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.“We got us a devil cancer right here, right now, in this town.A devil cancer it is!” The words devil cancer came out as a hiss.“Y’all know who I’m talkin bout.” Some folks nodded; most were looking at the floor.Pops was staring straight into Gov Budget, teeth clamped hard on his pipe.Gov rambled on for about ten minutes, recounting the proud and virtuous history of Medgar, sprinkling in Bible quotes at appropriate intervals.Finally, in summation, with his voice rising to a high fever, he shouted, “We can’t be havin this kinda sick, Satan, devil cancer in our town.The Bible says it’s… it’s”—voice notching up—“it’s abomidational,” he shouted with a finger in the air.Then he lowered his voice to a whisper.“An it jus ain’t natural… it’s gainst the natural order a things.”Sen Budget was mesmerized, staring proudly at his brother with unfettered awe, but the rest of the men seemed bored.Elrod Henry was testing the flexibility of his left thumb.Wade Wickle had taken his shoe off and was digging a splinter out of his heel.Bump Hivey was counting stock in the tool aisle.Gov looked from man to man and frowned.He closed his eyes for a moment, put his fingers in the shape of a church steeple, then continued.“An people be talkin all over,” he said, arms swinging back and forth across his audience.“This queer boy an his queer boyfriend have made us a laughinstock.Big Spoon, Glassville, Knuckle, theys all talkin.” He paused to gauge the reaction of the group.Wade stopped digging after the splinter and looked up.Bump came around the aisle with hands on hips; the others were all staring at Gov now.“Who’s talkin?” someone asked.“Everybody in Big Spoon.”“Everybody who?” someone else asked.“Hill Watson for one.All the boys at Shanky’s.Bobby Joe an them.”“What’s that Bobby Joe been sayin?” Wade asked.“Sayin that if we don’t do nuthin bout Paul bein queer, then we must be all queer too.I don’t know bout you, but I ain’t havin no Bobby Joe Blemish call me no faggot.”The boys at Hivey’s were in a rash now.The very idea of Bobby Joe Blemish and the boys at Shanky’s, which they all regarded as a white trash version of Hivey’s, calling their manhood into question was a slight of grievous consequence.(Big Spoon and Medgar had been bitter rivals ever since 1963, when Medgar and not Big Spoon was chosen to receive the first stoplight in the county.The ill will deepened two weeks later when the mayor of Big Spoon, a notorious drunkard named Winton Blight, facing certain defeat in the upcoming election, rammed his car into the new stoplight pole, toppling the light and shattering it into a hundred pieces.His landslide victory two weeks later only cemented the municipal tensions.)Gov gained confidence and his voice rose and took on the quality of a preacher in the highest possible fever.“Are we gonna be men again? Or are we gonna let these faggots ruin our town? I want to know what we’re gonna do bout it.”Bobby Clinch nodded.Jesper Jensen stood.“We gotta take care a this.”Someone else said, “You got that right.”Sen Budget couldn’t hold back any longer and burst into the circle with the enthusiasm of a puppy who has just learned his first trick.“I say we go over there right now… all a us together, right now… an run em right outta town.Make em leave right now.” He looked at his brother to make sure he approved.Gov Budget smiled, and Sen Budget stood up a little straighter.“We need to do this.”Andy Teel said, “Let’s run em out!” There was general harrumphing and nodding all around.Pops rose slowly from the chair.As he did, the talk quieted as everyone turned to him.He walked over to a display holding wood-splitting tools and accessories.He picked up an ax handle, felt its weight, swung it once, then tossed it to Jesper.“Here you go, Jesper; this may come in handy if Paul and Paitsel put up a fight.”He grabbed two more and tossed one to Andy Teel, then another to the general circle of men.Grubby reached up and caught it before it clocked Webster Flen in the head.Next he picked up a double-bladed broadax, checked the blade for true, and threw it to Bobby Clinch.“What’s a mob without a broadax man?” he said.Sen Budget smirked enviously at Bobby’s good fortune, then went over to pick out his own broadax.He looked over at Bump Hivey, eyebrows arched.“We ain’t gotta pay for these if we bring em back clean, do we Bump?”A few in the crowd tittered.Gov Budget was scowling next to the cold stove, arms wrapped around his thin body.“Shut up, Sen,” he said out of the side of his mouth.“We’re doin community work here, Gov.” Sen’s voice took on a reedy, plaintive quality.“I’m thinkin we bring em back clean, Bump can still sell em.”“Bring them back clean?” Pops shouted.“No, sir, I think we’re in for a fight.” He made like a boxer, ducking and weaving.“Paul and Paitsel may have all manner of weapons in their house—scissors, razors, electric shears, baseballs.” More men sniggered; Sen Budget looked puzzled.“It’s community business is all I’m…”“Sen, sit your ass down and shut your goddamn mouth,” Gov Budget finally said.Sen’s mouth was still open but no words came out, his shoulders slumped, his jaw quivered; then he closed it slowly and slunk over to the wall behind the woodstove, hands jammed in his pockets, face screwed down in a mix of embarrassment, hatred, and confusion.Tilroy’s face, however, had no such mix—he was shooting pure hatred at Pops.It was a look I had never seen on a kid before.“Now, where were we?” Pops said, looking around the room.Andy and Jesper had quietly put their ax handles behind them
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