The Forged Note: A Romance of the Darker RacesMicheaux, Oscar
General
The Forged Note: A Romance of the Darker Races
Micheaux, Oscar
African Americans -- Fiction
The following Saturday night, Legs came to the room, caught Wyeth half
asleep, and borrowed a dollar. With this, he went for a joy ride, and
got drunk into the bargain. Wyeth didn't realize that he had loaned him
a dollar, until the other was whizzing down the street in the car. And
then he was angry with himself. This disturbed him until sleep was
impossible, so, rising, he betook himself to the porch. As he thought it
over, he became more angry with himself than ever, because he knew Legs
had borrowed it for the sole purpose of getting drunk and joy riding.
While he was getting over it in the soft night air, the Mis' told him
Legs had got paid that day, and, with the exception of what he paid her,
he had lost the remainder of his two weeks' wage in a game. That made
him more angry, and, in seeking a diversion, he rose, and out of
curiosity, he decided to pay Murphy's den a visit.
Murphy had a good crowd that night--he usually did on Saturday. In a
room that was near the middle of the apartment, surrounded by a crowd of
Negroes, stood a table over which was spread a green cloth. At one side
of the table sat Moore, and he called the points and fished the cuts;
while in another room to the rear of this, with doors open, stood a
large refrigerator. This, Wyeth surmised, was where the liquor was kept.
It was, for, as he was looking, Murphy approached it, opened it, took
therefrom several bottles of beer, and served it to the many gamesters
who were working hard, and perspiring freely.
The green cloth, which at one time had decorated a pool table, was, as
he now observed, employed to deaden the sound of the rolling dice, that
slid over it from some perspiring palm. Not any large amount was upon
the table; but many one dollar bills could be seen in the palms of the
gamesters. Another roomer downstairs, and who read a great deal, was on
hand and shot craps too. This was something of a surprise, since he was
apparently very intelligent; but, as Wyeth learned later, literary
training did not make them ignore the game by any means. As he stood
watching, the dice passed to Glenview, the intelligent roomer. He made a
point, and then threw seven before he came back to it. The winners
picked up the money. Wyeth was relieved to see the dice pass to another
Negro, who had been fidgeting about impatiently. He caught them up, and
blew his breath on them, as they were held in his palm, before throwing
them before him across the table. Wyeth advanced closer as the game
became more excited. Glenview had thrown the dice, much as Wyeth had
observed the white people did back in the _Rosebud Country_--for they
shot craps there as well. But now, with a "clea' dy way, I'm a comin',"
he let them roll.
"Throwed eight!" cried Moore.
"Eight I throwed! Now dice, do it again!"
"T' click-i-lick-lick-lick, 'ah eight!"
"Throw-e-d ten!"
"Haf 'e cain' hit!"
"Ah got yu!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account