Blair caught her arm in the crook of the elbow as they came to the creek, and there, kneeling, using his hands for a cup, was a man, drinking from the rushing water.
Cassie bounded and leapt upon the man's back, screeching her amazon cry, "I'm a gonna lay on wif muh fists and let 'em rain all over yer satan ugly face, ya dadblasted Satan toad!" Cassie, who could've have competed for a metal in the Olympics (but in what sport, wondered Blair?) wrapped her legs around the man's waist and her thumbs began gouging his eyes.
Oh my God! Blair rushed to them, uncertain whether to intervene, how to get between them: should he defend the man or help Cassie? He spanned his arms around her waist and pulled back to try to unhinge the uncanny leverage she was using with her muscular legs.
She squawled at her victim, "I'ze gone ter opin up mah five gallon bucket of whupass on yur no-good trespassin', chikkun thayvin', hawg-fry ate in, kitten-killin', puppy-drownin', candy-sta-leeling, gal muhlestin', backstabbin', whore-mongerin', mean as a snake in his bitin' sayzon lard ass, and whun I'ze thew wif yew and yew iz all riddy ha'f daid, my big bruther whut yew's haz a'ready been whupped once't by, is er gonna lay sum ov his hams on yer..."
Cassie, all this time, was scratching and clawing the man's face, squeezing thumbs into his eyes, raking her jagged fingernails down his now-bloodied cheeks, chopping the edge of her hand into his throat. My God, she was going to murder him, and he was just standing there letting her inflict bodily harm on him. What kind of a man was he, that he didn't fling her off?
And, she was screaming as if a thousand army ants were climbing up her legs at the same time. Blair pulled as hard as he could, trying to temper his strength not to hurt her ribs. Huffing and puffing, finally, he got her red fuzzy hair in his face, she butted his nose with her chin as she tipped upside down. Blair managed to grab her to protect her head from the ground as she unwound her legs from him.
All the while, the man stood there, grinning.
Managing to get Cassie upright again, and standing on the ground, Blair looped his arm around her shoulder. "Be still!" he commanded.
"Yew dun node thiz varmint!--" she squealed.
"I said," began Blair, tapping her on the chin, "shh! behave."
"Thass rite, you fire-haided shay-demon from the lake ov far! You behafe yoreself 'round yer betters," tauted the man.
Cassie's eyes sparked. Her eyes were practically shooting fire at the man. "Yer pizen, Kinkade! Yew 'n yer kind ov peope whut'z livvin' in Skunk Holler, carryin' on, rantin' 'n ravin' 'bout thangs y'all dunnode 'bout nun ter begin wif, gettin' Preacher Brimstone all puffed up ter doin' the devil's work 'stead of the Lord's, gotted him a-comin' up ter our howse, and threat'nin' ter hev us shunned--"
The man roared with laughter. Blair thought both of them were deranged, but Cassie was nicer deranged. The man's roving eyes took in Blair's long curls and earrings. His eyes narrowed. He took a quick menacing step forward. As Blair was easing Cassie behind him, Cassie had the idea of protecting him. Blair felt himself falling to the soft ground. Cassie had pushed him.
She now stood over his body, her arms stretched as far as she could manage. Her voice was eerily calm when she spoke. "I'ze promussin' rat now ter kill ya if'n yer laze yore pig eyez on him agin'. I swared it in the Lord's name, Kinkade. Yew kin rest yorese'f in the nollidge that I ain't a-foolin'. Unn yer node I'ze kin do it, I ullreddy gif yer a big ole scar on yore man's privatettes once't."
Kinkade turned to go, looked back and said, "Ellison gal, one ov theze days, I'll git even wif yew and JimmyJoe! I'm a-gone ter bran' hiz faggot ass wif my arn."
Cassie raised her arm for a punch..."an' I'm a gonna whup yore skinny ass, gal, too, and ain't nuthin..."
"If I seeze yew here agin' on our land, I'll stick yew good 'n proper wif' mah Daddy's frog-stabber an' ole Doc Susan won't nevvair plug all them holez lettin' out all your hot air...unner stain me, Kinkade. You is lower than snake shit in a wagon rutt, you is. Get outter here, or my Mamma will..."
