Their-Eyes-Were-Watching-God-rmrju9

184 alls Zora Neale Hurston"Tea Cake, put down dat gun and go back tuh bed!" Janieyelled at him as the gun wavered weakly in his hand.He steadied himself against the jamb of the door and Janiethought to run into him and grab his arm, but she saw the quickmotion of taking aim and heard the click. Saw the ferocious lookin his eyes and went mad with fear as she had done in the waterthat time. She threw up the barrel of the rifle in frenzied hopeand fear. Hope that he'd see it and run, desperate fear for her life.But if Tea Cake could have counted costs he would not have beenthere with the pistol in his hands. No knowledge of fear nor riflesnor anything else was there. He paid no more attention to thepointing gun than if it were Janie's dog finger. She saw himstiffen himself all over as he leveled and took aim. The fiend inhim must kill and Janie was the only thing living he saw.The pistol and the rifle rang out almost together. The pistoljust enough after the rifle to seem its echo. Tea Cake crumpled ashis bullet buried itself in the joist over Janie's head. Janie saw thelook on his face and leaped forward as he crashed forward in herarms. She was trying to hover him as he closed his teeth in theflesh of her forearm. They came down heavily like that. Janiestruggled to a sitting position and pried the dead Tea Cake'steeth from her arm.It was the meanest moment of eternity. A minute before shewas just a scared human being fighting for its life. Now she washer sacrificing self with Tea Cake's head in her lap. She hadwanted him to live so much and he was dead. No hour is evereternity, but it has its right to weep. Janie held his head tightly toher breast and wept and thanked him wordlessly for giving herthe chance for loving service. She had to hug him tight for soonhe would be gone, and she had to tell him for the last time. Thenthe grief of outer darkness descended.So that same day of Janie's great sorrow she was in jail. And