Part 30 (2/2)
Trudy nodded.
”That's all he want do,” she said. Eddie was their older half brother. He was seventeen, ”If Eddie Gilby ever comes at night and even speaks to Dorothy you know what I'd do to him? I'd kill him like this.” Nick c.o.c.ked the gun and hardly taking aim pulled the trigger, blowing a hole as big as your hand in the head or belly of that half-breed b.a.s.t.a.r.d Eddie Gilby. ”Like that. I'd kill him like that.”
”He better not come then,” Trudy said. She put her hand in Nick's pocket.
”He better watch out plenty,” said Billy.
”He's big bluff,” Trudy was exploring with her hand in Nick's pocket. ”But don't you kill him. You get plenty trouble.”
”I'd kill him like that,” Nick said. Eddie Gilby lay on the ground with all his chest shot away. Nick put his foot on him proudly.
”I'd scalp him,” he said happily.
”No,” said Trudy. ”That's dirty.”
”I'd scalp him and send it to his mother.”
”His mother dead,” Trudy said. ”Don't you kill him, Nickie. Don't you kill him for me.”
”After I scalped him I'd throw him to the dogs.”
Billy was very depressed. ”He better watch out,” he said gloomily.
”They'd tear him to pieces,” Nick said, pleased with the picture. Then, having scalped that half-breed renegade and standing, watching the dogs tear him, his face unchanging, he fell backward against the tree, held tight around the neck, Trudy holding, choking him, and crying, ”No kill him! No kill him! No kill him! No. No. No. Nickie. Nickie. Nickie!”
”What's the matter with you?”
”No kill him.”
”I got to kill him.”
”He just a big bluff.”
”All right,” Nickie said. ”I won't kill him unless he comes around the house. Let go of me.”
”That's good,” Trudy said. ”You want to do anything now? I feel good now.”
”If Billy goes away.” Nick had killed Eddie Gilby, then pardoned him his life, and he was a man now.
”You go, Billy. You hang around all the time. Go on.”
”Son a b.i.t.c.h,” Billy said. ”I get tired this. What we come? Hunt or what?”
”You can take the gun. There's one sh.e.l.l.”
”All right. I get a big black one all right.”
”I'll holler,” Nick said.
Then, later, it was a long time after and Billy was still away.
”You think we make a baby?” Trudy folded her brown legs together happily and rubbed against him. Something inside Nick had gone a long way away.
”I don't think so,” he said.
”Make plenty baby what the h.e.l.l.”
They heard Billy shoot.
”I wonder if he got one.”
”Don't care,” said Trudy.
Billy came through the trees. He had the gun over his shoulder and he held a black squirrel by the front paws.
”Look,” he said. ”Bigger than a cat. You all through?”
”Where'd you get him?”
”Over there. Saw him jump first.”
”Got to go home,” Nick said.
”No,” said Trudy.
”I got to get there for supper.”
”All right.”
”Want to hunt tomorrow?”
”All right.”
”You can have the squirrel.”
”All right.”
”Come out after supper?”
”No.”
”How you feel?”
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