Ring shook his head, "Ella won't leave her and the old
man in the middle of the road."
Sandy Snapped his fingers. "We got to git Orphan Boy
into the mains. There ain't no reason he can't win. That'll
hook the old woman."
Sandy drove down with Ring and the cock to Virge
Owens, planter and master of the mains. Owens lived in
a big house which looked out on a lake with lilies like white
bread. Owens had heard of Orphan Boy. Right off the bat,
he offered fifty dollars. He set one of his best cocks against
him. Orphan Boy whipped the Duckwing easily. Owens
picked up his bird, looked at the ass to see if he were in the
pink of condition and then wrung his neck. He gave him
to Sandy for chicken dinner. He offered a hundred dollars
for the Boy. He said that cocking's a rich man's game. You
got to have two hundred and fifty to enter in the mains. It
takes at least twenty years to bring up a bunch of good
cocks that will make a fair show in the mains. You're always
taking chances being raided, having a handler break the legs
of your cock. Now all that happened to Ring was that he
was like the boy that happened to fall into the river and
come out with a diamond ring. Pure accident. And the
nigger in the diamond was that you got to be a shrewd
business man to make money out of the game. Here Owens
offered a hundred and fifty dollars. He took them into the
cool big house and treated them to drinks. He offered two
hundred dollars.
Sandy gaped at Ring. Ring put Orphan Boyan his
shoulder and walked out of the big house.
The barber shop was packed to hear the story of Owens'
offers. Tan banged Ring on the back, "To hell with him.
We'll keep the Boy a poor man's fighter."
Old man Pierce lost his job. The bitter old woman tore
into Ring and slapped down her last card. He must sell the
cock to have Ella. Ella said, "Ma,
Ring'll do what he
pleases." Ring no longer came to the house but met his girl
in town.
The frantic old woman had to yield.
Ring rented a farm near town. He and Ella were married.
Men and boys from town came down with cowbells, horns,
and all' through the night horsefiddled the couple, and Or-
phan Boy, who was up in the bedroom with them. Soused
Tan roared a lecture on who should be boss.
Ring planned to make a go of it breeding game chickens,
raising poultry. He was going to rest the Boy from fighting.
He bought a bunch of good hens. Orphan Boy went to
work. Eggs didn't sell well. None of the chicks could hold
a candle up to the Boy. Ring saw now it would take years
to develop the right strain.
Old man Pierce became feeble, slapped around like a
fish out of water, couldn't help at all. He couldn't get used
to being out of the mill. Had worked there forty years.
The boss always saying never seen or heard of an edgeman
good as he. Could make two two-by-fours where another
man could make only one. Could almost make a two-by-four
out of air.
Ella had her baby. Ring had to fight Orphan Boy to keep
going. It was hard getting good fights. There was mighty
little cash around for betting. Many more were out of work.
20
Everybody had heard about the Boy. Cockfighters were
afraid to put their birds against him.
A big fight was arranged at last out in the woods near
a turpentine still. Orphan Boy played around with the
other cock for a couple of minutes and then pressed, fell on
him like a bolt and sent him flying out of the ring, crowing
with terror. As the men were coming out of the woods, cars
swept down the road. Men with shotguns and whips jumped
out shouting.
Ring and Orphan Boy managed to escape. This raid was
followed by tile preachers in town thundering hot sermons
against cockfighting. And then Sheriff Luke Smiley, his big
nose poked into everybody's wind, broke into the barber
shop one night when the shades were down and the boys
were drinking. Said he thought a cockfight was on.
Stoney the Negro had it from a mule-skinner who knew
a fellow who baled hay for Owens that Owens was out in
his car the night of the raid with a gang of men. Sandy
saw Owens talking and laughing with Sheriff Smiley. Owens
himself stopped Ring in town and asked mayhe now he'd
change his mind. Tarr and the others got so sore they talked
of raiding Owens. Nothing came of it, however.
The corn and potatoes didn't come up. The ~oil on the
rented farm was so poor you coul.1r,'t raise a fuss without
fertilizer. ~{;ng had to go to Brady. The old skinner wouldn'l
have him.
i·le
couldn't find work elsewhere. They started
eating the game hens.
The old woman kept after Ring with her sour tongue
and her hands heaped with veins lik,~ chicken guts. Here
they were hungry and could get twu hundred dollars selling
the cock. The cock came before his wife and family. All
he could thi"k of was fighting, loafing in town with that
barber. "Lnzy as Cain. Too lazy to git off the seat of
yout
britches. You ought to be too lazy to live."
The old man had no more to say than a sat-on log. Only
Ella argued, "Ma, it ain't no use getting mad. Ring's easy-
going and--"
"Easy going into you," snapped the olrl woman. "Sell that
cock."
Ring had never answered the old woman back. This time
he muttered thickly, "Go sell yourself," and went to town.
Only a corporal's guard of the boys left, hanging around
the :'hop--slopped over in the shadows, staring at a wench
passing by with her hips working in her dress, the smoke
of the sawmill hanging like a poor rope over the town.
Some had joined the CCC camps. Others were in Atlanta
hunting work. Young Tetley had joined the Navy. Sandy
had lost his fann. You couldn't scare up a job anywhere.
Even the pool hall ran up a sign: "No trust please. We
trust in the pig's--,"
with a picture of a farmer plumbing
the pig.
They got down to the last hen, which Ring would not
kill. She was for Orphan Boy. Ella went to town with Ring
to the relief. While he waited outside, she followed the long
line into the courthouse where relief was given. The relief
promised an investigator.
They got back to find the old woman had killed the last
hen for soup. Ring stood a long time staring at her, his
hand muzzling his mouth. He went out looking for the Boy.
FEBRUARY,
193
6
