“Yessuh.”
“What Ive done for you in the past Im willing to do again. You remember Scott, dont you?”
“Yessuh. Yuhs been a big hep t me n mah folks, suh.”
“Well, Dan, my office is always open to you when you want to see me about any of your problems or the problems of your people,” said the mayor.
“N Gawd knows Ah sho thanks yuh, suh!”
The mayor bit off the tip of his cigar and spat it into a brass spittoon.
“I’m not going to beat about the bush, Dan.”
The mayor paused again. There was silence. Taylor felt called upon to say something.
“Yessuh. Ah sho preciates tha, suh.”
“You know these Goddam Reds are organizing a demonstration for tomorrow, dont you?” asked the mayor.
Taylor licked his lips before he answered.
“Yessuh. Ah done heard a lotta folks talkin erbout it, suh.”
“Thats too bad, Dan,” said the mayor.
“Folks is talking erbout it everywhere…” began Taylor.
“What folks?” interjected Bruden.
“Waal, mos everbody, suh.”
Bruden leaned forward and shook his finger in Taylor’s face.
“Listen, boy! I want you to get this straight! Reds aint folks! Theyre Goddam sonofabitching lousy bastard rats trying to wreck our country, see? Theyre stirring up race hate! Youre old enough to understand that!”
“Hes telling you straight, boy,” said Lowe. “And furthermore…”
“Say, whats all this?” demanded the mayor, turning to Lowe and Bruden. “Wait a minute! Whats the big idea of talking to Dan like that? Hes not mixed up in anything like that. Save that kind of talk for bad niggers….”
“The quicker all you niggers get sense enough in your Goddam thick skulls to keep away from them Reds the better off youll be!” said Bruden, ignoring the mayor.
“Aw, c mon,” said the mayor. “Dans all right. Aint that right, Dan?”
Taylor looked down and saw at his feet a sharp jutting angle of sunshine falling obliquely through a window. His neck felt hot. This is the show-down, he thought. Theys tryin t trap me…. He cleared his throat and looked up slowly and saw the mayor gazing at him with cold grey eyes. He shifted his body slightly and saw the glint of Chief Bruden’s police star; he saw Lowe’s red lips twisted in half-smile and half-leer.
“Isnt that right, Dan?” the mayor asked again.
“Yessuh. Whut yuh white folks say is right. N Ah ergrees wid yuh. But Ah ain foolin wid nobody thas tryin t stir up race hate; naw, suh! Ah ain never done nothin like tha n Ah never will, so hep me Gawd! Now, erbout this demonstration: Yessuh, Ah heard erbout it. Thas all everbodys been talking erbout erroun here fer a week, yo Honah. Waal, suh, Ahll tell yuh. Theys jus hongry. Theys marchin cause they don know whut else t do, n thas the truth from here t Heaven! Mistah Mayor, theys hongry! Jus plain hongry! Ah give mah las dime today t a woman wid eight chillun….”
“We know all about that, Dan,” said the mayor.
“Everybodys hungry,” said Bruden.
“Boy, cant you see we are all in the same boat?” asked Lowe.
“Waal….” drawled Taylor.
“Thingsll be straightened out soon, Dan,” interjected the mayor soothingly. “We will see that nobody starves.”
“Ah beg yo pardon, suh. A man died jus the other day from starvation….”
Taylor’s voice died in his throat and he looked at the floor. He knew that he had said too much.
“I reckon that makes you out a liar, don’t it?” Bruden asked the mayor.
“Aw, naw, suh!” said Taylor eagerly. “Ah ain disputin nobodys word, suh. Ah jus thought yuh hadnt heard erbout it….”
“We know all about it,” said Bruden, turning his head away and looking out of the window; as though he was through with the conversation, as though his mind was made up.
“What do they think theyre going to get by marching?” asked Lowe.
“They think they kin git some bread,” said Taylor.
“It wont get em a Goddam crumb!” said Lowe.
There was silence. Taylor looked again at the jutting angle of sunshine and heard the mayor’s shoes shifting uneasily on the brown carpet. A match struck; he heard it drop with an angry hiss into the spittoon.
“I dont see why we cant get along, Dan,” drawled the mayor.
“Ahm willin t git erlong, Mistah Mayor!” protested Taylor.
