Part Two-15
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He stood ohreshold of a small white room furnished only with an iron bed, a et, and two chairs. On the bed lay the terrible Negro he had met oairs at Singers house. His face was very black against the white, stiff pillows.The dark eyes were hot with hatred but the heavy, bluish lips were posed. His face was motionless as a black mask except for the slow, wide flutters of his nostrils with each breath.
Get out, the Negro said.
Wait------ Jake said helplessly. Why do you say that?’
This is my house.’
Jake could not draw his eyes away from the Negros terrible face. But why?’
You are a white man and a stranger.’
Jake did not leave. He walked with cumbersome caution to
one of the straight white chairs aed himself. The Negro moved his hands on the terpane. His black eyes glittered with fever. Jake watched him. They waited. In the room there was a feeling tense as spiracy or as the deadly quiet before an explosion.
It was long past midnight. The warm, dark air of the spring m swirled the blue layers of smoke in the room. On the floor were crumpled balls of paper and a half-empty bottle of gin. Scattered ashes were gray on the terpane. Doctor Copeland pressed his head tensely into the pillow. He had removed his dressing-gown and the sleeves of his white cotton nightshirt were rolled to the elbow. Jake leaned forward in his chair. His tie was loosened and the collar of his shirt had wilted with sweat Through the hours there had growween them a long, exhausting dialogue. And noause had e.
So the time is ready for------ Jake began.But Doctor Copeland interrupted him. Now it is perhaps necessary that we------ he murmured huskily. Theyhalted. Each looked into the eyes of the other and waited. I beg your pardon, Doctor Copeland said.
Sorry, said Jake. Go on.’
No, you tinue.’
Well------ Jake said. I wont say what I started to say.
Instead well have one last word about the South. The strangled South. The wasted South, The slavish South.’
And the Negro people.’
To steady himself Jake swallowed a long, burning draught from the bottle on the floor beside him. Then deliberately he walked to the et and picked up a small, cheap globe of the world that served as a paperweight. Slowly he turhe sphere in his hands. All I say is this: The world is full of meanness and evil. Huh! Three fourths of this globe is in a state of war or oppression. The liars and fiends are united and the men who know are isolated and without defense. But! But if you was to ask me to point out the most uncivilized area on the face of this globe I would point here------’
Watch sharp, said Doctor Copeland. Youre out in the o.’
Jake turhe globe again and pressed his blunt, grimy thumb on a carefully selected spot. Here. These thirteen
states. I know what Im talking about. I read books and I go around. I been in every damn one of these thirteen states. Ive worked in every one. And the reason I think like I do is this: We live in the richest try in the world. Theres plenty and to spare for no man, woman, or child to be in want. And in addition to this our try was founded on what should have been a great, true principle—the freedom, equality, and rights of eadividual. Huh! And what has e of that start? There are corporations worth billions of dollars—and hundreds of thousands of people who doo eat. And here ihirteen states the exploitation of human beings is so that—that its a thing you got to take in with your own eyes. In my life I seen things that would make a man go cray.
At least ohird of all Southerners live and die er off than the lowest peasant in any European Fasciststate. The average wage of a worker on a tenant farm is only seventy-three dollars per year. And mind you, thats the average! The wages of sharecroppers run from thirty-five to y dollars per person. And thirty-five dollars a year means just about tes for a full days work. Everywhere theres pellagra and hookworm and anaemia. And just plain, pure starvation. But! Jake nibbed his lips with the knuckles of his dirty fist. Sweat stood out on his forehead. But! he repeated.
Those are only the evils you see and touch. The other things are worse. Im talking about the way that the truth has been hidden from the people. The things they have been told so they t see the truth. The poisonous lies. So they arent allowed to know.’
And the Negro, said Doctor Copeland. To uand what is happening to us you have to------’
Jake interrupted him savagely. Who owns the South? Corporations in the North own three fourths of all the South.
They say the old cow grazes all over—in the south, the west, the north, and the east. But shes milked in just one place. Her old teats swing over just one spot when shes full. She grazes everywhere and is milked in New York. Take our ills, our pulp mills, our harness factories, our mattress factories.
The North owns them. And what happens? Jakes mustache
quivered angrily. Heres an example. Locale, a mill village acc to the great paternal system of Ameri industry.
