Document Information

Discussion Questions

= Chapter Thirty-Seven =

After a while he went over to the store and got himself a loaf of bread, a half round of sausage, and two bottles of cold drink. Then he went outside and sat under the pecan tree to eat. When he got through eating, it was one o’clock, and he went back to the yard. He looked over the yard before he went to the tool shop. He said it was a joke to even think he could rake this yard in a day, to even think he could rake it in two days or even a week. But what could he do? He knew they wanted him to run. They were going to do everything in the world to make him try to escape before that trial came up. He said he could see it in the faces the Cajuns’s faces who hung around the store, he could feel it every time he passed by a [illegible] other. They wanted something to do – something to hunt. And since it was too hot to hunt rabbits or possums or go fishing, then they wanted to hunt niggers. He said he didn’t have to be told that they wanted him to run, he could see it, he could feel it. But he wasn’t running, not yet. And why should he? Didn’t he have a [illegible] to [illegible] in everytime he felt like it.

He got the a rake out of the toolshop and started working. There was leaves everywhere, the yard was nothing but a big bed of leaves. So he started by the toolshop, since there wasn’t any reason to go any farther.

He had been working about an hour when Marshall came out on the back gallery to look at him. He said before he saw Marshall there he knew somebody was watching him. He said he could always tell when somebody was watching him, he could feel it on the back of his neck or between his shoulders. He said that’s why to it was hard for any man to sneak up behind him, he had a sense a double sense of feeling. He said that double sense also helped him when there was a woman around who was looking to have some extra fun. He said if she gave him one look, he wouldn’t have to be looking at her , he knowed about it. He said that’s what made him so good with the womenfolks. He said find this, before they would know what was happening to them he would be whispering sweet words in their ear and they wouldn’t even know how he knew they wanted to hear them sweet words in the first place.

“I see,” I said.

So he felt somebody watching him long before he looked around and saw Marshall standing on that back gallery. He said he could have looked around anytime he wanted to, but no—why should he? He said it was more fun to know somebody was watching you, and you just ignore them. He said sometimes he would do that to a lady, a beautiful lady, too, for almost a’ hour. Then all of a sudden he would jump around, grab her, and kiss hard on the mouth. He said couple of them had fainted when he did that.

“Really?” I said.

So he just went on with his raking, he said. The raking here was harder than it was in Bon Bon’s yard because there was grass here, too. Bon Bon’s yard had only leaves, but this yard had leaves and that bullhead grass. So many times the rake would get hooked in the grass and he would have to pry it loose.

He said Marshall watched him close to a half hour before he came out in the yard where he was working. No, he didn’t come directly where he was at first, he has stood back twenty or thirty feet watching him.

“That sonofabitch say anything to me like what I got in mind, I’m go’n knock the hell out of him with this rake,” Marcus thought. “I’ll pull corn, I’ll rake leaves, but I don’t mess with no punk.”

He said he went on raking, but now he stood in a way that he could see Marshall if he came closer. Marshall was in his his seersucker suit, he had his drink as usual. He drank now from his glass (Bourbon on the rocks) and watched Marcus.

Finally, he came over.

“Mr. Sidney got you working, huh?” he said.

“Yes sir,” Marcus said, not looking at him.

Marshall grunted and drank from the glass. Marcus could hear the ice tinkling in the glass. He raked the leaves without looking at Marshall. There was silence a long time. Marcus could hear the ice tinkling in the glass again when Marshall raised the glass to his mouth.

Document Information

Discussion Questions

Chapter Thirty-Seven

After a while he went over to the store and got himself a loaf of bread, a half round of sausage, and two bottles of cold drink. Then he went outside and sat under the pecan tree to eat. When he got through eating, it was one o’clock, and he went back to the yard. He looked over the yard before he went to the tool shop. He said it was a joke to even think he could rake this yard in a day, to even think he could rake it in two days or even a week. But what could he do? To knowed they wanted him to run. They was going to do everything in the world to make him try to escape before that trial came up. He said he could see in the Cajuns’s faces who hung around the store that they wanted him to run. Since it was too hot to hunt rabbits or possums or go fishing, then they wanted to hunt niggers. He said he didn’t have to be told that they wanted him to run, he could see it, he could feel it. But he wasn’t running, not yet. And why should he run? Why should he run now?

He got a rake out of the toolshop and started working. There was leaves everywhere, the yard was nothing but a big bed of leaves. So he started by the toolshop, since there wasn’t any reason to go any farther.

He had been working out there about a’ hour when Marshall Herbert came out on the back gallery to look at him. He said before he saw Marshall there he knowed somebody was watching him. He said he could always tell when somebody was watching him, he could feel it on the back of his neck or between his shoulders. He said that’s why it was hard for any man to sneak up behind him, because he had a double sense of feeling whereas most people had only one. He said that double sense of feeling also helped him when there was a woman around who was looking to have some extra fun. He said if she gave him one look, he wouldn’t have to be looking at her to know it. He said that’s what made him so good with the womenfolks.

“I see,” I said.

So he felt somebody watching him long before he looked around. He said he could looked around anytime, but then why should he? He said it was more fun letting somebody watch you and you pretend he wasn’t there. He said sometimes he would do that to a lady, a beautiful lady, too, for almost a’ hour. Then all of a sudden he would jump around, grab her, and kiss hard on the mouth. He said he had made couple of them fainted like that.

“Really?” I said.

“Yeah,” he said.

So he just went on with his raking, he said. The raking here was harder than it was in Bon Bon’s yard because there was grass here, too. Bon Bon’s yard had only leaves, but this yard had leaves and bullhead grass. So many times the rake would get hooked in the grass and he would have to pry it loose.

He said Marshall Hebert watched him close to a half hour before he came out in the yard where he was working. No, he didn’t come directly where he was at first, he stood back twenty or thirty feet watching him.

“That sonofabitch say anything to me like what I got in mind, I’m go’n knock the hell out of him with this rake,” Marcus thought. “I’ll pull corn, I’ll rake leaves, but I don’t mess with no punk.”

He said he went on raking, but now he worked in a way so he could see Marshall if he came closer. Marshall was wearing his seersucker suit, his panama hat, and he had his glass of bourbon as usual. He drank now from the glass and watched Marcus. Finally, he came over.

“Me. Sidney got you working?” he said.

“Yes sir,” Marcus said, not looking at him.

Marshall grunted and drank. Marcus could hear the ice tinkling in the glass. He raked the leaves without looking at Marshall. There was silence a long time. Marcus could hear the ice tinkling in the glass again when Marshall raised the glass to his mouth.