bg cFenire Pacheico
 :W1 V, I'" (Continued from page 22) care if they burn your house
 iii : e down, but mine'll go with it!"
 SI choose a career in medicine. Sam turned the key, but the
 ~ii So it was that on a stormy sodden door remained stuck
 late August afternoon, Ferdie for a moment and he had to
 would stumble on the thresh- put his shoulde to the door
 old of a great mystery, and to open it.
 would live to~remember the The man was getting more
 Safternoon for the rest of his and more agitated as Sam ig-
 days. nored him. He was now drink-
 Dark clouds had been blow- ing and trying to crawl over
 ing in from the. Gulf, and the Sam's picket fence.
 waves on the Bay were batter- "Dumb nigger! Own a piano
 1 ing the Bayshore Boulevard and cain't play it. Has a wife
 spume over the Ford truck. gonna bring a white boy here
 The little truck swayed in the what's gonna bring the Klan to
 strong wind and Sam was hav- fry his ass."
 ing a hard time keeping if from For the first time since
 hitting the curb. Other cars he had been coming here Fer-
 Sof the Boulevard, sthe d oerusidet die felt fear. He had never been
 and helpless as the water in in the presence of such hostil-
 ,the road grew deeper and crept ity, had never seen grown men
 over their running boards. It fight.
 was well past four o'clock when The man was tangled up-
 Sam pulled up in front.of his in the picket fence, and in his
 house. Carefully he puton his exasperation. he drew out a
 black, oi skin rain gear, took razor and opened, it. It looked
 his rimless glasses off, folding long and coldand evil.
 them as he placed them in his "What I gotta do Sam, cut
 /' "pocket. The boydid the.same, you to keep that boy outta
 C'Ce "loving every minute of walk- here, or do I gotta cut the
 ig in the rain with rain gear boy?,
 When Idie, bury me in Edwins Clapp shoes. protecting him. He had never For the first time Sam re-
 die bur ii Ewn l hhad rain gear before. Rain was acted. First he gently pushed
 either an occasion for a frolic in the boy inside, then he tumed
 the back yard with old clothes to the man and spoke ina low
 on, or a moment ofdiscomfort voice, clear and distinct, but
 when he had to walk home ladened-with menace.
 from school in the rain. "You're drunk Snow, so
 The wind battered Sam's I'll let this pass this once.
 house, the screen door banging But from this day on,- if. you
 rhythmically, and the two rock- so much as look my way 0r
 ing chairs rocking as if they Leona's way, or this boys way,
 held two ghosts. Sam's face there isn't any place far enough
 showed a moment of perplexity to run, no hole deep enough to
 as he tumed the chairs around hide m, .that I won't find you
 and leaned them on the front and kill you.
 wall. He stopped the door and The air seemed to come
 held it motionless with his foot out of the man. He released his
 while he fumbled in his pocket grasp on the pickets and he fell
 for the keys. backward into a pool of muddy
 Ferdie was shocked to hear water. Sam entered the front
 a loud angry voice from the room and latched the screen
 fence, yelling above the wind. door, then closed the wooden
 "Sam, you dumb nigger. I door behind him.
 tole you to quit bringing that aI'm sorry if he scared you,
 Cohenwhite kid to this neighborhood. Master Ferdie. Snow is not in-
 201You gonna get us kilt by the herently a bad man, but drink
 Klan." changes him into a monster."
 Sam continued to fumble in Sam went to the kitchen
 his pockets for the key not giv- to look for Leona. Obviously
 M ing any attention to the bois- she was not at home, but still
 terous man at the fence. something might have hap-
 TThe Klan will come one penedto her.
 night and put a cross on your Ferdie leaned against the
 >u lawn." He took a long pull from gleaming grand piano. He felt
 ady free witten n nfmuoun aboiut ou ru d a whiskey bottle. "Now, I don't (Continued on page 24)







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