CONTENTS

I. The Coon Hunt..................

II. Where Every Day Is Sunday........

III. Ten Little Angels In A Band........

IV. Seeing the Town................

V. White Outing Flannel............

VI. Children's Day..................

VII. Learning to Fly................

VIII. Good-bye, Rubber.............

Bontemps--&

in a pine tree on a hill, and the clear sky
was sprinkled with more stars than he could count.
He saw the old coon making for the trees on the
side of the hill. The two yellow dogs were right
behind. After them came the men, Uncle Demus,
Zeke, Tom and King. On they went, faster and
faster.

The men were making almost as much noise
as the dogs. Uncle Demus kept calling to his
dog, "Get him, Bulger! Get him, boy!" Zeke
whistled. Tom howled in a high-pitched voice.
King bellowed, his voice rising like a lãon's
roar.

Rubber's legs were getting tired, but he
did not slow down. The coon was coming nearer
and nearer to the edge of the pine woods on the
side of the hill, and Rubber wanted to be as close
as possible when the animal climbed a tree. It
would be Rubber's job to follow him up with a
stick and shake the coon down from the branches.
The dogs would be waiting; they would catch the
old fellow as he hit the ground.

The wood was familiar to Rubber. It was
just an ocean of dark green trees almost all of
which looked alike. Three of them, however, were

Bontemps--5

larger than the rest. Two of these stood side by
side and were called Adam and Eve. The other,
which was even taller, was just at the edge of
the wood and was known as Nebuchadnezzar. These
three were powerfully big trees, and Rubber hoped
the coon would choose a smaller one, but he could
climb them if necessary. He could climb any tree
in the woods, even if he was just ten and no
taller than some little black boys are at eight.

Suddenly the coon leaped into the shadows
of the trees, and Rubber lost sight of him. The
dogs followed, then the men. And when Rubber
reached the woods, they were all standing at the
trunk of old Nebuchadnezzar and looking up eagerly
into its high branches.

"Here is where you come in, Rubber," Uncle
Domus called. "Here is yo' job, son."

"Yes, suh," Rubber said, breathing hard.
"Just give me a boost up to that first branch, and
I'll go up and get him."

"Take this," Zeke said, putting a stick in
Rubber's hand. "You might have to give him a
punch."

The men hoisted Rubber as high as they could
reach. When he got his hands on the first boughs,
he found it very easy to climb old Nebuchadnezzar.

Bontemps--6

There were many branches, and he pulled himself
from one to the other with ease.

He could hear the coon away up in the top of
the tree, and he could hear the dogs barking and
the men calling down on the ground. And he could
see that he was already above the tops of the
smaller trees. He kept climbing, however, get-
ting nearer and nearer to the top.

The moon made the top of the tree bright, and
Rubber could see the old coon creeping out on
one of the highest branches. Below all was dark.
When Rubber looked down, he could see only black-
ness.

A moment later he reached the branch where
the coon was hanging and said,

"Well, mistah coon, I feel lak yo' time ain't
long, suh."

The coon crept further away, further out to-
ward the end of the branch. And Rubber began
thinking that the dogs wouldn't have much fun
with this coon, for the creature would be dead
before they got their teeth in him. A fall from
this high branch would kill almost anything. The
dogs would be disappointed and so would the men,
but there was nothing for Rubber to do but

Bontemps--7

climb out and push the old fellow off his perch.

He took the stick firmly in his right hand,
got on the limb with the coon and began inching
his way out. Easiely, slowly, bit by bit he moved.
The coon whinmed. Then Rubber felt the tree sway,
heard a cracking sound, and knew that the limb
had broken with him and the coon. In the next
instand he felt himself plunging downward, and
everything got blacker than midnight.

The next thing he knew somebody was taking
him in their hands. They lifted him carefully
with strong arms. At first Rubber could not
talk, but after a short while he said,

"Dat you, Uncle Demus? Dat you, Zeke and
King?"

