"What does you do when he starts bellering?"

"I whips him," Luster said. He sat down and rolled up the legs of his overalls.

"Aint you talking biggity. I bet you <dont> better not let your grandmammy hear you talking like that."

Luster got down into the branch, where they were playing.

[margin: Then they squatted in the branch, looking through the bushes, up the hill
and they splashed and fought in the water. Luster got the ball.
"Where is they?" he said.
"Aint in sight, yet."
Luster put the ball in his pocket. They came over the hill.
"Did a ball come down here?" he said.
"It ought to be in the branch," the other said.
"Didn't you hear it?" the boy said.
"Aint heard nothing down here," Luster said. "Heard something hit that tree up yonder. Dont know where it went."
"Hell," the man said. "Look along the branch," he said. They went back up the hill.
"Have you got that ball?" the boy said.
"What I want with it?" Luster said. "I aint need no ball."
The boy got in the water. He went on. He turned and looked at Luster again. Then he went on.
The man said, "Caddy!" The boy got out of the water.
"Now just listen at you," Luster said.
"What he moaning about now?"
"Lawd knows," Luster said. "He just starts like that. Hush! Come back here."
"Hush, you old looney!" Luster said. "You want me to whup you?"
"I bet you will."
"Hush!" Luster said. "Aint I tole you you cant go up there? They'll knock your head off, and a good thing too."
"Come on here, git in the water and stop that."
He came and took off my shoes and rolled up my trousers and I hushed and got in the water]

<"You wanter come too?" he said. "Why dont you say so, then?" He came and took my shoes off and rolled up my
trousers and I got in the water,> and Roskus came and said to come <to supper> on to supper, and Caddy said

"It's not suppertime yet. I'm not going."

She was wet. We were playing in the branch and Caddy squatted down and got the bottom of her dress wet and Versh
said,

"Your momma going to whip you for getting your dress wet."

"She's not any such thing," Caddy said.

"How do you know?" Quentin said.

"That's all right how I know," Caddy said. "How do you know?"

"She said she was," Quentin said. "Besides, I'm older than you."

"I'm <nine> seven years old," Caddy said. "I guess I know."

"I'm older than that," Quentin said. "<I'm going "I'm going to school> I go to school. Dont I, Versh?"

"I'm going next year," Caddy said. "When it comes. Aint I, Versh?"

"You know she whip you when you get your dress wet," Versh said.

"It's not wet," Caddy said. She stood up <and> in the water and looked at her dress. "I'll take it off," she said.

"I bet you wont," Quentin said.

"I bet I will," Caddy said.

"I bet you better not," Quentin said.

Caddy <came to Versh> reached her arms back and undid the top button. She couldn't reach the others.

"Dont you take your dress off," Quentin said.

Caddy came to Versh and me and turned her back.

"Unbutton it, Versh," she said.

"Dont you do it, Versh," Quentin said.

"Taint none of my dress," Versh said.

"You unbutton it, Versh," Caddy said. "Or I'll tell Dilsey what you did yesterday." So Versh unbuttoned it.

"You just take your dress off," Quentin said. Caddy took off her dress and threw it on the bank. Then she
didn't have on anything but her bodice and drawers, and Quentin slapped her and she slipped and fell
down in the water. When she got up she began to splash water on Quentin, and Quentin splashed water on
Caddy. Some of it splashed on Versh and me and Versh picked me up and put me on the bank. He said
he was going to tell on Caddy and Quentin, and then Quentin and Caddy began to splash water at Versh.
He got behind a bush.

"I'm going to tell your pappy on you all," Versh said.

Quentin climbed up the bank and tried to catch Versh, but Versh ran away and Quentin couldn't. When Quentin
came back Versh stopped and hollered that he was going to tell. Caddy told him that if he wouldn't tell they'd let
him come back. So Versh said he wouldn't, and they let him.

"Now I guess you're satisfied," Quentin said. "We'll both get whipped now."

"I dont care," Caddy said. "I'll run away.

"Yes you will," Quentin said.