“Dan, here we all are, living in good old Dixie. There are twenty-five thousand people in this town. Ten thousand of those people are black, Dan. Theyre your people. Now, its our job to keep order among the whites, and we would like to think of you as being a responsible man to keep order among the blacks. Lets get together, Dan. You know these black people better than we do. We want to feel we can depend on you. Why dont you look at this thing the right way? You know Ill never turn you down if you do the right thing….”
“Mistah Mayor, as Gawds mah judge, Ahm doin right when Ah tell yuh mah folks is hongry….”
“Youre not doing right when you act like a Goddam Red!” said Lowe.
“These niggers around here trust you, Dan,” said the mayor. “Theyll do what you tell them to do.”
“Speak to them,” urged Lowe. “Tell them whats right.”
“Mistah Mayor, Gawd in Heaven knows mah people is hongry,” said Taylor humbly.
The mayor threw his body forward in the chair and rested his hands on his knees.
“Listen, Dan. I know just how you feel. We all feel that way. White people are hungry, too. But weve got to be prudent and do this thing right. Dan, youve a leader and youve got great influence over your congregation here.” The mayor paused to let the weight of his words sink in. “Dan, I helped you to get that influence by doing your people a lot of favors through you when you came into my office a number of times.” The mayor looked at Taylor solemnly. “Im asking you now to use that influence and tell your people to stay off the streets tomorrow!”
When Taylor spoke he seemed to be outside of himself, listening to his own words, aghast and fearful.
“Ahm sho thankful as Gawd knows fer all yuh done done fer me n mah people, suh. But mah word don go so fer in times like these, yo Honah. These folks is lookin t me fer bread n Ah cant give it t em. They hongry n Ah cant tell em where t eat. Theys gonna march no mattah whut Ah say….”
“Youve got influence here, Dan, and you can use it!”
“They wouldnt be marchin ef they wuznt hongry, yo Honah!”
“Thats Red talk, nigger!” said Lowe, standing.
“Aw, thas all right, Lowe,” said the mayor, placatingly.
“Im not going to sit here and let this Goddam nigger insult me to my face!” said Lowe.
Taylor stood up.
“Ahm sorry, suh!”
“You will be sorry when you find a Goddam rope around your neck!” said Lowe.
“Now, now,” said the mayor, laying his hand on Lowe’s arm. He turned to Taylor. “You dont mean you wont speak to em, do you, Dan?”
“There ain nothin Ah kin say t em, Mistah Mayor….”
“Youre doing the wrong thing, Dan!”
“Ahm lettin Gawd be mah judge, suh!”
“If you dont do the right thing we will be your judges!” said Lowe.
“Ahm trustin Gawd, suh.”
“Well, Goddammit, you better let Him guide you right!” said Bruden, jumping to his feet.
“But white folks!” pleaded Taylor. “Mah folks cant plant nothin! Its ergin the law! They cant git no work! Whut they gonna do? They don wan no trouble….”
“Youre heading for a plenty right now!” said Bruden.
The mayor spoke and his voice was low and resigned.
“Ive done all I could, Dan. You wouldnt follow my advice, now the rest is up to Mister Lowe and Chief Bruden here.”
Bruden’s voice came with a shout:
“A niggers a nigger! I was against coming here talki
ng to this nigger like he was a white man in the first place. He needs his teeth kicked down his throat!” Bruden poked the red tip of his cigar at Taylor’s face. “Im the Chief of Police of this town, and Im here to see that orders kept! The Chamber of Commerce says therell be no demonstration tomorrow. Therell be three hundred police downtown in the morning to see that thats done. If you send them niggers down there, or if you let these Goddam Reds fool you into it, Ill not be responsible for whatll happen! Weve never had a riot in this town, but youre plotting one right now when you act like this! And you know wholl get the worst of it!”
“Can’t yuh do something, Mistah Mayor? Can’t yuh fix it sos we kin git some relief?”
The mayor did not answer; Lowe came close to him.
“We know youve been seeing Hadley and Green! We know whats going on! So watch yourself, nigger!”
“Suh?”
They went out. Taylor stood at the window and saw them get into their car and disappear in a cloud of dust around a corner. He sat down, feeling sweat over all his body. Gawd knows whut t do…. He brought Lowe n Bruden here t threaten me…. N they know erbout Hadley and Green… Somebody tol…. He looked up, hearing the soft boom of a clock. Hadley n Greens comin back here at six-thirty…. He went down the hall thinking, Lawd, ef Ah only knowed whut t do….
VII
May met him in the hall.
“Whut they say, Dan?” she asked with suppressed hysteria.
