I pre-chate that, lady," The Misfit said and drew a little circle in the ground with the butt of his
gun.
"It'll take a half a hour to fix this here car," Hiram called, looking over the raised hood of it.
"Well, first you and Bobby Lee get him and that little boy to step over yonder with you," The
Misfit said, pointing to Bailey and John Wesley. "The boys want to ast you something," he said
to Bailey. "Would you mind stepping back in them woods there with them?"
"Listen," Bailey began, "we're in a terrible predicament! Nobody realizes what this is," and his
voice cracked. His eyes were as blue and intense as the parrots in his shirt and he remained
perfectly still.
The grandmother reached up to adjust her hat brim as if she were going to the woods with him
but it came off in her hand. She stood staring at it and after a second she let it fall on the ground.
Hiram pulled Bailey up by the arm as if he were assisting an old man. John Wesley caught hold
of his father's hand and Bobby I,ee followed. They went off toward the woods and just as they
reached the dark edge, Bailey turned and supporting himself against a gray naked pine trunk, he
shouted, "I'll be back in a minute, Mamma, wait on me!