1NOW it is wider and lighter, but the stores are dark because they have all gone home. The stores are dark, but the lights pass on the windows when we pass. The lights are in the trees around the court-house. They roost in the trees, but the court-house is dark. The clock on it looks four ways, because it is not dark. The moon is not dark too. Not very dark. Darl he went to Jackson is my brother Darl is my brother. Only it was over that way, shining on the track.

2“Let’s go that way, Dewey Dell,” I say.

3“What for?” Dewey Dell says. The track went shining around the window, it red on the track. But she said he would not sell it to the town boys. “But it will be there Christmas,” Dewey Dell says. “You’ll have to wait till then, when he brings it back.”

4Darl went to Jackson. Lots of people didn’t go to Jackson. Darl is my brother. My brother is going to Jackson

5While we walk the lights go around, roosting in the trees. On all sides it is the same. They go around the court-house and then you cannot see them. But you can see them in the black windows beyond. They have all gone home to bed except me and Dewey Dell.

6Going on the train to Jackson. My brother

7There is a light in the store, far back. In the window are two big glasses of soda-water, red and green. Two men could not drink them. Two mules could not. Two cows could not. Darl

8A man comes to the door. He looks at Dewey Dell.

9“You wait out here,” Dewey Dell says.

10“Why can’t I come in?” I say. “I want to come in, too.”

11“You wait out here,” she says.

12“All right,” I say.

13Dewey Dell goes in.

14Darl is my brother. Darl went crazy

15The walk is harder than sitting on the ground. He is in the open door. He looks at me. “You want something?” he says. His head is slick. Jewel’s head is slick sometimes. Cash’s head is not slick. Darl he went to Jackson my brother Darl In the street he ate a banana. Wouldn’t you rather have bananas? Dewey Dell said. You wait till Christmas. It’ll be there then. Then you can see it. So we are going to have some bananas. We are going to have a bag full, me and Dewey Dell. He locks the door. Dewey Dell is inside. Then the light winks out.

16He went to Jackson. He went crazy and went to Jackson both. Lots of people didn’t go crazy. Pa and Cash and Jewel and Dewey Dell and me didn’t go crazy. We never did go crazy. We didn’t go to Jackson either. Darl

17I hear the cow a long time, clopping on the street. Then she comes into the square. She goes across the square, her head down clopping. She lows. There was nothing in the square before she lowed, but it wasn’t empty. Now it is empty after she lowed. She goes on, clopping. She lows. My brother is Darl. He went to Jackson on the train. He didn’t go on the train to go crazy. He went crazy in our wagon. Darl She had been in there a long time. And the cow is gone too. A long time. She has been in there longer than the cow was. But not as long as empty. Darl is my brother. My brother Darl

18Dewey Dell comes out. She looks at me.

19“Let’s go around that way now,” I say.

20She looks at me. “It ain’t going to work,” she says. “That son of a bitch.”

21“What ain’t going to work, Dewey Dell?”

22“I just know it won’t,” she says. She is not looking at anything. “I just know it.”

23“Let’s go that way,” I say.

24“We got to go back to the hotel. It’s late. We got to slip back in.”

25“Can’t we go by and see, anyway?”

26“Hadn’t you rather have bananas? Hadn’t you rather?”

27“All right.” My brother he went crazy and he went to Jackson too. Jackson is further away than crazy

28“It won’t work,” Dewey Dell says. “I just know it won’t.”

29“What won’t work?” I say. He had to get on the train to go to Jackson. I have not been on the train, but Darl has been on the train. Darl. Darl is my brother. Darl. Darl