As Mrs. Armstid turns to leave, Flem tells her to wait a minute. He goes inside the store, and we assume that Flem has had a change of heart and will return the five dollars. However, he returns with a small sack of candy, which he did not pay for, and gives it to her, saying, "A little sweetening for the chaps." Our surprise at his audacious, incorrigible behavior is beyond description.
Ratliff reports that as Mrs. Armstid leaves, she "looked like a old snag still standing up and moving along on a high water." She might be "still standing," but obviously she is a defeated woman. Four times in this section Ratliff characterizes her as "not looking at nothing." Her faded sunbonnet presents an image of a woman whose spirit is worn away.
Meantime, Flem opens his knife, resumes his whittling, and spits after her. The wood imagery, his whittling, and finally his spitting emphasize Flem's despicable and uncaring nature. The Snopes kin, especially I. O. Snopes, are proud of Flem's ability to con people, and V. K. Ratliff is simply puzzled.
