hear?
Ah got him, Ah got his ass."
Shouts came under the sittin por c h, then hands c ame and yanked Wesley Hall out into the flare of lights. Sticks beat at his back, then fists and clubs beat at hi s head, shouts co me from all around like the flashin lights.
"Where's that knifin nigger? Where he hidin at?" "Ah don't know. Ah ain't sees him. Ah ain't."
"Ya lyi n bastard. Cut yer balls off, boy, ya don't answer here right."
"Ah ain't knowin. Ah's down Lero y's . Ah ain't sees him ." "What's his name, huh? What's that boy's name?"
"Billy Lee, he Billy Lee. That's his name, Billy Lee."
Lucy Mae 's mother runs to the door and tries to keep it shut, but goes flying into the wall as the door burst open, her eyes squint at the waving lights and snarling faces.
"W hat ya all want here? What ya want co min here?' ' "Who ya gots hidin back there? Get her out here." " Ya all l eave us be. We ain't d ids nothin to ya."
"Get out her e, woman. Get that other one out h ere . "
Lucy Mae has come to the fire and lights, she has run through the hou se, and comes to her mother's side, sc ream ing, "Where's m y baby? \ r her e's my baby? Ya go t my baby? Wher e's G umpy?"
Lucy M a e's moth er g ra b s at h er and s hout s, ''Get ba c k in there, gel back, shut u p, Lucy Ma e. get back.""
"That's that one the sher iff got. This is t hat ni gger's
house."
"Ya got Gumpy, Ah want m y bab y . ya bri ng him back." "Shut up, Lucy Ma e.' '
B l L L y I 89
"Burn that son of a bitch down." "No, misters, please no."
"Bring my baby back." "BURN IT DOWN."
The glare from the lights and fires shine through Reverend Sims' windows now, loud heavy footsteps come pounding up the steps and shake his sittin porch. Reverend Sims whisper s to his wife, "Ya stay in here. Ya stay back in here. Ah sees what theys want." He goes to the door with his slavin Bible clutched in his hands. Lights flash across his face, shouts and yells smash into his ears.
"Ya got that Billy Lee in there? Where's that nigger at?" "He is not here. This ain't his house."
"That's that preacher nigger, yank his ass on out of there ." The cries of the night went far. LeRoy knew he'd been hearing the dogs barki n, then the faint sound of screams wisp past his ear. "Shut up, Shorty, shut up," LeRoy shouted, then looks at Big Jake and whispers, "Jake, Jake, listen. Ya hear
that?"
Big Jake stilled, listened to the night, then jumps up and heads for the door. LeRoy shouts after him, "Jake, where ya goin?"
Big Jake shouts over his shoulder, "Ah gots children up there, got my babies up there. Where ya think Um goin?"
"Fool nigger, shit," LeRoy hisses, then rushes to the night lamp, turns it out, and stands at the window, c ursing th e distant flickering fires. Shorty staits yappin about what he knows is happening. LeRoy tells him to shut the fuck up and then wades through the dark until he reaches his counter, his hand jabs beneath it until he feels the handle of his pistol.
On the path from LeRoy's, Big Jake's wal k is steady, h e
90 I Albert French
leans his shoulders into his stride, but his eyes stare ahead to the fires jumping in the night.
"Don't do it, put it down, they'll kill us, please," Tammy Bivens pleads wi th her husband, bu t he only whispers harshly, "God damn it, stay back there. Keep quiet." Now he stills hisself, but his eyes twitch with every approaching yell and shout. His fingers ease from the shotgun's trigger, his thu mb gently pulls the hammer back until it locks itself, then he places his finger back on the trigger and waits for the door to come crashing open.
Della Robinson lays under her bed with her hands over her ears, she does not want lo hear the shouts and screams com ing from the night, but then the house shakes as the heav y footsteps thump up onto her sittin porch . Her door is bashed open, her bed is pulled and flung away, but her hands stay on her ears .
"Get her out, drag her. Get ya ass movin. Get up."