Kinkade's face turned beet red at the mention of Grace Ellison. He retreated slowly, backing away from the threat. Splashing creek water, he bounded past Cassie and Blair, leaping and running in the direction of the big pine tree where Blair had first met Cassie.
"Are you all right, Cassie Dayzella?" he touched her arm. Her red head bobbed. She kicked dirt and pebbles, shuffling her boot-clad feet. "What was that all about...and why did you push me onto my rear...I can defend myself...he wasn't threatening..."
She looked up, smiling now that the fracus was ended. "Blair, thut man iz muh swore 'n ennermee. He hurted Mamma 'long time agone, whun I was leetle...I 'member plain as day's light...Daddy wuz gone ter to Grampus 'n Granny's wif Stevie Ray ter chop farwood fer their winterin'."
Now, she bit ferociously down on her lips and made ugly faces. Blair took her hand and soothed it between his.
"I wuz lebben year ole, Mamma an' me was in thuh howse, she wuz sewin' and patchin' shirts, and I wuz makin' conebread batter ter fry in the skillit."
"Where was Jim...JimmyJoe?"
"I duddunt knowed thin, but I foun' out later he'd had wun of hiz fits and wuz just starin' at nuthin' and didn't hare nuthin'...well'ze Kinkade he's allays bin tetched in thur haid 'bout Mamma, her daddy wuddunt let him cum courtin', so he sez, but Mamma sed differ'n't...
"Wull, anywaze, he bustid down thuh door. He had far in his eyes, they wuz red, I guess from likker, spit was a-droolin' down his lips lak Miss Lutie haz whin she's a dippin' her snuff, and he hauls ass over to Mamma and jerks her up outter her cheer so rough, he shakes her like a wetted dawg so bad her hair 'uns all cum outter her pinze down ter her waist."
"'Cassie Dayzeller,' she sid, not a-skeered a-tall-like, 'git yore Daddy's shotgun. A skunk varmint has crawled inter the howse, whut's rabid, and I all'ays kill 'em ter put 'em outta their mizeries.'"
Cassie gripped his hand harder, and twisted her lips into a wide grimace. "Blair, I knowed somepin wuz up, coz she seen Daddy's totin' his gun wif' him...she gif it inter his hands so'ze him and Stevie might kill some squirrels and brang 'em back fer skinnin'...I looked at her, ole Kinkade wuz a-laffin and squaizin' her breast-ez and pullin' her hair somepin fairce, whine I wuz just a-terremblin' in mah boots..."
"Cassie..." he whispered, "maybe you shouldn't speak of it if it brings you such pain." Blair caressed her shoulder. Cassie doubled over as if from a blow to her stomach.
"'Cassie Dayzeller, git yore Daddy's gun outter thuh barn whur he lef' it laz night.' And Mamma spoke so even lak, jus' lak nuthin awful wuz happ'nin'--just...
"And Blair, I wuz skeered and a-bawlin', 'n' that Kinkade man liffin' my Mamma's skirts up ter her belly. Mamma turned her face fum me. I thawt Mamma ain't never, never a-skeered an' tore up 'bout nuthin...she'd spit in Lucifer's eyebawlze...but she was a-makin' little...whuffin' and snuffin' ner-zes and a tryin' to hunch her back, and not squawlin...
"I wuddunt brave thin, lak I am now, so's when he started jabbin' his faingers in her woman's part, I tuk off a-runnin'. Strange...it wuz lak Kinkade diddunt even know I wuz thay are."
Cassie dropped to the creek and splashed water into her face, letting it dribble all over her arms. "I runnded out and tuk off fer Mr. Beenie's place't and git sum hep, whin I seed JimmyJoe laid on his back in a ditch whut wuz full of rain water, an' from that, I knewed he'd had wun of his fits...he cuddunt hep it...since he was a youngin' and got hisself losted in the city, he'd stare off at somepin 'til Mamma or Daddy cud get hiz soul back inter his body..."
She continued, "I knee-lid down and shook him to a fare-yee-well, to brang him ter hiz senses. He woke up, saw me a-bawlin. Well, I mannijed to choke out whuz ole Kinkade wuz ur doin' to Mamma. He took off on a hard run, me berhind him."
End Scene 4, of which there is more
