The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1942-10-24

hear his name shouted: he expect-
ed TO feel his arms being grabbed.
lie walked five blocks before he
saw two-story flat building with
a For Rent" sign in a window.
Smoke bulged out OF chemneys and
he knew that 1t was warm inside.
He went TO the front door and read
The little vacancy notice pasted on
the glass and saw that the flat was
a rear one. He went down tho alley
TO the rear steps and mounted 10
the second floor. He tried a win
dow and 1t slid easily. He was in
luck. He hoisted himself through
and dropped into warm room, a
kitchen. He was suddenly tense
listening. He heard voices: they
seemed TO be coming from the room
in front OF him. Had he made a
mistake? No. The kitchen was not
furnished: no one, II seemed. lived
in here. He tiptoed to the next room
and found II empty; but he heard
the voices even more clearly now.
He saw still another room leading
farther: he tiptoed and looked.
That room. too. was empty, hut the
sound OF the voices was coming so
loud that he could make out the
words. An argument was going on
in the front flat He stood with the
loaf OF bread in his hands, his
legs wide apart. listening.
Jack, yuh mean t stan there
m say yuh'd give tina niger I'D 4
the white folks?"
Damn right All would"
But Jack, s'pose he amt gull
typ
whit in hell he run OF fer
then?'
Maybe he thought they wuz
gonna blame the murder on hint"
"Lissen, jim. IF All knowd where
tha' niger wuz Aid turn i'm up
n Kit these white folks off me-"
But. Jack. ever niger looks
guilty { white folks when some
body's done crime"
yeah: tha's cause so many OF
us ack like Bigger Thomas; tha's
all. when you ack like Bigger
Thomas yuh stir up trouble"
But. Jack. who's stirring up
trouble now? The papers say they
beaiin' us up all over the city. They
don care whut black man they git.
we's all dogs in they sight! Yuh
gotta stan up n fight these folks.
~ git killed? He'll. nav. All
gotta family. All gotta wife N
baby. All amt startin' no fool
fight. Yuh can't git no justice per-
tectin' men who KILL"
yves all murderers L them, All
tell yuh,"
"Lissen, Jim. Ah'm hard-work-
IN man. All fixes the streets wild a
pick m shovel ever day. when All
Kit a chance. But the boss toll me
he didn't wan me in them streets
wild this mob feelin' among the
white folks. He says Ahll git
killed. So he lays me off. Yuh see.
tina Goddamn niger Bigger
Thomas made me lose nah job.
He made the white folks think ives
all JUS like him."
But. Jack All tell yuh they
think II awready. Yuh's good
man, but tina ain gonna keep EN-
from comm { yo' home. Is II?
we's all black n we JUS as wal
ack black. don't yuh see?"
Jaw. Jim. it's awright { git mad,
but yuh gotta look at things
straight. Tha' guy made me lose
NAH Job. Tha' ain fair! How -
All gonna eat? Ef All knowed
where the black sonofabitch wuz
Aid call the cops n let EN- come
m cit i'm"
wal. All wouldn't Aid die
frs"
Man. yuh crazy. Don you wan
a home n wife m chillun? Whuts
hchtin' gonna git yuh? There mo-
of them than us. They could Kill US
all. Yuh gotta learn { live n git
erlong wild people"
"when folks hate me. An don
wanna git erlong."
put we gotta eat! We gotta
ll,e!"
"Ah don care! Aid die first"
Jaw hell, You crazy!
"Ab dom care wut yuh say. Ana
die 10 Aid let 'em scare me inter
,enin' on tha' man. All tell YOU
And die frs'i"
10 ,lrtoed back into the kitchen
and took out his gun. He wouiu
stav here and II his own people
bothered him he would use u. lie
turned on the water faucet and put
His mouth under the stream ana
Tho water exploded in his stomach.
He sank to his knees and rolleo IA
agony soon the pain ceased ana
md n. drank again. Then. slowly
an Thai the paper would not rustic,
he nnwrapped the loaf Of bread ana
chewed a piece. II tasted gooo, I'M
cake. with a sweetish ana smoo'n
flavor he had never thought bread
mid have. As he ate his hunger
,s,urned IN full force and he sa.
On Inc floor and held a flstiul OF
h nv IN each hand. his cheeks
hulelng and his Jaws working anu
hts Adams apple going up ana
down with each swallow. He could
not ston until his mouth became
80 arv that the bread hailed on MS
70 he held II there savor'ng
the tasfs. ...l,