Everyone worked the fall garden. The pumpkins were popular at the road-side stand, and there were cabbage and the last of the beans and fruit. There was only a few baskets of berries, and Beulah kept them for pie. Beulah only took a little honey, wanting to leave plenty for the bees during the expected cold winter. Homer had said the signs of a cold winter were "just there for the readin".

But there was still something wrong with Mary.

====================================================
In less than a month Delta and Pooter moved out. Into a little house that had been hidden in the woods - right next door!

Delta was eager to introduce Pooter to the people of Widespot. She invited the Soggybottoms over. The four children were about 19, had just graduated high school, and had actually "paired up". Paddy Soggybottom's children were blond Gretchen--
"She sure reminds me of Eng" Pooter thought, " That sweet face...I sure had the hots for her in college!" Paddy's son was red-head Gimlet, a good-natured guy (but incredibly lazy). Prim Daisy and bad-tempered Birch were the children of a women who had lived with them, and died when all the children were toddlers. Paddy loved them like her own children, and also took in an unwanted child named Hartless Weiss and raised HIM in her happy home.

"It's people like YOU that make this town special!" Pooter said to Paddy Soggybottom.
He tried to get to know Birch, but he was hard to talk to.


"Well, what do you think of OUR exotic folks?" Delta asked him when everyone had left.
"You say that sweet child Gretchen is hooked up with Birch?"
"Yes, Paddy says she expects them to marry this winter, she laughs about everyone 'dancing under the sheets' but doesn't seem worried about two girls having babies out of wedlock, and in that little house with little money!"
Pooter scratched an armpit as Delta cleaned the kitchen. When he dug around in an ear and examined the finger, Delta said "Poo! use a tissue, euuu!" He laughed and said:
Is Birch on drugs? His eyes are like TOTALLY red. And he gets insulted and mad over nothing. I hate to think what kind of hurt he could do to Gretchen. And they come from the swamps, don't they? I hear their kind have babies like frogs - don't care who the daddy is, and don't take proper care of them. Crap, for a small town you sure have your Drama!"
Delta looked at him; "He sure doesn't look so cute and funny right now" she thought.
"You know, Daddy says 'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree", and I've told you about the hateful stuff people did that made them move here in the first place. I know people here gossip and have their little dramas, but I don't think people are really BAD. Let me tell you about when I first met Gimlet....
Sue Ellen had brought him home from school. She said he was nice, and funny. She told me later that she thought he looked like Mary's cat, and she thought green was a FINE color to be...


I asked Gimlet if he wanted to stay for dinner, but he said he had to walk through the woods to get to his house, and it would be dark if he didn't leave right away. There's a SWAMP through those woods, and I've heard people talking about the people who live there. I said to momma, "He's one of those bottom land Soggybottoms! Don't they live in a little shack with a bunch of kids, and they're all GREEN - and no DAD!?
Geez, should Sue Ellen and Clovis be playing with them? They're just so..WIERD"


Beulah had heard enough. “Tsk Tsk. Delta don't you remember Homer and me telling you about how I came from the wrong part of town too, and was the “wrong color”. When your poppa and I fell in love, both our families turned us out. We had to leave town to find some peace.”
“Oh, Momma, I wasn't thinking of that! I’m sorry!”
“Never forget where you came from child; you came from good honest folks, and a lot of love. And land sakes girl, WE'RE bout as poor as church mice, so it's right silly to talk about other people being poor.”
Homer (his mouth full of grilled cheese) piped up with "Act like you got some raisen, girl. {glumph chomp} Poor don't mean stupid, or mean. {smack, glumph) Why, some of the poorest excuses for human beings have got more money than sense."
Pooter smiled sheepishly at Delta, "You're right, sweet cheeks. Your Pops is one savvy dude, and your mom is the best".
"I couldn't agree more", smiled Delta, "She says everyone who wants to do good has worth, and I think that's why I love YOU. You're a bit rough around the edges, but you've got a heart of gold!"
==========================================================
"I'm just worthless" thought Mary Land.


The last time I went to town, the damn Rhett Hart knocked me down - IN FRONT OF CLOVIS! He cried on the way home. I can't show my face in public, now even my own family looks at me like I'm a freak. I quit my job, but they were about to fire me anyway. Nobody wants me around. My own children don't trust me. I'm just useless.

Every night I have the same dream...Valentine loves me


We get married...

He's sorta kinky, but he doesn't need anyone else. Just ME. He really loves me, ONLY me. Just the way I AM! We are so happy.

