ROMAN
385
of felt like I had to. It looks bad for a man to be buried without
even a song or prayer, and nobody caring one way or another. I
knew Roman was already in hell and a preacher couldn't have
done him much good, but just the same it would have seemed more
like a human burying if there had been a little more to it. The way
they buried Roman wasn't any better than dragging off a dead
mule, except they put enough dirt over him to keep the buzzards
from picking his bones.
I could have ridden home with Brack Mosley in his cart, but I
told him some lie about having to wait a while longer before I
started home. The truth was I didn't want to ride with him. I knew
he would want to talk about the funeral and I was getting mighty
tired of thinking about Roman, let alone talking about him.
I waited till Brack was out of sight and then I started walking
back home. It was not quite sundown, but the sky had clouded up
and it got dark in a hurry. A wind blew up out of the Northwest
and it was a cold wind. I walked fast but it was pitch dark before
I got home. I had to pass the place where a man was held up about
two months ago. I got kind of nervous. Every time a stick snapped
under my foot I jumped. Once when a rabbit ran out in front of
me I dropped the kerosene can and spilled a little out of it.
It was after seven o'clock when I got home. I milked the cow
and fed her and the mule. Then I went into the house and lit a lamp.
It had started raining outside. I could see the drops on the window
panes. I wished I had some shades on the windows so that I could
let them down. I ate my supper in a hurry and then took the lamp
into the other room-there are only two rooms in my house. I was
wet and cold, so I made a fire. But I couldn't seem to get warmed
up. I was shivering like I had a chill.
I sat there by the fire, shaking like a wet puppy for a while.
Then I got up and bolted the front door. I bolted the back door
too,
and rolled the old bureau that stood in the corner, over in front
of the door that opened into the kitchen.
After that I felt better. The fire was burning up bright now
and the room was bright as day. I pulled the table that had the
lamp on it up close to the fire and read a little in the new "Blum's
Almanac." Then I noticed that the fire was getting low. I got up
and went over to the wood-box in the corner next to the window.
I
had just lifted up a stick of wood when
I
saw someone
at
the
window.
