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"Howdy, come in; take that chair over there. I
ain't feelin so guod.' I3va Klutz sighed as she seated
herself LI tie only other chair in the room.
"What's the trouble, Eva? Henry on the gang again?"
"No, as it happens, he ain't, but there's where he
ought to be. Here I pot three of his younguns to support
and him off livin' wid another woman. I ain't seed him in
a lon time and I hopes I don't ever see him igain. NO,
Ilse worried about my work. I works in the lunch room when
school on, and this summer I been on the garden
project, but I been laid off for thirty days. I'm scared
I can't get back on. Ye and the younguns gets alon purt,
good when I gets work. Henry never did hel none; all he
did was lay round and eat up what I made.
"I got to stir my beans,/ Eva said, 7ald shuffled
acroEs the saggin7 floor toward the lean-to kitchen,
followed by the thre children.
"If I was you, Eva/I'd divorce Henry and get me a
man that would work."
"What'm I gonna divorce him with, my fist? I got
no money. It takes all I get to live. I owe four dollars
rent now.'Sides my fligion is against it. I's a methodist,
I belong to the M.E.Zion Church. My mammy raised us up
to be good and obey the Bible. I tries mighty hard to do it.
But that trifling nigger tries my patience.
"I's born in Maiden County and raised on the farm.
I'm twenty nine years old. I'd rather live on a farm if
I could make a living. I been living here most ever since
I been married. I like it here; it's close to the church
and school too. I went as far as the ninth prade myself.
If I have good luck and can work I want my children to
go further than that. I note have to go out and work by
the day 'fore this W.P.A. come along. I like it only I
made such a little, fifty cents for a big washing. That
means a day's work for me. Time I gets up nnd tends to my
children, gets breakfast, and walks to town, it pushes me
to put up a big washing, and get home by four o'clock.
Some people say that f President Roosevelt goes out, the
W.P.A. work will stop. I don't know if that's so or not.
If it is I guess we'll all starve. There just ain't
enough work to go 'round." Eva was a picture of woe as
she sat, chin resting in her cupped hand. The blue uniform
she wore was dirty, her shoes were untied and rum over at
the heels.
There was a rap at the door and 7va said, "Come in,"
without moving. A tall neat looking negress of about
forty entered.
"I brought you over a little salad," the visitor said,
as she handed Eva a plate covered with a paper napkin. Loma
Hines was a well -shaped yi, wore a freshly laundered
print dress, and had her, done up in little rolls all over
her head. "I can't stay but a minuto,"she said, "I'm busy
this time of the year. What with the canning, cooking,
washing and ironing, it keeps me on the go. Are you coming
over to the church tonight, Etre?*
"Oh, I don't know, I might and then I mightn't."
"We're going to have a big meeting at our church,"
Loma explained to me. "I'm going to have the preachers for
supper; got my chickens all dressed and my cake baked. I
hope you will come, Eva." Loma, the picture of health and
happiness, departed; while Eva slumped again.
I reminded her that she was rid of Henry, had good
health, and would probably get her job back. "Dat's
she said, and stood pp.
"I guess the best thing to do is just forget every-
thing. I got lots of work to do around here, guess I'll
get at it end get it done. When my job opens up again I'll
be ready for it. I ain't done with that story though. Like
I told you, my may raised us up to do right. She made
us go to preaching and sunday school. Guess I ain't been
doing it. That trifling man of mine has just aggravated
so,"
me so I ain't oared for nothing. I see now I got lots of
blessings. I ain't cared how this old house looks. I's
gonna clean it up and make a new start. Rey there Onex„
where you at?"
A little ragged boy appeared from the kitchen lickin,
his fingers. "Onex, what you been up to? You been tasting
that salad?" Onex hung his head. "Stir yourself, you and
Connie get me a tub of water. I'm going to heat it and
get to work."
The two children went out. "And you Rastus, I'm going
to gist, you a job pulling up weeds. We're gonna clean up
this whole place. Tonight we will all go to preaching."
Rva's whole appearance had changed. The look of woe had
left her face. In its plume was on of determination, as
she and the children lost themselves in their work.