terrible purpose into her house.
"What you want?" she stanmiered. "Who are you? What you want?"
The tusked Boar laughed. "Why, Ullah, don't tell me you've forgotten so soon. You know all of us... intimately, I would say."
UUah's sight darkened. More terrified of what he would do if she fainted than she was of facing him, she grabbed hold of^ the back of a chair and forced herself to keep looking at the tusked mask.
**What you want, Mistah Revanche?" she asked, her throat dry. 'Tom ain't heah. Ah jes' cleanin' up this house fo' hhn."
TTie whip spanned the distance between them before Ullah even realized he had moved his hand. She felt the cutting sting, then looked down to see the neat slashes across the front of her dress.
"I don't tolerate niggers lying to me, Ullah. Seems like
you've forgotten most of the training you got at Gray Oaks. You're not cleaning for Tom, you're his wife. Now isn't that so, Ullah?"
"Nossuh. No! Ah ain't nobody's wife. Nossuh, Ah ain't. You wrong. Ah ain't nobody's wife."
Edmund flicked his whip, slashing her arms, her face, until she was screaming and crying for him to stop.
"You're his wife." The words were no less menacing for their calm tone.
"Yassuh! Yassuh, Ah is," she babbled, clutching at herself.
"You're a damned uppity nigger, Ullah. You've gotten above yourself."
"Yassuh. Ah do dat. Ah do dat, suh!"
"What happens to a nigger who forgets her place, Ullah?"
"Ah ... Ah doan know . . . Ah—"
"What happens, Ullah?" Edmund's cold, controlled voice sent her into spasms of fear. He fingered the length of the three-tailed whip.
She felt the hair on her neck rise. Gooseflesh covered her lacerated arms as she hugged herself in terror. "P-please, Mastah, Ah didn't mean nothin'—'*
"What happens, Ullah!"
"They gets punished . . . they gets punished!" she screamed, all but incoherent. Wildly she glanced from one of the looming masks to another. Inescapable, they moved toward her. Ullah backed away sobbing and trying to stifle the screams that wanted to loose themselves.
"You've played enough, Edmund. Let us have some fun with her now."
Ullah sank to the floor, curling up, trying to protect herself from the sight of the animals and the dread of what was to come. She moaned, crying and pleading to deaf ears, "Oh, please, suh! Mastah Edmund, hoF 'em back! Oh, Lawd! Oh, Lawd!"
"When do we get her, Edmund? This is a citizens' committee, not your private party," the Goat's head said, with more authority now.
"All right. She's yours, but take her outside," Edmund commanded. "When we get Tom, I want him to see everything."
The whip cut across Ullah's buttocks. She made a sound, half scream, half whimper.
"Get up off that floor!" Revanche commanded.
She scrambled up. The Snake and the Alligator grabbed her roughly and forced her through the front door into the yard. Suddenly the Snake jerked her off her feet and leaped on her as she fell backward to the ground.
"There won't be any fun and games this time, nigger," said a voice that sickened her with remembered fear. As he had done that terrible night, he grabbed her dress by the neckline and pulled. He jerked her again and again until the fabric gave way and she was exposed.
There was laughter from the masks that crowded closely around her.
"Chrissakes, Ross, can't you get it in?" growled the Alligator. "We can't spend all day!"
Ullah, her heart pounding, watched the fangs of the Snake come nearer. It was useless to fight this man; he would tear her apart. She lay waiting, limp, feeling her legs jerked apart and his harsh invasion of her body. She braced herself, held herself stiff until he was done and the Snake's head rattled with his hoarse breathing. In a daze, she heard the drunken cheers and shouts from the other animals as Ross withdrew from her and the Goat moved to take his place.
The leering face and the long curved-back horns terrified her even more than the Snake had; but worst of all, she recognized the rank odor
"What you want?" she stanmiered. "Who are you? What you want?"
The tusked Boar laughed. "Why, Ullah, don't tell me you've forgotten so soon. You know all of us... intimately, I would say."
UUah's sight darkened. More terrified of what he would do if she fainted than she was of facing him, she grabbed hold of^ the back of a chair and forced herself to keep looking at the tusked mask.
**What you want, Mistah Revanche?" she asked, her throat dry. 'Tom ain't heah. Ah jes' cleanin' up this house fo' hhn."
TTie whip spanned the distance between them before Ullah even realized he had moved his hand. She felt the cutting sting, then looked down to see the neat slashes across the front of her dress.
"I don't tolerate niggers lying to me, Ullah. Seems like
you've forgotten most of the training you got at Gray Oaks. You're not cleaning for Tom, you're his wife. Now isn't that so, Ullah?"
"Nossuh. No! Ah ain't nobody's wife. Nossuh, Ah ain't. You wrong. Ah ain't nobody's wife."
Edmund flicked his whip, slashing her arms, her face, until she was screaming and crying for him to stop.
"You're his wife." The words were no less menacing for their calm tone.
"Yassuh! Yassuh, Ah is," she babbled, clutching at herself.
"You're a damned uppity nigger, Ullah. You've gotten above yourself."
"Yassuh. Ah do dat. Ah do dat, suh!"
"What happens to a nigger who forgets her place, Ullah?"
"Ah ... Ah doan know . . . Ah—"
"What happens, Ullah?" Edmund's cold, controlled voice sent her into spasms of fear. He fingered the length of the three-tailed whip.
She felt the hair on her neck rise. Gooseflesh covered her lacerated arms as she hugged herself in terror. "P-please, Mastah, Ah didn't mean nothin'—'*
"What happens, Ullah!"
"They gets punished . . . they gets punished!" she screamed, all but incoherent. Wildly she glanced from one of the looming masks to another. Inescapable, they moved toward her. Ullah backed away sobbing and trying to stifle the screams that wanted to loose themselves.
"You've played enough, Edmund. Let us have some fun with her now."
Ullah sank to the floor, curling up, trying to protect herself from the sight of the animals and the dread of what was to come. She moaned, crying and pleading to deaf ears, "Oh, please, suh! Mastah Edmund, hoF 'em back! Oh, Lawd! Oh, Lawd!"
"When do we get her, Edmund? This is a citizens' committee, not your private party," the Goat's head said, with more authority now.
"All right. She's yours, but take her outside," Edmund commanded. "When we get Tom, I want him to see everything."
The whip cut across Ullah's buttocks. She made a sound, half scream, half whimper.
"Get up off that floor!" Revanche commanded.
She scrambled up. The Snake and the Alligator grabbed her roughly and forced her through the front door into the yard. Suddenly the Snake jerked her off her feet and leaped on her as she fell backward to the ground.
"There won't be any fun and games this time, nigger," said a voice that sickened her with remembered fear. As he had done that terrible night, he grabbed her dress by the neckline and pulled. He jerked her again and again until the fabric gave way and she was exposed.
There was laughter from the masks that crowded closely around her.
"Chrissakes, Ross, can't you get it in?" growled the Alligator. "We can't spend all day!"
Ullah, her heart pounding, watched the fangs of the Snake come nearer. It was useless to fight this man; he would tear her apart. She lay waiting, limp, feeling her legs jerked apart and his harsh invasion of her body. She braced herself, held herself stiff until he was done and the Snake's head rattled with his hoarse breathing. In a daze, she heard the drunken cheers and shouts from the other animals as Ross withdrew from her and the Goat moved to take his place.
The leering face and the long curved-back horns terrified her even more than the Snake had; but worst of all, she recognized the rank odor
Similar Books
