Two Soldiers by William Faulkner -- Short Story Film -- 1985

Evan, get back here. What'd you say, Pete? Nothing, Ma. Don't work too much longer. It's getting late. Yes, Ma. Got to take a show cut. Come on, Evan. I ain't waiting. It's Memphis. It's 8 o'clock, Eastern War Time. From the Golden Tower of the Beals building, WNBC presents World News Roundup. Here's your host, Robert Knowles. Word comes to us tonight from the tiny Pacific island Midway that the Battle of Pearl Harbor has been avenged. A communique issued tonight reports that US forces have sunk or damaged 13 to 15 warships and destroyers, thus repulsing the Japanese invasion. Midway? Midway between where? Shh. It ain't Midway between nothing, Evan. Midway's the name of an island. Right there. Now, hush. This message is for every red-blooded American male between 18 and 19 years old. It ain't between nothing. How can they call it Midway? Just quiet. If you are under 20 years old and otherwise, you can enlist for active duty in one of eight combat branches you select. The option to select will no longer be yours after you're 21. Discuss the idea with your parents and tell your friends. Your country needs men like you and needs them now. Let's go. Pete, ain't we going to save for the inner sanctum? No. Come on. Lucky Strike means fine tobacco. So smoked, I spoke of fine tobacco. Lucky Strike, so round, so firm, so fully packed. Are we late? Yep. Are we going to get whooped? We'll see. Sorry we're late, Ma. That was an awful lot of wood. I know. Get washed up a bit. I thought your ma told you boys to stop listening to the Kilger's radio. Well, it was getting wood. Don't make it worse by lying. I saw you run off. Well, how else am I supposed to find out what's going on in the world? You don't worry about the rest of the world. You've got plenty to concern yourself with right here. I got as much right to know. Mind your ma and just leave them folks be. Yes, sir. Hurry up now and get to bed. You boys are going to have to get up early. There's a list of things I've been eating from Frenchman's Bed. Pete, I'm going. Going where? To that war. To the war? I don't see a bit of use in that. Pa, my mind's already made. During World War I, I was drafted, sent clean to Texas, and held there for eight months till they finally quit fighting. Seems to me that mowing makes up for the amount of service that the Greer family owes this country. Anyway, I'm going. I've got to go. You've got to go. After what them Japanese did. Shut your mouth. Nobody's talking to you. Go to your room. But I haven't even. Go on now. Get to bed. I'm sure you'll find someone to help you with the farm. Well, now that you mention it, I could fall mighty far behind. Well, it ain't right. I mean, practically all my friends are already there. They list it, and they're fighting them Japanese. Them Japanese can take the country and keep it for all I care. As long as they leave me and mine alone. I'm going out for a breath of air. Pa. I'm sure the farm will be fine, Ma. Heaven's getting strong every day. I care nothing about that. That don't mean nothing to me. Ma, I know. All I want is for y'all to understand. My brother Marsh went off to fight in that last war when he wasn't but 19. And my Ma couldn't understand it then any more than I can now. But she told Marsh, if he had to go, then he had to go. So if you gotta go to this one, just don't ask me to understand. Ma? Anyway, you're all right. I expect to have more trouble with you than with the rest of them all put together. I'm just gonna have to understand, that's all. Yep, you're just gonna have to understand. We've got to go. We? Sure, you work the big ones and I'll work the little ones. Evan, you ain't going. Yes, I am. You're not old enough. The army won't let you. Well, I chopped the wood and took the water for y'all. You got to have wood and water. No, y'all got to stay here and help Pa. Help him what? Sure he can take care of this little shithead of a farm while me and you are working them Japanese. It ain't just helping Pa. You got to stay here and help Ma. Got to make sure she's got plenty of wood. So I just can't go then? No, you just can't go. You're too little in the first place. In the second place- All right then. Shut