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
"Ugh! Yes, yes. It's lak dis--so 'e said. 'E was down t' a s'loon 'n'
got t' argin' wid annuder nigga. 'N so den, dis udder nigga done 'posed
on 'im; 'n' den dey got t' squabblin' 'n' d' p'lice dey runs in on'm 'n'
line'm up. So d' wagin come 'long 'n' hurried 'm up t' jail. So, a'cose,
Jedge Douglass 'e 'poses a big fine on'm and dey is jes' waitin' fo'
somebody t' come 'n' pay 'is fine, 'cause, y' see, I done paid it a-fore
already. So dey is jes' waitin' fo' me t' come 'n' pay it agin, 'n' don'
send dis nigga t' du stockade, 'cause dey's done got so many triflin'
nigga's out dare, until dey hates t' feed so many, 'n' wou' ruther git
th' money 'f dey can."
And thus it went. Wyeth found the women, in a great measure, trying to
do right, as they so regarded it. But the men, from the saloon to a
tiger, thoroughly soaked themselves, regardless of the cost, so long as
they had it. And then, to a crap game, where they lost the remainder.
Evidently there must have been some winning; but Wyeth never happened to
find the winner. They were all losers. If he had their orders and
expected to deliver the book, he had to plan to deliver the same on
Saturday night, and before they found the enticing game. And for telling
the truth, they drew the line on that--refused to have anything to do
whatever with keeping their word. When he ran into a man who was as good
as his word, and which he did occasionally, he was so surprised that he
became nervous. Many of the white agents and collectors informed him,
that, with a few exceptions, they drew the line on any credit business
with the men, because they simply could not trust them. Of course this
was not among the so-called "best" people; but with them, he had a hard
time securing an order, since, to make appearance was their obvious
effort, in a large measure. When the cook advised him to see the
butler, he forthwith inquired whether he gambled or drank; for, if so,
he thanked her for her kindness, and made no effort to get the order,
for it was useless, in four cases out of five.
Hence it came to pass, that Sidney Wyeth learned that his people were
the victims of liquor and gaming, and this was the result of ill
training, ignorance, and lack of civic observation. If John Barleycorn
was at the bottom of most of the crime--which grew, in most instances,
out of discussions and differences of opinion regarding trifling
matters--ignorance was at the bottom of the indulgence.
On this day, when he had completed his work, he stopped at the library.
This was not open to colored people, which he knew; but, since what he
desired could not be obtained elsewhere, he decided to go to the desk
and make known the fact, and leave it to the civil regard of the
librarian. He was ushered into a room to one side, which was not always
used, and they brought anything to him that he wished. When he took his
leave, he was invited to call at any time, and he could expect the same
accommodations.
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