And a voice answered,

"Nah, we ain't your Uncle Demus, and we ain't
Zeke and King. We is God's big angels, and we's
taking you to heaven, Rubber."

Bontemps--8

## II. WHERE EVERY DAY IS SUNDAY

During most of the journey Bubber was afraid and kept his eyes closed. But finally one of the angels said,

"I think we've carried this piccaninny far enough. He oughta could walk the rest of the way."

And the other one answered,

"Well I say as much." Then he shook Bubber. "Open your eyes, suh. What in the nation is you trying to do--play possum? Get down and walk some."

Bubber blinked and opened his eyes as his feet touched the ground, but the sun was so bright

Bontemps--9

he couldn't see much at first. He walked behind the angels without complaining, however, and after a while everything became clear. The angels, he saw, were big tall men like his Uncle Demus and Zeke and Tom. They had powerful wings on their backs, and they wore night gowns instead of clothes. In fact, they looked just like any angels are supposed to look, and Rubber felt mighty proud to be walking behind them.

The fields were green and quiet on the side of the road, but Rubber was surprised and frightened when he saw a huge lion lying in the grass. But the animal only wagged his tail and whinneyed when the three passed, so Rubber supposed he must have been a tame circus lion.

As he walked, Rubber felt little pains on his shoulder blades. He kept reaching his hands behind his back and rubbing the soar spots, and he wondered what caused the peculiar hurting. He was not at all tired, and he couldn't see how walking would give him pains so high on his back anyhow. It might have come from that fall from the pine tree, but it didn't seem like that kind of hurting. Rubber wanted to speak to the angels about it, but they were so busy laughing and talking

Bontemps--10

ing between themselves he decided not to bother
them.

They reached the top of a hill and Rubber
saw just ahead the chimneys and roofs of a town.
Around it there was a high wall like a whitewashed
fence taller than a grown man could see over. Where
the road entered town there was a big gate made
of cross strips, and there were horses and mules
and wagons of all kinds tied to the hitching bars
just outside. An old gray-haired colored man
with a black evening coat and bright tan shoes
sat in a chair tilted against the wall and kept
the gate. He wore a pair of spectacles that slid
down almost to the end of his nose, and at the
moment of Rubber's arrival he was smoking his corn-
cob pipe and reading a newspaper.

"Evening," the old fellow said as the angels
approached him.

"Evening, Peter," one of the angels said.
"What's the news?"

"Nothing much. I just see where the ladies'
club is gonna have a church supper next week for
the benefit of the orphan angels. Who you got
there?"

"This boy is named Rubber, I believe."

Bontemps--11

"Yes, suh, that's it," Rubber spoke up.

"Well dog my cats," said the old man. "I
believe he's a smart young-un, too."

"He'll do," an angel answered. "He's kinda
little and puny though."

Rubber looked again at the long line of wagons,
carts, horses, and mules.

"What is all these here rigs doing out here,"
he asked old Peter politely.

"Church, chile. Them b'longs to folks what
came up to church."

"Church? This ain't Sunday, is it?"

The old gate keeper took his pipe in his
left hand and smiled kindly.

"Every day is Sunday up here, Rubber,"
he said. "Didn't you learn that in Sunday
School?"

"Oh, ya-suh," Rubber said quickly. "I 'bout
forgot."

Old peter laughed aloud and put his hand on
Rubber's shoulder.

"Well, be good, son. Don't run wid no bad
boys."

"A'right, suh," Rubber said, closing the gate
behind him.

Bontemps--12

Inside the big gate the angels who had brought
Rubber to heaven, left him to get along by himself
in that strange town. They were hot and perspir-
ing from the journey, and they left Rubber at
the first street corner.

"You'll be all right," one of them said,
"You'll met up with some good people before' long.
They'll take care of you."

Rubber felt disappointed. He did not like
being left alone like this, and he was a bit
frightened. But he did not forget his manners.

"Thank you! all angels for bringing me, just
the same," he said timidly.

The angels were already walking away.

"Oh, you welcome," one of them called over
his shoulder.

