Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1942-04-25
Letters OfApprecationC Commencing Action
OF y. S. On Four Fronts Sent By NAACP
son
By RICHARD WRIGHT

wondered III she suspected any
thing. He knew that he should
have turned ON the light; but
what If he did and the light re-
vealed parts of Mary in the fur
mace?
''I1l fix it man," he said again.
Quickly, he wondered If he
would have to kill her to keep her
from telling if she turned on the
light and saw something that made
her think that Mary was dead?
Without turning his head he saw
an iron shovel resting in q nearby
corner, His hands clenched Peg
gy moved from his side toward a
light that swung from the ceiling
at the far end OF the room near
the stairs.
"IT give you some light" she
said.
He moved silently and quickly
toward the shovel and waited to
see what would happen. The light
came on, blindingly bright; he
blinked. Peggy stood near the steps
holding her right hand tightly over
her breast. She had on kimono
and was trying to hold it closely
about her. Bigger understood at
once. She was not even thinking Of
the furnace; she was just a little
ashamed of having been seen in
the basement il her kiInono.
f'Has Miss Dalton come down
stairs YETI" she asked over her
shoulder as she went UP the steps
Nom, I haven't seen her"
You Just Gomez
S'Xessum.'
She stopped and looked back at
him,
"But the car, it's in the drive
way"
"Yessum," he said simply, not
volunteering any information.
s'Ihen it stayed out all night2"
II don't know, man."
Didn't you put it in the garage?'
f.No'm, Miss Dalton told me to
leave 1t out"
ooh! Then it did stay outa1
night. That's why it's covered
with snow"
Peggy shook her head and sigh
ed. well, I suppose she'll be
ready for you to take her to the
station IN few minutes
''Yessum.''
II see you brought the trunk
down."
s'Yessum." "she told me to
bring it down last night" ~
Don't forget it," she said, going
through the kitchen door.
For a long time 1e etccc she had
gone he did not move from his
tracks. Then, slowly, he looked
round the basement, turning his
head like an animal with eyes and
ears alert, searching to see if any
thing was alniss. The room was
exactly as he had left 1t last night.
He walked about, looking closer.
All at once he stopped, his eyes
widening. Directly in front of him
he saw a small piece of blood
stained newspaper lying in the
livid reflection cast by the cracks
IN the door of the furnace. Had
Peggy seen that? He ran to the
light and turned 1t out and ran
back and looked at the piece of
paper. How about Mary? Had she
burned? He turned the light back
on and picked up the piece of pa
per. He glanced to the left and
right Co see If any one was watch
ing, then opened the furnace door
and peered in, his eyes filled with
the vision of Mary and her bloody
throat. The inside of the furnace
breathed and quivered In the grip
of fiery Goals. But there was no
sign of the body, even though the
bocy's image lowered before his
eyes, between his eyes and the bed
of Goals burning holly. Like the
oblong mound of fresh clay of a
newly made grave, the red Goals
revealed the bent outline of
Mary's body. He had the feeling
that if he simply touched that red
oblong mound with his finger it
would cave IN and Mary's body
would come into full view, uil-
burnt. The Goals had the APP
pearance of having burnt the body
beneath, leaving the glowing en-
bers formed into a shell of red
holiness with q followed space in
the center, keeping still in the
embrace of the quivering Goals the
huddled shape of Mary's body. He
blinked his eyes and became aware
that he still held the piece of pa
per in his hand. He lifted 1t to the
level of the door and the draft
sucked it from his fingers; he
watched 1t fly into the red tremb-
ling heat, smoke, turn black. blaze,
then vanish. He shut off the fan;
there was no danger of scent now.
(TO BE CONTINUED