up and leave me go to sleep. And in the second place, who's gonna take care of the egg collection? It's all yours now. Now I'm expecting you to take special care of it. All mine? Ours? Even the shack poke? Even that shack poke. I'm expecting you to have twice that many when I get back. How long you gonna be gone? I don't know. Supposed to us over. Maybe it'll run a few years longer. Then I can go. Then one day I'll just walk in on you. You better not. Folks don't go to war for fun. A man don't leave his ma crying for fun. Then why are you gone? Go on, get to bed. You'd have to get up early so as I can hitch a ride to Jefferson with Mr. Long. I miss him. I miss that bus to Memphis. Ma says Memphis is a big place. How you gonna follow the arms then? I'll ask someone when I go join. Go on, get to sleep. Goodnight Pete. Goodnight. That should keep you till Memphis. Ma, hurry up. You're keeping Mr. Long. Yes, sir. Oh, she grabbed me in the back. Evan, Pete! That's enough, Wood Evan. I don't intend to be washing clothes all day. Why don't you run along and play? Yes, Ma. What you looking at? Nothing. I don't suppose Japanese are gonna bomb Mississippi today. Go on, get out of here. No, sir. I gotta get to Memphis. Memphis? Mighty nice. You just going up for the day, are you? My brother Pete. Turn around right now and get your butt home. No, sir. I gotta get to Memphis today. Son, don't you realize we're at war? I got enough to do worrying about the Japanese. Now get. I can't, sir. My brother Pete's in Memphis. I gotta get there today. I know. You told me that. Hell, son, Memphis is 80 miles from here. How are you gonna- 80 miles? Hey, son. I ain't got time to waste talking about it and I ain't got time to walk it. You mean that brother in Memphis is the only folks you got? I decided to bring in one of them dangerous criminals. Don't think I didn't hear that, James. Oh. Virgil, give me your phone. Yes, sir, Mr. Foote. Virgil, what have you done to your face? Miss White better be up. Hell, this is that woman's job. I don't have time. Hello, Miss White? This is Sheriff Foote. We've got a little problem down here at the depot. I think you better attend to it. Yes, ma'am. 10 minutes? Bye-bye. Virgil, keep your eye on him. I'll be back as soon as Miss White can arrange to get herself up and dressed. Yes, sir. I gotta get to Memphis. You bet. You go back in there and sit down on the bench now. Mr. Foote will be back in a minute. I don't know, Mr. Foote. I gotta get to Memphis today. You got some money? It'll cost you 72 cents. I'll swap you this for a ticket to Memphis. What's that? It's a shark poke egg. You never seen one before? It's worth a whole dollar. I only take 72 cents for it. The fella that owns that bus insists on a cash basis. If I started swapping tickets for bird eggs, they'd fire me. Now you get back on in there and sit down on that bench like Mr. Foote told you to. You come back in there, boy. Hold on there, boy. Come back here. All of them. Hold on there. All right, come on now. Get away from that door. I'm gonna thump you. Ow! Oh, you little monster. Now you done it, you little cuss. Hey, call me a cop, you're on! Give me that. Come on. You wait till I tell the sheriff about this. Get in that corner. Now you stay there until the sheriff comes back with Miss White. You're in a heap of trouble now, boy. Sheriff, Sheriff. Virgil? I was only gone 15 minutes. How'd you lose him? Don't worry, Sheriff. The prisoner is back there. Prisoner? Virgil, what are you doing? Come on out here, son. But Sheriff, that little devil was gonna knife me. Virgil, go sell some tickets. Oh, poor dear thing. How on earth did he even get down here? I couldn't get nothing out of him except his brother's in Memphis and he wants to get back up there. That's right. I wanna get to Memphis today. Well, dear, we'll see. Are you sure you can find your brother when you get to Memphis? I reckon so. I only got one. Known him all my life. I reckon I'll know him again when I see him. We'll know. We're going to need a case history for our files first. I want to know your name and your brother's name and where you were born and when your parents died. All I want is to get to Memphis today. You see? That's what I told you. We certainly