“What? No. Them are all put-up deals anyway, them quiz shows. They think they’re fooling everybody, but they ain’t. Any fool son-of-a-bitch who’d get took in by that bullshit deserves it.”

“Dad,” Ruth said, although she knew, as they all did, that it would do no good. Her father’s tongue would never be laundered.

“I guess you drunk the coffee up.”

“No. I’ll pour you—”

“Never mind. It’s all right, I know I don’t rate. Listen, Tom, now: I think maybe you’re gonna have to get up off your dead ass and do something on that fool paper. We got a telephone call from—”

“I know all about it, Gramp,” Tom said.

Gramp groaned slightly and sat down in one of the kitchen chairs. “I been wondering,” he said, “how long you-all was gonna sit around and play with yourself in this here thing.”

Tom’s eyes flashed angrily. The old man was bearable most of the time because most of the time he sat in front of the television screen, mouth open, silent. Sometimes, though, Gramp got off on a talking spree—and this was clearly going to be one of them.

“Cut out that kind of language in front of Ella.”

“You ain’t gonna tell me how to talk, mister. Get that straight right here and now. I’ll talk the way I damn please.”

“Not in front of Ella.”

“In front of anybody. Anybody!”

Tom slammed his hand down on the table. “That’s enough,” he said. “Either clean up your mouth or get out of the kitchen.”

“Tom!” Ruth said.

Gramp trembled. Then his shoulders sagged. “All right,” he said, “all right. It’s your house, and I guess I ain’t gonna forget that; no, I guess not.”

Ruth McDaniel got up and began to wash the cups and saucers nervously.

There was a pause.

Then Gramp said, “Well, all this pussyfooting around you been doing is sure done a lot of good. I expect it don’t matter none to you, though. I expect you don’t care whether little Ella here marries a coon or not.”

Ruth said, “Dad, for heaven’s sake.”

“You keep quiet! I seen the news tonight. Twelve black-ass niggers is going to the school. Young bucks, some of them. Big husky fellas.”

“Gramp,” Tom said, his voice on the edge of control, “I’m telling you to—”