Then I wake up...
=========================================================
Winter storms came early; it snowed often, heavy, wet snow that blew into deep drifts.
Homer: "I had a good morning hunting rabbits. They had gotten fat (off my corn!) and had put on thick winter coats. I thanked them for those coats as I removed them; they'll make warm mittins. I set to cleaning my rifle, after giving the meat to Beulah. She said she would make stew with the fall roots, and would add a pint of dark beer. I could smell her bread cooking, and was thinking about that stew, when...

A SCREAM! Mary! Back porch! COUGAR! I didn't even think...just grabbed some shot and ran. On the porch I froze...Beulah was shouting and waving her cast-iron skillit

Mary was on the ground in a cloud of snow. And on top of her - HELL FIRE! not a cougar, but Rhett damn-his-hide Hart! I waited for a clean shot, and took it.
BLAM!!! After all the ruckus, and that rifle crack, the silence hung in the air like it was frozen.


Beulah looked down at Rhett, thinking he looked oddly silly sprawled in the snow. It was obvious that he was dead; the shot had bout taken off the top of his head and blood was seeping into the snow. "I've butchered animals", she thought, "and I've sat with the dying, but I never saw anything like this! God help us."
Mary, getting up shakily and trying to smooth her dress down, looked at the blood spattered snow and thought of snow cones.
Hearing a heavy sigh to his left, Homer saw Mary looking into the distance, her face blank. "I hope you don't think I'M cleaning this up." she said carefully.
Homer checked that the safety was on, "Did I load one round, or two?", he laid the gun on the ground. As he looked up he saw Beulah watching him with horrified eyes, her bottom lip quivering. He couldn't meet her eyes. Had he just made a horrible mistake? His wife knew exactly what was going through his mind, and buried her face in his neck. As she wrapped her arms around him, she finally dropped the skillet - on his foot. He didn't feel it.

"I'm sorry", she burbled, "I swear I would have whacked him up side his head if you hadn't got to him first!" She looked him square in the eye; "You did the right thing", she assured him. She felt his shoulders drop, felt him sort of shrink; the fire had gone out of him. "I'm not sure the law will agree with that", Homer said evenly, "I best go call the sheriff".
As he turned to go, Beulah called to him, "Should I find something to cover him with?" Homer didn't raise his head, but waived a hand in the air. "No", he said, "but you ought go talk to Mary".
#############
Beulah: I found Mary lying on her bed, looking for all the world like she was just having a little rest on any normal day.
"Dear", I started, "are you all right?"


"I was washing clothes" Mary said, frowning a little. "Rhett came up the porch, said something about me playing hard to get, and how he knew better because of me having an affair with his father. Said I was no better than the whores that hang around the truck stop. Said pretending I was so PROPER wasn't fooling anybody."
Beulah felt the tears come to her eyes, and bit her lip.

"He shoved me against a wall, put his hands all over me. I think I screamed. He took a swing at me and I fell down the stairs.

Odd, time just seemed to stop, he grabbed my shoulders and threw me down, and..
Mary stopped, hearing her mother let out a strangled sob. Looking into space, she continued:
Oh, it wasn't the first time. You know he's been coming round for years, just to kick the trash over, or look in the windows. Seems like every time I left the house I would run into him; sometimes he would act like we were friends, and I would go along with it because people were watching. But sometimes he would just walk up and shove me. One time he even punched me! Then last summer he raped me - in front of half the town! That's when I stopped going out, and stopped asking my "friends" over. Some friends! I guess I don't know WHAT they really thought of me, but for sure nobody tried to help me!"

Beulah sat on the bed and tried to put her arms around Mary, but Mary sat stiffly, not looking at her. "You just rest, dear", Beulah said, getting up, "I'll bring you some tea in a bit".

Beulah started water for tea, put some sugar cookies on a plate. As she wiped her eyes, she saw Homer hanging up the phone. "I called the law, they'll be here soon. Would you sit with me till they get here?" Beulah lit a fire and sat with Homer, feeling numb.


When the sheriff arrived, he took Homer's statement, and took Homer away.



Beulah brought a tray to Mary's bedside. She could hear Mary running a bath. "That's just what she needs", Beulah thought. She went to the kitchen, wrapping the now cool bread, and finishing the rabbit stew. Nobody would want it tonight, but it was wrong to waste food. Besides, tomorrow was another day.

Upstairs, Mary had put on her flannel pajamas, and started crying.