“The truth is often considered indecent, I believe, especially the naked truth. Like the human body, it needs to be concealed by a peek-a-boo waist of prudery and licentiousness.”
“Stop, stop, not another word.... Such language is positively shocking ... not fit for a decent woman to listen to.”
At this point in this most shocking conversation, the mules headed for a wretched two-room shack that stood a little away from the road. To me the place appeared too poverty-stricken for hope of business, but our driver let the mules have their way.
A frowsy woman was carrying two heavy pails of water from a well near which stood a cesspool, a ramshackle shed for stock and a great heap of refuse. The dooryard swarmed with dogs, hogs and children. A sallow girl, gathering corncobs for the fire, loosed her loaded petticoat and dashed forward to greet us. Mrs. Adams seized her sample case and leaving the mules to their own devices, scrambled from the wagon. I followed meekly.
The farmer’s wife set down her dripping burden, wiped her hands on her tattered apron and proffered us a brimming dipper. Thirsty as I was, I felt impelled to decline—the well’s environment did not appeal to my taste. No sooner were we within the house, than Mrs. Adams opened negotiations for a side of bacon.
“We’ve got some extry bacon, but I dunno about sparin’ none. My old man’s aiming to take some into town to trade in a day or two and I dunno what he’d say if I let go of a side.”
“Oh, Maw,” broke in the oldest girl, who had been examining our display with longing eyes, “never mind what Paw says. If he trades the side meat, he’ll just get drunk on the money. He always does.”
“You shut your mouth and don’t go talking about your Paw.” The mother gave the girl a sharp slap on the ear as she spoke.
The child’s face crimsoned. “I don’t care. It ain’t right. We don’t ever do anything but work, work, work, and Paw, he never works. Then everything goes for hateful old booze. It ain’t right.”
“Now, now, Mandy, you orta treat your Paw with respect. I can’t see what’s getting into the young ones these days, especially the girls. Mandy here, bellered her head off cause we let Jeffie, that’s our oldest, stop last winter with my brother Jed to go to school. She thought she orta gone too.”