Ella arrived at Margaret’s house, surprised to find a gathering of her friends and relatives. Although she shouldn’t have been surprised. Word of something this tragic had a way of spreading quickly.
Men stood in the yard, smoking and talking among themselves. Children, too young to understand what had taken place, were sleeping on pallets that had been spread on the porch. One elderly woman with a corncob pipe clamped in the corner of her toothless mouth was fanning the sleeping children with a newspaper.
Other women were waiting inside the house for Margaret’s return. Ella left Solly in the front seat of the car, where he seemed content, and helped Margaret alight. The men removed their hats and stood aside respectfully as Ella guided Margaret up onto the porch. Margaret’s son, Jimmy, in whom she thought the sun rose and set, was waiting just inside the door. As soon as they cleared it, Margaret let out a wail of grief and collapsed into his arms. They were then surrounded by the women who’d come to render aid and share her sorrow.
Knowing that Margaret would be well taken care of, Ella turned to go. As she stepped out onto the porch, Jimmy followed her. “Thank you, Miz Barron,” he said.
“This is terrible for her, Jimmy. She thought so highly of Brother Calvin. We all did.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He looked across the yard for a moment, then his eyes came back to her. “We all know who did it.”
The young man looked more angry than mournful, and his anger made Ella afraid for him. She looked at him with appeal. “Don’t make trouble for yourself, Jimmy. Your mother would never recover if something happened to you.”
“I’ll be careful.”
That wasn’t exactly a promise not to seek reprisal for the lynching, but Ella knew it wasn’t her place to admonish him. “Tell Margaret not to come back to work until she feels up to it.”
“I will.”
“And let me know when the funeral is.”
“Thank you again for bringing her home.” Then he looked at her with puzzlement. “How come y’all were in town tonight?”
She told him about Mr. Rainwater taking them to get ice cream and sending Margaret to invite Brother Calvin to join them. Jimmy lowered his head, and when, after a moment, he raised it, she saw tears standing in his eyes. He thanked her again, then turned and went back into the house.
“He seemed very touched by your kindness to his mother,” Ella told Mr. Rainwater, concluding her account to him of what had happened when she took Margaret home. “It was amazing to me that so many people already knew about the lynching and had gathered at her house.”
Only a few people were still at the AME church when she returned to pick him up. The sheriff’s car was parked in front. He was talking to the justice of the peace, who’d been summoned to pronounce Brother Calvin dead. A few curious onlookers were milling about.
Mr. Rainwater was standing apart from everyone else, near the street. He got into the car as soon as Ella brought it to a stop, leaving her to drive. Now, he glanced down at Solly, who was sitting between them docilely. “He looks almost asleep.”
“He ran along beside me all the way from the drugstore to the church. Through it all, he’s been a real trouper. I couldn’t have asked for him to behave any better.”
“Maybe he sensed you needed him to.”
“Maybe.”
Solly was asleep by the time they arrived at the house. Ella welcomed the sweet pressure of his head against her arm and almost hated having to get out. “I’ll get him,” Mr. Rainwater said.
Gently he lifted Solly into his arms, being careful not to awaken him.
Both Dunne sisters rushed to the front door to let them in. They were dressed in nightclothes, slippers, and hairnets. They were twittering, speaking over each other.
“We’ve been scared out of our wits!” Miss Pearl exclaimed.
“What’s going on in town? We heard sirens.”
“Mr. Rainwater, you look peaked.”
Ella looked at him. As Miss Violet had observed, he did look peaked.
“What’s the matter with the boy?”
“Nothing, Miss Pearl. He’s only sleeping. And I’m fine, just a bit winded.” Mr. Rainwater carried Solly past them in the direction of Ella’s room.
She followed him, saying over her shoulder, “You can go to bed. There was a … a situation on the other side of town tonight. Sheriff Anderson was summoned. Everything is fine now.” Soon enough they would learn of the lynching and Margaret’s unwitting involvement, but Ella didn’t want to go into it with them tonight. “I’m sorry you had to stay up later than usual to let us in.”
“We couldn’t have slept anyway with God knows what all going on in colored town.”
Ella bit back an angry retort. They were old. Their attitude was wrong and ignorant, but hopelessly ingrained. “Good night, ladies. I’ll see you at breakfast.” She left them at the foot of the staircase and continued on toward her room.
Mr. Rainwater was standing in the center of it, holding Solly in his arms. “Through there.” Ella pointed him toward the small room in which Solly slept. He squeezed through the narrow doorway and laid Solly carefully on the bed. She slipped off Solly’s shoes but decided to forgo pajamas tonight and let him sleep in his clothes. “Thank you, Mr. Rainwater.”
“Will you join me on the porch?”
“I don’t think so. It’s late.”
“Please? There’s something I need to tell you.”