and odorless and tasteless...
and not to be compared...
to the bright and exciting pleasures
of sin and wrongdoing.
Camptown ladies sing that song
Doo-dah! Doo-dah!
Camptown racetrack five miles long
Oh! The doo-dah day!
- Gonna sing all night!
- Gonna run all day!
Bet my money on a bob-tail nag
Somebody bet on the bay
All right!
Now what the hell are you doing there?
- Singing.
- Out!
Hey, wait a minute. I'm going along.
You weren't invited.
If I wait till I'm invited,
I never will go nowhere.
And anyway, somebody with sense
has to be around to look after the boy.
- Oh, and that's you!
- Well, it ain't you.
I didn't get him to tell lies
all around the countryside...
and steal his granddaddy's automobile.
- Borrow.
- Whatever.
- It wouldn't hurt if he came along.
- It isn't gonna help either.
I've got a right to a trip,
same as you and Lucius.
I'm kin and you ain't.
- What'll you give?
- A packet of snuff.
- Don't use it.
- My pocket watch.
- It don't work.
- A wood-smoked ham.
- How many pounds?
- Ten.
Done.
Imagine me, a white man,
having to chauffeur a nigger to Memphis.
I thought for a minute that me and you
was gonna misunderstand one another.
Let's go.
And so we were three, three reivers,
hightailing it for Memphis.
Oh, "reivers"...
that's an old-fashioned word
from my childhood.
In plain English,
I'm afraid it meant "thieves."
...had a farm, ee-i-ee-i-o
and on that farm he had some chicks
ee-i-ee-i-o
and a chick-chick here
and a chick-chick there
here a chick, there a chick
everywhere a chick-chick
Look out!
Look at him. Sitting there
as innocent as a new-laid egg.
Who's he?
He's the son of a bitch
who takes that team...
and works this place like a patch
to keep it muddy.
Last year he charged me $2
to pull out my wagon.
$2? That sure beats cotton.
He ain't gonna get me this time.
This here is an 18-horsepower automobile
under us.
All right. Somebody give me some help here.
Don't look at me,
'cause I don't know how to help.
I ain't learned that much
about automobiles yet.
Get out.
I'll just be in your way. I'll sit with Lucius,
so you'll have plenty of room.
You wanted a trip...
you got one! Now, get out!
Let Lucius get out. He's younger than me.
- He's gotta steer.
- I'll steer if that's all you want.
- Jump out, boy, and help Mr. Boon.
- Lucius, sit where you are.
I'm going over there
to get one of those poles...
and when I come back,
I ain't gonna stick it under the car.
This water's got dirt in it.
If there's one thing I hate,
it's dirt between my naked toes!
That's because your circulation
ain't roused up yet.
Don't worry, brightie-eyes, it will be.
All right, now, jam her under the axle.
Lucius, when she bites,
just take her on through.
One, two, heave!
Stop!
- Get up there.
- Here he comes now.
Get up there. Come on.
Good morning, boys.
Looks like you boys
about ready for me now, huh?
You look like a boy that knows
which end of a mule to hook to.
Get down and hook it yourself. Why the hell
else are we paying $2 for a hired expert?
Nope. That was last summer.
Dabbling in water has undermined
my system to where I come down...
with rheumatism if I so much
as spit on myself. Here.
- Now where you want me to hook it?
- I don't care, myself.
Hook it up to any part you want
to come out of the mud hole.
If you want it all to come out
at the same time, I'd say hook it to the axle.
Stop shoving.
You can watch it. Just watch it.
Okay. It's hooked.
- You all ready?
- Yeah.
By the way, I forgot to mention it.
So maybe I'd better.
Prices have doubled around here
since last year. It's $6 now.
Of course, maybe you'd rather walk back
to Jefferson than to pay two more dollars...
but maybe that boy
and that other fellow wouldn't.
That boy is just a child.
And surely for a child...
Walking back to Jefferson
might be lighter for him...
- but it won't be no shorter.
- All right! But what about this other one?
When you wash that mud off,
he ain't even white.
Son, both these mules are color blind.
Come on, Daisy, giddyup!
What did I tell you?
The highway to Memphis.
She's all yours.
Look.
Motorcycle.
Just don't get the idea
you're a 40-mile-an-hour railroad engine.
Let her rip.
Don't gawk, Lucius.
Concentrate on your driving.
Now, Lucius...
this is kind of...
a boarding house. You're gonna like it here.
I got a letter last week
from one of the girls...