Absentee ownership. In the village is one huge brick mill and maybe four or five hundred shahe houses arent fit for human beings to live in. Moreover, the houses were built to be nothing but slums in the first place. These shanties are nothing but two or maybe three rooms and a privy— built with far less forethought than barns to house cattle. Built with far less attention to han sties for<tt>..t> pigs. For uhis system pigs are valuable and me. You t make pork chops and sausage out of skinny little mill kids. You t sell but half the people these days. But a pig------’
Hold on! said Doctor Copeland. Yetting off on a ta. And besides, yiving no attention to the very separate question of the Negro. I ot get aword in edgeways. We have been over all this before, bat it is impossible to see the full situation without including us Negroes.’
Back to our mill village, Jake said. A young linthead begins w at the fine wage of ebbr></abbr>ight or ten dollars a weeks at such times as he get himself employed. He marries. After the first child the woman must work in the mill also. Their bined wages e to say eighteen dollars a week when they both got work. Huh! They pay a fourth of this for the shack the mill provides them. They buy food and clothes at a pany-owned or domiore. The store overcharges on every item. With three or four younguns they are held down the same as if they had on s. That is the whole principle of serfdom. Yet here in America we call ourselves free. And the funny thing is that this has been drilled into the heads of sharecroppers and lintheads and all the rest so hard that they really believe it. But its taken a hell of a lot of lies to keep them from knowing.’
There is only one way out------ said Doctor Cbpeland.
Two ways. And only two ways. Ohere was a time when this try was expanding. Every man thought he had a ce. Huh! But that period has gone—and gone food.
Less than a hundred corporations have swallowed all but a few leavings. These industries have already sucked the blood
and softehe bones of the people. The old days of expansiohe whole system of capitalistic democracy is—rotten and corrupt. There remains only two roads ahead. One: Fascism. Two: reform of the most revolutionary and perma kind.’
And the Negro. Do not fet the Negro. So far as I and my people are ed the South is Fascist now and always has been.’
Yeah.’
"The Nazis rob the Jews of their legal, eid cultural life. Here the Negro has always been deprived of these. And if wholesale and dramatic robbery of money and goods has not taken place here as in Germany, it is simply because the Negro has never been allowe<bdi></bdi>d to accrue wealth in the first place.’
Thats the system, Jake said.
The Jew and the Negro, said Doctor Copeland bitter-ry. The history of my people will be ensurate with the interminable history of the Jew—only bloodier and more violent. Like a certain species of sea gull. If you capture one of the birds and tie a red string of twine around his leg the rest of the flock will peck him to death.’
Doctor Copeland took off his spectacles and rebound a wire around a broken hihen he polished the lenses on his nightshirt. His hand shook with agitation. Mr. Singer is a Jew.’
No, youre wrong there.’
But I am positive that he is. The name, Singer. I reized his race the first time I saw him. From his eyes. Besides, he told me so.’
Why, he couldnt have, Jake insisted. "Hes pure Anglo-Saxon if I ever saw it. Irish and Anglo-Saxon.’
?But------’
Im certain. Absolutely.’
Very well, said Doctor Copeland. We will not quarrel.’
Outside the dark air had cooled so that there was a chill in the room. It was almost dawn. The early m sky was deep, silky blue and the moon had turned from silver to white. All was still. The only sound was the clear, lonely song of a
spring bird in the darkness outside. Though a faint breeze blew in from the window the air in the room was sour and close. There was a feeling both of tenseness and exhaustion.
Doctor Copeland leaned forward from the pillow. His eyes were bloodshot and his hands clutched the terpahe neck of his nightshirt had slipped down over his bony shoulder. Jakes heels were balanced on the rungs of his chair and his giant hands folded between his knees in a waiting and childlike attitude. Deep black circles were beh his eyes, his hair was u. They looked at each other and waited.
As the silence grew lohe tenseness between them became more strained.
At last Doctor Copeland cleared his throat and said: I am certain you did not e here for nothing. I am sure we have not discussed these subjects all through the night to no purpose. We have talked of everything now except the most vital subject of all—the way out. What must be done.’
They still watched each other and waited. In the face ofeach there was expectation. Doctor Copeland sat bolt upright against the pillows. Jake rested his in his hand and leaned forward. The pause tinued. And theantly they began to speak at the same time.
