Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1942-02-21
Eccentric Girl
Puzzles Bigger
BY RICHARD WRIGHT
(InstalIment Seyepl

Installment Sevenl
Wen, come on i'll. I think you'll
ind a glass somewhere" He went
&c the sink, watching her as he
walked, feeling that she could see
him even though he knew that
she was blind. His skin tingled. He
took a glass from a narrow shelf
ard filled in from faucet. AS he
CRANK he stole q glance at her over
the rim of the glass. Her face was
stu, tilted. waiting. It reminded
him Of a dead mans face he had
once seen. Then he realized that
MRS. Dalton had turned and listen
ed To the sound Of his feet as he
had walked. She knows EXACTLY
where I'm standing, he thought.
''You like your roon?" she
asked; and as she spoke he realiz-
ed that she had been standing
there waiting to hear the sound of
his glass as it had clinked on the
sink.
ooh, yessmn." Il hope you're a
careful driver" oh. yessum III be
careful" did you ever drive be-
fore?" "Yessum. But it was a
grocery truck" He had the feeling
that talking to a blind person was
like talking to someone whom he
himself could scarcely see. How
far did you say you went in school,
Bigger"
ITO the eighth grade, nam. -
Ibid you ever think of going
hackP"
well, don't know, man," THE
last man who worked here went
to night school and got an educa-
ton" "Yessum." What would you
want to be if you had an educa-
tion?" II don't know, man." did
you ever think about it?'
mo m" "You would rather
work?" 1 reckon I would, mann.
well, we'll talk about that some
other time. think you'd better get
the car FOR Miss Dalton now"
"Yessum.''
He left her standing in the mid
die of the kitchen floor, exactly as
he had found ner.. He did not
know Just how to take her; she
made him feel that she would
Judge all he did harshly but kind
". He had feeling toward hel
that was akin to that which he
held toward his mother.
The difference in his feelings
toward Mrs. Dalton and his
mother was that ne felt that
his mother wanted him to do
the things SHE wanted him to
do, and he felt that Mrs. Dali
ton wanted him to do the
things she felt that HE should
have wanted to do. But he did
not want to GO to night school.
Night school was all right; but
he had other plans. We'll, he
didn't know just what they
were right now, but he was
working them out.
The night air had grown warm
er. A wind had risen. He lit g
cigarette and unlocked the garage
the door swung in and again h
was surprised and pleased to see
the lights spring on automatical-
ly. These peoples got everything
he unused. Fe examined the car;
1t was dark blue Buick, with stee
spoke wheels and of new make
He stepped back from it and look
ed 1t over; then he opened the
door and looked at the dashboard
He was a little disappointed that
the car was not as expensive al
he had hoped, but what it lacked
in rrice was more than made IN
for In color end style. 's1t's ali
right" he said half-a1oud. He
got in and backed it into the drive
way and turned it around and
pulled it up to the side door.
'1s that YOU, Bigger" The
gttl stood on the steps. eyes
sum" He got cut and held the
rear door open for her. THANK
you" He touched his cap and
wondered if it were the right
thing to do. Els that univer-
slty-school out there on the