Three Famous Short Novels: Spotted Horses Old Man The Bear (Vintage) by William Faulkner Page B

him here,” Mrs Armstid said. “Likely that Texas man wouldn’t have knowed where Frenchman’s Bend was if Mr Snopes hadn’t showed him.”
    “But it was the Texas man that sold the horses and collected the money for them.” The Justice looked about again at the faces. “Is that right? You, Bookwright, is that what happened?”
    “Yes,” Bookwright said. The Justice looked at Mrs Armstid again, with that pity and grief. As the morning increased the wind had risen, so that from time to time gusts of it ran through the branches overhead, bringing a faint snow of petals, prematurely bloomed as the spring itself had condensed with spendthrift speed after the hard winter, and the heavy and drowsing scent of them, about the motionless heads.
    “He give Mr Snopes Henry’s money. He said Henry hadn’t bought no horse. He said I could get the money from Mr Snopes tomorrow.”
    “And you have witnesses that saw and heard him?”
    “Yes, sir. The other men that was there saw him give Mr Snopes the money and say that I could get it—”
    “And you asked Snopes for the money?”
    “Yes, sir. He said that Texas man taken it away with him when he left. But I would.…” She ceased again, perhaps looking down at her hands also. Certainly she was not looking at anyone.
    “Yes?” the Justice said. “You would what?”
    “I would know them five dollars. I earned them myself, weaving at night after Henry and the chaps was asleep. Some of the ladies in Jefferson would save up string and such and give it to me and I would weave things and sell them. I earned that money a little at a time and I would know it when I saw it because I would take the can outen the chimney and count it now and then while it was making up to enough to buy my chaps some shoes for next winter. I would know it if I was to see it again. If Mr Snopes would just let—”
    “Suppose there was somebody seen Flem give that money back to that Texas fellow,” Lump Snopes said suddenly.
    “Did anybody here see that?” the Justice said.
    “Yes,” Snopes said, harshly and violently. “Eck here did.” He looked at Eck. “Go on. Tell him.” The Justice looked at Eck; the four Tull girls turned their heads as one head and looked at him, and Mrs Tull leaned forward to look past her husband, her face cold, furious, and contemptuous, and those standing shifted to look past one another’s heads at Eck sitting motionless on the bench.
    “Did you see Snopes give Armstid’s money back to the Texas man, Eck?” the Justice said. Still Eck did not answer nor move. Lump Snopes made a gross violent sound through the side of his mouth.
    “By God, I aint afraid to say it if Eck is. I seen him do it.”
    “Will you swear that as testimony?” Snopes looked at the Justice. He did not blink now.
    “So you wont take my word,” he said.
    “I want the truth,” the Justice said. “If I cant find that, I got to have sworn evidence of what I will have to accept as truth.” He lifted the bible from the two other books.
    “All right,” the bailiff said. “Step up here.” Snopes rose from the bench and approached. They watched him, though now there was no shifting nor craning, no movement at all among the faces, the still eyes. Snopes at the table looked back at them once, his gaze traversing swiftly the crescent-shaped rank; he looked at the Justice again. The bailiff grasped the bible, though the Justice did not release it yet.
    “You are ready to swear you saw Snopes give that Texas man back the money he took from Henry Armstid for that horse?” he said.
    “I said I was, didn’t I?” Snopes said. The Justice released the bible.
    “Swear him,” he said.
    “Put your left hand on the Book raise your right hand you solemnly swear and affirm—” the bailiff said rapidly. But Snopes had already done so, his left hand clapped onto the extended bible and the other hand raised and his head turned away as once more his gaze went rapidly along the circle of