Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1942-05-16
uNsTALLMENT EIGHTEEN)

he had put her in the trunk be-
cause of the fear of someone's see-
ing her in his arms That was the
only way he could have gotten her
down out of the room. Oh, hell,
what had happened had happened
and he would stick to his story. He
went over the story again fastening
every detail firmly in his mind.
He would say that she had been
drunk, sloppy drunk. He lay on the
soft bed in the warm room listen
ing to the steam hiss in the radia-
tor and thinking droWsily and laz-
fly of how drunk she had been and
of how he had lugged her up the
steps and of how he had pushed
the pillows over her face and of
how he had put her in the trunk
and Of how he had struggled with
the trunk on the dark stairs and
of how his fingers had burned
while he had stumbled down the
stairs with the heavy trunk going
bump-bump-bump SO loud that
truely all the world must have
heard it.
He jumped awake, hearing a
knock at the door. His heart rae
ed. He sat up and started sleep
lily around the room. Had some
one knocked? He looked at his
watch; it was three O'Clock. Gee!
He must have slept through the
bell that was to ring at two. The
knock came again.
20. XII" he mumbled.
"This is Mrs. Dalton!"
"Yessurn. Just a minute"
He reached the door in two long
steps, then stood a moment trying
to collect himself. He blinked his
eyes and wet his lips. He opened
the door and saw Mrs. Dalton
smiling beipee him. dressed in
white, her pale face held as it had
been when she was standing in the
darkness while he had smothered
Mary on the bed.
"Y-y-y-yeS, man," he Stammer-
ed. I'll was asleep"
"You didn't get much sleep last
night, did your"
"No'm," he drawled, afraid OF
what she might mean.
Peggy rang for you three times
and you didn't answer"
I'm sorry, nam ="
That's all right. wanted to ask
you about last night. Oh, you tool
the trunk to the station, didn'
your" she asked.
"Yessum. This morning. he said
detecting hesitancy and confusion
in her voice.
81 see," said Mrs. Dalton. Sh
stood with her face tilted upwart
in the semi-darkness of the hall
way. He had his hand on the door
knob, waiting, his muscles taut. H
had to be careful with his answer
now. And yet he knew he had
certain protection; he knew that
certain element of shame Woul,
keep Mrs. Dalton from asking hin
too much and letting him knoy
that she was worried. He was a bo
and she was an old woman. II
was the hired and she was tn
hirer. And there was a certain dis
lance to be kept between them.
You left the car i'm the drive
way last night, didn't yOu?"
"Yessum. 1 was about to put it
up" he said, indicating that his
only concern was with keeping
his job and doing his duties.
But she told me to leave it,"
"And was someone with herr"
''Yessum. A gentleman"
THAT must have been pretty
late, wasn't it?"
"Yessum. A little before two,
man."
"And you took the trunk down {
little before two?"
YeSsum. She told me to-
"She took you to her room?"
He did not want her to thinl
he had been alone in the room witt
Mary. Quickly, he recast the stor,
IN his mind. "YesSum. They wen
up
"Oh, he was with herP"
"Yessum."
ST see. !"
Anything wrong, mann"
oh, no! I'LL. No; there's moth
ing wrong"
She stood in the doorway and h,
looked at her light-grey blint
eyes, eyes almost as white as he
face and hair and dress. He knew
that he was really worried an
wanted to ask him more questions
But he knew that she would no
want to hear him tell of how DRUM
her daughter had been. After all
he was black and she was white
He was poor and she was rich. Sh
would be ashamed to let him thinl
that something was so wrong IL
her family that she had to ask hin
"a black servant-about it. He fel
confident.
Will there be anything RICH
now, mam?"
No, in fact, you may take tn
rest of the day off, if you like. MI
Dalton is not feeling well an
were not going out"
Thank you, man,"
She turned away and he shu
the door. he stood listening to tn
soft whisper of her shoes, die ava
down the hall, then on the stair,
He pictured her cropping her wa,
her hands touching the walls. Sh
must know this house, like a bool
ne thought. He trembled with ex
element. She was white and h
was black; she was rich and h
was poor; she was old and he wa
young; she was the boss and h
was the worker. He was safe; ye'
When he heard the kitchen doc
open and shut he went to the close