One of the ladies that works...
That's staying here...
and she's got her nephew visiting her...
so you're gonna have somebody
to play with.
- What's the matter with you?
- Don't mind me.
And, it's usually pretty lively here,
with conventions and things.
But it's quiet now, 'cause it's Sunday.
Maybe they've all gone
to early prayer meeting.
No, I don't think so.
They're probably resting.
From what?
All right. Out. Come on, get out.
If you figure on going home
with us tomorrow...
you be here at the stroke of 8:00
tomorrow morning.
I mean the first stroke, 'cause I ain't
gonna be here to hear the last one.
If you can finish your business
by 8:00 in the morning...
how come you think I can't, either?
Lucius...
here, you keep this for me.
I may lose it someplace.
Now, when I need some,
I'll tell you how much to give me on it.
- Hi, Minnie.
- Hi.
Why, it's Boon Hogganbeck,
with a little blue-eyed child in tow.
Come in, Boon.
Lucius. This is Miss Reba,
so make your manners.
- How do you do, ma'am?
- I'll be damned. Did you see that, Minnie?
But I don't know what to say to you.
Our Mr. Binford has strong feelings
against having children on the premises.
He says they'll be in here
soon enough anyway.
So why not wait until they have some jack...
and are capable of spending it?
- Do you want me to tie him out in the yard?
- No, of course not.
We'll see if we can find
a little corner for him.
Now you both go up,
and take a nice, warm, sudsy bath...
and we'll see what we can work out.
Minnie, go up and tell everybody...
to stay out of the bathroom
for the next half an hour.
Where's Corrie?
She's in the parlor, changing the piano rolls.
- Hello, Boon.
- Hi, kiddo.
Lucius, come on down here, honey.
I'd like you to meet someone.
Corrie, watch this.
Lucius, this is Miss Corrie.
How do you do, ma'am?
What do you think of that?
- All right. Go get cleaned up, now.
- Go on, Lucius.
I'm not gonna roll around...
I am not gonna roll around
in any bed with you...
and let you nibble my ear,
and tell me silly things.
I'm staying with my plan.
Your plan is crazy.
Always was, always will be.
There's nothing crazy about it.
My sister Alice is married
and has three children.
My cousin Edith is married
and she's got four children.
I'm the last one on the vine.
You still think you'll get married
out of here...
with all those girls standing
in their underwear...
throwing rice at you
as you go out the front door?
- Yes, I do.
- Excuse me for saying so, honey...
but keeping a hope chest in a cathouse
is the dumbest thing I've heard.
Not every man's like you, Boon.
Some men come to women
for comfort and gentleness.
They want to talk about their troubles.
I listen and they like me.
My hope is that one day,
one of them will like me enough.
We know one thing, don't we, Boon?
It won't be you, will it?
All I want to do is just spend a dollar
and have some fun. Any crime in that?
Boon...
you can't be greedy
about Corrie's time this trip.
We've got a lot of conventions in town.
Policemen, firemen, Elks.
We're gonna be real busy.
Go up and take a nice cold bath
and cool yourself down.
Then come back and show us
how handsome you are.
Guess you never saw anything
like that before.
Yes, I have.
You have?
Mrs. Fletcher down the block.
She forgot to put down
her window shades one night.
It's a mystery, that's for sure.
It's all a mystery.
Come on.
I'll dry between your shoulder blades.
I guess you and I have been friends
ever since we've known each other.
From the time I carried you
around on my back in the livery stable...
to holding you
on the first horse you ever rode.
I guess that's right.
And here you are:
A night away from your mama's house...
you've learned to drive an automobile
for the first time...
and your first trip into the big city.
Any boy that's done all that...
can handle anything.
Like what, Boon?
You'll notice that there are a lot of
ladies staying at this boarding house.
Don't any men live here?
Don't know any men actively live here,
except Mr. Binford.
Just men visiting their lady folks,
kind of quiet and polite-like.
- You follow me?
- I will if you'll just get on with it.
All right.
Then here it is.
Folks back in Jefferson would say
you're not old enough to know these things.
I say you are.
I say there's some things a boy can learn...
that he never even knew about before.
So later on in life, when he needs them,
he's already got them.
See, ain't nothing you don't learn,
that later on you might need.
And when that day comes...
you can thank your lucky star
that your good friend Boon helped you.
Does that make any sense to you?
Some.
Some is good enough for the time being.
I went back to see Mrs. Fletcher again...
and her husband came out on the porch
with his bulldog.
