“Goin’ out for the Gas Company,” Timothy said. “They got a nice job of it.”
“I could of took our truck,” Tom suggested.
“No.” Timothy leaned down and picked up a green walnut. He tested it with his thumb and then shied it at a blackbird sitting on a fence wire. The bird flew up, let the nut sail under it, and then settled back on the wire and smoothed its shining black feathers with its beak.
Tom asked, “Ain’t you got no car?”
Both Wallaces were silent, and Tom, looking at their faces, saw that they were ashamed.
Wilkie said, “Place we work at is on’y a mile up the road.”
Timothy said angrily, “No, we ain’t got no car. We sol’ our car. Had to. Run outa food, run outa ever’thing. Couldn’ git no job. Fellas come aroun’ ever’ week, buyin’ cars. Come aroun’, an’ if you’re hungry, why, they’ll buy your car. An’ if you’re hungry enough, they don’t hafta pay nothin’ for it. An’- we was hungry enough. Give us ten dollars for her.” He spat into the road.
Wilkie said quietly, “I was in Bakersfiel’ las’ week. I seen her- a-settin’ in a use’-car lot- settin’ right there, an’ seventy-five dollars was the sign on her.”
“We had to,” Timothy said. “It was either us let ’em steal our car or us steal somepin from them. We ain’t had to steal yet, but, goddamn it, we been close!”
Tom said, “You know, ‘fore we lef’ home, we heard they was plenty work out here. Seen han’bills, askin’ folks to come out.”
“Yeah,” Timothy said. “We seen ’em too. An’ they ain’t much work. An’ wages is comin’ down all a time. I git so goddamn tired jus’ figgerin’ how to eat.”
“You got work now,” Tom suggested.
“Yeah, but it ain’t gonna las’ long. Workin’ for a nice fella. Got a little place. Works ‘longside of us. But, hell- it ain’t gonna las’ no time.”
Tom said, “Why in the hell you gonna git me on? I’ll make it shorter. What you cuttin’ your own throat for?”
Timothy shook his head slowly. “I dunno. Got no sense, I guess. We figgered to get us each a hat. Can’t do it, I guess. There’s the place, off to the right there. Nice job, too. Gettin’ thirty cents an hour. Nice frien’ly fella to work for.”
They turned off the highway and walked down a graveled road, through a small kitchen orchard; and behind the trees they came to a small white farm house, a few shade trees, and a barn; behind the barn a vineyard and a field of cotton. As the three men walked past the house a screen door banged, and a stocky sunburned man came down the back steps. He wore a paper sun helmet, and he rolled up his sleeves as he came across the yard. His heavy sunburned eyebrows were drawn down in a scowl. His cheeks were sunburned a beef red.
“Mornin’, Mr. Thomas,” Timothy said.
“Morning.” The man spoke irritably.
Timothy said, “This here’s Tom Joad. We wondered if you could see your way to put him on?”
Thomas scowled at Tom. And then he laughed shortly, and his brows still scowled. “Oh, sure! I’ll put him on. I’ll put everybody on. Maybe I’ll get a hundred men on.”
“We jus’ thought-” Timothy began apologetically.
Thomas interrupted him. “Yes, I been thinkin’ too.” He swung around and faced them. “I’ve got some things to tell you. I been paying you thirty cents an hour- that right?”
“Why, sure, Mr. Thomas- but-”
“And I been getting thirty cents’ worth of work.” His heavy hard hands clasped each other.
“We try to give a good day of work.”
“Well, goddamn it, this morning you’re getting twenty-five cents an hour, and you take it or leave it.” The redness of his face deepened with anger.
Timothy said, “We’ve give you good work. You said so yourself.”
“I know it. But it seems like I ain’t hiring my own men any more.” He swallowed. “Look,” he said. “I got sixty-five acres here. Did you ever hear of the Farmers’ Association?”
“Why, sure.”