“Don bother me now, May!”
“There wont be no trouble, will it, Dan?”
“Naw, May! Now, please! Yuh worryin me!”
“Yuhll spoil things fer Jimmy, Dan! Don do nothin wrong! Its fer Jimmy Ahm astin!”
“Itll be awright! Now, lemme go!”
He hurried down the hallway, leaving her crying. Good Gawd! How come she wont leave me erlone. Firs, its Jimmy; then its her…. Ef it ain one its the other…. He went to the end of the hall, down the steps, turned, and came to the door of the Deacon Room. He heard subdued voices. He knew that the deacons were waiting for him, waiting for some definite word. Shucks, Ahm willin t go thu wid tha march ef they is. Them white folks cant kill us all…. He pushed the door in. The voices ceased. He saw a dense cloud of tobacco smoke and a circle of black faces. He forced a wan smile.
“Good evenin, Brothers!” he said.
“How yuh, Reveren?” asked Deacon Bonds.
“Ahm sorry Ahm late,” said Taylor.
“Wuz tha the mayor out there?” asked Deacon Williams.
Taylor paused and pulled out his handkerchief.
“Yeah, Brothers, it wuz the mayor. N the Chiefa Police n tha man Lowe from the Red Squad….”
“RED SQUAD!” shouted Deacon Smith, jumping to his feet with an outraged look.
“Whut they say, Reveren?” asked Deacon Williams quietly, ignoring Deacon Smith.
Taylor sighed and looked at the floor. For a moment he loathed them because he knew they were expecting an answer to their questions. They were expecting him to speak now as he had always spoken, to the point, confidently, and finally. He had wanted them to do the talking, and now they were silent, waiting for him to speak. Lawd, Ah hope Ahm doin right. Ah don wanna lead these folks wrong….
“They know all erbout tha demonstration,” he said.
“But whut they say?” asked Deacon Bonds.
“Shucks, man! Yuh know whut they said!” said Deacon Smith. “Yuh know how them white folks feel erbout this thing!”
“They don wan us t march,” said Taylor. “They said ef we march theyll put the police on us….”
Deacon Smith leveled his forefinger at Taylor and intoned:
“AH TOL YUH SO!”
“They said therell be a riot,” Taylor went on stubbornly.
“Yessuh! Brothers, wes gotta do right!” said Deacon Smith, banging his open palm down on the table. “Ah awways said wes gotta do right, Reveren!”
“Ahm prayin t Gawd t guide us right,” said Taylor.
“Yuh sho don ack like it!” said Deacon Smith.
“Let the Reveren finish, will yuh?” asked Deacon Bonds.
“Wes gotta do right!” said Deacon Smith again, sitting down, folding his arms, crossing his legs and turning his face sternly away.
“Whut else they say, Reveren?” asked Deacon Bonds.
Taylor sighed.
“They say wes mixed up wid the Reds….”
“N by Gawd we is!” bawled Deacon Smith. “At least yuh is! Ah tol yuh t leave them Reds erlone! They don mean nobody no good! When men starts t deny Gawd, nothin good kin come from em!”
“Brother Smith, let the Reveren talk, will yuh?” asked Deacon Williams.
“He ain talkin sense!” said Deacon Smith.
“They say therell be three hundred police downtown in the mawnin,” said Taylor, ignoring Smith. “They say only Washington kin do something erbout relief, n tha we mus wait….”
“N Gawd Awmighty knows thas all we kin do: wait!” said Deacon Smith.
“Fer Chrissakes, Brother Smith, let im talk!” said Deacon Williams. “We all know yuhs scared!”
“Ah ain scared! Ah got sense! Ah….”
“Yuh sho don ack like it, the way yuh shoot off yo mouth!” said Deacon Williams.
Deacon Smith stood up.
“Yuh cant talk tha way t me!”
“Then keep yo big mouth shut!” said Deacon Williams.
“Whos gonna make me?”
“Brothers, please!” begged Taylor.
“A fool kin see tha the white folks is scared!” said Deacon Williams.
“N jus cause theys scared, theyll kill anybody whuts fool ernuff t go downtown in the mawnin,” said Deacon Smith.
“Shucks, Ahm willin t taka chance,” said Deacon Hilton.
“Me too!”
“We ain got nothin t lose!”
“Any fool kin git his head busted!” said Deacon Smith.
“Brothers, fer the lova Gawd, quit fussin!” said Taylor.
