IT WAS nigh a year on the river and we come to Hulltown. It was a big town. It was the biggest town I ever seen afore we come to the city here where the Lord has done led us. At Hulltown they was a furnace where they melted the iron out of the rock they taken out of the ground. I got me a job workin at the furnace. And Jasper got him a job. It was the Lords blessin for we needed money bad. Old Sister Lumpkin was down and porely. Marie watched her and tended on her but we needed money to git her somethin to eat as would stay on her stummick and to git her medicine.
In Hulltown we taken Pearl from the house of abominations.
It was summer and I was comin down the street in a part of town where I had not never been. It was Sunday evenin at sun, and I was just walkin for it had come on me so. It was not dark yit but them lights in the street come on just a minute after I seen the house. Them lights in town come on long afore a man had good need. I seen the house and I seen the two of them settin on the porch laughin and talkin. It was a yeller house set by a alley. The other houses nigh it was not houses for folks to dwell in, and they was closed up for a Sunday. It had a fence around it and a gate. I seen the woman and the man settin there, and I stopped at the gate. I give them a good evenin as best I knowed. The woman said good evenin but the man did not say nuthin.
She was a medium size woman and her hair was yeller. The man was a big man. They both had on fine clothes, I seen. They was settin in a swing and the man had his arm around the woman. The woman had on a yeller dress.
I ast could I come in. I had not aimed to but the Lord laid it on my tongue lak he done them days. I seen somebody and the Lord laid it on my tongue may be. If he did not I never said nuthin. But I ast them could I come in a minute.
They ain’t nuthin stoppin you, the woman said. The man did not say nuthin. He just looked at me lak I was a mule he might buy but he did not reckin he would.
I said thank you kindly, and I went in that air gate. I come on the porch.
The lady said the other girls would not be back till nigh eight o’clock. She ast did I want to see one of the girls.
I said, no mam.
Well, you better git on and peddle yore apples, the man said to me. You ain’t got no business here, he said.
I know I ain’t, I said, but the Lord has.
For Christ sake, the man said, and he knocked the ashes off his cigar.
What do you want, the lady ast me.
Hell, the man said, he don’t want nuthin he can pay for. Then he said to me, buddy, this is a high class place and you better git.
I was gittin ready to say excuse me please and git on, but the lady ast me what did I want.
Hell, says the man, he wants a dime to git him a cup of coffee. He retched in his pants and he taken a dime. He throwed the dime on the floor in front of me. I let it lay.
I don’t want no dime, I told him. I was gittin ready to go, I said, but yore wife ast me what I come for.
Wife, the man said, and he bust out laughin.
The lady did not laugh. He shaken her with his arm lak he was tryin to make her laugh. She said, I don’t see nuthin so God damn funny.
He stopped laughin of a sudden and he said to me, you git on.
But the lady said to him, Claude, you act too damn big, you act lak you own the place. She told him to shut up and take his God damn hands offen her.
He got mad. You could see he was gittin mad. You talk that way to me, he said, and you let that God damn trash come in here, and he ain’t got a dime.
I am a pore man, I said, but I ain’t trash. I am a pore man but I got Jesus in my heart.
This is a hell of a place to bring Jesus, the man said and he laughed agin. I seen his heart was hardened.
She did not pay no mind. She ast me what did I want.
I did not want nuthin, mam, I said, the Lord just laid it on me to come in and ast did you have the peace of Jesus in yore heart.
Well, you done ast it, the lady said, and now you can git out.
You can just take yore bleedin Jesus and git out, the man said to me, afore I knock the bleedin Jesus out of you.
Mister, I said to him, I am goin to go. I come not meanin no harm. The Lord laid it on me to come and the Lord lays it on me to go, and not no human man.
Git out, he said.
I am, I said, but I am goin in the Lord and not for you.
I ought never said it. A man can be proud and high in the Lord lak he can in pore human pride and it is a sin. It is a worse sin.
The hell you say, the man said.
I turned round and started down the steps. I never looked back. I did not see him git up from that air swing. I did not know nuthin till I felt him kick me where a man sets down. I was on them steps and it knocked me plum down on the ground and me not expectin it.
The man was standin there laughin. I got up and I seen the lady was laughin too. I was surprised the lady was laughin.
I went to the gate and the lady kept on laughin. Mam, I said, it ain’t fitten for you to laugh.
All right, the man said, and I will bust you agin.
He come down off the porch. I walked on slow. I knowed he was comin but I never looked back. I heard him comin on the walk behind me. I got to the end of the fence where the alley was and he hit me on the side of the head. He knocked me down.
I will learn you to talk that way to a lady, he said.
I was layin there. It was night now but he was standin under the light hangin in the street and I seen him good.
I got up and he give it to me agin. I nigh give it back to him, but I never. I knowed it was not the Lords will for me to. I knowed it all come on me because I taken sinful pride in the Lord, and it is a sin. He give it to me three times afore he knocked me down.
The lady come out the gate and was standin there.
I got up and he knocked me down agin. I was layin in the alley.
The lady was laughin. If he won’t fight lak a man, she said, kick him lak he was a dog.
I will learn him to fight, the man said.
I come up and he give it to me three times. He knocked me down.
Kick him, the lady said. Kick him lak he was a dog.
She was laughin and goin on but it was not lak folks laughs of a common. It was lak she did not know she was laughin and she could not stop it.
I got up agin when I could. I got up slow because he had shore messed me up. He was a big man. He was nigh as big as they come. He was gittin fat but he had his strength.
I got up and he give it to me. But just then I seen a man come round the corner of the alley. I seen it was a police man. But just then that man give it to me on the jaw just that time the lady stopped laughin and looked at that police man. That police man said somethin but I never understood what it was. I did not understand for it was right then I done it. I did not aim to and I did not rightly know I done it till I seen that man layin there and his head on the brick walk. Somethin must have went pop inside me for I never knowed what I done. That man must have turned round to see who that police man was. He must have got offen his balance. He must have not been careful or somethin to let a man what was fixed lak I was knock him down.
I seen him layin there and I seen the police man. I knowed he was goin to take me.
He said, Miss Pearl what is goin on here.
Miss Pearl was that ladys name.
She stopped laughin and she pointed at him was layin with his head on the brick walk and she said, it is him.
She said somethin else but I never knowed what it was. I did not know nuthin. I just sunk down on the ground.
I come to and I was layin on a bed. It was a good bed and sweet smellin. Then I seen that lady standin there. She ast how did I feel.
I tetched my face with my hand. It was swole up lak a punkin.
You done stopped bleedin, she said, but you ain’t no pretty pitcher.
I ast was the police man goin to take me to jail.
Why, that was Mr. Duffy, she said, why, Mr. Duffy has done taken him.
Ain’t they goin to take me, I said.
Naw, she said, Mr. Duffy is a friend of mine and he takes what ones I say take. I said for Mr. Duffy to take him and he taken him. They had to take him in a ambylance and I bet he ain’t come round yit with his head bust lak it was.
I ought never done it, I said.
It was not yore fault, she said, I just reckin it was Jesus fault. Jesus just taken his eyes offen you a secont lak he had not ought to. He must have winked, may be.
I said I had to git on home.
You ain’t fitten to go no wheres, she said.
I said I had to git on home.
She ast me where did I stay at.
I told her on the shanty boat. And I got offen that bed.
It is a long way, she said, and you ain’t in no shape.
I said I was goin.
She said she was goin to git me there. I am goin to see you git there, she said.
She done it for all of me.