Hit’s de night er all nights. Hit’s de boy babe wif ’em dat I wants de fineness fer. PEARL That’s right, the baby. I keeps fohgittin’ hit. I’ll change’m. I’ll git the linum sheets on an’ then I’ll lay the big covehled. [_She draws coverlid off, hauls box from under the bed, and opening it takes out bed clothes and remakes the bed._] You’n me’ll have to lay in the broke baid this night. You won’t git no rest. GRANNY No matteh, heah’s a good baid fer de babe an’ I’ll soon git all my res’. PEARL I hope’s Sapphie’s husband aint too hefty, for the th’ee might break this heah’n same as the otheh’n is broke. GRANNY De husban’ shain’t sleep da nohow. You c’n lay him a bunk in de wash house. PEARL What! You aint goin’ to leave him lay heah? GRANNY Dis baid my Sam bought fo’ me. Onliest man kin eveh lay in hit shill be Sam’s own blood. De babe an’ his motheh’ll lay heah dis night erlone. PEARL Well, the babe’ll have plenty room and softness. GRANNY W’en my Sam wuz er babe we laid on cotton sack. We didn’ have no baid, an’ w’en he little shaveh he say, “Mammy, I goin’ git you nice baid w’en I git er man.” An’ sho’ nuff, w’en he grow up he took ’n do hit, an’ he mek pu’chus in de attehnoon an’ de baid come nex’ day. But at midnight betwix’ dee tuk ’n bu’nt ’im. PEARL Now, Granny— GRANNY In de black dahk dee come on ’im, de bloody-handed mens, an’ wheah dee cotch ’im dah dee bu’nt ’im, de right man settin’ de wrong man afieh at de i’un hitchin’ pos’. PEARL [_Going to her._] Granny Maumee, don’t leave yo’self go that away. Don’t leave youah mine run on. GRANNY [_Rocking back and forth._] My Sam, my man babe-um. PEARL Hit git you all wuk up an’ wore out. You won’t look good to company. GRANNY Look! Has I looked fo’ fifty yeah sence I rush in de fieh fo’ my Sam, which hit de las’ sight deze eyes seen? Oh, whuffo’ dee drag me out an’ hilt me back? I bo’ one man an’ him dee tuk’n bu’nt. An’ ’e slep’ right’n dis room w’en de man wuz shot w’ich dee ’cuze ’im er! Whuffo’ dee drag me back f’um de fieh? PEARL I sees the wisdom of Gawd in hit, Granny Maumee. Fifty yeahs ergo me and Sapphie’s granpap been burnt and yet you was to live to git a new Sam. GRANNY W’ich ’e neveh come. Dee wuz all gals fum dat on, you an’ yo’ sisteh Sapphie an’ yo’ mammy an’ yo’ mammy’s mammy, all down from my breas’: all gals. PEARL You fuhgits what Sapphie’s fetchin’ you. GRANNY Dat I don’t, but not twell I sees ’im will Sam be cool off in my heaht. PEARL Granny, you can nurse the child but course you cain’t espect to see him. GRANNY Deze eyes shill yit behole— PEARL No, Granny Maumee, your eyes they’re scorched and swiveled with the fire. But your arms ain’t burnt, is they? An’ they shall hold the baby! Tain’t often old person live to heft a great-great-gran’baby. GRANNY Befo’ my las’ houah deze eyes shill look an’ see ergin. [_She rises._] PEARL Wheah you goin’? GRANNY Has you lay out my raid gown? PEARL