There were many people in the streets of the
town, and Rubber noticed that all of them turned
around and looked at him when he passed. Some
youngsters, playing on the curb, put their hands
in front of their faces and snickered. But Rub-
ber did not know why. He only knew that he felt
very strange and lonesome in this town and that
his shoulders were hurting again, hurting worse
than ever.

Bontemps--17

been round here a little longer. That was the
Sunday School choir you heard. They're practis-
ing up for the children's day program."

"Oh," Bubber was too excited to say
more. He could feel his heart thumping. This
was going to be a fine place to live after all.

"Pät on your clothes," Sister Esther said.
"Soon's I get this room cleaned and the bed
made we can have breakfast. After that we can go
to church."

Bubber was still wearing the pair of patch-
ed pants and the little red jacket in which he
had gone coon hunting. While he was putting
them on, Sister Esther took the cover off the
bed and hung it out the window to sun. Then
they went down to the kitchen and had a break-
fast of pancakes, molasses and golden scrambled
eggs.

Later the church bell rang, and Bubber and
Sister Esther went out together. They walked
hand in hand to the church around the corner, and
the big lady angel led Bubber to a seat in the
Sunday School room.

"You stay here till time for preaching,"
she said. "I'll come back and get you then--

Bontemps--18

hear?"

"Yes'm," Rubber said timidly.

"Now don't run round with the rest of these
young-uns and get lost."

"No'm, Sister Esther," he said.

Many other youngsters came in and filled the
seats in the room. They were much like the child-
ren who attended the Shiloh Sunday School down in
Huntsville, but Rubber was the only one who did
not wear a clean white night gown instead of
clothes. And of course he felt very strange and
embarrassed in his ragged pants and jacket.

The leader of the meeting was a young
woman. She came to Rubber and asked his name be-
fore she took her seat at the front. Then she
tapped a small bell and everything became quiet.
A moment later Rubber heard familiar singing voices
in the room above, and the children's choir came
marching down the stairs.

Each member of the little angel band had
a silver harp in his hand and a golden crown on
his head, and as they marched and sang their big
eyes sparkled. They went into the front row
of chairs, and all sat down together. Then the
leader rose and started the meeting.

Bontamps--19

"We got one little new member with us today,"
she said. "I want him to stand up so everybody
can see him."

Rubber stood. Every head turned toward
him.

"Maybe he'll say something," the leader said.

"My name is Rubber, and I want to join the band. Amen," Rubber said promptly.

"Well ain't that fine? He is named Rubber
and he wants to join the band. Let me see. Does
you know the books of the Bible?"

"Yes,um," said Rubber. "Genesis, Exodus, Lev-
itious, Numbers, Deuteronomy--"

"That'll do. That's fine," said the leader,
cutting him off. "Now let me hear you say the
Commandments."

Rubber said them without a mistake, just as
he had learned them back at Shiloh. Then she asked
for the Lord's prayer, the Beatitudes and the Shop-
herd Psalm, and Rubber recited each one just as
fast as he could say the words.

"I got a book mark for learning these,"
Rubber said modestly when he had finished.

"A book mark! Well why didn't you tell me
that?" the leader exclaimed. "All the children

Bontemps--20

what got them long purple book marks at Shiloh
Can join without reciting. We's glad to have you
in our Sunday School, Rubber, and we'll see that
you get your robe before next week. I'm gonna
see Sister Esther 'bout teaching you a piece for
children's day, too."

"Thank you, ma'm," Rubber said and sat down.

After saying the Golden Text and studying the
lesson, the children were dismissed. Rubber did
not go out but waited in his seat for Sister Esther.
When all the rest were gone, the choir members went
upstairs to leave their harps and crowns.

One little black chorub lingered behind.
She had big white eyes and shining white teeth,
and her hair was tied with white strings in a
hundred little wirey twists on her head. As she
went up the stairs behind the others, slidding
her face along the rail, she called back,

"Good-bye, Rubber."

"Good-bye," Rubber said timidly.

