Гроздья гнева
Chapter 4
Theytoppedthenextriseandtheroaddroppedintoanoldwater-cut,uglyandraw,araggedcourse,andfreshetscarscuttingintoitfrombothsides.Afewstoneswereinthecrossing.Joadmincedacrossinhisbarefeet."YoutalkaboutPa,"hesaid."MaybeyouneverseenUncleJohnthetimetheybaptizedhimovertoPolk’splace.Why,hegottoplungin’an’jumpin’.Jumpedoverafeenybushasbigasapiana.Overhe’djump,an’backhe’djump,howlin’likeadog-wolfinmoontime.Well,Paseenhim,an’Pa,hefiggershe’sthebes’Jesus-jumperintheseparts.SoPapicksoutafeenybush’bouttwicetasbigasUncleJohn’sfeenybush,andPaletsoutasquawklikeasowlitterin’brokenbottles,an’hetakesarunatthatfeenybushan’clearsheran’busthisrightleg.ThattookthesperitoutofPa.Preacherwantstoprayitset,butPasays,no,byGod,he’dgothisheartfullofhavin’adoctor.Well,theywasn’tadoctor,buttheywasatravelin’dentist,an’hesether.Preachergiveheraprayin’overanyways."
Theyploddedupthelittleriseontheothersideofthewater-cut.Nowthatthesunwasonthewanesomeofitsimpactwasgone,andwhiletheairwashot,thehammeringrayswereweaker.Thestrungwireoncrookedpolesstilledgedtheroad.Ontheright-handsidealineofwirefencestrungoutacrossthecottonfield,andthedustygreencottonwasthesameonbothsides,dustyanddryanddarkgreen.
Joadpointedtotheboundaryfence."Thatthere’sourline.
