She sat on one of the benches in the Morals Court. The years had made a
coarse mask of her face. There was nothing to see in her eyes. Her hands
were red and leathery, like a man's. They had done a man's work.
A year-old child slept in her arms. It was bundled up, although the
courtroom itself was suffocating. She was waiting for Blanche's case to
come up. Blanche had been arrested by a policeman for--well, for what?
Something about a man. So she would lose $2.00 by not being at work at the
store today. Why did they arrest Blanche? She was in that room with the
door closed. But the lawyer said not to worry. Yes, maybe it was a
mistake. Blanche never did nothing. Blanche worked at the store all day.
At night Blanche went out. But she was a young girl. And she had lots of
friends. Fine men. Sometimes they brought Blanche home late at night.
Blanche was her daughter.
* * * * *
The woman with the sleeping child in her arms looked around. The room was
nice. A big room with a good ceiling. But the people looked bad. Maybe
they had done something and had been arrested. There was one man with a
bad face. She watched him. He came quickly to where she was sitting. What
was he saying? A lawyer.
"No, I don't want no lawyer," the woman with the child mumbled. "No, no."
The man went back. He kept pretty busy, talking to lots of people in the
room. So he was a lawyer. Blanche had a lawyer. She had paid him $10. A
lot of money.
"Shh, Paula!" the woman whispered. Paula was the name of the sleeping
child. It had stirred in the bundle.
"Shh! Mus'n't. Da-ah-ah-ah--"
She rocked sideways with the bundle and crooned over it. Her heavy
coarsened face seemed to grow surprised as she stared into the bundle. The
child grew quiet.
The judge took his place. Business started. From where she sat the woman
with the child couldn't hear anything. She watched little groups of men
and women form in front of the judge. Then they went away and other groups
came.
The lawyer had said not to worry. Just wait for Blanche's name and then
come right up. Not to worry.
"Shh, Paula, shh! Da-ah-ah-ah--"
There was Blanche coming out of the door. She looked bad. Her face. Oh,
yes, poor girl, she worked too hard. But what could she do? Only work. And
now they arrested her. They arrested Blanche when the streets were full of
bums and loafers, they arrested Blanche who worked hard.
Go up in front like the lawyer said. Sure. There was Blanche going now.
And the lawyer, too. He had a better face than the other one who came and
asked.
"And is this the woman?"
The lawyer laughed because the judge asked this.
"Oh, no," he said; "no, your honor, that's her mother. Step up, Blanche."
What did the policeman say?
"Shh! Paula, shh! Da-ah--" She couldn't hear on account of Paula moving so
much and crying. Paula was hungry. She'd have to stay hungry a little
while. What man? That one!
But the policeman was talking about the man, not about Blanche.
"He said, your honor, that she'd been following him down Madison Street
for a block, talking to him and finally he stopped and she asked him--"
"Shh! Paula, don't! Bad girl! Shh!"
That man with the black mustache. Who was he?
"Yes, your honor, I never saw her before. I walk in the street and she
come up and talk to me and say, 'You wanna come home with me?'"
"Blanche, how long has this been going on?"
Look, Blanche was crying. Shh, Paula, shh! The judge was speaking. But
Blanche didn't listen. The woman with the child was going to say,
"Blanche, the judge," but her tongue grew frightened.
"Speak up, Blanche." The judge said this.
* * * * *
She could hardly hear Blanche. It was funny to see her cry. Long ago she
used to cry when she was a baby like Paula. But since she went to work she
never cried. Never cried.
"Oh, judge! Oh, judge! Please--"
"Shh, Paula! Da-ah-ah-ah--" Why was this? What would the judge do?
"Have you ever been arrested before, Blanche?"
No, no, no! She must tell the judge that. The woman with the child raised
her face.
"Please, judge," she said, "No! No! She never arrested before. She's a
good girl."
"I see," said the judge. "Does she bring her money home?"
"Yes, yes, judge! Please, she brings all her money home. She's a good
girl."
"Ever seen her before, officer?"
"Well, your honor, I don't know. I've seen her in the street once or
twice, and from the way she was behavin', your honor, I thought she needed
watchin'."
"Never caught her, though, officer?"