“Well, I belong to it. We had a meeting last night. Now, do you know who runs the Farmers Association? I’ll tell you. The Bank of the West. That bank owns most of this valley, and it’s got paper on everything it don’t own. So last night the member from the bank told me, he said, ‘You’re paying thirty cents an hour. You’d better cut it down to twenty-five.’ I said, ‘I’ve got good men. They’re worth thirty.’ And he says, ‘It isn’t that,’ he says. ‘The wage is twenty-five now. If you pay thirty, it’ll only cause unrest. And by the way,’ he says, ‘you going to need the usual amount for a crop loan next year?'” Thomas stopped. His breath was panting through his lips. “You see? The rate is twenty-five cents- and like it.”
“We done good work,” Timothy said helplessly.
“Ain’t you got it yet? Mr. Bank hires two thousand men an’ I hire three. I’ve got paper to meet. Now if you can figure some way out, by Christ, I’ll take it! They got me.”
Timothy shook his head. “I don’ know what to say.”
“You wait here.” Thomas walked quickly to the house. The door slammed after him. In a moment he was back, and he carried a newspaper in his hand. “Did you see this? Here, I’ll read it: ‘Citizens, angered at red agitators, burn squatters’ camp. Last night a band of citizens, infuriated at the agitation going on in a local squatters’ camp, burned the tents to the ground and warned agitators to get out of the county.'”
Tom began, “Why, I-” and then he closed his mouth and was silent.
Thomas folded the paper carefully and put it in his pocket. He had himself in control again. He said quietly, “Those men were sent out by the Association. Now I’m giving ’em away. And if they ever find out I told, I won’t have a farm next year.”
“I jus’ don’t know what to say,” Timothy said. “If they was agitators, I can see why they was mad.”
Thomas said, “I watched it a long time. There’s always red agitators just before a pay cut. Always. Goddamn it, they got me trapped. Now, what are you going to do? Twenty-five cents?”
Timothy looked at the ground. “I’ll work,” he said.
“Me too,” said Wilkie.
Tom said, “Seems like I walked into somepin. Sure, I’ll work. I got to work.”
Thomas pulled a bandanna out of his hip pocket and wiped his mouth and chin. “I don’t know how long it can go on. I don’t know how you men can feed a family on what you get now.”
“We can while we work,” Wilkie said. “It’s when we don’t git work.”
Thomas looked at his watch. “Well, let’s go out and dig some ditch. By God,” he said, “I’m a-gonna tell you. You fellas live in that government camp, don’t you?”
Timothy stiffened. “Yes, sir.”
“And you have dances every Saturday night?”
Wilkie smiled. “We sure do.”
“Well, look out next Saturday night.”
Suddenly Timothy straightened. He stepped close. “What you mean? I belong to the Central Committee. I got to know.”
Thomas looked apprehensive. “Don’t you ever tell I told.”
“What is it?” Timothy demanded.
“Well, the Association don’t like the government camps. Can’t get a deputy in there. The people make their own laws, I hear, and you can’t arrest a man without a warrant. Now if there was a big fight and maybe shooting- a bunch of deputies could go in and clean out the camp.”
Timothy had changed. His shoulders were straight and his eyes cold. “What you mean?”
“Don’t you ever tell where you heard,” Thomas said uneasily. “There’s going to be a fight in the camp Saturday night. And there’s going to be deputies ready to go in.”
Tom demanded, “Why, for God’s sake? Those folks ain’t bothering nobody.”
“I’ll tell you why,” Thomas said. “Those folks in the camp are getting used to being treated like humans. When they go back to the squatters’ camps they’ll be hard to handle.” He wiped his face again. “Go on out to work now. Jesus, I hope I haven’t talked myself out of my farm. But I like you people.”
Timothy stepped in front of him and put out a hard lean hand, and Thomas took it. “Nobody won’t know who tol’. We thank you. They won’t be no fight.”
“Go on to work,” Thomas said. “And it’s twenty-five cents an hour.”
“We’ll take it,” Wilkie said, “from you.”
Thomas walked away toward the house. “I’ll be out in a piece,” he said. “You men get to work.” The screen door slammed behind him.
The three men walked out past the little white-washed barn, and along a field edge. They came to a long narrow ditch with sections of concrete pipe lying beside it.