but, shit, not that bitch. She stared that boy down. Ah thought sh e be gettin ready to pull s omethin out and c ut the shit outta that boy. Didn't have to, though. Ah gues s he thought he done tried to fuck the devil up the as s . Got away from h e r real quick." LeRoy was givin a little laugh, then sighed and s aid, "Yeah, that boy of hers ain't but, what, t e n, twelve al th e most."
Wesley Hall laughed and told LeRo y s omethin he alr e ad y knew. "Shit, that ain't loo you ng for them ta take s a ni g g e r , theys tak e s a nigger any size. "
86 I Albert Fre11cli
LeRoy gri1111ed and shook his head until the grin fell off his face, then said, "Ah tells ya, theys come down here, Ah got somethi11 for em."
Wesley talkin quick now. "Ah's got ta gits back, gots me somethin waitin. Ah need me a bottle ta takes wit me."
Shorty's bouncing over in the corner by Big Jake, shaking back and forth with that music, but Big Jake ain't paying him no mind, had them fingers dancin on them strings faster than them words twisti n through his lips.
The Patch night has its colors too, deep colors that seem to drift into one another, dark bl ues seeping into purples, misty grays floating while stars' yellows sparkle. Them tall trees along the far road stand dark gray above the black thick bushes beneath them. The road is dark until the bou ncing lights come like cat eyes out of the night.
Reverend Sims stands watching the lights coming, he had heard the dogs barking, but now can only see the lights. The palms of his hands come together, he steps back from his sittin chair, then goes into the house and closes the door.
Jackson Bivens whispers to his wife, Tammy, "Git in there, ya hear me? Git in there," then reaches for his shotgun and closes the door.
Lucy Mae's mother stands and comes to the edge of her sittin porch, but keeps her eyes on the lights. Lucy Mae onl y turns her head, then looks back down at the porch floor boards.
Della Robinson hears the dogs barking, looks out the s i de window, then runs to the front door and looks out, closes it, and runs and gets under the bed.
Wesley Hal l stops as the light s come bearing down on him, shining into his eyes. He clenches the bottle in his hands and
B I L L y I 87
stands still, then runs up into the shacks and crawls under a sitti n porch.
Big Jake still sings. Shorty still bounces to the musi c .
LeRoy still sips that good bourbon. They do not see the lights.
Reverend Sims hears the yells and shouts now, Lucy Mae's mother sees the lights become trucks and cars, then white men with sticks and guns. Then there are more lights, flick ering lights of lanterns and fire torches. She grabs Lucy Mae and runs into the house and calls her God.
The silence of the night has run far into the darkness.
Patch dogs howl. Harsh snarling voices yell and shout. "Get that son of a bitch. Up in there , get im." "Where's that knifin nigger, where's that bastard?" "Turn this whole goddamn place over, we'll get him." "Get that light over here. Spread the lights out." "Where he at? Ya better get his ass out here."
"Fuck it, just burn it, he come out."
"Ge t outside here. All ya all up in there, get out her e . " "Just pull im out, burn it if they don't get out."
"Search each one, spread out. Get a light here." "Goddamn niggers, fuckin killin bastard s ." "Where's that boy, where's that boy at?"
"Break it down, break it down, damn it. Get that light over here."
"Come on out of there, get out here, nigger."
"Got one under here, look, th e re's one hidin th ere."
Wesley Hall squirmed backwards, trying to get furth er back in the di1t beneath the porch. H i s mind went furt h er than his wiggling body, his mind raced out of the night, far past the darkest dark, and just ran until it could go no fur-
BB I Albert Fre11ch
ther, t hen it came back cringing when the lights shined in his eyes and t he sticks poked and dug into his sides.
" Get out of ther e, nigger. Get yer ass out of there, ya
Wesley Hall laughed and told LeRo y s omethin he alr e ad y knew. "Shit, that ain't loo you ng for them ta take s a ni g g e r , theys tak e s a nigger any size. "
86 I Albert Fre11cli
LeRoy gri1111ed and shook his head until the grin fell off his face, then said, "Ah tells ya, theys come down here, Ah got somethi11 for em."
Wesley talkin quick now. "Ah's got ta gits back, gots me somethin waitin. Ah need me a bottle ta takes wit me."
Shorty's bouncing over in the corner by Big Jake, shaking back and forth with that music, but Big Jake ain't paying him no mind, had them fingers dancin on them strings faster than them words twisti n through his lips.
The Patch night has its colors too, deep colors that seem to drift into one another, dark bl ues seeping into purples, misty grays floating while stars' yellows sparkle. Them tall trees along the far road stand dark gray above the black thick bushes beneath them. The road is dark until the bou ncing lights come like cat eyes out of the night.
Reverend Sims stands watching the lights coming, he had heard the dogs barking, but now can only see the lights. The palms of his hands come together, he steps back from his sittin chair, then goes into the house and closes the door.
Jackson Bivens whispers to his wife, Tammy, "Git in there, ya hear me? Git in there," then reaches for his shotgun and closes the door.
Lucy Mae's mother stands and comes to the edge of her sittin porch, but keeps her eyes on the lights. Lucy Mae onl y turns her head, then looks back down at the porch floor boards.
Della Robinson hears the dogs barking, looks out the s i de window, then runs to the front door and looks out, closes it, and runs and gets under the bed.
Wesley Hal l stops as the light s come bearing down on him, shining into his eyes. He clenches the bottle in his hands and
B I L L y I 87
stands still, then runs up into the shacks and crawls under a sitti n porch.
Big Jake still sings. Shorty still bounces to the musi c .
LeRoy still sips that good bourbon. They do not see the lights.
Reverend Sims hears the yells and shouts now, Lucy Mae's mother sees the lights become trucks and cars, then white men with sticks and guns. Then there are more lights, flick ering lights of lanterns and fire torches. She grabs Lucy Mae and runs into the house and calls her God.
The silence of the night has run far into the darkness.
Patch dogs howl. Harsh snarling voices yell and shout. "Get that son of a bitch. Up in there , get im." "Where's that knifin nigger, where's that bastard?" "Turn this whole goddamn place over, we'll get him." "Get that light over here. Spread the lights out." "Where he at? Ya better get his ass out here."
"Fuck it, just burn it, he come out."
"Ge t outside here. All ya all up in there, get out her e . " "Just pull im out, burn it if they don't get out."
"Search each one, spread out. Get a light here." "Goddamn niggers, fuckin killin bastard s ." "Where's that boy, where's that boy at?"
"Break it down, break it down, damn it. Get that light over here."
"Come on out of there, get out here, nigger."
"Got one under here, look, th e re's one hidin th ere."
Wesley Hall squirmed backwards, trying to get furth er back in the di1t beneath the porch. H i s mind went furt h er than his wiggling body, his mind raced out of the night, far past the darkest dark, and just ran until it could go no fur-
BB I Albert Fre11ch
ther, t hen it came back cringing when the lights shined in his eyes and t he sticks poked and dug into his sides.
" Get out of ther e, nigger. Get yer ass out of there, ya
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