Excuse me, Jake said. Go ahead.’
No, you. You started first.’
Go on.’
Pshaw! said Doctor Copeland. tinue.’
Jake stared at him with clouded, mystical eyes. Its this way.
This is how I see it. The only solution is for the people to know. Ohe<s>９９lｉb?</s>y know the truth they be oppressed no longer. Once just half of them know the whole fight is won.’
Yes, ohey uand the ws of this society. But how do you propose to tell them?’
Listen, Jake said. Think about letters. If one person sends a letter to ten people and then each of the ten people sends letters to ten more—you get it? He faltered. Not that I write letters, but the idea is the same. I just go around telling.
And if iown I show the truth to just ten of the dont-knows, then I feel like some good has been done. See?’
Doctor Copeland looked at Jake in surprise. Then he snorted.
Do not be childish! You ot just go about talking. letters indeed! Knows and dont-knows!’
Jakes lips trembled and his brow lowered with quiger.
O.K. What have you got to offer?’
I will say first that I used to feel somewhat as you do on this question. But I have learned what a mistake that attitude is.
For half a tury I thought it wise to be patient.’
I didnt say be patient.’
In the face of brutality I rudent. Before injustice I held my peace. I sacrificed the things in hand for the good of the hypothetical whole. I believed iongue instead of the fist.
As an armainst oppression I taught patiend faith in the human soul. I kno wrong I was. I have been a traitor to myself and to my people. All that is rot. Now is the time to ad to act quickly. Fight ing with ing and might with might’
But how? Jake asked. How?’
Why, by getting out and doing things. By callingcrowds of people together aing them to demonstrate.’
Huh! That last phrase gives you away— "getting them to demonstrate." What good will it do if you get them to demonstrate against a thing if they dont know. Youre trying to stuff the hog by way of his ass.’
Such vulgar expressions annoy me, Doctor Copeland said prudishly.
For Christ sake! I dont care if they annoy you or not’
Doctor Copeland held up his hand. Let us not get so overheated, he said. Let us attempt to see eye to eye with each other.’
Suits me. I dont want to fight with you.’
They were silent. Doctor Copeland moved his eyes from one er of the ceiling to the other. Several times he wet his lips to speak and each time the word remained half-formed and silent in his mouth. Then at last he said: My advice to you is this. Do not attempt to stand alone.’
But------’
But, nothing, said Doctor Copeland didactically. "The most fatal thing a man do is try to stand alone.’
I see what yetting at.’
Doctor Copeland pulled the neck of his nightshirt up over his bony shoulder and held it gathered tight to his throat. You believe iruggle of my people for their human rights?’
The Ditation and his mild and husky question made Jakes eyes brim suddenly with tears. A quick, swollen rush of love caused him to grasp the black, bony hand on the terpane and hold it fast. Sure, he said.
"The extremity of our need?’
Yes.’
"The lack of justice? The bitter inequality?’
Doctor Copeland coughed and spat into one of the squares of paper which he kept beh his pillow. I have a program. It is a very simple, trated plan. I mean to focus on only one objective. In August of this year I plan to lead more thahousand Negroes in this ty on a march. A march to Washington. All of us together in one solid body. If you will look in the et yonder you will see a stack of letters which I have writtenthis week and will deliver personally. Doctor Copeland slid his nervous hands up and down the sides of the narrow bed.
You remember what I said to you a short while ago? You will recall that my only advice to you was: Do not attempt to stand alone.’
I get it, Jake said.
*But once you ehis it must be all. First and foremost.
Your work now and forever. You must give of your whole self without stint, without hope of personal return, without rest or hope of rest.’
For the rights of the Negro in the South.’
In the South and here in this very ty. And it must be either all or nothiher yes or no.’
Doctor Copeland leaned ba the pillow. Only his eyes seemed alive. They burned in his face like red coals. The fever made his cheekbones a ghastly purple. Jake scowled and pressed his knuckles to his soft, wide, trembling mouth. Color rushed to his face. Outside the first pale light of m had e. The electric bulb suspended from the ceiling burned with ugly sharpness in the dawn.