Then he snatched his cap from under the chair,
ran to the foot of the stairs, and was about to
follow the others up into the choir room, but
he saw Sister Esther standing at the door and
he changed his mind.

Bontemps--21

"Um hunh," she said. "Just getting ready to start romping up and down them stairs. You come on to church with me, suh, and I don't want no figgeting whilst the preacher is preaching--hear?"

"Yes'm," Rubber said. "I hear, Sister Esther."

Bontemps--22

IV. SEEING THE TOWN

Rubber's wings were growing well. There
was no more pain on his shoulder blades, and he
was beginning to feel very much at home in heaven.
But he had seen only a small part of the town and
he was anxious to take a long walk and become
better acquainted with the sights. He told Sis-
ter Esther of his wish, and she said that he might
go if he got up early in the morning and helped
her with the house cleaning.

That was all the encouragement he needed.
Rubber was up before the sun. He took a bucket
of water and a scrub brush and went out to clean
the white stone door step in front of Sr. Esther's
house. But he was not the only person on the

Bontemps--23

street scrubbing the doorsteps in the cool of
the morning. All along the street there were
lady angels with mop pails and soapy water mak-
ing the little white stoops shine.

Rubber tried to remember where he had seen
little white door stoops like these before. They
were familiar all right. Where had he seen them?
Then suddenly it came to his mind. It was in
Baltimore. He had gone there with Uncle Demus
to see old Aunt Clo. They had made the trip with
railroad passes that King had secured by working
in the train yards. And in that big city the
houses had little white door stoops like these.

When his job was done, Rubber poured the
soapy scrub water into the street and carried the
pail and brush around to Sister Esther in the
back yard. She was washing clothes. In the mid-
dle of the yard there was a big black kettle in
which some white pieces were boiling over an out-
door fire. Rubber stood beside the wash tub a
minute before he spoke. Then he said,

"You sho has got a big washing, Sister
Esther."

"Em," she smiled, wiping her face with her
apron. "All these clothes ain't mine, son. I

Bontemps--24

takes in a little washing so as to make some
spending money. Most folks up here don't like
to wash their own clothes, but just the same
they likes to put on clean things every day; so
I have more washing than I can do all the time.
That's one of the things what make heaven so
good. There ain't never no hard times here."

It was no wonder, Bubber thought, that people
tried so hard to make heaven their home. Even
the washer women had plenty of work and nothing
to worry about. It was wonderful, and the thought
made him more eager than ever to wander about
town and see things.

"I'm ready to go now," he told Sister Esther.
"I done scrubbed them steps so bright you can
see your face in them."

"Well, all right," she said. "Whilst you're
walking round, though, I want you to take this
quarter and buy me two yards of white outing flannel
to make you a robe for Sunday."

She put the coin in Bubber's hand, and he
clasped his fingers tightly around it.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, skipping through the back
yard gate. "I'll get it for you, Sister Esther."

Bontemps--25

The business section of the town was only a few blocks away, and Rubber found that there the streets were filled with wagons and carts even at this early hour. Most of the carts were loaded with fruit and green vegetables. They were driven by country angels covered with dust from their long drive.

All of these wagons and carts were going to the square in the heart of town. There, sitting on a green knoll and surrounded by oak trees, Rubber saw a large white brick building like the court house in Huntsville. In the streets that ran around the square, there was a great jostle of vehicles and people. Many of the angels had already arranged their fruit and vegetables in attractive pyramids and blocks and hills.

Rubber walked in and out among the tempting piles of fruit and wished for an orange or an apple. But he had no money except the quarter Sister Esther had given him for white outing flannel; so he could only look and wish. After a while, however, an old man noticed the look on Rubber's face and said,

"Does you want some of this here fruit, son?"

Bontemps--26

"Well, I does and I doesn't," Bubber said
promptly.

The old man rolled his eyes playfully.

"Now what in the name of sense do that sig-
nify--you does and you doesn't?"

Bubber dropped his eyes. He was a little ash-
amed.

"I went to say I wants some oranges mighty
bad, but I ain't got no money to buy none with."