Be sure and say please and thank you
when they pass things.
Otis, I told you not to do that!
- Boon!
- Hello, Boon.
- How are you?
- Ladies, this is Lucius.
- Well, hello, Lucius.
- Isn't he adorable?
Lucius, I want you to meet Otis,
Miss Corrie's nephew.
How do you do?
I do just fine if I'm left to it.
Our Mr. Binford should be
with us any moment.
He doesn't like us to begin without him.
He's probably waxing his mustache
to keep it up out of the soup.
That'll do, Otis!
Dinner's getting cold and I'm getting hungry.
That's his step now.
Ladies and gents all...
hash time.
Evening, Boon.
Evening. This is a friend of mine.
Lucius Priest McCaslin.
How do you do, sir?
I hurried as fast as I could.
And I'm not late am I, Mr. Binford?
Your hopes are dashed because you are.
That'll cost you 25 cents in the box.
I don't think that's fair. Miss Reba?
Those are the house rules, Phoebe.
A house without rules is not a home.
- Damn it, I...
- The trouble with you bitches...
is that you got to act like ladies
sometimes, but you don't know how.
- I'm learning you how.
- Mr. Binford, I don't think that's fair.
- I really don't. I figure if you want to...
- You put two bits in the box and sit.
So we can get some peace around here.
All right now, Miss Reba,
tell Minnie to get some beer.
Minnie, bring some beer.
How about some beer, boy?
You a beerhead?
No, sir. I don't drink beer.
- He drinks beer. Don't you?
- Yes, sir.
I drink anything that's put in front of me.
You hear that? Now, don't you like it?
Or can't you get it?
I'm not old enough yet.
Whiskey, then.
No, sir. I don't drink anything.
See, I promised my mother I wouldn't
unless Father and Boss invited me.
Who is this Boss?
He means his grandfather.
He tells you what to do and you do it.
- Sounds like you call him Boss, too?
- That's right.
Boss isn't here now. Your mother isn't here.
You're out on a tear with Boon.
Your folks are 80 miles away.
Here, you can have some.
No, sir, I promised her.
I see.
You promised her
you wouldn't go drinking with Boon?
Didn't promise her
you wouldn't go whore-hopping?
What the hell kind of language is that
to use in front of a child?
Lady, use your mouth
to eat your supper with.
Move over, and leave room for Otis.
I'll bet you got in that bed
without brushing your teeth.
I didn't bring anything to brush them with.
You neglect your teeth
and you'll end up with a denture...
floating in a water glass by your bedside.
They'll snap at you in the night, too.
Come on.
One thing I know is boys.
I got eight brothers
from 14 on down, like steps.
And my favorite one
is just your age and size.
His name is Ben.
I don't have any brothers or sisters.
I'll take you on
if you don't cause me too much trouble.
How'd you like that?
I guess it would be all right.
Do you miss your mama?
I started to after supper.
Does she tuck you in at night?
Yes, ma'am.
Don't be sad,
'cause I'm gonna tuck you in tonight.
Sleep tight. And don't let the bedbugs bite.
Good night.
- Hello, Mr. Heasley.
- Hello, Minnie, how are you?
You devil.
Miss Reba, Mr. Heasley.
- What are you doing?
- Listening.
What are you listening...
The money that's here.
You can just smell it.
It ain't right. It's just women
can make money pugnuckling.
What's pugnuckling?
Don't you know anything?
Even if I could get a drill
and drill a peephole...
Miss Reba wouldn't let me bring
anybody up here to make any money off of.
How are you gonna make money
by drilling a hole in the floor?
- How old are you?
- Eleven.
- Where'd you say you come from?
- Mississippi.
No wonder you don't know nothing.
Here, get this for me, will you?
You know what a whore is?
- Yes.
- What is it?
They got some in the Bible,
like the one from Babylon.
I got one from Kiblett, Arkansas.
My Aunt Corrie.
- Are you saying that she's one?
- Yes, indeed.
That's a lie!
Hell, I had a peephole drilled
in the back of the barn, with a tin...
- You're lying, aren't you?
- You're crazy.
She isn't.
She's not!
- Easy.
- His hand! He's hurt his hand.
You march out,
and stand in the hall till I come out...
- and don't you budge either!
- He cut you good.
Oh, sweetheart.
Now, sweetie, this is gonna sting.
I'll be right back.
Sit down.
- All right, what was it?
- I told him what you are.
You are, ain't you?
What were you two boys fighting about?
Nothing.
Leave me alone.
