Good heavens, mama, Helen would answer irritably.
Her face worked with a bitter hurt smile.
Later, he went into one of the little rooms with
his class.
The rest of us have never hadanything, but I dont
want to see the kid made into a littletramp.
There is noignominy to which you will not stoop if
you think it will put anickel in your pocket.
He was now in a class composed entirely of
boys.
Here, son, give me one of the damnthings. And men,
fascinated somehow by this strangeeloquence from a little boy, bought. Thats going
to be a good piece of property some day, she said toGant. If hedoesnt want to stay
up there, I cant help it. Whats going to become of you when your old fathers dead
andgone?
Oh, my God, answered Ben, turning his lean, gray,
bitter, bumpyface up toward his listening angel.
She hadenough money to make the first payment of
fifteen hundred.
Nom, said the negress sullenly, slatting
flatfootedly down thekitchen. Presently: Deres a gal up de street at MisCawpenings
whos lookin fo wuk. Oh, my God, answered Ben, turning his lean, gray, bitter,
bumpyface up toward his listening angel.
You and the Old Man like tomake out youre paupers,
but youve a sock full of money. He was now in a class composed entirely of boys.
Eliza pursed her lips without speaking for a time.
Gant surveyed the proceedings from afar with
Jannadeau, grinning. Sometimes,one of them said to him, grinning: Do you want to buy
TheSaturday Evening Post, Mister? I consider myself as good as any one, she said,
with dignity. Upstairs, upon a sleeping porch, a thin-faced Jew coughed throughthe
interminable dark. He had, besides these chance victims, an extensive clientry
amongthe townsfolk. I never saw such a good-for-nothingshiftless darkey in my life.
Mama, for heavens sake, why dont you send him tothe barbers to get that lousy hair
cut off? You have deserted me in myold age; you have left me to die alone. Itsnot my
place to go up there and work like a nigger for a crowd ofold cheap boarders. If
hedoesnt want to stay up there, I cant help it.
Ben, however, was not to be intimidated by their
cant, or deceivedby their twaddle.
And it was as the smiling hustler that he wanted to
be known. Pride goeth before a fall, she said after a moment.
I cant see that that makes much difference to us,
said he.
He had, besides these chance victims, an extensive
clientry amongthe townsfolk. Good heavens, mama, Helen would answer irritably. He
felt suddenly the futility of opposing animplacable, an inexorable
desire.
Fiend that you are, there is nothing that you would
not doto torture, humiliate and degrade me.
He was nauseated by fear and by the impacts of
hisfists on their leprous bodies.