J. Poindexter, ColoredCobb, Irvin S. (Irvin Shrewsbury)
General
J. Poindexter, Colored
Cobb, Irvin S. (Irvin Shrewsbury)
African Americans -- Fiction; New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction
This Mr. Bellows which came with Mr. Raynor he don't detain my attention
much. If he wasn't there you wouldn't scarcely miss him; and when he is
there you don't scarcely observe him. He makes me think of a neat
haircut and nothing else. You just appreciate him being present and
that's all. But I studies Mr. Raynor every chance I gets, the more
especially because he's the one which is more or less responsible for us
having come North. He's very cheering in his ways; laughing and
whooping out loud at everything and poking fun and telling Mr. Dallas
that he must be good friends with Mr. Bellows and the three ladies
because they is all four of 'em his friends. But I takes note that when
he laughs he don't laugh with his eyes but only with his mouth, and when
he sort of smiles to himself, quiet-like, it puts me in mind of a man
drawing a knife. I can't keep from having a kind of a feeling when I
looks at him!
Well, they imbibes up all the cocktails that I has waiting for them and
a batch more which I makes by request and then they packs up a couple of
bottles--one Scotch and one Bourbon--to take along with 'em for to
refresh themselves with at the road-house and off they puts. And the
last thing I hears as they goes down the hall is Mr. Raynor still
laughing from off the top of his palates and the sickly one, Miss
DeWitt's necklaces and things all jingling like a road-gang. Mr. Dallas
he calls back to me from the elevator that I needn't wait up for him
because it is liable to be pretty late when he gets in. But it's a good
thing I does wait up, dozing off and on between times, because when he
arrives back, along about half past three in the morning, he certainly
does need my assistance getting his clothes off of him. Not since Dryness
come in has I seen a young white gentleman more thoroughly overtaken than
what he is. And we got a-plenty vigorous drinkers down our way, too! And
always did have!
So then I goes to bed myself and that's the end of our first day. And
the following day, which it was yesterday, is the day I gets lost.
Which I will tell about that, next.
FOOTNOTE:
[2] Note.--It is believed that Jeff meant "transient."
Chapter IV
_Harlem Heights_
Well, in the morning I arranges a snack of nuturious breakfast on a tray
and takes it in to Mr. Dallas. But he ain't craving nothing solid to
eat. He's just craving to lay still and favor his headache. Soon as he
opens his eyes he starts in groaning like he's done got far behind with
his groaning and is striving for to catch up. And I knows he must a-felt
powerful good last night to be feeling so bad this morning. Misery may
love company, as some say it do, but I takes notice that very often she
don't arrive till after the company is gone.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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