Eleven years old and already cut up
in a whorehouse brawl.
Come on, son.
Get in bed.
If you think you're gonna heave,
let me know and I'll get a towel.
I'm not gonna heave.
I'll stay with him for a while.
You don't have to do that.
I'm not a bit sleepy,
I'll just keep you company.
Why don't you go downstairs
and get him a nice glass of cold milk?
- Where's it at?
- In the ice chest.
Now...
Let me see that.
I made Otis tell me.
I've had people fighting over me before...
but you're the first one
who ever fought for me.
I don't know what I'm gonna do about that.
What am I gonna do about it, Lucius?
I don't know.
You'd make a good nurse.
All right.
You promised your mama not to drink...
and you kept it.
So, I'll promise you...
and I'll do my solemn best to keep it, too.
I promise.
Promise what?
- I'm quitting, Boon.
- You're what?
I'm quitting. Not anymore. Never.
- What are you talking about?
- I've made up my mind.
Why do you have to pick me out
to reform on?
Boon!
- I'm not.
- Sure you are!
And you can't quit for private reasons,
I love you too much.
- Boon Hogganbeck!
- Who's hollering?
Boon Hogganbeck, get on up in there,
I wanna talk to you!
Boon!
What do you want?
I want you to see this horse.
All right, I see it. What about it? I'm busy.
It's ours.
Yeah?
- Where'd you get a horse this time of night?
- I swapped for him.
What have you got to swap?
You don't own nothing...
except the suspenders
holding up your pants.
I had something that somebody wanted.
And what could that be?
- The automobile.
- Which automobile?
How many automobiles we got?
Boss' automobile.
What is it, a raid?
Gentlemen, there's nothing
to be excited about.
Just a little upset, that's all.
Good God Almighty.
Come right back in.
Minnie, take care of the gentleman.
His name's Lightning.
Ned, what the hell have you done?
Now, take it easy and listen to me.
This horse is gonna save us.
The only chance we've got with Boss
for stealing his automobile...
is to bring him back something that he likes
better than an automobile, which is a horse.
And I got you one.
Where does that man live? Because I want
to get that automobile back now!
We can't get it back, so don't go running
wild down the road looking for the man.
Let him alone. We don't want him yet.
We won't need him till after the race.
Race?
We ain't just got us a horse...
that man that I traded with
threw in a horserace, too.
Sweet Jesus!
He's got another horse waiting in Possum
right this very minute...
to run against this horse,
as soon as we get him there.
Don't you worry yourself none.
We're gonna take this horse
to my uncle's place in Possum...
and we're gonna win that automobile back.
How we gonna get it back?
- You just traded the horse for it.
- Lucius, my boy...
I got that man
to put the automobile up as a prize...
because he doesn't believe
that our horse can run.
And do you know why?
Because our horse has already been
beat twice by his Possum horse.
We're dead. Finished!
Oh, no, we ain't.
We ain't even started yet.
That man saw my toes
sticking out of my shoes...
and thought that all
I could do was shuffle dust.
He thought that because he couldn't make
this horse run, nobody could.
But, when it comes to horses...
no man alive can sting me.
I can take one whiff of a horse...
and know I got a good one.
And this is a good one.
Is that animal stolen?
No, sir, he ain't.
I wouldn't put no
stolen horseflesh in your stable.
- Who's gonna ride him?
- He is.
That boy ain't got but one hand.
He don't need but one hand.
This boy here learned holding on...
riding his daddy's colts back in Mississippi.
He can stick on anything.
Well, let's go and see.
As far as Ned was concerned,
we didn't have to see.
He was absolutely sure
that we'd go home to Boss...
with the automobile
and a good horse tied behind it...
and we'd be able
to look him in the eye again.
That track that he's gonna be running on
ain't but half-mile.
So you go around here twice...
so that when he sees that real track,
he'll know beforehand...
what to expect and to do.
Do you understand?
- Yes.
- Let's do it.
What's the matter?
Come on.
- What's the matter?
- He feels funny.
What do you mean, "funny"?
The front half of him
just doesn't want to go.
His legs feel all right...
but his head
just doesn't want to go anywhere.
All right.
You're the fool who traded
a 40-mile-an-hour automobile...
for him, now, what's the matter with him?
Maybe something distracted his mind...
maybe he ought to be run up
against another horse.
Maybe.
Come on, Lightning!
What is he? Is he blind? Is he lame?
- Is he old?
- He's slow.
Giddyup, there!
Come on, boy.
