3.

night when I left you, you was beating up your gums and broadcasting
about how hot you was. Just as hot as July-jam,you told me.What you
doing cold in hand? "

"Aw, man,cant you take a joke? I was just beating up my gums when I said I was broke.How can I be broke when I got de best woman in Harlem? If I ask her for a dime, she'll give me a ten dollar bill;ask her for a drink of likker, and she'll buy me a whiskey still.If I'm lying, I'm flying!"

"Gar,dont hang out dat dirty washing in my back yard! Didnt I see
you last night with dat beat chick scoffing a hot dog? Dat chick you
had was bet to de heels.Boy, you aint no good for what you live."

"If you aint lying now, you flying. You aint got de first thin.
You aint got nickel one."

Jelly threw back the long skirt of his coat and rammed his hand
down into his pants pocket.

"Put your money where your mouth is!" He challenged as he mock-struggled to haul out a huge roll. "Back your crap with your money. I bet you five dollars!"

Sweet Back made the same gesture of hauling out non-existent money.

"I been raised in the church. I dont bet, but I'll doubt you.
Five xmas rocks!"

"I thought so!" Jelly crowed and hurriedly pulled his empty hand
out of his pocket." I knowed you'd back up when I drawed my roll on
you."

"You aint drawed no roll on me, Jelly. You aint drawed nothing
but your pocket. You better stop dat boogerbooing. Next time I'm
liable to make you do it." There was a splinter of regret in his
voice. If Jelly really had had some money, he might have staked him,
Sweet Back to a hot. Good southern cornbread with a piano on a plat-
tar. Oh,well! The right browd would,or might come along.

4.

"Who boogerbooing?" Jelly snorted. "Jig, I dont have to. Talking about me with a beat chick scoffing a hot dog! Heh,heh! You must of not seen me, 'cause last night I was riding round in a Yellow Cab, with a yellow gal, drinking yellow likker and spending yellow money. Humph! Tell 'em 'bout me!"

"Git out of my face with that crap, Jelly! Dat broad I seen you with wasnt no pe-ola. She was one of them coal-scuttle blondes with hair just as close to her head as ninety-nine is to a hundred. She look-ted like she had seventy-five pounds of clear bosom, guts in her feet, and she look-ted like six months in front and nine months behind. Buy you a whiskey still! Humph! Dat broad couldnt make the down payment on a pair of sox."

"Sweet Back, you fixing to talk out of place." Jelly stiffened.

"If you trying to jump salty, Jelly, that's your mammy."

"Dont play in de family, Sweet Back. I dont play de dozens. I done told you."

"Who playing de dozens? You trying to get your hips up on your shoulders cause I said you was with a beat broad. One of them howx x lam blacks."

"Who? Me? Long as you been knowing me, Sweet Back, you aint never seen me with nothing but pe-olas. I can get any frail eel I wants to. I can lay it! How some I'm up here in New York? You dont know, do you? Since youse dumb to the fact, I reckon I'll have to make you hep. I had to leave from down south cause Miss Anne used to worry me so bad to go with me. Who, Me? Man, I dont deal in no coal. Know what I tell 'em? If they's white, they's right! If they's yellow, they's mellow! If they's brown, they can stick around. But if they come black, they better git way back! Tell 'em bout me!"

"Aw, man, you trying to show your grandma how to milk ducks. Best you can do is to confidence some kitchen-mechanic out of a dime or

5.

two. Me, I knocks de pad with them cack-broads up on Sugar Hill, and
fills 'em full of melody. Man, I'm quick death and easy judgment. Youse
just a home-boy, Jelly. Dont try to follow me."

"Me follow you! Man, I come on like the Gang-Busters, and go off &
the MARCH OF TIME! If dat aint so, God is gone to Jersey City, and you
know He wouldnt be messing round a place like that. Know what my woman
done? We hauled off and went to church last Sunday, and when they passed
round the plate for the <u>penny</u> collection, I throwed in a dollar. De man
looked at me real hard for dat. Dat made my woman mad, so she called him
back and throwed in a twenty dollar bill! Told him to take dat and go!
Dats what he got for looking at me cause I <u>know</u> throwed in a dollar."

"Jelly, de wind may blow and de door may slam; dat what you shooting
aint worth a damn!"

Jelly slammed his hand in his bosom as if to draw a gun. Sweet Back
did the same.