The old country angel laughed out very loudly,
slapping his knees with his hand. He paused, then
laughed some more. And Bubber was so embarrassed,
he could hardly stand still.

"Well I oughta knowed you ain't been here
long," the old fellow said finally. "But these
ain't to sell, son. Everything to eat is free in
heaven. If you see anything you want, just help
yourself. See?"

"Oh, I understand," Bubber said. "Thank you,
suh,"

And without waiting a moment he filled his
pockets and the inside of his jacket with the big-
gest oranges he saw. A little later he went into
a store and helped himself to stick candy, chocolate
bars and soda pop. In a bakery he selected dough-

Bontemps--23

V. WHITE OUTING FLANNEL

When his stomach was full, Rubber began to feel sleepy. He had not eaten all the fruit and sweets in his pockets and jacket and arms, but he decided he would have to save the rest till a some time later. So he looked bout for a shady place to lie down and take a nap.

The only trees in sight were those on the square, in the court house yard. Rubber made up his mind to stretch out on the grass beneath one of them. So he crossed the street, slipped between the rails of the wrought iron fence, and sat down at the foot of a statue of Abraham Lincoln. His pockets and the inside of his jacket were still

Bontemps--29

so tightly stuffed with food that he could not lie
down without crushing something. So he emptied
them slowly and made a neat pile of oranges, dough-
nuts and candy on the grass. Then he leaned back,
his head touching the bottom of the statue, and
fell asleep.

A short while later, only a few moments it
seemed, Rubber felt a hand on his shoulder shaking
him and a heard somebody say,

"Wake up there, boy! What you doing sleeping
in here? Don't you know where you is?"

Rubber opened his eyes with a start. He was
trembling as he gathered up his little pile of
goodies and rose to his feet. Then for the first
time he got a good look at the big blue-robed angel
who had awakened him. The fellow wore a policeman's
cap and had a large policeman's badge pinned to
his robe; in his hand there was a policeman's
stick, and a policeman's pistol was hanging in a
holster at his side. Rubber quaked with fear as
the huge policeman angel looked down on him.

"No, suh," he said. "I doesn't know where
I is, but I reckon I ain't supposed to be here
just the same."

30--Bontemps

"Nah, you ain't," the angel said. "The Lawd's office and his court room is in this building. This the place where the books is kept, too. No chillun is allowed to play round here, and we don't let nobody get on this grass. See?"

"Yes, suh," Rubber said, slipping through the fence. "I know just what you mean, and you ain't got to tell me two times. You means 'git!' and I'm done gone."

It was plain that Rubber had slept longer than he realized at first, for the sun was high now and moving toward the west. Rubber knew that it was time he started home. The angels with the carts and wagons were sitting on boxes now, nodding in the afternoon sun, and the heaps of fruit and vegetables were much smaller than they had been earlier in the day. The mules were restless at the hitching bars; they kept pawing at the cobblestones with their feet and switching at flies with their tails.

Suddenly Rubber remembered the quarter in his hand. What was it for? Sister Esther had asked him to buy something. What was it? Cloth? That was it, some cloth to make Rubber a robe. He walked half a block to the dry goods store and went

Bontemps--31

inside.

"Something for you?" a young woman asked.

"Yes, m,

With the package under his arm, Rubber started
home. A block from the doorstep he recognized a
familiar old man standing on the sidewalk with a
fishing pole over his shoulder and a string of
fish in his hand. He was talking to Sister Esther
and holding the string of fish up for her to see.
that
Rubber could see the old man was Peter, the gate
keeper, so he hurried down the block to get there
before the man left. When he reached the spot,
he heard Sister Esther saying,

"Peter, you she do love to fish."

"Yes," the old man told her. "I love to fish
more'n I love to eat. Fishing used to be my trade.
But they keeps me so busy at the gate up here, I
don't get much chance to go to the river." Then
he noticed Rubber standing beside Sister Esther.
"Well will you look at this boy's wings. How thy
is growing! He just came here the other day."