Boss gave me his blue serge suits
before they were even wore out.
He gave me his best boots.
He paid to have my appendix took out.
Boon!
Oh, my God!
I don't know what I'm trying
to kill myself for.
You're the one that got us into this mess.
Name's Lovemaiden. Butch Lovemaiden.
I'm sheriff of this here town.
Good morning to you.
Little boy, come here.
Come on.
You look like a nice little boy.
How'd you like to go over
to Uncle Possum's melon patch...
and bring me a nice ripe melon?
You bring me a salt shaker, hear?
I take it with salt.
I'm a nosy old coot.
When strangers show up, I do, too.
You ask old Possum Hood, there.
Old Possum Hood knows me.
Don't you, Uncle?
Everybody around here knows you,
Mr. Butch.
A lady woke me up early this morning...
told me about you folks leading a horse
down the main street of our town.
Said there was a little boy...
a pretty girl...
a nigger, and a Mississippi swamp rat.
I figured that was worth
rolling out of bed to see.
What brings you?
We got us a horserace fixed up.
Folks don't come much to Possum
no more for horseracing.
They all go to Iuka...
or Raleigh, the Ozarks...
Well, we come here.
Now, here's my melon.
Did you thump it?
Yes, sir, it's ripe.
Green ones gives me gas.
You care for some, little lady?
- No, I don't.
- No, you don't.
Thank you just the same.
Ain't that what you meant?
I just meant what I said.
Come on over here, honey.
Ain't we met up somewhere before?
Now that I study you some...
wasn't it over at Mr. Binford's cathouse
down in Memphis?
Ain't you the one
with the little strawberry mole...
right below your bellybutton?
You know something,
you're beginning to get my goat.
Don't. Uncle Possum's gotta live here.
- Don't, Boon.
- Wait!
That's right, Sugar Boy. He does.
All I have to do...
is go back in town, go in the barber shop...
say I saw Old Man Possum here...
with a white lady.
Why, in 10 minutes,
half the town would be out here crawling...
among the bushes. Whiffing, sniffing...
like hunting dogs after a stump.
Be seeing you, little lady.
Good morning to you.
He drove away, but I could still smell him...
his sweat souring the summer day.
I was tired and my hand hurt...
and I felt ashamed
and afraid for Uncle Possum.
There are conditions in the world...
which should not be there, but are.
But I hated having to learn about them.
I was just 11, remember.
Healing up real good.
I'm gonna fix you up
so you can ride a good race.
Can you fix a horse?
Depends. What's he need?
A miracle.
- Against the law around here.
- That's what I figured.
You and your wife got a fine boy here.
Not my wife. I ain't married.
Who does this pretty little lady belong to?
Myself.
You know, young lady,
your color ain't none too good.
I bet you're anemic.
I'm gonna have to listen to your chest.
- Am I all right?
- You're lovely, just lovely.
What's going on there? There's nothing
wrong with her chest. Let's get out of here!
Just a minute, Boon. We have to pay him.
- How much do we owe you?
- Nothing in cash.
But if you had a handkerchief
or something personal.
Personal?
I've heard of diddling in my time
but this beats everything.
Will this do?
- Thank you, missy.
- Come on.
Keepsakes.
That's all that old age leaves you.
How come every man you...
How come every man you meet tries to take
a snatch at your drawers...
before he even tips his hat to you?
I can't help it if men see me
and like what they see, Boon.
Do you have to go give
that old quack your garter?
I felt sorry for him.
Do you always go giving things to people
because you feel sorry for them?
Lots of times.
Next you'll be saying you gave yourself
to me because you were sorry for me.
I've done that, too!
Corrie!
Hi!
I hope you're all well.
How are you, Corrie?
I said to the girls:
"Let's just get away from it all for a while.
"Go put our money on Boon's horse,
get rich and retire..."
Come on, Lucius. We're going upstairs!
Corrie?
What is it? What's the...
Corrie's not here.
She's down at the other end of the hall.
Boon! Stop that!
- What do you think you're doing?
- What does it look like I am doing?
- You're getting undressed!
- That's right!
What's come over you?
Same thing that comes over me
three times a week, every week.
Except when I got hay fever.
You put your clothes back on
right this minute!
Come on, Hannah.
Let's be quick. You ain't getting
any better looking with time.
I wouldn't dream of it!
Not in 100 million years.
It's gonna be over and done with
before you even know it!
Absolutely not!
Corrie's been like a sister to me.
