Their-Eyes-Were-Watching-God-rmrju9

Their Eyes Were Watching God 40 45sweets and the men looked after the meats. The day before thelighting, they dug a big hole in back of the store and filled it fullof oak wood and burned it down to a glowing bed of coals. Ittook them the whole night to barbecue the three hogs. Hamboand Pearson had full charge while the others helped out withturning the meat now and then while Hambo swabbed it allover with the sauce. In between times they told stories, laughedand told more stories and sung songs. They cut all sorts ofcapers and whiffed the meat as it slowly came to perfection withthe seasoning penetrating to the bone. The younger boys hadto rig up the saw-horses with boards for the women to use astables. Then it was after sun-up and everybody not needed wenthome to rest up for the feast.By five o'clock the town was full of every kind of a vehicleand swarming with people. They wanted to see that lamp lit atdusk. Near the time, Joe assembled everybody in the streetbefore the store and made a speech."Folkses, de sun is goin' down. De Sun-maker brings it up inde mornin', and de Sun-maker sends it tuh bed at night. Us poorweak humans can't do nothin' tuh hurry it up nor to slow itdown. All we can do, if we want any light after de settin' or befo'de risin', is tuh make some light ourselves. So dat's how comelamps was made. Dis evenin' we'se all assembled heah tuh lightuh lamp. Dis occasion is something for us all tuh remember tuhour dyin' day. De first street lamp in uh colored town. Lift yo'eyes and gaze on it. And when Ah touch de match tuh dat lampwicklet de light penetrate inside of yuh, and let it shine, let itshine, let it shine. Brother Davis, lead us in a word uh prayer. Askuh blessin' on dis town in uh most particular manner."While Davis chanted a traditional prayer-poem with his ownvariations, Joe mounted the box that had been placed for thepurpose and opened the brazen door of the lamp. As the word