William Gass - Omensetter’s Luck

Hey how do you think up those things?

But draw near here, you sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore.

Furb—

You didn't know I knew the table of the elements.

It's quite a trick to make up poems like that.

Oh art is everywhere admired. And A is anger, or anguish, or ague, or agony…

Quick a trick.

As in ink.

How do you think up all that?

Stop baiting him, Luther, and let's get on.

The Reverend Andrew Pike's my muse.

What's he saying? who?

Oh it's that preacher, Luther, years ago, who was scalped by the Indians, Tott said.

Bait? Did someone say, bait?

Shut—

The righteous man perishes and no one takes it to heart. He was quite a ladies'—well, an Indian-maiden man, you might say.

T is for Tott and for tattletale. A greedy young spinster — hear that, Totty?

a greedy young spinster

ate, live, a lobster

and now every winter

when she sits dinner

as a kind of remonster

he pinches her inner.

Sit still, Bessie.

How about it, Doc?

Merciful men are taken away and no one minds.

With Curt there glaring at me? Ah, no thanks. Curt's heavy in his head and I'm heavy in my eyes.

Unfortunately, Olus said, Furber's the one that's light of tongue.

Do something with him, Tott yelled.

Wraps, said Furber, squashing a hat on his head and whirling a muffler around. God is kind… Hello… Good day… The weather's fine… Good hat. Good coat. Good glove. Oh God is kind. Say, against whom are you sporting yourself, pink pants? against whom are you making a wide pink mouth, and drawing out the tongue? are you not a child of transgression, a seed of falsehood?

Look Doc, Chamlay said, let's try to get on in spite of that.

He gestured.

I intend to get on, he said.

H is for snotspittle.

Jesus. Someone shut him up.

Kind cat. Kind dove. Kind dog. Kind gnat. Oh God is love. You should have listened to me. Then you should have had peace like a river. Henry's having some. He's smiling… smiling… Love this. Love that. Love lip. Love lap.

I'm here to settle this Pimber business in my mind, and I'm going to — no matter what.

H is for gorgespew.

Aaah.

Dear sweet kind cow. Dear sweet good goat. Dear black blind bat.

Come off it, Furber. That's enough. Dump all that stuff and settle on it.

Why am I so cold upon your faces? Answer: because I am the master of the resting places.

Is he drunk or something?

He's trying to keep Curt from his questions, Tott said. I know him.

Feed the fire now. Keep each your places. Soften Henry's mouth. His ghost will speak. It's out there now, hanging stiffly in him like a drying onion.

Fetch me my bag, Olus, will you? I don't know where it's got to.

Here's a fur hat for a hunter. Prosper the beetles.

Leave that stuff off, Furber.

A muffler from mother. It's like kitten cover. And body is to spirit as — these gloves to a lover.

I'll see if I can give him something — calm him some — he's had a seizure.

Don't worry about him, he's a toothless little weasel.

T is for truthlessness. T is for tickle my tummy and I'll tickle your testicle. T is for touch me not or for tit for tat.

Let him be, hell settle. He's all done in.

This Omensetter then — I say we should go out and get him.

Don't fire off hasty, Curtis.

Hasty, hell, I go by natural steps, by god, one at a time. I'll bet he's lit out. I'll bet that's what he's done. He's lit.

And leave his wife?

It's his neck — why not?

Why not, says Tott. Bessie, will you draw your breath in pain to tell our story? It's Omensetter's neck. And a neck's a neck. It's quite a lot. Why not? Says Tott.

Will you shut up, god damn it, will you?

Oh you are hoarse, you're very hoarse. I believe you've caught something.

Boylee's strong, and Boylee had a time up, Chamlay said, holding out an open hand to Orcutt and folding in a finger. And like you say, Henry had no strength at all, he said, folding in another. So I conclude that Henry didn't get up where we found him by himself. Chamlay formed a threatening fist. What do you say, Doc? Want to bet, he said, fanning his other fingers. Lucy Pimber says the last time she saw Henry, he was off to Omensetter's to collect the rent. Chamlay bent a finger. That rent was on Henry when we found him. He folded back another. So, he said — they met. Both fists drew angrily together, though Chamlay grinned.

Step by step, eh, Curtis, Doctor Orcutt said.

One more step, by god, and you'll be standing on him.

Give up if you want, George. You was always quick to fold, but I think I'll call him. Ah. Thank you Olus. I've got some sort of pill in here.

To pour in the porches of my ear.

Somewhere…

Never mind him.

… if I can find it.

We got all these Omensetters here now. Menger got them girls in. I say let's find him, Hawkins said.

I say he's lit.

So you can hunt him, Bessie, like you hunted for Hog Bellman?

What do you know about that?

I've heard you tell it.

Hawkins laughed and said: you ever hear a tale that Tott told honest? He's a glory awful liar.

… a liar…

You like to talk about the law, Curtis — ah, here it is — but the law won't like it. Here they are. One is all you take now — maybe, in a bit, another…. Jethro?

Furber said: then you shall bring forth that man or woman who have committed that wicked thing, you shall bring them forth to the gates, and there you shall stone them with stones until they die.

Will you give off groaning, George, said his brother.

Orcutt might as well have spit in my eye for all the good he done me, George said.

You said you were calling, Curtis said. I've more cards.

Ah, maybe. But you're not all that strong. There's cards you ain't got, for one thing — not yet anyhow. Now the way Henry's hanging — up so high — that's a high card, Curtis, like you say, but whose hand's it sitting in? Boylee's strong, you say. Boylee had a time. Okay. How strong would a man have to be to climb up that tree with a dead man hanging to him somehow? I hope you don't think Henry was alive then?

Why are you playing his hand?

Furber said: at the mouth of two witnesses, or three, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death, but at the mouth of one witness he shall not.

He'd be a dead weight, Curtis, all the way. And then he'd have to be hung out there and tied.

Chamlay slammed his palm down.

Jethro — that pill now…

We've hearts like the teeth of dogs, said Jethro Furber, crouching in the clothing.

Like I said, there're facts you haven't got yet. Have you looked our Henry over careful? Was he strangled? broke his neck? Hah — maybe he was shot. Or cut his throat with a razor, or died of the drizzles and the trot.

Ah — shit Doc—

There'll have to be an autopsy — that's what I'm saying.

Listen, Furber said, when I was a little boy and learning letters — A…, B…, C…, love was never taught to me, I couldn't spell it, the O was always missing, or the V, so I wrote love like live, or lure, or late, or law, or liar.

Furber wiped his nose noisily on someone's sleeve.

Look, he said, if it comes to law, I'll testify. I'll tell the truth for the first time.

Get out of them coats, god damn it.

I'll say I lied. I lied and lied. I spread hatred against him — all by lies. I turned myself against him-with my lies. I folded his own heart back against itself, and burned it black with lies. And after my lies, he spelled love: luck.

Get him to swallow that, will you, Doc.

I turned the land against him — planting it with lies. His wife was turned against him; his children turned against him — from my lies. I turned Mat, and all his friends, and all of Gilean, against him through my lies. I put it in your minds to be against him — all by lies. I turned even God against him by my lies.