Della Robinson screams as she
Ah got him, Ah got his ass."
Shouts came under the sittin por c h, then hands c ame and yanked Wesley Hall out into the flare of lights. Sticks beat at his back, then fists and clubs beat at hi s head, shouts co me from all around like the flashin lights.
"Where's that knifin nigger? Where he hidin at?" "Ah don't know. Ah ain't sees him. Ah ain't."
"Ya lyi n bastard. Cut yer balls off, boy, ya don't answer here right."
"Ah ain't knowin. Ah's down Lero y's . Ah ain't sees him ." "What's his name, huh? What's that boy's name?"
"Billy Lee, he Billy Lee. That's his name, Billy Lee."
Lucy Mae 's mother runs to the door and tries to keep it shut, but goes flying into the wall as the door burst open, her eyes squint at the waving lights and snarling faces.
"W hat ya all want here? What ya want co min here?' ' "Who ya gots hidin back there? Get her out here." " Ya all l eave us be. We ain't d ids nothin to ya."
"Get out her e, woman. Get that other one out h ere . "
Lucy Mae has come to the fire and lights, she has run through the hou se, and comes to her mother's side, sc ream ing, "Where's m y baby? \ r her e's my baby? Ya go t my baby? Wher e's G umpy?"
Lucy M a e's moth er g ra b s at h er and s hout s, ''Get ba c k in there, gel back, shut u p, Lucy Ma e. get back.""
"That's that one the sher iff got. This is t hat ni gger's
house."
"Ya got Gumpy, Ah want m y bab y . ya bri ng him back." "Shut up, Lucy Ma e.' '
B l L L y I 89
"Burn that son of a bitch down." "No, misters, please no."
"Bring my baby back." "BURN IT DOWN."
The glare from the lights and fires shine through Reverend Sims' windows now, loud heavy footsteps come pounding up the steps and shake his sittin porch. Reverend Sims whisper s to his wife, "Ya stay in here. Ya stay back in here. Ah sees what theys want." He goes to the door with his slavin Bible clutched in his hands. Lights flash across his face, shouts and yells smash into his ears.
"Ya got that Billy Lee in there? Where's that nigger at?" "He is not here. This ain't his house."
"That's that preacher nigger, yank his ass on out of there ." The cries of the night went far. LeRoy knew he'd been hearing the dogs barki n, then the faint sound of screams wisp past his ear. "Shut up, Shorty, shut up," LeRoy shouted, then looks at Big Jake and whispers, "Jake, Jake, listen. Ya hear
that?"
Big Jake stilled, listened to the night, then jumps up and heads for the door. LeRoy shouts after him, "Jake, where ya goin?"
Big Jake shouts over his shoulder, "Ah gots children up there, got my babies up there. Where ya think Um goin?"
"Fool nigger, shit," LeRoy hisses, then rushes to the night lamp, turns it out, and stands at the window, c ursing th e distant flickering fires. Shorty staits yappin about what he knows is happening. LeRoy tells him to shut the fuck up and then wades through the dark until he reaches his counter, his hand jabs beneath it until he feels the handle of his pistol.
On the path from LeRoy's, Big Jake's wal k is steady, h e
90 I Albert French
leans his shoulders into his stride, but his eyes stare ahead to the fires jumping in the night.
"Don't do it, put it down, they'll kill us, please," Tammy Bivens pleads wi th her husband, bu t he only whispers harshly, "God damn it, stay back there. Keep quiet." Now he stills hisself, but his eyes twitch with every approaching yell and shout. His fingers ease from the shotgun's trigger, his thu mb gently pulls the hammer back until it locks itself, then he places his finger back on the trigger and waits for the door to come crashing open.
Della Robinson lays under her bed with her hands over her ears, she does not want lo hear the shouts and screams com ing from the night, but then the house shakes as the heav y footsteps thump up onto her sittin porch . Her door is bashed open, her bed is pulled and flung away, but her hands stay on her ears .
"Get her out, drag her. Get ya ass movin. Get up."
Della Robinson screams as she
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