"Have a restful night?" asked Everett. It was seven in the morning, and the winter sun was just licking the peak of the courthouse roof. 1938 had arrived clear and cool, and Everett had arrived in kind of a joking mood.
"It weren't so bad," said Delmar, but he gave a sigh of relief upon climbing into the car that rather undercut him. He looked a little worse for wear, but then again, he always did. He climbed into the car with a sigh of relief. "Feller as detained me has four blue tick hounds. Time was he had five."
"Yeah?" Everett blew into his hands and started the car. "It's goddamn cold as blazes out there. Anyhow, what difference that make?"
"Well. You can talk about blue tick hounds a long time. One of 'em's in heat, I guess…" Delmar trailed off, squinting into the sun. "You sleep well, did you, Everett?"
"Turned out a right tranquil New Year's Eve for the McGills."
"No parties or nothing?"
"Delmar, I got seven kids and half of an eighth. No sir, just a much-deserved night of repose. Repose and a little evening's entertainment, if you take my meaning. Dinner'n a show." Everett winked. "There's some diversions in life don't never get old. We been favored pretty highly as a species, I say." Delmar nodded politely.
"How're the gals?" he asked.
"Finer every day."
"And Penny? With the baby on the way?"
"Oh, it suits her."
"That's good."
"Yep." They drove in silence as far as the edge of the financial district. Ithaca didn't have much of a financial district, but quiet made it feel a whole block long. Delmar's eyes shone. He had a way of getting glassier the more urgently he had to speak.
"Well?" Everett prompted shortly.
"Sorry, Everett."
"Ain't got nothing to do with me."
"I meant for putting you outta your way."
"Don't mention it! But what the heck happened?"
"See, I ain't been to no parties, neither. I come out to see the firework display, though, and got to talking with some feller over how liable they was to count the fireworks before they lit 'em off."
"Mm." Everett furrowed his brow. "How old was this fella?"
"Near twelve, I reckon. I said they surely would, cause I don't want no kiddies blowing their fingers off." Delmar coughed. "But I was lying. Fact was I was purty sure they wouldn't."
"Do you mean to tell me," said Everett, after a moment, "That you let some sap from the fifth grade talk you into stealing dynamite?"
"Oh, he didn't mean to trick me or nothing. It just started me to thinking, is all."
"Uh-huh. And that's when the steam started pouring out," said Everett.
"He was in the sixth grade. And that was later."
"What was?"
"The steam, Everett. Anyhow, I knowed it was wrong, but I went and sneaked a couple little ones, all the same."
"Gee, you got some balls. Folks get mighty serious here over the fireworks display. Best around."
"I didn't think it'd spoil nobody's fun."
"So they seen you do it?"
"No," said Delmar, brightening. "I just slipped 'em in my pocket and made off down by the public bandstand to watch the rest of it. And then when it ended it were nigh midnight, I sorta didn't think nobody would mind if I set off mine. So I done lit 'em off."
"In the public bandstand?"
"Oh, some paces West of the public bandstand. Anyhow, most everybody'd gone by then. But you know–do you know the Fieldings and the McCormicks?"
"Who doesn't?"
"Well, turns out Old Asa Fielding was just about ready to head home when he hear'd 'em, and he thinks it's Bad Jud McCormick starting up the feud again, so he takes out his shotgun, and his colt, and his hunting knives, and just starts fighting fit to take back Richmond. 'Course, Bad Jud's been dead some years."
"I know that."
"Broken heart."
"I know, I know, but jeezus. Old Asa's been pulling guns on folks 'bout daily so long's I've known 'im, but I only seen 'im get down to the knives once or twice. That old man's first cousin to the devil, I tell ya. You musta got him scared pretty good. It's a miracle no one was killed." Delmar gazed solemnly over the road and made no reply.
"Nobody was killed, was they?"
"Oh, no. Just an old blue tick hound, but he mighta had the hydrophobie, anyhow."
"Huh. You just beat the dutch, you do." Delmar smiled. "See, Myrt–you met Myrt–"
"The lady jailer?"
"Myrt said on the horn you was booked for public intoxication." Delmar frowned.
"I don't believe so." Everett raised one eyebrow.
"I mean, exacerbation of a feud's a misdemeanor," he explained. "Public drunkenness is a criminal charge. Technically speaking. This being a dry county."
"Oh. I definitely exacerbated of the feud."
"Well?"
"Yeah, Everett?"
"Was you intoxicated? At any point of the compass in or around the public bandstand?"
"Why, hardly." Everett raised the other eyebrow. Delmar mirrored him earnestly. "'Course, I had that stuff you given me at Christmas, but that's hardly enough to be drunk off of."
"That's debatable."
"I weren't belingering, or nothing." Everett rolled his eyes.
"I ain't convinced you're capable of belligerence, Delmar, but that don't change the fact you gotta have a little care about getting tossed into courthouses. The Sheriff's a tolerant man, but you must admit you ain't exactly a...master of your impulses. Why, if you don't look out, you're liable to turn into some kinda career recidivist. Or the town drunk–and you can't do that, my kids know you." Delmar nodded, stony-faced, towards the dashboard. "Well, just think about it next time, is all, I ain't your mother." Everett clapped him on the back.
"Would you mind not sayin' nothin' to Pete?" said Delmar.
"Why not? You afraid he'll switch you? Set you in time out?"
"No. Only he's got restive lately, and it'd only worry him."
"Most likely." Everett rolled his eyes around at the road. "Maybe you shoulda thought of that."
"He ain't my mother, neither."
"No, I guess he ain't."
"And I ain't got no drink left, now, anyhow."
Everett was beginning to see how a guy as sweet as Delmar might not only land himself in prison a first time, but a second and a third time, too. He might keep at it all his life. Some people are like that. He'd think on it some more if he had time after breakfast, but he had a date with a sophisticated book and he rather doubted he would.
"Well, it's all behind you now!" cried Everett, clapping Delmar in the back "Care for some coffee? My treat."