Part 2 (1/2)
Baby Sis's face puckered up like a dried prune and she began blubbering She was a big strong-bodied ave her an expression of pure idiocy She turned to run back to the kitchen but stumbled over a foot and fell drunkenly to the floor No one paid her any attention because, with her support withdrawn, Reverend Short began to fall
Mamie clutched him by the arht there, Reverend, and tell me what happened,” she said
He clutched his left side as though in great pain and croaked in a breathless voice, ”I went into the bedroo in the atching a police a thief, chink Charlie sneaked up behind me and pushed me out of the ”
”My God!” Ma to kill you”
”Of course he was”
Ala bony face of Reverend Short and said in a reassuring tone, ”Mamie, he's just drunk”
”I'm not the least bit drunk,” he denied ”I've never drunk a drop of intoxicating liquor inabout ”chink!” she called ”Soone,” Alamena said ”He left while you and Dulcy were in the crapper”
”Your preacher's justthat up, Aunt Mauot here”
Mainie looked fro with 'em?”
She intended the question for Reverend Short, but Dulcy answered ”He said there shouldn't be nobody here but church e brothers, and chink told hia Joe didn't sin,” Reverend Short said in his loud pulpit voice, forgetting for the -car cook on the Pennsylvania Railroad for more than twenty years, and he was a member of The First Holy Roller Church of Harlem, and that's how God sees him”
”But these folks here is all his friends,” Mamie protested with a look of bewilderment ”Folks orked with him and saw him all the time”
Reverend Short pursed his lips ”That ain't the point You can't surround his poor soul with all manner of sin and adultery and expect God to take it to his bosoed hotly
”Let hih without all this argu at onna have Johnny whip his ass,” Dulcy said in a low grating voice intended only for Maave her a look of triumphant malevolence
”Threaten all you want, you Jezebel, but you can't hide it from the Lord that it was your own devilishness that drove Joe Pullen to an early death”
”That just ain't so,” Mamie Pullen contradicted ”It was just his tiar in his mouth, for years, and it was just his time that he happened to s it and choke to death”
”If you want to put up with this chicken-season preacher's lying, you can,” Dulcy said to Ma hoets here”
Silence followed her as she turned and walked from the aparthed ”Lord, I wish Val was here”
”This house is full of murderers!” Reverend Short exclairudge against chink Charlie,” Mamie said
”For Christ's sake, Mamie!” Alamena exploded ”If he'd fallen fro out there on the sidewalk dead”
Reverend Short stared at her through glazed eyes A white froth had collected in the corners of his mouth
”I see a terrible vision,” he ustedly ”All you is seeing is visions”
”I see a dead man stabbed in the heart,” he said ”Let ly ”And, Alamena--”
”He don't need no more to drink,” Alamena cut her off
”For Jesus Christ's sake, Alamena, stop it Go phone Doctor Ramsey and tell him to come over here”
”He's not sick,” Alamena said
”I didn't say I was sick,” Reverend Short said ”He's just trying to stir up trouble for some reason” ”I'm hurt,” Reverend Short stated ”You'd be hurt, too, if somebody had pushed you out of a ”
Mamie took Alamena by the arm and tried to pull her away ”Go now and telephone the doctor”
But Alamena pulled back ”Listen, Mae If he fell out of thatit's a cinch he couldn't have walked back upstairs I suppose he's going to tell you next that he fell into the lap of God”
”I fell into a basket of bread,” Reverend Short declared At last the guests laughed with relief Now they knew the good reverend was joking Even Mamie couldn't restrain herself
”See what I mean?” Ala our leg like that,” Mao look at the bread,” Reverend Short challenged
”What bread?”
”The basket of bread I fell into It's on the sidewalk in front of the A&P store God put it there to break lances
”I'll go look, you go call the doctor,” Mamie said
”I want to look, too”
Everybody wanted to look
Sighing loudly, as though indulging the whiement, Mamie led the way
The bedroom door was closed When she opened it, she exclai trepidation she crossed the lighted bedroom and leaned out of the openAlamena leaned out beside her The others squeezed into the mediumsized room As many as could peered over the tomen's shoulders
”Is it there?” someone in back asked
”Does they see it?”