Scene II
Setting—A weather-board hall. A large room with the joists bare. The place has been divided by a curtain of sheets stretched and a rope across from left to right. From behind the curtain there are occasional sounds of laughter, a note or two on a stringed instrument or accordion. General stir. That is the dance hall. The front is the ante-room where the refreshments are being served. A "plank" seat runs all around the hall, along the walls. The lights are kerosene lamps with reflectors. They are fixed to the wall. The lunch-baskets are under the seat. There is a table on either side upstage with a woman behind each. At one, ice cream is sold, at the other, roasted peanuts and large red-and-white sticks of peppermint candy.
People come in by twos and three, laughing, joking, horse-plays, gauchily flowered dresses, small waists, bulging hips and busts, hats worn far back on the head, etc. People from Ocala greet others from Palatka, Jacksonville, St. Augustine, etc.
Some find seats in the ante-room, others pass on into the main hall. Enter the Jacksonville delegation, laughing, pushing proudly.
Dinky. Here we is, folks—here we is. Gointer take dat cake on back tuh Jacksonville where it belongs.
Man. Gwan! Whut wid you mullet-head Jacksonville Coons know whut to do wid a cake. It's gointer stay right here in Augustine where de good cake walkers grow.
Dinky. Taint no 'Walkers' never walked till John and Emmaline prance out—you mighty come a tootin'.
Great langhing and joshing as more people come in. John and Emma are encouraged, urged on to win.
Emma. Let's we git a seat, John, and set down.
John. Sho will—nice one right over there. (They push over to wall seat, place basket underneath, and sit. Newcomers shake hands with them and urge them on to win.)
(Enter Joe Clarke and a small group. He is a rotund, expansive man with a liberal watch chain and charm.)
Dinky (slapping Clarke on the back). If you don't go 'way from here! Lawdy, if it aint Joe.
Clarke (jovially). Ah thought you had done forgot us people in Eatonville since you been living up here in Jacksonville.
Dinky. Course Ah aint. (Turning.) Looka heah folks! Joe Clarke oughta be made chairman uh dis meetin'—Ah mean Past Great-Grand Master of Ceremonies, him being the onliest mayor of de onliest colored town in de state.
General Chorus. Yeah, let him be—thass fine, etc.
Dinky (setting his hat at a new angle and throwing out his chest). And Ah'll scorch him to de platform. Ahem!
(Sprinkling of laughter as Joe Clarke is escorted into next room by Dinky.)
(The musicians are arriving one by one during this time. A guitar, accordian, mouth organ, banjo, etc. Soon there is a rapping for order heard inside and the voice of Joe Clarke.)
Joe Clarke. Git yo' partners one an' all for de gran' march! Git yo' partners, gent-mens!
A Man (drawing basket from under bench). Let's we all eat first.
(John and Emma go buy ice-cream. They coquettishly eat from each other's spoons. Old Man Lizzimore crosses to Effie and removes his hat and bows with a great flourish.)
Lizzimore. Sam ain't here t'night, is he, Effie.
Effie (embarrassed). Naw suh, he aint.
Lizz. Well, you like chicken? (Extends arm to her.) Take a wing!
(He struts her up to the table amid the laughter of the house. He wears no collar.)
John (squeezes Emma's hand). You certainly is a ever loving mamma—when you aint mad.
Emma (smiles sheepishly). You oughtn't to make me mad then.
John. Ah don't make you! You makes yo'self mad, den blame it on me. Ah keep on tellin' you Ah don't love nobody but you. Ah knows heaps uh half-white girls Ah could git ef Ah wanted to. But (he squeezes her hard again) Ah jus' wants you! You know what they say! De darker de berry, de sweeter de taste!
Emma (pretending to pout). Oh, you tries to run over me an' keep it under de cover, but Ah won't let yuh. (Both laugh.) Les' we eat our basket!
John. Alright. (He pulls the basket out and she removes the table cloth. They set the basket on their knees and begin to eat fried chicken.)
Male Voice. Les' everybody eat—motion's done carried. (Everybody begins to open baskets. All have fried chicken. Very good humor prevails. Delicacies are swapped from one basket to the other. John and Emma offer the man next them some supper. He takes a chicken leg. Effie crosses to John and Emma with two pieces of pie on a plate.
Effie. Y'll have a piece uh mah blueberry pie—it's mighty nice! (She proffers it with a timid smile to Emma who "freezes" up instantly.)
Emma. Naw! We don't want no pie. We got cocoanut layer-cake.
John. Ah—Ah think ah'd choose a piece uh pie, Effie. (He takes it.) Will you set down an' have a snack wid us? (He slides over to make room.)
Effie (mervously). Ah, naw, Ah got to run on back to mah basket, but Ah thought maybe y'll mout' want tuh taste mah pie. (She turns to go.)