She nursed me through double pneumonia...
and she spoon-fed me
tapioca for two solid weeks.
You're tromping on the urge.
I'm getting out of the mood.
I'm not going to lose the dearest
and sweetest friendship...
of my life on account of you!
Men like you come and go,
but you don't find a Corrie under every tree!
Now you get right out of here!
Give me back my dollar.
Horse, you're the one we want.
Now, what's holding you back?
You got that long neck for balance...
you got them laid-back
shoulders for speed...
and you got them big hocks...
for drive.
What you waiting for?
What you be looking at
when you look far off like that?
What?
When you gonna do it, horse?
So we can all get out of here.
Go back home again.
We're gonna be rich!
Stop yawning and hang on tight.
Y'all ready?
Don't know what I'm supposed to see
that I ain't seen already.
Just you watch.
Are you ready?
I am, but I don't think he is.
I ain't even had my breakfast yet.
"Man does not live by bread alone."
Make sure he sees me.
That's the main thing.
And cut him at the end.
And make him go past.
Make him go past!
- I can't hold him.
- Then let go!
Fly!
I don't believe it.
How'd you do it?
I've been telling you all along I would.
All we gotta do now is find us
$1 million to bet with.
Bring her in!
What did you make of that?
Did he run, or didn't he?
- He was terrific.
- You bet.
I couldn't believe it.
- You did it, baby.
- We got company.
It's that Butch again.
Here.
Take this. Go on. Hide it.
Keep it. Don't lose it.
- They ain't gonna bother you.
- What's in it?
Put it in your pocket. Never you mind.
Just do what I say and act natural.
All right. Come on over here. All of you.
You two are under arrest.
What's it for?
It's for jail, son.
That's what we call it around here.
I don't know what you call it
where you come from.
Yes, sir. We call it jail, too,
only we mention why.
A lawyer, huh?
Well, we got a law now...
about bringing good-looking girls
across state lines...
for lewd and immortal purposes.
We just came to see a horse race.
And anyway...
we've always had very close
relations with the police.
Sure. You lay them and pay them,
but not in this county.
Hush up now, Butch,
we can settle all this back in town.
Right, you folks, you come along now.
What about the boy?
He's a little young to be in jail, isn't he?
He can stay with Uncle Possum. Can't he?
No, I don't like that.
I don't like no white boy
staying with a family of niggers.
Mister.
There's somewhere that you stop.
What'd you say?
I said, there's somewhere that the law stops
and just people begin.
Poleymus, try out our new cuffs
on the gentleman.
Sure thing, Sheriff.
Now, you just simmer down there, boy.
Nigger.
Don't you ever talk back to me. Hear?
Stop that!
Mercy.
Go for his eyes!
He wants the one with the baby-blue eyes.
That's you.
Come on.
As soon as she's tucked in...
you'll all be turned loose.
Corrie. Don't do it.
Corrie!
You say your prayers in bed
or kneeling down?
- Kneeling down.
- Say them.
Amen.
Now, hop in.
What's that?
It's a whippoorwill,
back somewhere beyond the creek.
What's that?
That's an owl, and a big one, by his voice.
You can get closer if you wants to.
Lucius, wake up in there.
Lucius!
Put some fire under you. Come on!
I thought you were in jail.
I'm out. And we got a race to run.
Grab some clothes and come on.
- Where's Boon and Corrie?
- They're out, too. Hurry up!
We gotta get behind that starting wire
and win the first heat...
get a hold of Boss' automobile and get back
to Jefferson...
that we hadn't ought to never left.
Come on, hurry up. Get your clothes!
How'd you get out?
Miss Corrie fixed it for us.
What do you mean, "fixed it"?
What'd she do?
Tell him.
You know how that Butch has been
horsing and studding to get at that gal?
I guess she figured when you've been
sawing logs as long as she has...
what does one more log matter?
I don't believe it. She quit.
We sure better say much obliged
she started again.
What'd Boon say?
He didn't say nothing. He just smacked her.
He hit her? Boon hit her?
Don't fret yourself, Lucius.
Hitting a woman don't hurt her.
All it does is black her eye
and cut her mouth a little...
and that ain't nothing to a woman.
What better sign can a woman want
from a man that he's got her on his mind?
Luce, where are you going?
You gone crazy or something?
Come on back, kid!
I guess I'm not too gorgeous now, am I?
It's a pretty bad shiner.
- Does it hurt?
- A little bit.
Ice is good for a black eye.
I could get you some ice.
I hope nothing bad
ever happens to you again.
