cause Ah know thet sheriff is cuminâ at noon time.â
Mama and Junior stood frozen, staring at Carol and Bessie.
Papa patted her and said, âAinât no sheriff cuminâ. Me anâ Junior gonnaâ dig up thâ thief anâ take him tu the big house fer his justiz on thâ punish spot. Mr. Wilkerson donâ welcome no law on his place iffen he kin help it.â
Carol wailed, âOh, Papa, the sheriff got tu come, âcause thet money ainât out there en sumbody elseâs shack. Itâs right en this shack! Junior took thâ money frum the big house! Papa, please donâ let thâ sheriff take Junior tu thâ pen.â
The big vein at Papaâs temple ballooned out lividly like his head was going to explode. He roughly stood Carol on her feet andturned and seized Junior by the shoulders. He thrust his face close and moved his eyes up and down Juniorâs face like he was reading a printed page.
Juniorâs eyes were bucked wide and his lips trembled to speak.
Papa shook him hard, and he sobbed piteously, âPapa, God en his Heaven knows Ah ainât stole nuthinâ en mah heart. Ah found forgot money, Ah thought. Ah figured we all ketch thâ Chicago train. Papa, whut you gonnaâ do?â
Papa embraced him for a long moment, and tears rolled down Papaâs cheeks.
Then Papa flung him away and said very quietly, âAhâm takinâ yu tu thâ big house soâs Mr. Wilkerson knows Ah ainât hidinâ thâ thiefâs face âcause he mah flesh anâ blood. Yu goinâ tu git justiz on the punish spot fer stealinâ. Where them greenbacks?â
Junior moaned, âMama got âem. Please, Papa, donâ take me! Donâ take me!â
Mama took the bills from her bosom and stepped between them.
Her words were rapid and impassioned. âFrank, ainât no need tu take mah chile up there fer white folks tu tear his hide off. Fact is, ainât even no wiz reasun tu take this money back. Ole man Wilkerson were bull scarinâ us âbout ole Miz fetchinâ the sheriff en tuday. Ainât no way fer him not tu smell thet funky still stinkinâ up thâ place.
âAnâ sumthinâ else. How we know Wilkerson ainât ben robbinâ us wid his pencil all these years? How we know, Frank? Remember whut thet niggah tole us en Meridian even âfore we cum tu wurk here. We ainât cumalated nuthinâ. Donâ be no fool, Frank. We keep this money anâ tuff it out. Few months we ease off this plantashun anâ ketch thâ fust thing smokinâ tu Cheecogo.â
Papa had been standing with an unbelieving expression on his face.
He snatched the bills from Mamaâs hands and said carefully, âSedalia, Lawd have mercy on yoâ soul. Ah ainât nevah gittinâ off this plantashun iffen Ah got tu steal to git off. Yu done fergot thâ Lawd said, âThou shalt not steal.â â
Papa took a firm hold on Juniorâs wrist and led him out the door.
Mama went to the doorway and cried out to Papaâs back, âNiggah, yu ah uh star natal fool tu take thet money back tu them cheatinâ white folks. Forty cents uh hundard ainât uh precious gift no way yu look at it. Ahâm gonnaâ quit yu, niggah, iffen yu don bring mah chile anâ thet money back heah. Fool, forty cents uh hundard ainât uh precious gift.â
Papa didnât even turn his head. He just kept marching Junior to the big house. We all went to the window and watched them go up the hill to the big house followed by people from the shacks who sensed that Junior was the thief, and they were eager to break their awful boredom at the punishment spot.
The twins and Mama sprawled on the floor and bawled. Carol was pitiful the way she told Mama over and over how sorry she was that she told Papa the secret.
Mama cried bitterly and shouted over and
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