Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1942-10-17
NATIVE son
By RICHARD WRIGHT
INSTALLMENT

i'm, did you?"
"Nawsuh"
Did you ever eat with white
people before?"
'Nawsuh."
Did this guy Erlone say anything
to you about white women?"
"Oh, nawsuh."
How did you feel, eating with
him and Miss Dalton?"
II don't know, sub, it was my
job
You didn't feel just right, did
you?"
We'll. sub, they told me to eat
and I ate. 1t was my job"
'In other words, you felt you had
to eat or lose your job?"
| "Yessuh," said Bigger, feeling
that this ought to place him in the
light of helpless, bewildered man.
Good Godn' said one of the
men. What story! Don't you
see it? These Negroes want to be
left alone and these Reds are fore
ing 'em TO live with EN-, see? Ev-
cry wire in the countryn carry iti''
This is better than Loeb and
| Leopold" said one.
Say, I'm slanting this to the
primitive Negro who doesn't want
to be disturbed by white civiliza-
ton"
"A swell ideal'
Say, is this Erlone really a cit
izen?"
That's an angle"
Mention his foreign sounding
name"
rs he Jewish?"
Il don't know
This is good enough as it is
You can't have everything YOU
want"
Its claSsicali"
Its natural!"
Then, before Bigger knew it
the men had their bulbs in their
hands again, aiming at him. He
hung his head slowly, slowly so a:
not to let them know that he wa.
| Trying TO QoQge them.
Hold up little, boy!"
Stand straightI"
Look over this way. Now, that.
It'll"
Yes; the police would certainly
have enough pictures of him. H,
thought it rather bitterly, smilins
a smile that did not reach his lip
or eyes.
Peggy came back with her arm
full of cups, saucers, spoons. a ia
OF cream and bowl of sugar.
Here it is, sirs. Help yourselves
She turned to Bigger.
There's not enough heat up
stairs. You'd better clean thos,
ashes out and make a better fire.
"Yessum."
Clean\ the fire out! Good God
Not now not with the men stand
ing round. He did not move from
his acesbeside the wall; he watch
ed Peggy walk back up the stair
and close the door behind hel
| Well, he had to do somethine
Peggy had spoken to him in tn
presence of these men, and for hin
not to obey would seem odd. An
even if they did not say anythin
about it, Peggy herself would 500,
come back and ask about the fire
Yes, he had to do something. H
walked to the door of the furnac
and opened it. The low bed of fir
was red-hot, but he could tell from
the weak blast of heat upon hi.
face that it was not as it ought tt
be, not as hot as it had been wher
he had showed Mary in. He wa,
trying to make his tired brair
work fast. What could be to avoie
bothering with the ashes? HI
stopped and opened the lower
door; the ashes, white and grew
were piled almost level with the
the lower crate. No air could gel
through, Maybe he could sift the
ashes down more and make thai
90 until the men left? He WOULD
try it. He caught hold of the han.
ole and worked it to and fro. see
ing white ashes and red embers
falling into the bottom of the fur
mace. Behind him he could hear
the mems talk and the tinkle OF
their spoons gainst cups. Well
there. He had gotten some of the
ashes down out of the stove. but
they choked the lower bin and still
no air could get through. He
would put some coal in. He shut
the doors of the furnace and pulled
the lever for coal; there was the
same loud rattle of coal against the
tin sides of the chute. The interior
OF the furnace grew black with
coal. But the draft did not roar
and the coal did not blaze. God
damn! He stood up and looked
helplessly into the furnace. Ought
he to try to slip out of here and
leave this whole foolish thing right
now? Nav! There was no use of