‘But when it’s something like, „You must behave like little ladies and gentlemen,” it just doesn’t mean a thing. And two out of three orders she gave us were like that. „Ah-ah!” she’d say. „Language, language!” For the longest time I didn’t dig that at all. I finally asked her what the hell she meant, and then she finally came out with it. But you see what I mean.’
‘I certainly do,’ Stern said. ‘Did it get easier as time went on?’
‘We only had real trouble twice, once about the twins and once about Baby. That one was real bad.’
‘What happened?’
‘About the twins? Well, when we’d been there about a week or so we began to notice something that sort of stunk. Janie and me, I mean. We began to notice that we almost never got to see Bonnie and Beanie. It was like that house was two houses, one part for Miss Kew and Janie and me, and the other part for Miriam and the twins. I guess we’d have noticed it sooner if things hadn’t been such a hassel at first, getting us into new clothes and making us sleep all the time at night, and all that. But here was the thing: We’d all get turned out in the side yard to play, and then along comes lunch, and the twins got herded off to eat with Miriam while we ate with Miss Kew. So Janie said, „Why don’t the twins eat with us?”
‘ “Miriam’s taking care of them, dear,” Miss Kew says.
‘Janie looked at her with those eyes. „I know that. Let ‘em eat here and I’ll take care of ‘em.”
‘Miss Kew’s mouth got all tight again and she said, „They’re little coloured girls, Jane. Now eat your lunch.”
‘But that didn’t explain anything to Janie or me, either. I said, “I want ‘em to eat with us. Lone said we should stay together.”
‘ “But you are together,” she says. “We all live in the same house. We all eat the same food. Now let us not discuss the matter.”