UNDER THE SUN
369
Cade watched him.
They went into the tavern and although they usually sat at the
bar, today they chose a table. They ordered beer.
"You see, Cade, I've lied to you, I think, and you're right. Of
course your brother did save my life, but you saved it again. I mean
you saved it more. You saved me," and he stretched out his trembling
arm at Cade.
Jesse seeing the impassive look on Cade's face stopped and then
going on as though he did not care whether anybody heard him or
not, he said : "You're all I've got, Cade."
Cade was going to say
all right now
but Jesse went on speaking
frantically and fluently as he had never spoken before. "You know
ever since the war, I've been like I am ... And Cade, I need you
that's why ... I know you don't need me," he nodded like an old
man now. "But I don't care now. I ain't proud no more about it."
Jesse stopped talking and a globule of spit rested thickly on
his mouth.
"I'm cured of being proud, Cade."
"Well all right then," Cade finally said, folding
his
arms and
compressing his mouth.
"All right?" Jesse said, a silly look on his face, which had turned
very young again.
"But you leave me alone now if I stay," Cade said.
"I will," Jesse said, perhaps not quite sure what it was Cade
meant. "You can do anything you want, Cade. All I need is to
know you won't really run out. No matter what I might some day
say or do, you stay, Cade!"
"Then I don't want to hear no more about me getting just any
old job," Cade said, drinking a swallow of beer.
"All right," Jesse said. "All right, all right."
"And you quit going to that old Mission and listening to that
religious talk."
Jesse nodded.
"I ain't living with no old religious fanatic," Cade said.
Jesse nodded again.
"And there ain't no reason we should give up drinking and all
the rest of it at night."
Jesse agreed.