Jake rose to his feet and stood stiffly at the foot of the bed. He
said flatly: No. Thats not the right a all. Im dead sure its not. In the first place, youd never get out of town. Theyd break it up by saying its a me<q>.</q>o public health—or some such trumped-up reason. Theyd arrest you and nothing would e of it. But even if by some miracle you got to Washington it wouldnt do a bit of good. Why, the whole notion is crazy.’
The sharp rattle of phlegm sounded in Doctor Cope-lands throat. His voice was harsh. As you are so quick to sneer and n, what do you have to offer instead?’
I didnt sneer, Jake said. I only remarked that your plan is crazy. I e here tonight with an idea much better than that. I wanted your son, Willie, and the other two boys to let me push them around in a wagon. They were to tell what happeo them and afterward I was to tell why. In other words, I was to give a talk on the dialectics of capitalism—and show up all of its lies. I would explain so that everyone would uand why those boys legs were cut off. And make everyone who saw them know.’
Pshaw! Double pshaw! said Doctor Copeland furious-ly. do not believe you have good sense. If I were a man who felt it worth my while to laugh I would surely laugh at that.
Never have I had the opportunity to hear of suonsense first hand.’
They stared at each other in bitter disappoi and anger.
There was the rattle of a wagon ireet outside. Jake swallowed and bit his lips. Huh! he said finally. Youre the only one whos crazy. You got everythily backward.
The only way to solve the Negro problem under capitalism is to geld every one of the fifteen million black men in these states.’
So that is the kind of idea you harbor beh your ranting about justice.’
I didnt say it should be done. I only said you couldhe forest for the trees. Jake spoke with sloainful care.
The work has to start at the bottom. The old traditions smashed and the new ones created. Te a whole new pattern for the world. To make man a social creature for the
first time, living in an orderly and trolled society where he is not forced to be unjust in order to survive. A social tradition in which------’
Doctor Copeland clapped ironically. Very good, he said. But the ust be picked before the cloth is made. You and your crackpot do-nothing theories ------’
Hush! Who cares whether you and your thousand Negroes straggle up to that stinking cesspool of a place called Washington? What difference does it make? What do a few people matter—a few thousand people, black, white, good or bad? When the whole of our society is built on a foundation of black lies.’
Everything! Doctor Copeland panted. Everything! Everything！
Nothing!’
"The soul of the mea and most evil of us on this earth is worth more in the sight of justice than------’
Oh, the Hell with it! Jake said. Balls!’
Blasphemer! screamed Doctor Copeland. Foul blasphemer!’
Jake shook the iron bars of the bed. The vein in his forehead swelled to the point of bursting and his face was dark with rage. Short-sighted bigot!White------ Doctor Copelands voice failed him. Hestruggled and no sound would e. At last he was able t forth a choked whisper: Fiend.’
The bright yellow m was at the window. Doctor Copelands head fell ba the pillow. His wisted at a broken angle, a fleck of bloody foam on his lips. Jake looked at him once before, sobbing with violence, he rushed headlong from the room.
N<ow she could not stay in the inside room. She had to be around somebody all the time. Doing something every minute. And if she was by herself she ted ured with numbers. She ted all the roses on the living-room aper. She figured out the cubic area of the whole house. She ted every blade of grass in the back yard and every leaf on a
certain bush. Because if she did not have her mind on his terrible afraidness came in her. She would be walking home from school on these May afternoons and suddenly she would have to think of something quick. A good thing—very good. Maybe she would think about a phrase of hurrying jazz music. Or that a bowl of jello would be in the refrigerator whe home. Or plan to smoke a cigarette behind the coal house. Maybe she would try to think a long way ahead to the time when she would go north and see snow, or even travel somewhere in a fn land. But these thoughts about good things wouldnt last. The jello was gone in five minutes and the cigarette smoked. Then what was there after that? And the numbers mixed themselves up in her brain. And the snow and the fn land were a long, long time away. Then what was there？
Just Mister Singer. She wao follow him everywhere. In the m she would watch him go down the front steps to work and then follow along a half a block behind him. Every afternoon as soon as school was over she hung around at the er he store where he worked. At four oclock he went out to drink a Coca-Cola. She watched him cross the street and go into the drugstore and finally e out again.
