Last nigo my  Buster ellme about illie. I run all t he said.’

    Yes.’

    ter and trouble come up. Portia ed. S ongue and tened  o do e guard picked on time. t on roader ry to run off in taken all taken all to t this here ice-cold room.’

    tle in .

    It  six ia said. You remember t cold spell t illie and this room like ice.’

    Portia spoke in a loen. It and. tinct in  t  and ter t broke on .  o look beo find the words already said.

    . . . and ts sruggle on t. And nobody come. ts and nobody come.’

    I am deaf, said Doctor Copeland. I cannot understand.’

    t our illie and this here ice-cold room.

    taken tied ts to ts in ts sruggle on t. It s froze. ts ss and three days. And nobody come.

    Doctor Copeland pressed  still teady trembling  stop. I cannot  you say.’

    t last to get taken illie and to t.

    Buster Jo one foot and t  our illie— sawed off.’

    tia leaned over and struck able. S cry or moan, but sruck op of table. ttled and o ttered in   try to assemble t to somewhere.

    Crippled? he asked. illiam?’

    Portia knocked able and t of a drum and  took up tly tted to tood.

    hey send him home?’

    Portia leaned er dont kno. Soon aftere all t places. t Buster to anoto be home soon now.’

    t for a long time, looking into eactled against eeto a saucer and some of it dripped down on her lap.

    illiam------ Doctor Copeland said. As eet deeply into ongue and  for a long wia held his hand.

    t made tside it ill raining.

    If I means to get to ter go on noia said.

    opped at t-rack to put on  and s in a gust of , cold air.  out on treet curb  neion. Along the

    sideia leaned against tor Copeland folloer ouco steady railed behem.

    ed for terrible anger as t out of t. But it did not come to ed  fences and t  into til at last touctom of despair and took ease.

    In tain strong and ed laugo raged soul beneat  music but only ted do rong, true purpose t  rest tom of utmost ion and for a ？

    But  onward.

    ?Uncle, said Mick. You t coffee ter?’

    Doctor Copeland looked into  gave no sign t o last to tia ered first and teps outside. Mick and tle brotcia told of illiam. Doctor Copeland did not listen to t art, a middle, and an end. to to hear.

    Doctor Copeland sat on a stool in t and seamed over tove.  on  t occesionally h a handkerchief.

    rembled, and all of iff  to make it be still.Mr. Singer came into tor Copeland raised up his

    face to y or e. Of all t express tions. For ood thing.

    Mick ia, quot;s your fathers name?’

    Mady Copeland.’

    Mick leaned over close to Doctor Copeland and sed in , dont you t coffee tle better?’

    Doctor Copeland started.

    Quit t ia said. he can hear well as you can.’

    Oied t and put tove to boil again.

    te still lingered in tor Copeland still looked into his face. You heard?’

    ll to those prison guards? Mick asked.

    dont knoia said. I just dont know.’

    Id do somet it.’

    Not t’

    quot;t to be treated just like them.

    orse. I wishose men myself.’

    quot;t aint no Cian o talk, Portia said. Js can just rest back and knoo be ccing by Satan.’

    Anyill play his harp.’

    its sa about all he can do.’

    t. In tcure about. t table to tc in a baggy pair of trousers and a bathrobe.

    te greedily in tcs of the house.

    Mick or Copeland a cup of coffee mixed ery milk. to the saucer,

    so first  ed coffee at all.

    I wishem, Mick said.

    ted. t out to  for sc into one of t rooms. Mrs. Kelly oairs.

    te still stood in tor Copeland gazed up into  sound—t—but ion all te was gone.

    Doctor Copeland and Portia ime on tool in t last o go.

    *You sit back doo stay togeto fry some fisatoes for tay on o serve you a good  meal.’

    You know I have calls.’

    Less us just to really bust loose. Besides, I dont  you messing around in treets by yourself.’

    ated and felt t. It was very damp. Daugs.’

    Portia ove until t.

    Stoned  and turned up t his neck.

    and spat into one of t  tove. On t opped and spoke to eps. ed t ay ia if o get leave from work.

    teadily. to t refuse. As  he ground.

    rictly necessary visits. ttended to office patients from noon until ter s clencig it o try to cogitate on thing.

    o see a  at time  sit alone in ty room.  on  and  out again into t, cold street. In  ions to be left at the pharmacy.

    But   into tore and laid tions upon ter. t turned from t bot before he gained his poise.

    Doctor, ;You must be a I and all our colleagues and t in our minds and end to you our deepest sympathy.’

    Doctor Copeland turned sly and left  a  oo little. Sometrong, true purpose, to justice. iffly, o oreet. ated  success. e person of poo t of eace men ter in . At last .  ate but entered quickly, determined to see t afternoon.

    t y except for a feher side.

    kno t last o a narrow passage.

    e men stood talking togeto to pass, but one of turned to stop him.

    you ?’

    quot;ill you please tell me wed?’

    te man jerked oor Copeland recognized y sheriff.

    times but ty did not remember e people looked

    similar to Negroes but Negroes took care to differentiate beto   usually boto fix te man said,  you , Reverend?’

    title nettled  a minister, or. My name is Benedict Mady Copeland and I ely on urgent business.’

    ty e men in t a clearly enunciated speec so?  y ser ilson and I tell you ther day.’

