“You ain’t washed—” she began, and then she saw how sick and weak and sad he looked. “You go on in the tent an’ lay down,” she said. “You ain’t well.”
He shook his head. “No.” he said. “I sinned, an’ I got to take my punishment.” He squatted down disconsolately and poured himself a cup of coffee.
Ma took the last pones from the pan. She said casually, “The manager of the camp come an’ set an’ had a cup of coffee.”
Pa looked over slowly. “Yeah? What’s he want awready?”
“Jus’ come to pass the time,” Ma said daintily. “Jus’ set down an’ had coffee. Said he didn’ get good coffee so often, an’ smelt our’n.”
“What’d he want?” Pa demanded again.
“Didn’ want nothin’. Come to see how we was gettin’ on.”
“I don’ believe it,” Pa said. “He’s probably a-snootin’ an’ a-smellin’ aroun’.”
“He was not!” Ma cried angrily. “I can tell a fella that’s snootin’ aroun’ quick as the nex’ person.”
Pa tossed his coffee grounds out of his cup.