J. Poindexter, ColoredCobb, Irvin S. (Irvin Shrewsbury)
General
J. Poindexter, Colored
Cobb, Irvin S. (Irvin Shrewsbury)
African Americans -- Fiction; New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction
_Pistol Plays_
I has fully half an hour to wait and I puts it in going over the
program, as it has already done been mapped out, just to make absolute
sure nothing ain't been left out. There's one switch in the plans, which
I decides to make it right at the last minute, mighty near it. This here
decision is that I'll shove things along powerful brisk once we gets
going good and under way; which naturally this means I've got to change
my Riverside Drive system. But circumstances alters cases and what's
side-meat for one is cold poison for another. The way I looks at it, it
all depends on the anigosity[4] of the occasion.
Now, with the lady, the best scheme, seemed like to me, was not to crowd
the mourners, as the saying is, but just to lazy along in a weaving way,
letting the specifications sink into her one by one and thereby thus
giving her time to brood over each separate point as it come forth. But
with him I figures the best plan is the quick-rushing plan. I figures
I've got to take him short from the go-off and keep on shocking him so
fast and so hard with promises of devastations that he won't have time
to catch up with his thinking, and then at the proper time dash the
mainest jolt of all right _bang_ in his face.
But before that proper minute comes he's got to be rightly prepared in
his mind for it. He's got to be hearing mournful music and muffled drums
beating in his ears. He's got to feel an icy cold breath blowing on his
overhet temples. He's got to have a raging fever in his forehead, but a
heavy frost congealing his feet. And most of all he's got to have a sad
picture dancing before his eyes of from six to twelve of his most
intimate friends getting measured for white gloves. Just let them things
come to pass, sort of simultaneous, and it's sure going to be a case of
Sukey, bar the door, with our gentleman friend!
Leastwise, that is the way I organizes it in my head whilst I'm setting
in that there little hall of ours waiting watchfully. Before a great
while I hears one of the elevators stopping at our floor and I hears
slinky kitty-cat steps coming along towards our door. So I knows that
must be him and I gets back and sort of squats in the side passage
leading off into the service wing, so I can come slipping out like as if
I was in a hurry to meet him as he come in, but had been detained.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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