said, “but I’ve never had a chance to play around with her like that. It’s getting pretty bad when a nigger can do what I can’t do. I’ve been trying to get a date with her for two months.”
“Me, too,” Pete said with a wistful inflection.
“That’s the whole trouble,” Vern said with an accusing look at Hank and Pete. “There’re too many peckers trying to date her. What that does is make her think she’s got the monkey by the tail. She can’t be all that good, anyway. There’re plenty of other good tits in town.”
“You don’t have to berate her, Vern, just because she won’t let you suck around. Maybe you’re not in her class.”
“My folks are just as good as hers, any day of the week.”
“That’s what you think. Do you know how stinking rich that Charley Singfield is?”
“What’d you think my dad’s got stuffed away in that safe deposit box of his at the bank? He’s already made more money buying and selling cotton on commission than your old man’ll ever make peddling brickbats.”
“Cut out the squabbling,” Hank said, shoving Pete.
“Make Vern stop then. He’s the one who started it.”
“Like hell I did!”
“You did, too!”
Vern ran at Pete and hit him with his fist. Pete tried to hit back, but Hank flung them apart. They stood glaring at each other with Hank in the middle.
“I’m going to haul off and bat the hell out of both of you, if you don’t cut it out,” he told them. He watched them for a moment and then suddenly turned to Robbie Gunsby, drawing back his arm threateningly. Robbie ran and got behind Vern. “I thought I told you once already to go home and get your ditty, Robbie. What are you still hanging around here with us big boys for?”
Robbie did not say anything, and Hank walked part way to where Ganus was standing against the fence.
“You’ve been at the Singfields long enough, boy,” he told Ganus. “I don’t want you hanging around a white girl no more. You’re going to quit the job and go to work somewhere else. You hear that?”
“Mr. Hank, please, sir, Mr. Charley told me when I went to work for him that I couldn’t quit unless he told me to. If I quit now, he wouldn’t like it at all. I’d be scared to quit.”
“I don’t care if he does get mad. What’s that to me? You’re going to quit or I’m going to fix you.” He flashed the knifeblade in front of Ganus’ face. “See this knife? That’s what I mean.”
Robbie nudged Vern excitedly and pointed behind them. Somebody was walking up the alley.
Nobody said a word, but Pete, seeing the shadowy figure in the alley, caught Hank by the arm and turned him around so he could see that somebody was there. Hank quickly closed the knife, put it into his pocket out of sight, and leaned against the fence beside Ganus. In the faint light they recognized Paul Benoit, who owned one of the drug stores on Peachtree Street and who lived two houses up the alley. He stopped a few feet away. Paul often came home through the alley instead of walking around the block to the front of his house.
Ganus wanted to run and get behind Paul Benoit, because he knew he might not have another chance like that, but when he thought of what Hank might do when they caught him again, he was afraid to move.
“What’s going on, Vern?” Paul asked, looking at the faces in the dim light.
“Nothing, Mr. Benoit,” Vern replied uneasily. “We were just standing here talking.”
Paul came closer. “You’re not getting these boys into trouble, are you, Hank?” he asked suspiciously.
“No, sir, Mr. Benoit,” Hank replied meekly.
Pete saw Paul looking at him. “Howdy, Mr. Benoit,” he spoke up.
“Who’s that colored boy over there at the fence?”
“That’s Ganus Bazemore, Mr. Benoit,” Vern told him. “He’s the houseboy up at Mr. and Mrs. Charley Singfield’s.”
Pete noticed that Robbie Gunsby was slowly edging closer and closer to Paul Benoit, and he caught the boy by the arm
“Me, too,” Pete said with a wistful inflection.
“That’s the whole trouble,” Vern said with an accusing look at Hank and Pete. “There’re too many peckers trying to date her. What that does is make her think she’s got the monkey by the tail. She can’t be all that good, anyway. There’re plenty of other good tits in town.”
“You don’t have to berate her, Vern, just because she won’t let you suck around. Maybe you’re not in her class.”
“My folks are just as good as hers, any day of the week.”
“That’s what you think. Do you know how stinking rich that Charley Singfield is?”
“What’d you think my dad’s got stuffed away in that safe deposit box of his at the bank? He’s already made more money buying and selling cotton on commission than your old man’ll ever make peddling brickbats.”
“Cut out the squabbling,” Hank said, shoving Pete.
“Make Vern stop then. He’s the one who started it.”
“Like hell I did!”
“You did, too!”
Vern ran at Pete and hit him with his fist. Pete tried to hit back, but Hank flung them apart. They stood glaring at each other with Hank in the middle.
“I’m going to haul off and bat the hell out of both of you, if you don’t cut it out,” he told them. He watched them for a moment and then suddenly turned to Robbie Gunsby, drawing back his arm threateningly. Robbie ran and got behind Vern. “I thought I told you once already to go home and get your ditty, Robbie. What are you still hanging around here with us big boys for?”
Robbie did not say anything, and Hank walked part way to where Ganus was standing against the fence.
“You’ve been at the Singfields long enough, boy,” he told Ganus. “I don’t want you hanging around a white girl no more. You’re going to quit the job and go to work somewhere else. You hear that?”
“Mr. Hank, please, sir, Mr. Charley told me when I went to work for him that I couldn’t quit unless he told me to. If I quit now, he wouldn’t like it at all. I’d be scared to quit.”
“I don’t care if he does get mad. What’s that to me? You’re going to quit or I’m going to fix you.” He flashed the knifeblade in front of Ganus’ face. “See this knife? That’s what I mean.”
Robbie nudged Vern excitedly and pointed behind them. Somebody was walking up the alley.
Nobody said a word, but Pete, seeing the shadowy figure in the alley, caught Hank by the arm and turned him around so he could see that somebody was there. Hank quickly closed the knife, put it into his pocket out of sight, and leaned against the fence beside Ganus. In the faint light they recognized Paul Benoit, who owned one of the drug stores on Peachtree Street and who lived two houses up the alley. He stopped a few feet away. Paul often came home through the alley instead of walking around the block to the front of his house.
Ganus wanted to run and get behind Paul Benoit, because he knew he might not have another chance like that, but when he thought of what Hank might do when they caught him again, he was afraid to move.
“What’s going on, Vern?” Paul asked, looking at the faces in the dim light.
“Nothing, Mr. Benoit,” Vern replied uneasily. “We were just standing here talking.”
Paul came closer. “You’re not getting these boys into trouble, are you, Hank?” he asked suspiciously.
“No, sir, Mr. Benoit,” Hank replied meekly.
Pete saw Paul looking at him. “Howdy, Mr. Benoit,” he spoke up.
“Who’s that colored boy over there at the fence?”
“That’s Ganus Bazemore, Mr. Benoit,” Vern told him. “He’s the houseboy up at Mr. and Mrs. Charley Singfield’s.”
Pete noticed that Robbie Gunsby was slowly edging closer and closer to Paul Benoit, and he caught the boy by the arm
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