She followed him home fromwork and sometimes even wheook walks. She always followed a long way behind him. And he did not know.
She would go up to see him in his room. First she scrubbed her fad hands and put some vanilla on the front of her dress. She only went to visit him twice a week now, because she didnt want him to get tired of her. Most always he would be sitting over the queer, pretty chess game when she opehe door. And then she was with him.
Mister Singer, have you ever lived in a place where it snowed in the wiime?’
He tilted his chair back against the wall and nodded.
In some different try than this one—in a fn place?’
He nodded yes again and wrote on his pad with his silver pencil. Once he had traveled to Ontario, ada—across the river from Detroit ada was so far up north that the white
snow drifted up to the roofs of the houses. That was where the Quints were and the St. Lawrence River. The people ran up and dowreets speaking French to each other. And far up in the north there were deep forests and white ice igloos.
The arctic region with the beautiful northern lights.
"When you was in ada did you go out a any fresh snow a it with cream and sugar? Once I read where it was mighty good to eat that way.’
He turned his head to one side because he didnt uand.
She couldnt ask the question again because suddenly it sounded silly. She only looked at him and waited. A big, black shadow of his head was on the wall behind him. The electri cooled the thick, hot air. All was quiet. It was like they waited to tell each other things that had never been told before. What she had to say was terrible and afraid. But what he would tell her was so true that it would make everything all right. Maybe it was a thing that could not be spoken with words or writing. Maybe he would have to let her uand this in a different way. That was the feeling she had with him.
I was just asking you about ada—but it didnt amount to anything, Mister Singer.’
Downstairs in the home rooms there lenty of trouble.
Etta was still so sick that she couldnt sleepcrowded three in a bed. The shades were drawn and the dark room smelled bad with a sick smell. Ettas job was gone, and that mea dollars less a week besides the doctors bill.
Then one day when Ralph was walking around i he burned himself o kit stove. The bandages made his hands itd somebody had to watch him all the time else he would bust the blisters. On Gees birthday they had bought him a little red bike with a bell and a basket on the handlebars. Everybody had chipped in to give it to him. But whea lost her job they couldnt pay, and after two installments were past due the store sent a man out to take the wheel away. Gee just watched the man roll the bike off the porch, and when he passed Gee kicked the back fender and the into the coal house and shut the door.
It was money, money, money all the time. They owed to the grocery and they owed the last payment on some furniture.
And now sihey had lost the house they owed mohere too. The six rooms in the house were always taken, but nobody ever paid the rent on time.
For a while their Dad went over every day to hunt another job.
He couldnt do carpenter work any more because it made him jittery to be more than te off the ground. He applied for many jobs but nobody would hire him. Then at last he got this notion.
Its advertising, Mick, he said. Tve e to the clusion thats all in the world the matter with my watch-repairing business right now. I got to sell myself. I got to get out a people know I fix watches, and fix them good and cheap.
You just mark my words. Fm going to build up this business so Ill be able to make a good living for this family the rest of my life. Just by advertising.’
He brought home a dozes of tin and some red paint. For the week he was very busy. It seemed to him like this was a hell of a good idea. The signs were all over the floor of the front room. He got down on his hands and knees and took great care over the printing of each letter. As he worked he whistled and wagged his head. He hadnt been so cheerful and glad in months. Every now and then he would have to dress in his good suit and go around the er flass of beer to calm himself. On the signs at first he had: Wilbur KellyWatch RepairingVery Cheap and Expert*Mick, I want them to hit yht bang in the eye. To stand out wherever you see them.’
She helped him and he gave her three nickels. The signs were O.K. at first. Then he worked on them so much that they were ruined. He wao add more and more things —in the ers and at the top and bottom. Before he had fihe signs were plastered all over with Very Cheap and e At Ond You Give Me Any Watd I Make It Run.’
You tried to write so mu the signs that nobody will read anything, she told him.
He brought home some more tin ahe designing up to her. She paihem very plain, with great big block letters
and a picture of a clock. Soon he had a whole stack of them. A fellow he knew rode him out in the try where he could nail them to trees and fes. At both ends of the block he put up a sign with a black hand pointing toward the house.
And over the front door there was ann.
百度搜索 The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter 天涯 或 The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter 天涯在线书库 即可找到本书最新章节.