Hello, Luce. You're a racehorse jockey now.
How's your hand?
Want any more?
No.
It's all right, Lucius.
I guess I had it coming to me.
Let go of me. I'm going home.
Just gonna pick up and leave, are you?
I'm all done lying. I'm all done stealing.
I want to go home.
I just...
don't want you to lose
your good opinion of me.
You know, Lucius...
I hold you in awful high regard.
Boon and Lucius!
I hope you all got everything straight.
They're getting ready out there.
It's off. He's going home.
Quitting?
How you gonna tell Boss you quit?
You could tell him that you lost
his automobile for him. That's easy.
You could tell him you spent
all night in a whorehouse. That's easy.
You could tell him that you lied...
to your Aunt Callie, your Uncle Ike,
and your Cousin Zack. All that's easy.
But how are you gonna tell him
that you quit?
Shut up.
I mean, you've been taught better than that.
Here's your prize, boys.
Run a good race and carry her off.
Lose, and see her never no more.
All you got to do is beat that there.
Bring on Lightning. I'll go home after.
Hey, have you got that thing I gave you?
- Yes.
- Hand it over.
First thing is, don't fall off.
Don't worry about that other horse,
no matter where he is or what he's doing.
Just tend to your own. You understand?
- Yes.
- Okay. Now, listen, Lucius.
When you turn into that homestretch
towards that wire...
have Lightning where he can see me.
There can't be nothing in his way.
He's got to see me and know that I'm there.
- You understand? That's our only chance.
- I will.
All right, that's all. Except...
there ain't no place in the whole world
finer than home and our house.
So, win, Lucius,
so me and you and Boon can go back.
All right.
Boon.
Okay, horse.
Now, you just take it easy now.
Everything's going to be all right.
Good horse.
Here, you're counting on me...
and I'm so nervous
I'm close to wetting my pants.
Just keep your mind on the race.
You'll be all right.
That little boy's gonna ride that big horse?
He's not gonna win this race.
Hey, sugar.
Lucius.
Win, Lucius.
Come on.
Would you please hold down the racket?
All right,
get these horses off to a clean start.
Scared, kid?
All right,
bring those horses down to the line.
Luce!
You can be scared if you want to.
You can't help that.
But don't be afraid, son.
Keep together. Come on.
Just stay together. That's it.
Easy now. Stay together.
Son, don't let that black-foot... Come on.
Easy now.
Kid, you stick on that horse.
Hold them right. Steady up there, son.
Okay.
Come on, Bobo, don't fall back.
Hold that sorrel up.
All right, now remember,
two times around wins.
That's it. Keep them together.
Good.
That's a boy. Good.
Stay together. And...
go!
Ride to me.
Faster!
Please!
Come on, Lucius!
Come on!
Watch yourself, Luce.
Come on, Bobo. Get that rail, boy!
Let's go!
Faster!
Watch out, kid, get out of the way!
Get back on the track!
Come on, Lucius!
What do you mean that sorrel won?
How did he do that? He went off the track!
Please! Hold down the racket!
We won, didn't we? We got across
the finish line. They just went around it.
Everybody be quiet!
Now, everybody, just simmer down.
It's pretty clear it wasn't a race.
Why not?
Take a look at the rule book.
It says is if a horse doesn't...
commit a foul and doesn't stop running,
and the jockey sticks on it...
and crosses the finish line first, it wins!
Hold on there.
According to them rules, my horse won!
He didn't foul nobody
and he crossed the finish line...
showing his butt to your black.
No, sir.
That finish line just runs across the track
from this rail to that rail...
and it don't just keep going
down into Mississippi.
If it did that, there's horses been crossing
there since sunup this morning...
that we ain't even heard about.
He's right.
Our horse was first under the wire,
and where I come from, mister, first wins.
We won!
Now you just settle down.
Ed, you're the judge.
You say how it is, and that's how it is.
Please!
The question is, what's fair?
I propose that we start fresh. All bets stand.
Nobody won, nobody lost.
Win this next heat and win all.
Now get ready for the next race.
You can do it. Good luck, Lucius.
You up to it, kid?
He gave me all he had.
I don't think he's got any more.
He'll go again.
His only aim in life is to get
where I am and get what I got.
- What have you got?
- Something.
Is it dope?
'Cause you'll put us right back in jail again.
No, it ain't dope.
What's in the sack, Ned?
Just a sardine.
A what?
A smelly little old fish
about two inches long. That's all it is.
