Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-28

Hist up de silver spyglass ter Nah eyeP An
de angelsn hist 1t. Twelve angels it'n take
ter hist up de silver spyglass ter His eye. -.
AN den He'll pint de silver spyglass. an
eff dere's anybody on dat boat dat don't belong
He'll see UNI! He'll see spang through UNI!
AN He'll say: Lean de silver spygiass erginst
de throne, an If up de speakin' trumpet OATS
made er gol!' An de angelsl do it. Twenty
angels it'll take ter liz up de speakin' trumpet
dat's made er gor! RI,
AN den de Lawd Jesusn put His mouth
ter de speakin' trumpet, an He'll holler out
loud an clare: 1Gistah Capn, yer hyeh Me?"
very slowly and solemnly: Eyer got er On-be-
hever on dat boat! Yern have ter stop an
20 back, Mistah Capn, an Ian UNI" f.4s.s
Woodie's hand closed round the pistol In his
pocket, when his eye CHANGED to fall On Miss
,Jinny's face. Her look Of quiet gertrude
startled him. He leaned forward, scarcely
breathing. r" ri -. ~
AN Lam UNI whar he belongsv"
Miss jimmy moved her chair, but Draper
didn't even look her way. y 49,. @.-'.--
Back whar de smokes a-curlin' out De
The sharp pounding of Miss Jinny's cane fen
across his sentence and broke it as brittlely OF
as If 1t had been a rod Of glass. ~.
Woodie dropped back Imply into his seat.
He opened his mouth to still the sound Of his
breathing. He grew weak under the surge Of
his relief. For moment all that he could
realize was that he hadn't had to shoot that
Miss jimmy had saved him from that.
She sat on the edge Of her chair, as delicately
separate as white hepatica, looking straight
at Draper. But the big Negro was staring at
the white woman in blank amazement, without
meeting her eyes, much as he might have
stared at the roof II it had fallen in; uneasy
only because the mood he had induced In his
people had been threatened.
For a moment he was silent, while he re-
assembled his scattered powers He shifted
his weight until the floor creaked. He leaned
forward and began to speak again, and Woodies
hope sank slowly and heavily. It was going to
take more than the pounding Of q cane to stop
zachariah Draper
WITH his hand on his fathers old pistol,
that had never been pointed at anything
bigger than chicken hunting skunk he leaned
forward breathlessly, while Draper, out Of .
deep instinct in such matters, and as though
rebuking his antagonist laid his tongue to
stronger words than any Of his own.
der Good Book say'-with somber empha-
sis" Take heed lest dere be in any Nv yer an
evil heart NV onbelief! Take heed, fer de
sword NV Gawd am quick an powerful, an
sharper dan any two-edged sword, piercin even
ter de dividin' asunder Nv de soul an de sper-
ret. an Nv de j'ints an de marrow"
"Amen!" a woman said startlingly In q clear
soprano; the others groaned In chorus,
"A-amen! A-amen brudder!" and the shattered
mood Of the people came together again.
Draper famed it as a wind fans prairie
fire; Brethren an sisters. eff yer want ter lam
at de great white throne, yer got ter git shed
Nv dat evil heart wv onbelief!'
Tap. tap. went the cane, mild and premoni-
tory but he pretended not to hear.
de Good Book say: He shall set de sheep
on His right han, but de goats on de lef'. An
He shall say unter dem on de lef han, Depart
from me, We cursed, inter everlastin fire, pre-
pared fer de Devil an his angelsr
gleam came into his eye. He In his pulpit,
I'm the midst Of his people, and the white
woman down there alone >. 4! Almost alone.
toc, now IA that part OF the State; Ten Negroes
all about her now TO every poverty stricken
white -. He within his rights and she Q
trespasser - His voice rolled out over her
like river:
Eyer got ter pull of from de goats! Yer got
ter come inter de fold!'
He chanted like warrior leading hosts, with
o rhythm as heavily marked Is the beating
Of q drum.
"Ah been down yander in de canebrake, -
lookin' fer dem goats-a-studyin' In NAH min
an a-wrastlin' In NAH soul! All been down
yander In de canebrake an what yer think All
see? An done see de Devil, de big. black, shiny
Devil, a-scOrchin' up de canebrake Wild his
BREATH"
A bass voice began to moan heavily. An alto
Joined. Others took 1t up. improvising with o
sure sense Of harmony an elaborate background
for Diapers trampling barytone.
His tail was long an shiny lax er black
Snakei His eyes was lax de haidlights On De
train!"
Woodie shut his eyes and prayed The long
continued pound Of emotion had beaten from
him all acquired white folks methods Of speesA
and feeling. "Gawd gimme strength" he