Their-Eyes-Were-Watching-God-rmrju9

Their Eyes Were Watching God 40 187"Mistah Prescott, Ah got somethin' tuh say," Sop-de-Bottomspoke out anonymously from the anonymous herd.The courtroom swung round on itself to look."If you know what's good for you, you better shut yourmouth up until somebody calls you," Mr. Prescott told himcoldly."Yassuh, Mr. Prescott.""We are handling this case. Another word out of you, out of anyof you niggers back there, and I'll bind you over to the big court.""Yassuh."The white women made a little applause and Mr. Prescottglared at the back of the house and stepped down. Then thestrange white man that was going to talk for her got up there. Hewhispered a little with the clerk and then called on Janie to takethe stand and talk. After a few little questions he told her to telljust how it happened and to speak the truth, the whole truth andnothing but the truth. So help her God.They all leaned over to listen while she talked. First thing shehad to remember was she was not at home. She was in the courthousefighting something and it wasn't death. It was worse thanthat. It was lying thoughts. She had to go way back to let themknow how she and Tea Cake had been with one another so theycould see she could never shoot Tea Cake out of malice.She tried to make them see how terrible it was that thingswere fixed so that Tea Cake couldn't come back to himself untilhe had got rid of that mad dog that was in him and he couldn'tget rid of the dog and live. He had to die to get rid of the dog.But she hadn't wanted to kill him. A man is up against a hardgame when he must die to beat it. She made them see how shecouldn't ever want to be rid of him. She didn't plead to anybody.She just sat there and told and when she was through she hushed.She had been through for some time before the judge and the