Cayton's weekly. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1916-1921, 1919-01-04
SOME EMBARRASSING MOMENT


life was, when | was lad Just eighteen
years of age. That you can more fully
realize my discontinue | was small for my
age and had neither the appearance nor the
strength Of a man, though | felt very much
a man in my own mind. After having pass
ed my eighteenth milestone | was exceed
ingly anxious to go out with the ladies and
at my first opportunity | was up and at a
very handsome young lady, two years my
senior and fully fifty pounds heavier thar
|, to 90 walking with me- She accepted
my invitation to 90 out walking with her
along with a dozen other couples, and it
could have been safely said, l was the only
''kid' in the bunch. The couples managed
to scatter along until they were far enough
apart to be only in speaking distance. We
were in the country and the leader (cOn-
found his pcture), lead the way to a stake
and rider fence over which all had to cross
in order to reach the desired destination
When that fence doomed up before me and
| saw the other fellows getting over ans
reaching up and taking their girls from the
top of that fence like baby dolls, l saw
my finish and the big sweat stood on my
forehead. There were couples in front Of
me, couples behind me and couples besiCc
me and | inwardy seethed and pondered
us to how | would get my girl over that
Fence. | may have wanted to be mar
prior to that time, but at that moment I
prayed to be a boy again for the time be-
ing | got over myself AMI in my half
dazed state | turned to reach for my oirI
only to see the arms of big straping good
naturde fellow reach for her and save me the
embarrassment tof making an exhibition be-
fore the bunch, who was enjoying the fun
at tiny expense.
| was born in the state of Mississippi
where the relations between the white and
colored folks were always strained Not be-
ing of the servant class, | probably did not
speak to a white woman once in five years
yea, i that often Few if any of them
knew me and knew none Of them There
were frequent reports of colored men being
lynched for having been too familiar with
white women and that too at the solicitation
OF the white woman, and not caring for such
trouble, you, dear reader, can fully under
stand my uncOncernedness of knowing in
any shape or form any white woman. TO
speak more plainly, if l had met white
woman on the public highway and she had
have stopped me and endeavored to en-
gage me IN conversation | am inclined to
think | would have run from her as fast as
my feet world have carried me- At the ace
OF tWenty-one my father sent me to In
dananapois on business. In that city my
uncle was in the cigar business and [ was
daily visitor to his place of business One
evening about he discovered that his stock
OF cigars would not Last him until closing
time and so he rushed me over to the whole
sale cigar house for stock. The delivery
teams had gone home and he only had his
single buggy in which his wife had come to
the store to take him home He said he
would take the necessary cigars to my
uncle IN his buggy as he went home and
babe me wait. 1t was single seated rig
and none too large and when I looked at it
my heart went to my mouth. "Get in" he
sad to me- | hesitated for a moment but
finally crowled into that rig as awkwardly
as polar bear CHOW you get in'' he said