Pearl Stone opened her mouth and laughed read hard because she didn’t know what else to do. She fell all over Mrs.Sumpkins while she laughed. Mrs.Sumpkins snorted violently and sucked her teeth.
“Humph! Y’all let her worry yuh. You ain’t like me. Ah ain’t got her to study ‘bout. If she ain’t got manners enough to stop and let folks know how she been makin’ out, let her g’wan!”
“She ain’t even worth talkin’ after,” Lulu Moss drawled through her nose. “She sits high, but she looks low. Dat’s what Ah say ‘bout dese ole women runnin’ after young boys.”
Pheoby Watson hitched her rocking chair forward before she spoke. “Well, nobody don’t know if it’s anything to tell or not. Me, Ah’m her best friend and Ah don’t know.”
“Maybe us don’t know into things lak you do, but we all know how she went ‘way from here and us sho seen her come back. ‘Tain’t no use in your tryin’ to cloak no ole woman lak Janie Starks, Pheoby, friend or no friend.”
“At dat she ain’t so ole as some of y’all dat’s talking.”
“She’s way past forty to my knowledge, Pheoby.”
“No more’n forty at de outside.”
“She’s way too old for a boy like Tea Cake.”
“Tea Cake ain’t been no boy for some time. He’s round thirty his ownself.”
“Don’t keer what it was, she could stop and say a few words with us. She act like we done done something to her, “ Pearl Stone complained. “She de one been doin’ wrong.”
“You mean, you mad ‘cause she didn’t stop and tell us all her business. Anyhow, what you ever know her to do so bad as y’all make out? The worst thing Ah ever knowed her to do was taking a few years offa her age and dat ain’t never harmed nobody. Y’all makes me tired. De way you talkin’ you’d think de folks in dis town didn’t do nothin’ in de bed ‘cept praise de Lawd. You have to ‘scuse me, ‘cause Ah’m bound to go take her some supper.” Pheoby stood up sharply.
"Don't mind us, " Lulu smiled, "just go right ahead, us can mind yo' house for you till you git back. Mah supper is done. You bettah go see how she feel. You kin let de rest of us know."
"Lawd, " Pearl agreed, "Ah done scorched-up dat lil meat and bread too long to talk about. Ah kin stay 'way from home long as Ah please. Mah husband ain't fussy."
"Oh, er, Pheoby, if youse ready to go, Ah could walk over dere wid you, " Mrs.Sumpkins volunteered. "It's sort of duskin' down dark. De booger man might ketch ya."
"Naw, Ah thank yuh. Nothin' couldn't ketch me dese few steps Ah'm goin'. Anyhow, mah husband tell me say no first class booger would have me. If she got anything to tell yuh, you'll hear it."
Pheoby hurried off with a covered bowl in her hands. She left the porch pelting her back with questions. They hoped the answers were cruel and strange. When she arrived at the place, Pheoby Watson didn't go by the front door. She walked around the fence corner and went in the intimate gate with her heaping plate of mulatto rice. Janie must be round that side.