Sister Esther smiled and patted Rubber's
head.

Bontemps--32

"They is growing nicely, thanks," she said.
"I just sent him for some outing flannel to make
his first robe." She turned to Bubber. "Did you
get it, son?"

"Yes'm," Bubber said, handing her the package.
"Two yards."

Sister Esther opened the package. A look of
disgust came over her face. Peter could see that
something was wrong.

"What the matter, Esther?" he asked.

"I told that boy to get me white outing
flannel and he done brought blue."

Bubber's heart sank.

"I forgot," he said. "I forgot you said
white, Sister Esther."

"What's all that in your pockets and in your
jacket?" Bubber started taking the good things
out and putting them in Sister Esther's hand. "So
this is how come you couldn't remember what I
told you, hunh? Well, just give it all to me.
And I want you to go straight back to the dry
goods store and change this outing flannel.
You better hurry too--else I'll make you stay
home from Sunday School."

Bontemps--33

"Yes, that's right," said Peter. "You hurry back, son, because I'm gonna leave two of these red snappers here for you and Sister Esther. Besides I want to see you wearing that new robe by children's day."

"Ya-suh," Rubber said politely, but tears were in his eyes as he trotted down the shinning street to the dry goods store.

Bontemps--34

## VI. CHILDREN'S DAY

When children's day came, Rubber wore the new outing flannel night gown to church, but he exchanged it for another costume before the program started.

All the youngsters met in the choir room upstairs. There they removed their white robes and put on clothes that represented the dress of people from all parts of the earth and from all periods of time. It was a big job to dress so many fidelity youngsters, and the Sunday School leader was kept very busy, and Rubber had to wait a long time for his turn.

When finally she did reach him, she put on

Bontemps--35

Rubber a little brown Indian suit trimmed with
red. Then she gave him a head piece with many
bright feathers in it and handed him a bow and
arrow and a little toy hatcher which represented
a tomahawk. And Rubber, who had always wanted an
Indian outfit, felt so proud his chest nearly
popped.

The other children swarmed and buzzed in the
room like bees. Some of the little girls were
long black dresses with bonnets to match; some
wore spotted things that looked like leopard
skins. And Rubber noticed that the child who had
spoken to him on the stair the first day he went
to Sunday School in heaven was one of them. Her
hair was still tied in little tight twists, but
what she nownore was a leopard skin tied around
her waist. She carried a little paste board spear
in her hand. When she saw Rubber standing as
straight as a plank, with his head back and his
chest pushed out, she smiled sweetly and rolled
her eyes in admiration. And Rubber knew then that
he was the most dressed-up little angel in the
place.

After x while a little bell rang and every-
thing became quiet in the room. Then the leader

Bontemps--36

said,

"How we is 'bout ready to begin. Y-all
cherubs get in line--hear?"

"Yes'm," the children said and began at once
to find their places.

The leader peeped through a crack into the
big church room.

"The church is just packed," she said. "You
is all got to shine tonight. You must talk loud;
and don't forget your pieces." She paused a mom-
ent. "You can pass now. Remember to talk slow,
and don't push and pull when you get on the
platform."

The row started down the stairs, and Bubber
felt his heart pounding like a hammer. He was
terribly afraid to walk out before that large
crowd of people. But there was one thing he did
not have to worry about, he knew his piece well.
He remembered every word of it. He could almost
say it in his sleep. And he had practised say-
ing it very loud, too. He only wished he were
not so frightened now and that his knees would
stop knocking together.

They marched through the Sunday School room
and into the main auditorium where the line formed

Bontemps--37

a half circle on the platform. Rubber was the
last to enter the room, and there was hardly
room for him to stand. He was crowded against a
large pot plant the leaves of which brushed his
face and annoyed him greatly. But he felt that
he could stand that if he could only stop tremb-
ling.

Suddenly the first child stepped forward. He
was a small black boy dressed in furs that cover-
ed him from head to foot, except for the front
of his face. Another large white fur he carried
on his arm. He bowed as he reached the center
of the stage and began reciting.

