Wilkie said quietly, las' week. I seen her--a-settin' in a use'-car lot--settin' right there, an' seventy-five dollars was the sign on her." "We had to," Timothy said . "It was either us let 'em steal our car or us steal somepin from them. We ain't had to steal yet, but, goddamn it, we been close!" Tom said, "You know, 'fore we lef' home, we heard they was plenty work out here. Seen han'bills, askin' folks to come out." "Yeah," Timothy said. "We seen 'em too. An' they ain't much work. An' wages is comin' down all a time. I git so goddamn tired jus' figgerin' how to eat." "You got work now," Tom suggested. "Yeah, but it ain't gonna las' long. Workin' for a nice fella. Got a little place. Works 'longside of us. But, hell--it ain't gonna las' no time." Tom said, "Why in the hell you gonna git me on? I'll make it shorter. What you cuttin' your own throat for?" Timothy shook his head slowly. "I dunno. Got no sense, I guess. We figgered to get us each a hat. Can't do it, I guess. There's the place, off to the right there. Nice job, too. Gettin' thirty cents an hour. Nice frien'ly fella to work for ." They turned off the highway and walked down a graveled road, through a small kitchen orchard; and behind the trees they came to a small white farm house, a few shade trees, and a barn; behind the barn a vineyard and a field of cotton. As the three men walked past the house a screen door banged, and a stocky sunburned man came down the back steps. He wore a paper sun helmet, and he rolled up his sleeves as he came across the yard. His heavy sunburned eyebrows were drawn down in a scowl. His cheeks were sunburned a beef red. "Mornin', Mr. Thomas," Timothy said. "Morning." The man spoke irritably. Timothy said, "This here's Tom Joad. We wondered if you could see your way to put him on?" Thomas scowled at Tom. And then he laughed shortly, and his brows still scowled. "Oh, sure! I'll put him on. I'll put everybody on. Maybe I'll get a hundred men on." "We jus' thought--" Timothy began apologetically. Thomas interrupted him. "Yes, I been thinkin' too." He swung around and faced them. "I've got some things to tell you. I been paying you thirty cents an hour--that right?" "Why, sure, Mr. Thomas--but--" "And I been getting thirty cents' worth of work." His heavy hard hands clasped each other. "We try to give a good day of work." "Well, goddamn it, this morning you're getting twenty-five cents an hour , and you take it or leave it." The redness of his face deepened with anger.
