_Local Colored_
It seems like having dealings with designing persons of my own color
must've made my mind act more keen. All at once I remembers that I seen
the name of our apartment-house carved on a big square tombstone over
the front door, and it comes to me that the same's name has got
something to do with grist-mills and something to do with lawsuits. I
studies and studies and then, like a flash, I gets it:
Wheatley Court.
With this much to work on, the rest is plenty easy. A man in a drugstore
consults in a telephone book and gives me the full specifications for
getting back to where I has strayed from, which it turns out it is fully
three miles away from there in a southeast direction. But I buys an
ice-cream soda and a pack of chewing-gum before I asks the drugstore
man for his friendly aid. Already I has took note of the fact that most
of the folks in New York acts like they hates to answer your questions
without you has done 'em some kind of a favor first. So I places this
man under obligations to me by trading with him and then he's willing to
help me. That is, he's willing, but he ain't right crazy with joy over
the idea of it. If I'd a-bought two ice-cream sodas I think probably
he's a-moved more brisk-like. Still, he does it. So, inside of an hour
more, what with riding part of the ways on street-cars and walking the
rest, I is home again and glad to be there.
Even so, my being gone so long ain't put nobody out, because Mr. Dallas
is yet in bed, but is now thinking seriously about getting up. He
complains of feeling slightly better than what he did awhile back.
Still, he ain't got so very much appetite. Orange juice and black coffee
seems ample to satisfy his desires; he also continues to remain very
partial to the ice-water. He says he must hurry up and dress and get
outdoors because he's got an engagement to go with one of the ladies
which he met the night before and look at a little car which she's
thinking about buying it, but wants to get his expert opinion on it
first. He don't specify her name, but I guesses it's the puny one of the
two--this here Miss Bill-Lee DeWitt.
Whilst I is laying out his clothes for him to put on he calls out to me
from the bathroom that I will doubtless be interested to know that we'll
be staying on in New York permanent. I asks him how come, and he says
he's passed his word to go in partners with this here Mr. H. C. Raynor
selling oil-properties.
I says to him, I says:
"'Scuse me, Mr. Dallas, but it sho' does look lak to me we is movin'
powerful fast. Only yistiddy we gits yere, an' today we is fixin' to
bust into bus'ness. Tha's travelin'!"
He says you have to move fast in New York if you don't want to get run
over and trompled on and I says that certainly is the Gospel truth. And
he says when you meets up with an attractive proposition up here in
this country you is just naturally obliged to grab holt of it quick or
else somebody else 'll be beating you to it. I feels myself bound to
agree with that, too; and then he goes on shaving himself and abusing of
his skin for being so tender.
I ponders a spell and then I asks him, sort of casual and
accidental-like, when was it that Mr. Raynor displayed this here
desirable business notion to him and he give his promise for to enter
into it?
"Oh," he says, "it was late last night--after we started back from the
road-house. He's going to let me have a full half interest," he says.
I don't say nothing out loud to that. But I casts my rolling eyes up to
the ceiling and I says in low tones to myself, I says: "_Uh_ huh, uh
_huh_!" just like that.
That's all I says. And I makes sure he ain't overhearing me, but all the
time I'm doing considerable thinking. I'm thinking that, excusing one of
'em is white folks and the other is mulatto-complected and excusing that
one has got decorated teeth and the other one just plain teeth, there's
something mighty similar someway betwixt this here Mr. Raynor and that
there colored imposer, which he called himself George Harris. I can't
make up my mind whether it's their expressions or the way they looks at
you out of their eyes, or the engaging way they both has of being so
generous-like on short notice. But it pointedly must be something or
other, because when I broods about one I can't keep from brooding about
the other.
But, naturally, I keeps all that to myself. After Mr. Dallas has done
gone out I fixes myself up something solid to eat and then, along about
three o'clock I drifts downstairs and engages in friendly conversation
with two of them West Indian boys. Before very long the subject of the
educated bones gets introduced into the talk someway, and it so happens
I has a set in my pocket and I gets 'em out and sort of cuddles 'em in
my hand and rattles 'em gentle; and one of the two boys feels persuaded
to suggest that, seeing as the work ain't pressing, us three might
ramble on back into a little kind of a store-room back of the main hall
downstairs and make a few passes just to keep the time from hanging
heavy on our hands.
Now, privately I has always contended that craps-dice is meant for home
folks only. These here foreigners should not never toy with 'em if they
expects to get ahead in the world. So the entertainment turns out just
like I expected 'twould. When fifteen minutes, or maybe twenty, has gone
by very pleasantly there is not no reason why I should linger with 'em,
and I piroots back on upstairs taking along with me twenty-two dollars
and fifty cents of strange money to get acquainted with the spare change
in my pants pocket and leaving them two West Indian delegates holding a
grand lodge of sorrow betwixt themselves.
So that is all of undue importance which happens on our second day.