From Greenland's icy mountains
I come with you to dwell,
I want to learn the living way
And hear the tales you tell.

My home was in the frozen north
In a cave of ice and snow,
But I have come to Canaan land
Where summer flowers blow.

There isn't much in that far land
Of which to tell or sing,

Bontemps--40

"Listen to that boy say 'amen'," cried Brother Peter in the back of the room. "I believe he gonna make a preacher. I sho do."

Everyone laughed softly. Then when it was over the speeches continued. Finally Rubber's turn came.

My home was a wigwam by a stream
In a land both wild and far,
Where hostile tribes swept down at night
With implements of war.

My father was an Indian brave,
My mother was a squaw,
I was their first and only son--

Suddenly Rubber came to a stop. His mouth was empty of words. He could not recall the next line of his piece. All the cherubs looked at him, rolled their eyes and giggled. The people in the audience began to whisper, and Rubber Brother Peter got up nervously and began walking up and down the aisle with his hands behind him. The leader of the Sunday School tried to whisper the next word to

Bort ompa--41

Rubber, but he could not hear what she said.
Rubber was just ready to cry when Sister Esther
rose in the back part of the room and called out,

"He through, Brother Peter, Rubber ain't
got no mo' to say. He done said his piece."

Rubber understood that. She meant for him
to bow and pretend that he had said all, to make
people think he had not forgotten. So he made a
fine big bow and turned to go to his place in the
line. But there was something else he had for-
gotten. He still held the bow and arrow and the
tomahawk in his hands. It was necessary that he
leave them on the alter. Rubber was miserable
again and terribly puzzled.

He turned around, rushed back to the center
of the platform and dropped the gift on the alter.

"Here mine," he said loudly. "I 'bout forgot
to leave it."

The people in the church were laughing heartily
when Rubber reached his place in the line, and the
other youngsters were giggling as if their sides
would split. Rubber could feel cool perspiration
on his forehead. In the midst of the commotion
he heard the Sunday School leader saying,

"Pass, Rubber; you lead the line out."

Bontemps--42

They marched into the Sunday School room, and all the children except Rubber continued upstairs. Rubber was ashamed to go up there to change his clothes. He decided to wait down stairs till the others left the choir room.

While he waited, however, he heard a voice on the stairs; and when he looked up, he saw the little Zulu cherub with her face on the banister, calling down,

"Good-night, Rubber. Good-night."

And right away he began to feel better. He began to think that perhaps his speech had not sounded so terrible after all.

"Good-night," Rubber said politely.

He decided to go upstairs and put on his robe.

Bontemps--43

VII. LEARNING TO FLY

Rubber soon forgot about the poor showing he
had made on the children's day program. The other
youngsters almost forgot about it too, for they
never mentioned it any more unless somebody hap-
pened to say, 'Here mine' or 'I 'bout forgot'.
Then they would laugh and point at Rubber, and one
of them would say, "He through, Brother Peter,
He ain't got no mo' to say." And all would laugh
together. Most of the time, however, nobody
thought of that program.

The thing that was troubling Rubber's mind
now was how he could learn to use his wings. They
had grown out big and strong, and the old folks
told Sister Esther it was time that boy learned

Bontemps--44

to fly. There was no need of cuddling him.

Many children learned to fly when they had been
in heaven no longer than Rubber.

Learning to fly was something like learning
to swim. It just took nerve and determination.
When one lost his fear of the high air, the rest
was easy. Many children had learned by being
thrown off hillsides, some by falling from housetops.
But Rubber had not forgotten his fall from the
big pine tree, and he offered learning in the more
regular way by flying up from the ground.

Every morning he practised a little while.
He would run along in the street, then suddenly
extend his wings and sail a few feet. Occasionally
he would give them a few flaps, but he never got
very far from the ground. When he felt himself
rising, he always lost his nerve and sailed down
again. He could not bear the queer feeling of his
feet dangling in the air unable to touch the ground.

Sister Esther watched him from the doorsteps.