cannot send this boy onto Memphis alone. What would you suggest? Keep him here? There don't seem to be any doubt that his brother's in Memphis. I say send him there and leave him alone. Oh, Sheriff, he's a very small boy. I really don't... I suppose he will travel on a child's ticket, won't he, Virgil? Sheriff Ford. Well, I don't know what the regulation would be on that. Likely I'll be fired for not crating him and marking the crate poison, but I'll risk it. Sheriff Ford, I would have to stand on... Sheriff Ford, I would have to... I would stand on record as being opposed to your handling of this situation. Well, you go right ahead and stand wherever you want to. Son, give this to the driver. He'll see you get to Memphis. Now, I don't want you to be afraid, son. I will call ahead and make sure there's someone to meet you. I don't need no one to meet me. That is not for you to decide, dear. I'm not so sure you can find that brother of yours. I ain't yet convinced why not. If I don't see Pete first, he'll see me. He knows me, too. WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME, YOU Where do folks join the army? Well, I don't know, kid. What I need you to do is I need you to read this. You can read it, can't you? Yes, sir. Okay, and I want you to take this and take it over and get yourself a physical. Where's Pete? Appreciate it. My brother, Pete Grier. Where is he? What? He joined the army yesterday. He's going to Midway. So am I. Where y'all going? So you're going, too, huh? Yeah. I gotta catch up to Pete before he goes. Who let you in here? Go on, beat it! Scram! They're in there, kid. Beat it! Hey, you little... All right, boy. Calm down. Go! Turn! Go! What's going on here? That little guy tried to knife me, Colonel. You come at me first. Dear, please, tell him to let the child go. Here, here. Another little guy. Go on. Go on! None of us are armed, a man doesn't knife out with folks who are barehanded. Now, that's better, son. Now, what can we do for you? I gotta find my brother, Pete Greer. He enlisted yesterday. Have we got him? I don't know, Colonel McKellar. Well, we'll find out. Tell me, Hush, what's your name? Eddie Greer. And I'll bet you're about eight years old, aren't you? No, ma'am. Eight and ten months going on eleven months. Well, here he is, sir. He enlisted yesterday. He's in that three o'clock detachment leaving for Little Rock. And that train is scheduled to leave in fifteen minutes, sir. Somebody show me where the train depot is. Lieutenant, drive Mr. McKellar and the boy over to the depot. I'm begging the Colonel's pardon, sir, but I don't believe I have time... to waste talking when I should be on my way to the depot. Why aren't we looking for Pete? Honey, did I tell you that I have a son about your age? He's away at school in the east. At boarding school. And... Oh, honey, don't worry. If your brother Pete is still here, they'll find him. Did anybody here order some sandwiches? Oh, yes, I did. Evan, honey, come have some sandwiches. Come on, kid, let's eat. Hey! Pete! Now, what in tarnation are you doing here? Y'all gonna need wood and water. I can chop it and tote it for y'all. Still don't know what could have happened to a man. He never pulled a knife on anybody before in his life. What'd y'all do it for? I don't know. I just had to. Hurts my heart, Pete. Don't you never do it again, you hear? I'd kill a cart of folk, they'd bring you back to stay, Pete. No. Y'all got to take care of Ma. And I'm dependent on you to take care of my land. You must go home. Today. You hear? I hear. Well, he certainly can't find his way back by himself. If you'll pardon me, ma'am, he come up here by himself. I can get back, I reckon. I don't live but one place. I don't reckon it's moved. Here. This'll buy you a ticket right to our mailbox. Now, I want you to mind this nice lady. She'll bring you to the bus. You keep that darn knife in your pocket, you hear me? Yeah, Pete. All right. Come on, honey. Let's get ourselves some lunch. I'm much obliged. I got to catch a bus to Jefferson. Well, there's plenty of time for that. Let's have some lunch first. No, thank you, ma'am. I ain't hungry. I'll eat when I get home. Sorry I'm late, Ma. There was an awful lot of wood. © BF-WATCH TV 2021