    It is imperative t I see tor Copeland said. I .’

    t trance of t doe men continued to talk, but  tcermined not to leave.

    More te men  freely back and fort ty c rigid, urn later in ternoon here.

    All of  in  no let hdraw.

    Come y said finally.

    rembled, and eady on . Yes?’

    you say you ed to see t?’

    I did not say, said Doctor Copeland. I merely said t my business .’

    ?You cant stand up straig you? I smell it on your breath.’

    quot;t is a lie, said Doctor Copeland slowly.  ——’

    truck  the wall.

    to t resist.

    ts trouble ry, these

    damn biggity niggers like  ted for terrible anger and felt it arise in  umbled. t o took o tation and to t  trengto ruck rengt  time. .  s and even struck at tc so t  move. t by foot to a cell was opened. Someone beo he floor.

    In te men ce prisoner  more teen years of age. tor Copeland lay on to them.

    you Doctor Copeland?’

    he said yes.

    *My name Dary e. You taken out my sisters tonsils last year.’

    ted ten odor. A pail brimming ely  , for in plates he floor. his dinner of cabbage and cornbread was beside him.

    on tly several times. hen

    tled in . After a o sneeze also. Doctor Copeland ran out of squares of paper and o use ss from a notebook in . te boyleaned over t ter run from o t of . ed, he edge of a bunk and groaned.

    Soon t to tory, and on turn to occupy four bunks. to a bunk together.

    t in t.  keep tered and  up y blanket e boy,   t tate upon trong, true purpose and drarengt. he misery in him.

    tide of urned. A  seemed o a place .

    t morning t. trange Souter  its end. Doctor Copeland tle group ed outside there.

    Portia and  also.

    t see them clearly.

    t.

    Fat you kno aint no o  a  t and .’

    o a ten-cent taxicab, and to te pillow.

    M

    ICK could not sleep all nigta oo narro illie. Nearly a montia old about o  still s forget it. t s on  six oclock so tc. It  t queer  like it. t ed around  up and opened to tairs. Sgoo the back room.

    Move over, George. Kter of t s iged like  someto figure out. tle  spot on the pillow. She pushed him.

    ait------ he said in his sleep.

    Move over on your side. ?ait------Lemme just finishishere------’

    So  e, because the back window. George was gone.

    From ter running. Etta and alking in tion came to ened at t it o surprise them.

    tta ill in bed.

    Sure of an actor. From  you t boy e h------’

    ta? Mick asked. Se box ill in t place

    A lot you care, Etta said.

    You neednt try to pick a fight’

    Ettas face errible pain in omac o do or said to cut out  a to . t any money.

    ? me to act, anye question and tart to nag at me. I feel like I ougo be sorry for you because youre sick, but you  let me be decent. turally get mad. So t! I bet my  last nig seemed to me like I  t table by t sleep in t sofa cramps me so muc stay in it’

    talking so loud,hazel said.

    Mick knelt do t tring t ied around it. Say, his?’

    S! Etta said.   to mess h your junk for?’

    You just better not. Id kill anybody t tried to mess e things.’

    Listen to t, ;Mick Kelly, I t selfis care a t anybody but------’

    A! Sed bothem.

    t errible to t it rue.

    cia. es of tled against cable.

    time is it? er Singer gone yet?’

    ?ia said. It near about ten oclock.’

    ten oclock! Golly! I never  t late before.*

    * you keep in t big box you tote around h you?’

    Mick reaco tove and broug s. Ask me no questions and til tell you no lies. A bad

    end comes to a person who pries.*

    If ttle extra milk I til just  poured over some crumbled bread,  le my stomac open ts and put slices of fried  inside t doeps to eat . t. Spare-ribs and Sucker  and t ts. ting eacream of er sparkled brighe sun.

    t sprays of it like mist and in t te ss, Ralpgo and fres in different s like summer-time. Fuzy little yellos buzzed around the alley fence.

    quot;atc up over my cer runs down.’

    Soo full of energy to sit still. George  and  to a limb of tree for a punco  t it in time to t  and it bruised her knuckles.

    Aooed ter rigs busted my eardrum. I cant even  me skeet some. Sprays of ter bleo urned t , so s o t porcting on eps reading the newspaper.

    S out tebook. But it tle ed to e down.

    ion and s think.

    Salked about so many tely. Nearly every day togetalked about God. Sometimes s and s t.

    t ist or Catholic or Jew.

    after you s and fire and dirt and clouds and er. It took t of all tI t ter t ter thing.

    o hen came over.

    Its  like summer, he said. And only March.’

    Yeah. I wish we could go swimming.’

    e here was any place.’

    t any place. Except t country club pool.’

    I sure o do someto get out and go somewhere.’

    quot;Me too, s! I knos out in try about fifteen miles. Its a deep, s ime. Mrs. ells took me and George and Pete and Sucker sime last year.’

    If you  to I can get bicycles and omorrow. I h.’

    ell ride out and take a picnic dinner, Mick said.

    O.K. Itl borrohe bikes.’

    It ime for o go to . ree ook a running jump, caug rue they were real good friends.

    Also omorrocil urned t rue t o be a very good-looking fellow.

    ry  from ting on the

    back steps reading t ler.

    t early in trapped ts to t and sunny. it of to and ereen and trees alked in a very excited o th was very dry and she was hungry.