He-he, chuckled Jeff. I reckin thats jes nigger foolishness. Me, I don know no reason why they shd call a church by no sech a name as that. I aint never had no truck wid em ole True Believers, mysef. I knows some calls em the Do-Righters, and some calls em the Possum Trotters. His tone subtly altered to one of innocent bewilderment: Whut you doin, Jedge, pesterin yosef wid sech low-down trash as them darkies is?
Further discussion of the affairs of the strange faith that was divided against itself might have ensued but that an interruption came. Steps sounded in the long hallway that split the lower floor of the old courthouse lengthwise, and at a door not Judge Priests own door but the door of the closed circuit-court chamber adjoining a knocking sounded, at first gently, then louder and more insistent.
See who tis out yonder, Jeff, bade Judge Priest. And ef its anybody wantin to see me I aint got time to see em without its somethin important. I aim to finish up this job before we go on home.
He bent to his task again. But a sudden draft of air whisked certain loose sheets off his desk, carrying them toward the fireplace, and he swung about to find a woman in his doorway. She was a big, upstanding woman, overfleshed and overdressed, and upon her face she bore the sign of her profession as plainly and indubitably as though it had been branded there in scarlet letters.
The old mans eyes narrowed as he recognised her. But up he got on the instant and bowed before her. No being created in the image of a woman ever had reason to complain that in her presence Judge Priest forgot his manners.
Howdy do, maam, he said ceremoniously. Will you walk in? Im sort of busy jest at present.
Thats what your nigger boy told me, outside, she said; but I came right on in any-way.
Ah-hah, so I observe, stated Judge Priest dryly, but none the less politely; mout I enquire the purpose of this here call?
Yes, sir; Im a-goin to tell you what brought me here without wastin any more words than I can help, said the woman. No, thank you, Judge, she went on as he motioned her toward a seat; I guess I can say what Ive got to say, standin up. But you set down, please, Judge.!
She advanced to the side of his desk as he settled back in his chair, and rested one broad flat hand upon the desk top. Three or four heavy, bejewelled bangles that were on her arm slipped down her gloved wrist with a clinking sound. Her voice was coarsened and flat; it was more like a mans voice than a womans, and she spoke with a masculine directness.
There was a girl died at my house early this mornin, she told him. She died about a quarter past four oclock. She had something like pneumonia. She hadnt been sick but two days; she wasnt very strong to start with anyhow. Viola St. Claire was the name she went by here. I dont know what her real name was she never told anybody what it was. She wasnt much of a hand to talk about herself. She must have been nice people though, because she was always nice and ladylike, no matter what happened. From what I gathered off and on, she came here from some little town down near Memphis. I certainly liked that girl. Shed been with me nearly ten months. She wasnt more than nineteen years old.
Well, all day yestiddy she was out of her head with a high fever. But just before she died she come to and her mind cleared up. The doctor was gone old Doctor Lake. Hed done all he could for her and he left for his home about midnight, leavin word that he was to be called if there was any change. Only there wasnt time to call him; it all came so sudden.
I was settin by her when she opened her eyes and whispered, sort of gaspin, and called me by my name. Well, you could a knocked me down with a feather. From the time she started sinkin nobody thought shed ever get her senses back. She called me, and I leaned over her and asked her what it was she wanted, and she told me. She knew she was dyin. She told me shed been raised right, which I knew already without her tellin me, and she said shed been a Christian girl before she made her big mistake. And she told me she wanted to be buried like a Christian, from a regular church, with a sermon and flowers and music and all that. She made me promise that Id see it was done just that way. She made me put my hand in her hand and promise her. She shut her eyes then, like she was satisfied, and in a minute or two after that she died, still holdin on tight to my hand. There wasnt nobody else there just me and her and it was about a quarter past four oclock in the mornin.
Well, maam, Im very sorry for that poor child. I am so, said Judge Priest, and his tone showed he meant it; yit still I dont understand your purpose in comin to me, without you need money to bury her. His hand went toward his flank, where he kept his wallet.
Keep your hand out of your pocket, please, sir, said the woman. I aint callin on anybody for help in a money way. Thats all been attended to. I telephoned the undertaker the first thing this mornin.
Its something else I wanted to speak with you about. Well, I didnt hardly wait to get my breakfast down before I started off to keep my word to Viola. And Ive been on the constant go ever since. Ive rid miles on the street cars, and Ive walked afoot until the bottoms of my feet both feel like boils right this minute, tryin to find somebody that was fitten to preach a sermon over that dead girl.
First I made the rounds of the preachers of all the big churches. Doctor Cavendar was my first choice; from what Ive heard said about him hes a mighty good man. But he aint in town. His wife told me hed gone off to district conference, whatever that is. So then I went to all the others, one by one. I even went way up on Alabama Street to that there little mission church in the old Acme rink. The old man that runs the mission I forget his name he does a heap of work among poor people and down-and-out people, and I guess he mightve said yes, only hes right bad off himself. Hes sick in bed.
She laughed mirthlessly.
Oh, I went everywhere, I went to all of em. There was one or two acted like they was afraid I might soil their clothes if I got too close to em. They kept me standin in the doors of their studies so as they could talk back to me from a safe distance. Some of the others, though, asked me inside and treated me decent. But they every last one of em said no.
Do you mean to tell me that not a single minister in this whole city is willin to hold a service over that dead girl? Judge Priest shrilled at her with vehement astonishment and something else in his voice.
No, no, not that, the woman made haste to explain. There wasnt a single one of em but said hed come to my house and conduct the exercises. They was all willin enough to go to the grave too. But you see that wouldnt do. I explained to em, until I almost lost my voice, that it had to be a funeral in a regular church, with flowers and music and all. That poor girl got it into her mind somehow, I think, that shed have a better chance in the next world if she went out of this one like a Christian should ought to go. I explained all that to em, and from explainin I took to arguin with em, and then to pleadin and beggin. I bemeaned myself before them preachers. I was actually ready to go down on my knees before em.
Oh, I told em the full circumstances. I told em I just had to keep my promise. Im afraid not to keep it. Ive lived my own life in my own way and I guess Ive got a lot of things to answer for. I aint worryin about that now. But you dont dare to break a promise thats made to the dyin. They come back and hant you. Ive always heard that and I know its true.