Janie saw her life like a great tree in leaf with the things suffered

137/260“Dis is de last day for dat excuse. You got uh board round heah?”“Yes indeed. De men folks treasures de game round heah. Ah justain’t never learnt how.”He set it up and began to show her and she found herself glowinginside. Somebody wanted her to play. Somebody thought it natural forher to play. That was even nice. She looked him over and got littlethrills from every one of his good points. Those full, lazy eyes with thelashes curling sharply away like drawn scimitars. The lean, over-paddedshoulders and narrow waist. Even nice!He was jumping her king! She screamed in protest against losingthe king she had had such a hard time acquiring. Before she knew itshe had grabbed his hand to stop him. He struggled gallantly to freehimself. That is he struggled, but not hard enough to wrench a lady’sfingers.“Ah got uh right tuh take it. You left it right in mah way.”“Yeah, but Ah wuz lookin’ off when you went and stuck yo’ menright up next tuh mine. No fair!”“You ain’t supposed tuh look off, Mis’ Starks. It’s de biggest part uhde game tuh watch out! Leave go mah hand.”“No suh! Not mah king. You kin take another one, but not dat one.”They scrambled and upset the board and laughed at that.“Anyhow it’s time for uh Coca-Cola,” he said. “Ah’ll come teach yuhsome mo’ another time.”“It’s all right tuh come teach me, but don’t come tuh cheat me.”