Their-Eyes-Were-Watching-God-rmrju9

82 4ip Zora Neale Hurstonbeen scornful of root-doctors and all their kind, but now she saw afaker from over around Altamonte Springs, hanging around theplace almost daily. Always talking in low tones when she came near,or hushed altogether. She didn't know that he was driven by a desperatehope to appear the old-time body in her sight. She was sorryabout the root-doctor because she feared that Joe was dependingon the scoundrel to make him well when what he needed was adoctor, and a good one. She was worried about his not eating hismeals, till she found out he was having old lady Davis to cook forhim. She knew that she was a much better cook than the oldwoman, and cleaner about the kitchen. So she bought a beef-boneand made him some soup."Naw, thank you," he told her shortly. "Ah'm Navin' uh hardenough time tuh try and git well as it is."She was stunned at first and hurt afterwards. So she wentstraight to her bosom friend, Pheoby Watson, and told her about it."Ah'd ruther be dead than for Jody tuh think Ah'd hurthim," she sobbed to Pheoby. "It ain't always been too pleasant,'cause you know how Joe worships de works of his own hands,but God in heben knows Ah wouldn't do one thing tuh hurtnobody. It's too underhand and mean.""Janie, Ah though maybe de thing would die down and younever would know nothin' 'bout it, but it's been singin' roundhere ever since de big fuss in de store dat Joe was 'fixed' and youwuz de one dat did it.""Pheoby, for de longest time, Ah been feelin' dat somethin'set for still-bait, but dis is—is—oh Pheoby! Whut kin I do?""You can't do nothin' but make out you don't know it. It'stoo late fuh y'all tuh be splittin' up and gittin' divorce. Just g'wanback home and set down on yo' royal diasticutis and say nothin'.Nobody don't b'lieve it nohow.""Tuh think Ah been wid Jody twenty yeahs and Ah just now