DOAKER: Come on now, Berniece, ain’t no need in getting upset.

BOY WILLIE: I done a little bit of stealing here and there, but I ain’t never killed nobody. I can’t be speaking for nobody else. You all got to speak for yourself, but I ain’t never killed nobody.

BERNIECE: You killed Crawley just as sure as if you pulled the trigger.

BOY WILLIE: See, that’s ignorant. That’s downright foolish for you to say something like that. You ain’t doing nothing but showing your ignorance. If the nigger was here I’d whup his ass for getting me and Lymon shot at.

BERNIECE: Crawley ain’t knew about the wood.

BOY WILLIE: We told the man about the wood. Ask Lymon. He knew all about the wood. He seen we was sneaking it. Why else we gonna be out there at night? Don’t come telling me Crawley ain’t knew about the wood. Them fellows come up on us and Crawley tried to bully them. Me and Lymon seen the sheriff with them and give in. Wasn’t no sense in getting killed over fifty dollars’ worth of wood.

BERNIECE: Crawley ain’t knew you stole that wood.

BOY WILLIE: We ain’t stole no wood. Me and Lymon was hauling wood for Jim Miller and keeping us a little bit on the side. We dumped our little bit down there by the creek till we had enough to make a load. Some fellows seen us and we figured we better get it before they did. We come up there and got Crawley to help us load it. Figured we’d cut him in. Crawley trying to keep the wolf from his door . . . we was trying to help him.

LYMON: Me and Boy Willie told him about the wood. We told him some fellows might be trying to beat us to it. He say let me go back and get my thirty-eight. That’s what caused all the trouble.

BOY WILLIE: If Crawley ain’t had the gun he’d be alive today.

LYMON: We had it about half loaded when they come up on us. We seen the sheriff with them and we tried to get away. We ducked around near the bend in the creek . . . but they was down there too. Boy Willie say let’s give in. But Crawley pulled out his gun and started shooting. That’s when they started shooting back.

BERNIECE: All I know is Crawley would be alive if you hadn’t come up there and got him.

BOY WILLIE: I ain’t had nothing to do with Crawley getting killed. That was his own fault.

BERNIECE: Crawley’s dead and in the ground and you still walking around here eating. That’s all I know. He went off to load some wood with you and ain’t never come back.

BOY WILLIE: I told you, woman . . . I ain’t had nothing to do with …

BERNIECE: He ain’t here, is he? He ain’t here!

(BERNIECE hits BOY WILLIE.)

I said he ain’t here. Is he?