Colby, but they ain’t sayin’ nothin’. They’d rather let a poor, innocent man go to jail for doin’ nothin’ but mindin’ his own business.”
“You know that feelin’ I get right in the middle of my stomach when somethin’ bad’s gonna happen? Well, I got it now. This ain’t gonna come to no good.”
Luke came over and lifted my chin with a paint-stained finger. “Don’t you go losin’ hope, Jessilyn,” he told me seriously. “Ain’t no reason to lose hope until all possibilities are used up, you hear? We got things we can do. Givin’ up hope is the same as givin’ up on Mr. Poe.”
His voice was firm but kind all the same, and it took some of the bitter taste out of my mouth.
I smiled at him as well as I could with a heavy heart and looked down at his green-tinted hands, eager to think about anything but trouble. “Who on earth wants a green kitchen table?”
He smiled and gave the tip of my nose a tap. Then he walked back to the table. “Mrs. Polk. She’s got a big new cookin’ range comin’ in this week that’s green, and she figures she ought to have a green table to match.” He bent down level with the tabletop and ran his finger over one spot in examination. “Makes me a little sick puttin’ this color on a sturdy table like this, but she’s the customer. Customer’s always right, you know, Jessie.” He stood up and winked at me. “Just don’t always mean they have good taste, is all.”
“I knew Mrs. Polk was gettin’ a new cookin’ range. She spread it all round town, and Miss Cleta told me Mrs. Polk was all full of herself. She says Mrs. Polk’d be better off gettin’ a new face; that’d give her somethin’ to truly be thankful for.”
Luke laughed out loud, and I smiled at his amusement.
“’Course she followed it up by sayin’ what an awful thing that was of her to say, and the Lord should strike her speechless for sayin’ it.” I bent to pick a nearby violet and twirled it between two fingers. “Then she followed that up by sayin’ that the Lord would likely forgive her, though, since she was only near enough speakin’ the truth. ‘Weren’t the Lord who gave her that face, after all,’ she told me. ‘It’s a sour disposition and a greedy heart that gave her face that sorry, crinkled-up look.’”
“There ain’t no more honest soul in the world than Miss Cleta,” Luke said, still laughing. “Lord love a woman like that. She’s got more pluck than all the women in Calloway put together.”
I straightened up tall. “I got plenty of pluck myself.”
“Oh, I know you got plenty of pluck, Miss Jessie. I’ve been on the receivin’ end of it many a time.”
“And you wouldn’t like me as much if you hadn’t been, neither,” I said coyly. “You like havin’ spats with me, and you know it.”
“Well now, I don’t know,” he said, rubbing his chin in feigned thought. “Might be life would get a bit simpler if I didn’t have to put up a fuss with you so much.”
“No sir. You like our rows. I can see it on your face. If I were just some mouse, sayin’ all ‘yes sirs’ and ‘no sirs,’ you’d be bored stiff.”
“But there ain’t no use arguin’ about whether or not I like to argue with you, is there?” he asked with a grin. “Seemssince you’re near about a lady, and you ain’t changed none, you ain’t bound to change now. Seems you’re full of pluck and sure to stay full of it.”
He turned away and picked up an old rag to wipe his hands on. “Still, though . . . ,” he murmured wryly. “Ain’t no one said I can’t put a bar of soap in that mouth of yours every now and again.”
“You just try it, Luke Talley,” I exclaimed tartly, “and I’ll have you tarred and feathered by mornin’.”
“Ain’t no feathers anywhere near here, so I can figure. I reckon I got me a good chance of gettin’ away with it. Heck, your daddy’d probably pay me money for it.”
I reached over and picked up the green
“You know that feelin’ I get right in the middle of my stomach when somethin’ bad’s gonna happen? Well, I got it now. This ain’t gonna come to no good.”
Luke came over and lifted my chin with a paint-stained finger. “Don’t you go losin’ hope, Jessilyn,” he told me seriously. “Ain’t no reason to lose hope until all possibilities are used up, you hear? We got things we can do. Givin’ up hope is the same as givin’ up on Mr. Poe.”
His voice was firm but kind all the same, and it took some of the bitter taste out of my mouth.
I smiled at him as well as I could with a heavy heart and looked down at his green-tinted hands, eager to think about anything but trouble. “Who on earth wants a green kitchen table?”
He smiled and gave the tip of my nose a tap. Then he walked back to the table. “Mrs. Polk. She’s got a big new cookin’ range comin’ in this week that’s green, and she figures she ought to have a green table to match.” He bent down level with the tabletop and ran his finger over one spot in examination. “Makes me a little sick puttin’ this color on a sturdy table like this, but she’s the customer. Customer’s always right, you know, Jessie.” He stood up and winked at me. “Just don’t always mean they have good taste, is all.”
“I knew Mrs. Polk was gettin’ a new cookin’ range. She spread it all round town, and Miss Cleta told me Mrs. Polk was all full of herself. She says Mrs. Polk’d be better off gettin’ a new face; that’d give her somethin’ to truly be thankful for.”
Luke laughed out loud, and I smiled at his amusement.
“’Course she followed it up by sayin’ what an awful thing that was of her to say, and the Lord should strike her speechless for sayin’ it.” I bent to pick a nearby violet and twirled it between two fingers. “Then she followed that up by sayin’ that the Lord would likely forgive her, though, since she was only near enough speakin’ the truth. ‘Weren’t the Lord who gave her that face, after all,’ she told me. ‘It’s a sour disposition and a greedy heart that gave her face that sorry, crinkled-up look.’”
“There ain’t no more honest soul in the world than Miss Cleta,” Luke said, still laughing. “Lord love a woman like that. She’s got more pluck than all the women in Calloway put together.”
I straightened up tall. “I got plenty of pluck myself.”
“Oh, I know you got plenty of pluck, Miss Jessie. I’ve been on the receivin’ end of it many a time.”
“And you wouldn’t like me as much if you hadn’t been, neither,” I said coyly. “You like havin’ spats with me, and you know it.”
“Well now, I don’t know,” he said, rubbing his chin in feigned thought. “Might be life would get a bit simpler if I didn’t have to put up a fuss with you so much.”
“No sir. You like our rows. I can see it on your face. If I were just some mouse, sayin’ all ‘yes sirs’ and ‘no sirs,’ you’d be bored stiff.”
“But there ain’t no use arguin’ about whether or not I like to argue with you, is there?” he asked with a grin. “Seemssince you’re near about a lady, and you ain’t changed none, you ain’t bound to change now. Seems you’re full of pluck and sure to stay full of it.”
He turned away and picked up an old rag to wipe his hands on. “Still, though . . . ,” he murmured wryly. “Ain’t no one said I can’t put a bar of soap in that mouth of yours every now and again.”
“You just try it, Luke Talley,” I exclaimed tartly, “and I’ll have you tarred and feathered by mornin’.”
“Ain’t no feathers anywhere near here, so I can figure. I reckon I got me a good chance of gettin’ away with it. Heck, your daddy’d probably pay me money for it.”
I reached over and picked up the green
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