"If you wants ta fight, Sweet Back, the favor is in me."

"I was deep-thinking then, Jelly. Its a good thing I aint short-
tempered. Taint nothing to you. You aint hit me yet."

"Oh, I flies hot quick" Jelly said " But I'm mighty easy cooled if de
man I'm salty with is bigger than me."

Both burst into a hearty laugh and changed from fighting to lounging
poses.

"Dont get too yaller on me, Jelly. You liable to get hurt some day."

"You over-sports your hand your ownself. I just dont pay you no mind.
I know taint nothing to de bear but his curly hair. Bay de skin on me!"

They broke their hand-shake hurriedly because both of them looked
up the Avenue and saw the same thing. It was a girl, and they both re-
membered that it was Wednesday afternoon. All of the domestics off for
the afternoon with their pay in their pockets. Some of them bound to be
hungry for love. That meant a dinner, a shot of scrap-iron, maybe

6.

room-rent and a reefer or two. Well, it did happen sometimes, so that gave vapor to hope that some women would buy them forty zoot suits, a Packard, and plenty of money to flash. This one looked prosperous. Both of the Scooter-Pookers hoped that the other one had other fish to fry, but neither retired. Both went into the pose, set lapels and put on the look.

"Big stars falling!" Jelly said out loud when she was in hearing distance. "It must be just before day!" He put all the awe and admiration he could in his voice.

"Yeah Man!" Sweet Back agreed. "Must be a recess in Heaven--pretty angel like that out on the ground."

The girl drew abreast of them, long ear-rings swinging, reeling and rocking in her hips.

"I'd walk clear to Diddy-Wah-Diddy to get a chance to speak to a pretty lil' ground-angel like that." Jelly went on.

"Aw, man, you aint willing to go very far. Me, I'd go slap to Ginny-Gall, where they eat cow-rump, skin and all."

The girl smiled, so Jelly set his hat like it was hanging on one louse-leg and just too mean to fall off, and took the plunge.

"Baby", he crooned, "Whats on de rail for de lizard?"

The girl halted and braced her hips with her hands. "A Zigaboo down in Georgy where I come from asked a woman that one time, and the judge told him 'ninety days'".

"Georgy!" Sweet Back pretended to be elated. "Where 'bouts in Georgy is you from? Delaware?"

"Delaware?" Jelly snorted. "My people! My people!! Free schools and dumb jigs! Man, how you going to put Delaware in Georgy? You ought to know dats in Maryland. Hah! Hah! Hah!"

"I never heard nothing about no Delaware --not in the part of Georgy I come from."

7.

"We dont care nothing bout no Delaware. Lets me and you go back down there in Georgy and settle down." Sweet Back cooed.

"Go down in Georgy!" Jelly snorted."You crazy in the head? Christ walked de water to go <u>around</u> Georgy. What you want to go in it for?"

"Oh dont try to make out youse no northerner ,you! Youse from right down in Bam your ownself!" The girl turned on Jelly.

"Yeah, I'm <u>from</u> there, and I aims to stay from there. MutxRaby!x

"One of them Russians, eh?" The girl retorted. "Rushed up here to get away from a job of work."

"De work didn't worry me. Mister Charlie down there plays too rough to suit me. I aint none of them cowards like them shines down in Bam. I'm <u>mean</u>! I got Indian blood in <u>me</u>. Them peckerwoods down there liable to make me hurt some of 'em. So I just come on off to keep from killing somebody."

"I know its de truth!" The girl snorted and laughed.

But that kind of talk was not leading towards the dinner table.

"But Baby!" Jelly gasped. "Dat shape you got on you!" He dragged his eyes from her head to her feet." I bet the CocaCola Company is paying you good money for the patent!"

Ther girl smiled with pleasure at this, so Sweet Back jumped in.

"I know youse somebody swell to know. Youse real people. You grins like a regular fellow." He gave her his most killing look and let it simmer in." These dickty jigs round here trieds to smile. Spose you and me go inside the cafe here and grab a hot?"

"You got any money?" The girl asked and stiffened like a ram-rod. Nobody aint pimping on me. You dig me?"

"Aw, now, Baby!"

"I seen you two mullet-heads before. I was uptown when Joe Brown had you all in the go-long last night. Ha! Ha! Dat cop sure hates a pimp! All he needs to see is the pimps' salute, and he will out w'