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

199/260Indians passed at all. It was hot and sultry and Janie left the field andwent home.Morning came without motion. The winds, to the tiniest, lispingbaby breath had left the earth. Even before the sun gave light, deadday was creeping from bush to bush watching man.Some rabbits scurried through the quarters going east. Some possumsslunk by and their route was definite. One or two at a time, thenmore. By the time the people left the fields the procession was constant.Snakes, rattlesnakes began to cross the quarters. The men killeda few, but they could not be missed from the crawling horde. Peoplestayed indoors until daylight. Several times during the night Janieheard the snort of big animals like deer. Once the muted voice of apanther. Going east and east. That night the palm and banana treesbegan that long distance talk with rain. Several people took fright andpicked up and went in to Palm Beach anyway. A thousand buzzardsheld a flying meet and then went above the clouds and stayed.One of the Bahaman boys stopped by Tea Cake’s house in a car andhollered. Tea Cake came out throwin’ laughter over his shoulder intothe house.“Hello Tea Cake.”“Hello ’Lias. You leavin’, Ah see.”“Yeah man. You and Janie wanta go? Ah wouldn’t give nobody elseuh chawnce at uh seat till Ah found out if you all had anyway tuh go.”“Thank yuh ever so much, Lias. But we ’bout decided tuh stay.”“De crow gahn up, man.”