“And, man, I felt bad. You know how long and how hard it took to get on WPA. Many a good man lost his woman in them dark days when that stuff about ‘I can’t give you anything but love’ didn’t go far. Now it looks like love is all I am going to have to share again. Do you reckon depression days is coming back?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I am not a sociologist.”

“You’s colleged,” said Simple. “Anyhow, it looks like every time I gets a little start, something happens. I was doing right well pulling down that fine defense check all during the war, then all of a sudden the war had to jump up and end!”

“If you wanted the war to continue just on your account, you are certainly looking at things from a selfish viewpoint.”

“Selfish!” said Simple. “You may think I am selfish when the facts is I am just hongry if I didn’t have a job. It looks like in peace time nobody works as much or gets paid as much as in a war. Is that clear?”

“Clear, but not right,” I said.

“Of course, it’s not right to be out of work and hongry,” said Simple, “just like it’s not right to want to fight. That’s why I prayed my prayer. I prayed for white folks, too, even though a lot of them don’t believe in religion. If they did, they couldn’t act the way they do.

“Last Sunday morning when I was laying in bed drowsing and resting, I turned on the radio on my dresser and got a church—by accident. I was trying to get the Duke on records, but I turned into the wrong station. I got some white man preaching a sermon. He was talking about peace on earth, good will to men, and all such things, and he said Christ was born to bring this peace he was talking about. He said mankind has sinned! But that we have got to get ready for the Second Coming of Christ—because Christ will be back! That is what started me to wondering.”

“Wondering what?” I asked.

“Wondering what all these prejudiced white folks would do if Christ did come back. I always thought Christ believed in folks’ treating people right.”

“He did,” I said.

“Well, if He did,” said Simple, “what will all these white folks do who believe in Jim Crow? Jesus said, ‘Love one another,’ didn’t He? But they don’t love me, do they?”

“Some do not,” I said.

“Jesus said, ‘Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.’ But they don’t do that way unto me, do they?”

“I suppose not,” I said.