John. Thank you, Effie. It's mighty good, too. (He eats it. Effie crosses to her seat. Emma glares at her for a minute, then turns disgustedly away from the basket. John catches her shoulder and faces her around.)
John (pleadingly). Honey, be nice. Don't act lak dat!
Emma (jerking free). Naw, you done ruint mah appetite now, carryin' on wid dat punkin-colored ole gal.
John. Whut kin Ah do? If you had a acted polite Ah wouldn't a had nothin' to say.
Emma. Naw, youse jus' hog-wile ovah her cause she's half-white! No matter whut Ah say, you keep carryin' on wid her. Act polite? Naw Ah aint gonna be deceitful an' bust mah gizzard fuh nobody! Let her keep her dirty ole pie ovah there where she is!
John (looking around to see if they are overheard). Sh-sh! Honey, you mustn't talk so loud.
Emma (louder). Ah-Ah aint gonna bite mah tongue! If she don't like it she can lump it. Mah back is broad—(John tries to cover her mouth with his hand). She calls herself a big cigar, but I kin smoke her!
(The people are laughing and talking for the most part and pay no attention. Effie is laughing and talking to those around her and does not hear the tirade. The eating is over and everyone is going behind the curtain. John and Emma put away their basket like the others, and sit glum. Voice of Master-of-ceremonies can be heard from beyond curtain announcing the pas-me-la contest. The contestants, mostly girls, take the floor. There is no music except the clapping of hands and the shouts of "Parse-me-lah" in time with the hand-clapping. At the end Master announces winner. Shadows seen on curtain.)
Master. Mathilda Clarke is winner—if she will step forward she will receive a beautiful wook fascinator. (The girl goes up and receives it with great hand-clapping and good humor.) And now since the roosters is crowin' foah midnight, an' most of us got to git up an' go to work tomorrow, The Great Cake Walk will begin. Ah wants de floor cleared, cause de representatives of de several cities will be announced an' we wants em to take de floor as their names is called. Den we wants 'em to do a gran' promenade roun' de hall. An' they will then commence to walk fuh de biggest cake ever baked in dis state. Ten dozen eggs—ten pounds of flour—ten pounds of butter, and so on and so forth. Now then—(he strikes a pose) for St. Augustine—Miss Lucy Taylor, Mr. Ned Coles.
(They step out amid applause and stand before stage.)
For Daytona—Miss Janie Bradley, Enoch Nixon
(Same business.)
For Ocala— Miss Docia Boger, Mr. Oscar Clarke
(Same business.)
For Palatka—Miss Maggie Lemmons, Mr. Senator Lewis
(Same business)
And for Jacksonville the most popular "walkers" in de state—Miss Emmaline Beazeby, Mr. John Turner.
(Tremendous applause. John rises and offers his arm grandiloquently to Emma.)
Emma (pleadingly, and clutching his coat). John let's we all don't go in there with all them. Let's we all go on home.
John (amazed). Why, Emma?
Emma. Cause, cause all them girls is going to pulling and hauling on you, and—
John (impatiently). Shucks! Come on. Don't you hear the people clapping for us and calling our names? Come on!
(He tries to pull her up—she tries to drag him back.)
Come on, Emma! Taint no sense in your acting like this. The band is playing for us. Hear 'em? (He moves feet in a dance step.)
Emma. Naw, Jobn, Ah'm skeered. I loves you—I—
(He tries to break away from her. She is holding on fiercely.)
John. I got to go! I been practising almost a year—I—we done come all the way down here. I can walk the cake, Emma—we got to—I got to go in! (He looks into her face and sees her tremendous fear.) What you skeered about?
Emma (hopefully). You won't go it—You'll come on go home with me all by ourselves. Come on John. I can't, I just can't go in there and see all them girls—Effie hanging after you—.
John. I got to go in—(he removes her hand from his coat)—whether you come with me or not.
Emma. Oh—them yaller wenches! How I hate 'em! They gets everything they wants—.
Voice Inside. We are waiting for the couple from Jacksonville—Jacksonville! Where is the couple from—.
(Wesley parts the curtain and looks out.)
Wesley. Here they is out here spooning! You all can't even hear your names called. Come on John and Emma.
John. Coming. (He dashes inside. Wesley stands looking at Emma in surprise.)
Wesley. What's the matter, Emma? You and John spatting again? (He goes back inside.)
Emma (calmly bitter). He went and left me. If we is spatting we done had our last one. (She stands and clenches her fists.) Ah, mah God! He's in there with her—Oh, them half whites, they gets everything, they gets everything everybody else wants! The men, the jobs—everything! The whole world is got a sign on it. Wanted: Light colored. Us blacks was made for cobble stones. (She muffles a cry and sinks limp upon the seat.)
Voice Inside. Miss Effie Jones will walk for Jacksonville with Mr. John Turner in place of Miss Emmaline Beazeley.