"Keep on going," she would cry. "Keep a-flap-
ping your wings, Rubber."

Rubber would make a few more flaps then sail
down. The other cherubs of the neighborhood
would fly up above and call down,

Bontemps--45

"Come on up, Rubber. You're doing fine.
Keep a-flapping your wings. Come on up."

Well, Rubber appreciated their encouragement, and he was trying hard, but learning to fly was no easy job--even after you had your wings. Rubber sat down on the curbstone to rest and think. It seemed impossible for him to learn to fly in that way. No matter how he tried, he got no further than a few feet from the ground. He would just naturally have to try another method of learning.

The only thing he could think of was to climb up on top of Sister Esther's house and fly down. He shuddered at the thought, but he was now willing to try it if it would help him to fly. He got up from the curb and walked back to the doorstep where Sister Esther stood with a broom and dust pan in her hand.

"I'm gonna get up top on the house and fly down," he said. "I been having a hard time down here. Can't get my feet off the ground."

"Well, I say as much," she told him. "Now you talking. You gonna be flying before you know it, too."

Rubber went up the stairs to the attic. Then he climbed out of the tiny window and crept up

Bontemps--46

the roof to the peak of the gable. There he sat
down and waited. The little group of cherubs flew
overhead and alighted on the roof nearby. Sister
Esther stuck her head out of the attic window.
Rubber stood up, ready to jump. He shut his eyes
so he could not see the ground, and began saying
a little piece he knew.

"One for the money,
Two for the show--"

He paused, and Sister Esther called,
"Don't forget to flap your wings, Rubber.
Jump off and keep a-flapping your wings, son."

One of the little cherubs said,
"Yes, that's right, Rubber; don't forget to
flap your wings."

Rubber bit his lips and began his piece
again.

"One for the money,
Two for the show,
Three to make ready
and four togo."

Off he went. He felt himself going through

Bontemps--48

VIII. GOOD-BYE, BUBBER

"I forgot to flap my wings," he sobbed,
"I forgot to flap my wings."

His face was buried in a pillow. He could
not stop crying. Both his legs were hurting
terribly. There were people walking around him,
and Rubber could hear their voices. One of them
said,

"What in themame of sense that boy talking
'bout--he forgot to flap his wings."

After a while somebody knelt beside
the bed and took Rubber's hand. He heard the fam-
iliar voice of Uncle Domus say,

"What the matter, son. Is you hurt bad?"

Rubberopened his eyes and looke d about the

Bontemps--49

room. He was back in his own cabin home in
Alabama. King and Tom were standing near the
door and Aunt Sarah was by the stove, stirring
something in a pot.

"I was just trying my wings," Bubber said.

"You was s'posed to be shaking that coon
off the limb," King answered.

"I mean in heaven," Bubber said. "I been
in heaven."

"Heaven!" Aunt Sarah left her pot. "What
that you say?"

"Lawdy," Uncle Demus cried. "Was you having
a vision when we picked you up for dead out there
underneath that tree?"

"I reckon so," Bubber said. "I seen heaven
and the angels and Saint Peter and everybody. I
was just learning to fly."

"Well did you see the Lawd?" Aunt Sarah asked
eagerly.

Bubber thought a moment. It was funny that
he had not seen the Lord in heaven.

"No," he said. "I didn't see the Lawd, but
I seen the square and the court house."

Aunt Sarah went back to her pot.

"Shucks," she said. "You ain't seen heaven

if

Bontemps--50

if you ain't seen the Land. You ain't had no
vision neither. You is just had a nightmare.
Lie still now. Them two broken legs of yours
might get out of place again if you keep a-
twitching like that."

The men went outside, and Rubber lay very
still. He was not sure now whether he had been to
heaven or not. But he could still hear the young-
sters and Sister Esther calling to him and say-
ing, "Keep a-flapping your wings, Rubber," He
could still see the little Zuly cherub sliding
her face up the banister of the Sunday School
stairs and saying, "Good-night, Rubber. Good-
night."