She broke off and whirled around wild.eyed seeming to listen for something. I started to say I wanted to get my hands on the fella, too, because just why the heck had he done this anyway? Rose told me to shut my goddam mouth.

“Now, honey,” I said. “That ain’t no way to talk. We got to be calm and—”

“There!” she yelled, pointing. “There he is! That’s the son-of-a-bitch that did it!”

She leaped off the porch and started running. Racing up the lane that led from the house to the road. Her naked white body faded into the darkness. I hesitated, wondering if I shouldn’t at beast put my pants on, and then I thought what the heck, and I ran after her.

I couldn’t see whatever Rose had seen. I couldn’t hardly see nothing, it being so dark. But I did hear something—the squeak of wagon wheels and the soft plod-plod of horses’ hooves on the muddy lane.

I kept running. Finally, the squeaking and the plodding stopped and I saw the white of Rose’s body. Then, she was cussing and screaming again, ordering whoever it was to climb down off the wagon.

“Get down, you black bastard! Get down, goddam you! What the hell’s the idea of bringing back that son-of-a-bitch of a husband of mine?”

“Miz Rose. Please, ma’am, Miz Rose. I—” It was the soft, frightened voice of a man.

“I’ll show you, you son-of-a-bitch! I’ll teach you! I’ll peel your black ass right down to the bones!”

She was trying to tear loose a piece of harness strap when I ran up. I jerked her around, and she faced me wild-eyed, pointing shakily to the fella who stood at the side of the wagon.

It was Uncle John, the colored fella I mentioned earlier. He was standing with his hands half-raised, and in the darkness his frightened eyes seemed all whites. He kept them turned away, naturally, because a colored fella could get himself killed for looking at a naked white woman.

“H-He—he did it!” Rose began to bawl. “He brought the son-of-a-bitch back, Nick!”

“Well, now, I’m sure he didn’t mean no harm by it,” I said. “Howdy do, Uncle John. Nice evenin’.”

“Thank you, Mistah Nick. I’s feelin’ tol’able thank you.” His voice shook with fear. “Yes, suh, sho’ is a fine evenin’.”

“You son-of-a-bitch!” Rose yelled. “What’d you bring him back for? Why do you think we got rid of the dirty bastard, anyway?”

“Rose!” I said, “‘Rose!’”, and Uncle John’s eyes rolled in his head and he said, “Please, ma’am, Miz Rose,” and it sounded like a prayer.

He’d already seen a lot, a heck of a lot more than it was healthy to see. He sure didn’t want to hear anything to go with it. Rose slipped away from me again, opening her mouth for another yell, and Uncle John tried to stopper his ears with his fingers. But he knew it was no good. He heard, and he knew that I knew it.