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Chapter 131

I THOUGHT I would be standing guard alone on the porch that evening, but ata clean white jumper, of course

“I couldn’t sleep, thinking how you hadn’t had nothing to eat the whole day long” She set beforebread

The“Thank you kindly,” I said

“You’re welco down to the chair beside me

I dove in “There was this old colored lady who raised , ‘Mammy’s little baby loves short’nin’—’ ”

“Hush up, fool!” Moody said

I held up both hands in surrender “All right, all right,” I said, laughing

“You can’t help it, I reckon,” she said, shaking her head “No onna be a white man, the whole rest of your life”

“I expect I a a bite of bread

We watched theover the swaank of the bullfrogs and the occasional soft call of aup late

We sat in silence for a while Then Moody spoke

“You think they coht?”

I sighed “You know they’ll want to teach us a lesson”

We heard a groan from inside Moody leaped up and I followed her into the parlor