“How come you let your girls git hungry?”
“We ain’t never took no charity,” Mrs. Joyce said.
“This ain’t charity, an’ you know it,” Jessie raged. “We had all that out. They ain’t no charity in this here camp. We won’t have no charity. Now you waltz right over an’ git you some groceries, an’ you bring the slip to me.”
Mrs. Joyce said timidly, “S’pose we can’t never pay? We ain’t had work for a long time.”
“You’ll pay if you can. If you can’t, that ain’t none of our business, an’ it ain’t your business. One fella went away, an’ two months later he sent back the money. You ain’t got the right to let your girls git hungry in this here camp.”
Mrs. Joyce was cowed. “Yes, ma’am,” she said.
“Git you some cheese for them girls,” Jessie ordered. “That’ll take care a them skitters.”
“Yes, ma’am.” And Mrs. Joyce scuttled out of the door.
Jessie turned in anger on the committee. “She got no right to be stiff-necked. She got no right, not with our own people.”
Annie Littlefield said, “She ain’t been here long. Maybe she don’t know. Maybe she’s took charity one time-another. Now,” Annie said, “don’t you try to shut me up, Jessie. I got a right to pass speech.”