They were silent. Taylor looked at them, letting his eyes rove from face to face.
“Brothers, this is the case,” he said finally. “They threatenin us not t march, but they ain sayin our folks kin git no relief. Now, Ah figgers ef we hada big crowd downtown in the mawnin they wont bother us….”
“Thas whut yuh think,” sneered Deacon Smith.
“N ef we don hava big crowd, theyll smash us. Now, its up t us….”
“Reveren, do the po white folks say they gonna be wid us?” asked Deacon Jones.
“Brother Hadley tol me theys gonna be wid us,” said Taylor.
“Tha Hadley is a lie n the trutha Gawd ain in im!” shouted Deacon Smith. “Tha white man is jus tryin t trick yuh, Ahm tellin yuh!”
“Waal, we kin never know less we try n see,” said Deacon Bonds.
“Yeah, but they ain gonna let yuh try but once,” said Deacon Smith.
“Waal, Ah ain got but one time t die!” said Deacon Bonds.
“Ah think the white folksll be there,” said Taylor. “Theys hongry, too….”
“Yuhll wake up some day!” said Deacon Smith.
“Whut yuh gonna do, Reveren?” asked Deacon Williams.
“Do the congregation wanna march?” asked Taylor.
“They say theys gonna march!”
“Waal, Ahll march wid em,” said Taylor quietly. “They wont march erlone….”
Deacon Smith waved his arms and screamed.
“Yeah yuhll march! But yuhs scared t let em use yo name! Whut kinda leader is yuh? Ef yuhs gonna ack a fool n be a Red, then how come yuh wont come on out n say so sos we kin all hear it? Naw, yuh ain man ernuff t say whut yuh is! Yuh wanna stan in wid the white folks! Yuh wanna stan in wid the Reds! Yuh wanna stan in wid the congregation! Yuh wanna stan in wid the Deacon Board! Yuh wanna stan in wid everbody n yuh stan in wid nobody!”
“Ahm ackin accordin t mah lights!” said Taylor.
“Waal, they ain lettin yuh see fer!” said Deacon Smith.
�
�Ef yuh gotta plan bettah than mine, Brother Smith, tell us erbout it!”
“AH SAY WE OUGHTNT MARCH!”
“Then, whut we gonna do?”
“Wait n see how things come out!”
“Ahm tireda waitin,” said Taylor.
“How come yuh didnt send yo name out on them leaflets?” demanded Deacon Smith. Without waiting for Taylor to answer, he flared: “Ahll tell yuh why yuh didnt! Yuh scared! Yuh didnt wan them white folks t know yuhs mixed up in this demonstration. Yuh wanted em t think yuh wuz being pushed erlong by other folks n yuh couldnt help whut wuz happenin! But, Reveren, as sho as theres a Gawd in Heaven yuh ain foolin nobody!”
Taylor stood up.
“Brother Smith, Ah knows whut yuhs up t! Yuh tryin t run me outta mah church, but yuh cant! Gawd Awmighty Himself put me here n Ahm stayin till He says fer me t go! Yuh been schemin t git me out, but yuh cant do it this way! It ain right n Gawd knows it ain! Yeah; ef mah folks marches in the mawnin Ahm marchin wid em!”
“Thas the time, Reveren!”
“We kin show tha ol mayor something!”
“N therell be white folks wid us, too!”
“Ahll go wid the Reveren n the congregation!”
“Ahll go!”
“N me too!”
“Gawd ain wid yuh when yuh ain in the right!” said Deacon Smith.
“Gawd didnt mean fer folks t be hongry!” said Deacon Bonds.
“But He ain wid yuh when yuh stirrin up trouble, makin blood n riots!” said Deacon Smith. “N any man whut sets here n calls himself a leader called by Gawd t preach n leads his folks the wrong way is a fool n the spirita Gawd ain in im!”
“Now, wait a minute there, Brother Smith!” said Taylor. “Yuhs talkin dangerous!”
“Ah say any man whut leads his folks inter guns n police….”
“Ain nobody leadin us nowhere!” said Deacon Bonds.
“We gwine ourselves!” said Deacon Williams.
“Ah ain in this!” said Deacon Smith, jumping again to his feet. “Ah ain in this n Ahm gonna do whut Ah kin t hep mah people!”
The room grew quiet.
“Whut yuh mean, Brother Smith?” asked Taylor.
“Ah say Ahm gonna hep mah people!” said Deacon Smith again.
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