from page 13 of DEVIL MAKE A THIRD

 "Son," she said, mildly, "you act like you've plowed up a snake."

Buck felt the hard clutch go out of his throat and chest then. He laughed out loud. He straightened up, quickly, and jerked the plow point out of the dirt. He tossed the handles slightly higher to point the plowshare straight down and drove it deep into the last unplowed spot. Then he lowered his head a little and looked upwards at his mother.

"Mother," he said,"this is the last time I'll ever follow a mule. I got twenty dollars and I'm headin' for town."

Her face changed then.

Buck walked closer and watched her eyes as he reached up and caught the porch railing and shook it with both hands. He wondered why the jaw didn't soften, retreat a little. The eyes looked out at him like he was still a back-porch yearling. The jaw still pushed forward and pulled down the corners of her full lips until they trailed off into deepening wrinkles. She shook her head at him, full of gentle warning.

"Them pickpockets'll fight over you," she said.