"Well, I reckon what you'as a wantin' to know is what I'm a doin' in here. I reckon the reason I'm in here is 'cause I've killed somebody, ummhmm, but I reckon what you'as a wantin' to know is how comen'me to kill somebody, so I reckon I'll start at the front an' tell ye."
"I lived out back of my mother an' father's place most of my life, in a little ol' shed that my daddy'd built fer me. They didn't too much want me up there in the house with the rest of 'em, so mostly I just sat around out there in the shed a lookin' at the ground. I didn't have no floor out there, but I had me a hole dug out to lay down in; quilt or two to put down there, ummhmm.My father, was a hardworkin' man most of his life, not that I can say the same fer myself. I mostly just sat around out there in the shed; tinkered around with a lawn mower or two. Went to school off and on from time to time, but the children out there, they- were very cruel to me, an' made quite a bit of sport of me... made fun of me quite a bit. So mostly, I just sat around out there- in the shed."
"My daddy- worked down there at the sawmill, down at the planer mill, for an old man named Dixon. That old man Dixon was a very cruel fellar; didn't treat his employees very well, didn't pay 'em too much of a wage, didn't pay my daddy too much of a wage, just barely enough to get by on I reckon- mmm- but I reckon he got by all right. They used to come out one er the other of 'em, usually my mother; feed me pretty regular, so I know he made enough to where I could have mustard an' biscuits three er four times a week."
"But old man Dixon- he had a boy. Name was Jesse Dixon. Jesse was really more cruel than his daddy was; he used to make quite a bit of sport of me- when I was down there at the schoolhouse; used to take advantage of little girls there in the neighborhood an' all. He used to say that my mother was 'a very pretty woman.' He said that quite a bit from time to time when I'd be down there at the schoolhouse."
"Well, I reckon ye want me to get on with it and tell y'all what happened so I reckon I'll tell ye."
"I was settin' out there in the shed one evening, not doin' too much of nothin' just kindly starin' at the wall; waitin' on my mother to come out an' give me my Bible lesson, yeah, ummhmm. Well, I heared a commotion up there in the house, so I run up on the screened-in porch to see what was a goin' on. Well, I looked in the winder there and I seen my mother layin' on the floor without any clothes on. Mmph! I seen Jesse Dixon a layin' on top of her-Mmph! He was havin' his way with her. Well, I just seen red..."
"I picked up a Kaiser blade that was sittin' there by the screen door. Some folks called it a sling blade; I call it a Kaiser blade. Got kindly a long, wood handle, kinda like a axe handle, with a long blade on it shaped kindly like a bananar, ummhmm, sharp on one edge and dull on the other 'un. It's what the highway boys use to cut down weeds and what not. Well I went in there in the house an' I hit Jesse Dixon upside the head with it, knocked him off my mother. I reckon that didn't quite satisfy me, so I hit him again with it in the neck with the sharp edge and just plumb-near cut his head off, mmm, killed him. My mother, she jumped up from there and started hollerin', 'What'd you kill Jesse fer? What'd you kill Jesse fer?' Well, come to find out I don't reckon my mother minded what Jesse was doin' to her; I reckon that made me madder than what Jesse'd made me. So I taken the Kaiser blade, some folks called it a sling blade, I call it a Kaiser blade; an' I hit my mother upside the head with it-..."
"Killed her!"
"Some folks has asked me, 'If you had it to do over again, would you do it the same way?' Well, I reckon I would. Anyhow, they seen fit to put me in here, an' here I been for a great long while. I've learned to read some- took me four years to read the Bible; I reckon I understand a great deal of it; wadn't what I expected in some places. I've slept in a good bed for a great long while. Now they've seen fit to put me out of here; they say they're setting me free today. Anyhow, I reckon that's all you'as needing to know. Ye wanna hear about more details, I reckon I can tell 'em to ye."
