Tarnished Gold (Landry 5)

sullen and quiet, so Mama had to drag the story out of

him. He did go back to Octavious to demand an

additional payment, only this time, Octavious had his

men throw Daddy off the grounds. Daddy sat in his

truck, beeping his horn and creating a disturbance

until Octavious called the police.

This morning the police told him Octavious

wasn't making a formal complaint, but Daddy was

warned to stay away from the Tate property. If he

came within a hundred yards of it, they would lock

him up again. He ranted and raved about how the rich

controlled the law. He vowed to find a way to get

back at them. Mama, refusing to talk to him,

nevertheless made him something to eat. Finally he

calmed down and talked about taking up Fletcher

Tyler's offer to hire him as a guide for hunters in the

swamp.

"Nobody could do it better than me. It pays all

right and they give you tips," he told Mama. "Well?"

he said when she didn't comment. "What'cha so quiet

for? It's what you want me to do, honest work, ain't

it?"

"I'll believe it when I see you actually doing it,"

she told him.

That set him on a tirade about how Cajun

women don't give their men the support the men need.

He raged about it for a while and then went off to trap

some muskrats.

The day passed slowly into another hot and

muggy night. Fireflies danced over the swamp water