Blasphemer! Simms screamed. God will get you. You and all
your crew. God remembers the scoffers. Hewatches after me. God watches everybody but He watches me the most. Like He did Moses. God tells me things in the night.
God will get you.』
He took Simms down to a er store for Coca-Colas a-butter crackers. Simms began to work on him again.
When he left for the show Simms ran along behind him.
e to this er tonight at seven oclock. Jesus has a message just for you.』
The first days of April were windy and warm. White clouds trailed across the blue sky. In the wind there was the smell of the river and also the fresher smell of fields beyond the town.
The show was crowded every day from four iernoon until midnight. The crowd was a tough one. With the new spring he felt an uone of trouble.
One night he was w on the maery of the swings when suddenly he was roused from thought by the sounds of angry voices. Quickly he pushed through the crowd until he saw a white girl fighting with a cirl by the ticket booth of the flying-jinny. He wrehem apart, but still they struggled to get at each other. The crowd took sides and there was a bedlam of he white girl was a hunchback. She held something tight in her hand.
seen you, the cirl yelled. I ghy beat that hunch off your back, too.』
Hush your mouth, you blaigger!』
Low-down factory tag. I done paid my money and I ghy ride.
White man, you make her give me back my ticket.』
Blaigger slut!』
Jake looked from oo the other. The crowd pressed close.
There were mumbled opinions on every side.
I seen Lurie drop her ticket and I watched this here white lady pick it up. That the truth, a colored boy said.
"No nigger going to put her hands on no white girl while------？
"You quit that pushing me. I ready to hit back even if your skin do be white.』
Roughly Jake pushed into the thick of the crowd. All right!
he yelled. "Move on—break it up. Every damnone of you. There was something about the size of his fists that made the people drift sullenly away. Jake turned back to the two girls.
This here the way it is, said the cirl. bet I one of the few peoples here who done saved over fifty ts till Friday night. I done ironed double this week. I done paid a good nickel for that ticket she holding. And now I means to ride.Jake settled the trouble quickly. He let the hunchback keep the disputed ticket and issued another oo the cirl. For the rest of that evening there were no more quarrels. But Jake moved alertly through the crowd. He was troubled and uneasy.
In addition to himself there were five other employees at the show—two men to operate the swings and take tickets and three girls to mahe booths. This did not t Patterson.
The show-owner spent most of his time playing cards with himself in his trailer. His eyes were dull, with the pupils shrunken, and the skin of his neck hung in yellow, pulpy folds.
During the past few months Jake had had two raises in pay. At midnight it was his job to report to Patterson and hand over the takings of the evening. Sometimes Patterson did not notice him until he had been irailer for several minutes; he would be staring at the cards, sunk in a stupor. The air of the trailer was heavy with the stinks of food and reefers. Patterson held his hand over his stomach as though proteg it from something. He always checked over the ats very thhly.
Jake