He looked up at her out of the corners of his eyes.
"Naw, maw. Waving its arms before the wind it come up."
"I was watching, maw. I seen it wave and wave. S'pose it should beckon--; s'pose it should beckon to me. I'd be going, then, maw."
"Leave your mammy? Naw, Ben; naw. You couldn't never go off and leave your mammy. Even if you ain't able to bear this here farm you couldn't go off from your mammy. You couldn't! Not--your--maw--Benny!"
She could see his mouth twitch. She saw him catch his lower lip in under his teeth.
"I--I fair hate this here farm!" He mumbled. "Morning and night;--and morning and night. Nothing but chores and earth. And then some more of them chores. And always that there way. So it is! Always! And the stillness! Nothing alive, nothing! Sometimes I ain't able to stand it nohow. Sometimes--!"
"You'll get to like it--; later, mebbe--"
"I won't never. I ain't able to help fretting. It's all closed up tight inside of me. Eating and eating. It makes me feel sick."
She put out a hand and laid it heavily on his shoulder.
"Likely it's a touch of fever in the blood, Benny."
"You'll be feeling better in the morning, Ben."
"I'll be feeling the same, maw. That's just it. Always the same. Nothing but the stillness. Nothing alive. And down there in the corn field--"
"I was watching," he said doggedly. "I seen it wave and wave."
"That ole scarecrow!" She muttered to herself. "That there ole scarecrow!"
She led the way into the kitchen. The boy followed at her heels.
A lamp was lighted on the center table. The one window was uncurtained. Through the naked spot of it the evening glow poured shimmeringly into the room.
She took a steaming pot from the stove and emptying it into a plate, placed the dish before him.
She came and sat opposite him. She watched him cautiously. She did not want him to know that she was watching him. Whenever he glanced up she hurried her eyes away from his face. In the stillness the only live things were those two pair of eyes darting away from each other.
"Benny--!" She could not stand it any longer. "Benny--just--you--just--you--"
"Aw, maw--don't you start nothing. Not no more to-night, maw."
She half rose from her chair. For a second she leaned stiffly against the table. Then she slipped back into her seat, her whole body limp and relaxed.