“My Lijah was plagued wid de grow-fast. You ’member, Mauma?”
Maum Hannah nodded. “I ’member, but grow-fast is a easy complaint to cure. I had to work on one yeste’day.” She told how she and the mother had taken the child into the room where it was born, and stood in opposite corners to throw it back and forth to each other, singing the grow-fast song as they did. A sure cure for grow-fast. “When de room is big, it’s stiff treatment. My arms mighty near broke yeste’day.”
Instead of going home the way they came, Big Sue followed a path through the woods, and crossed a clear brown stream that flowed without a single ripple to break its smooth dark surface, or coat it with foam. The water’s breath smelt warm as it rose into the cooler shadows.
In a small hollow, near its banks, washtubs were turned upside down on wooden benches, and a big black washpot sat over dead embers. Waiting for Friday, the plantation wash-day. All the first days of the week are field-days. On Friday the women gather and wash their clothes and gossip. It is a great day for them. A sort of holiday. Full of things to talk about. Every bit of the sunshine between the trees is strung with clothes-lines, heavy weighted with clothes, the old trees stand around silent and dolesome, with black shadows cooling their feet.
By Saturday noon the ironing is done, the week’s work over, then the fun begins. Crap games and parties and dances for the sinners; prayer-meetings and church for the Christians. Something goes on all the time until Monday morning. Everything that matters happens between Saturday night and Monday morning. A week’s earnings can be lost, or a wife, or a sweetheart.
Even one’s soul!
When they passed a smooth clean piece of ground with a pile of charred blackened sticks on it, Big Sue laughed and said, “Do look! De crap-shooters been here last night. See where dey had a fire? Firelight makes de bones rattle better, so dey say. An’ naked ground brings luck to de players.”
“Is you a sinner or a Christian, Cun Big Sue?” Breeze blurted out before he knew it.
“Who? Me? Great Gawd! I been a Christian ever since I was twelve years old.” After a minute she added, “I did got turned out o’ de church one time. I stayed out mighty nigh a year. Silas was de cause of my havin’ sin. E deviled me too bad befo’ e left me. But de earthquake come dat summer, an’ I got so scared it didn’ take me long to seek and find peace. I joined de church an’ I been in it ever since. You’s mighty nigh twelve, enty? When you’s twelve Gawd’ll hold you responsible fo’ you’ sins.”