"How in hell did you know?"

"I've been around. I've met a lot of people with a lot of different tastes. Why doesn't Judith run away?" Pete asked and looked at Judith as though asking her the question.

"Are you kidding? Where would she go? We kept her dumb to make sure she'd stay home. This is the only life she knows."

"But you can't keep her here forever."

"Why not? She don't know nothing about life. She'll stay and take her medicine."

"And do all the work, too," Pete suggested.

"Sure. What else are kids for?"

"Poor Judith," Pete said as he looked at the girl, and this time there was no smile. "If she's as smart as I think she is, one of these days she's going to say fuck you. She'll just take off running and not stop until she gets to some city where she can lose herself."

"Not her. She ain't got the brains. She'll stay here and do as she's told. You'll see. Come on, Pete. Stay around for a few days and give me a nice dose of good old-fashioned fucking."

"I really wish I could, Ruthie, but I have to get on my way today. I drove more than three hundred miles to see you. If I could stay longer, I really would."

"You won't even do it to save Judith's ass from my switch?"

"I wish I could. I feel very sorry for that poor kid, but I have to go. I just don't have any choice."

"Damn you, Pete. Oh well, what the hell. I'll get dressed and go cut me a nice switch. A nice long one. Want to stay and watch her dance while I stripe her pretty ass? She got a lovely ass and a nice pair of tits, too. They really bounce when she's dancing and crying."

"Thanks, honey, but I wouldn't enjoy that. She's a sweet kid and I like her. I don't want to see that. I'd love to see her ass and tits and all that, her little cunt, too, for that matter, but not that way."