Don't lie to me, Ned.
Horses don't eat sardines.
Well, this one does.
He'd eat himself to death on them
if you let him.
He'd break his legs, bust his lungs,
run his heart out for them.
I guess that ain't so smart.
Then again, if he was smart...
he'd be up in the saddle riding, wouldn't he?
All right, we're ready.
Bring your horse to the line.
Now go get 'em.
Go!
Carried on the back of Lightning...
racing on a jet-black shape...
it took me completely...
blood, skin, bowels, bones...
and memory.
I was no longer held fast on earth...
but free, fluid...
part of the air and the sun...
running my first race.
A man-sized race...
with people, grown people...
more people than I could remember
at one time before, watching me run it.
And so I had my moment of glory...
that brief, fleeting glory...
which of itself cannot last...
but while it does...
is the best game of all.
Let me down. Please let me down.
What did you do to your hand?
Nothing. It's all right.
Well, never mind.
We can talk about it later.
I can see you're busy now.
And so we all went home.
Lightning in a boxcar...
and the rest of us in the Winton Flyer.
We turned up the street toward home...
and I thought. ;
"Here's something funny.
"It hasn't even changed."
I couldn't understand
why everything was the same...
when I wasn't the same anymore.
If all the things I had seen and done...
had changed nothing...
if nothing was smaller, or larger, or older...
or wiser...
then the last four days had been wasted.
Either they'd been wrong
and false to begin with...
or I was wrong and false...
and not worthy of them.
I couldn't figure out which.
I suppose...
this is the main thing
you'll always remember about me.
Over here.
Maury.
Come here.
This isn't the right way.
Let me handle it.
If all you can do about it is to whip him...
then you're not good enough for him.
If he gets the notion that
that razor strop cancels out all...
the deceit and disobedience...
then you're making it
too easy for both of you.
Same thing you done to me 25 years ago.
Maybe I got more sense now.
Go upstairs and persuade
Alison to stop sniveling.
Well, you've had a lively four days.
What was it like?
What did you do?
You want to hear everything?
Whatever you care to tell me.
We went to Mr. Binford's place.
I am acquainted with Mr. Binford's place.
They've got some very nice ladies there.
You spent the night?
- Corrie put me to bed.
- Who would Corrie be?
She's a friend of Boon's.
She got to be my friend, too.
And then?
The next bed I slept in was Uncle Possum's.
He's an old man, like you...
only colored.
He made me say my prayers.
Commendable.
I guess I'll have to say
a lot of them from now on.
Why is that?
- I've been telling lies.
- Yes, I'm aware of that.
Whoppers.
I know.
Come here.
- I can't.
- Why not?
Because you're a liar?
Yes, sir.
'Cause you're afraid
I won't ever trust you again?
That I don't consider you reliable?
That I've lost my respect for you?
Is that it?
Yes, sir.
That's a heavy burden to carry, isn't it?
Yes, sir.
Well, you may have to live with that feeling.
For the rest of my life?
No.
But for a while.
- I can't, Boss.
- Yes, you can. You will.
A gentleman can live through anything.
A gentleman accepts
the responsibilities of his actions...
and bears the burden
of their consequences...
even when he himself
did not instigate them...
but only acquiesced to them...
didn't say no,
though he knew he should have.
Now, come here.
My face was against his stiff collar
and his shirt...
and I could smell him.
The starch, and the shaving lotion...
and the chewing tobacco...
and finally, that faint smell of whiskey
from the toddy...
which he took in bed
every morning before he got up.
There, there, now.
That must have emptied the cistern.
Now, go wash your face.
A gentleman cries, too,
but he always washes his face.
I'll get you out of the doghouse, Lucius.
One of these days,
I'm gonna tell them both that it was me...
that cooked up the whole thing.
- You don't have to do that.
- Well, I want to.
I want to set things right with them.
I want to set things right with you, too.
I wonder where they all are now.
I wonder what they're doing.
I know what one of them is doing.
She's out getting herself a white lace dress,
size 8, to get married in.
Are you talking about Corrie?
Are you gonna marry Corrie?
Well, if you can go barehanded
against a knife...
defending her,
why the hell can't I marry her?
I'm as good as you are, ain't I?
Even if I ain't 11 years old.
Do you know when you'll feel
better about it, Lucius?
When you come across town about a year
from now, walk in to my house...
and see that baby sitting in her arms.
You know what we're gonna call him?
No.
Lucius Priest McCaslin Hogganbeck.
Only name he could have.