Their Eyes Were Watching God: Chapters 4-6

They tried hard to hold it in, but enough incredulous laughter burst out of their eyes and leaked from the corners of their mouths to inform anyone of their thoughts.

Youse way outa jurisdiction.

There was something about Joe Starks that cowed the town. It was not because of physical fear. He was no fist fighter. His bulk was not even imposing as men go.

“Whut Ah don’t lak ’bout de man is, he talks tuh unlettered folks wid books in his jaws,” Hicks complained. “Showin’ off his learnin’. To look at me you wouldn’t think it, but Ah got uh brother pastorin’ up round Ocala dat got good learnin’. If he wuz here, Joe Starks wouldn’t make no fool outa him lak he do de rest uh y’all.”

The town had a basketful of feelings good and bad about Joe’s positions and possessions, but none had the temerity to challenge him.

He was next to the Mayor in prominence, and made better talking.

Five or six more men left the porch and surrounded the fractious beast, goosing him in the sides and making him show his temper.

“Didn’t buy ’im fuh no work. I god, Ah bought dat varmint tuh let ’im rest. You didn’t have gumption enough tuh do it.”

Starks piled fodder under the big tree near the porch and the mule was usually around the store like the other citizens. Nearly everybody took the habit of fetching along a handful of fodder to throw on the pile. He almost got fat and they took a great pride in him.

The Parson sat motionless in a dead pine tree about two miles off. He had scented the matter as quickly as any of the rest, but decorum demanded that he sit oblivious until he was notified.

Then he took off with ponderous flight and circled and lowered, circled and lowered until the others danced in joy and hunger at his approach.

There was one of those big blow-out laughs and Janie was wallowing in it.

She came back to the porch with her bristles sticking out all over her and with dissatisfaction written all over her face. Joe saw it and lifted his own hackles a bit.

Mrs. Tony leaped away from the proffered cut of meat as if it were a rattlesnake.

She stepped from the store porch and marched off in high dudgeon!