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

221/260“Thought you tole me you wuz hongry!” Janie wailed.“Ah thought so too,” Tea Cake said very quietly and dropped hishead in his hands.“But Ah done baked yuh uh pan uh beans.”“Ah knows dey’s good all right but Ah don’t choose nothin’ now, Ahthank yuh, Janie.”He went back to bed. Way in the midnight he woke Janie up in hisnightmarish struggle with an enemy that was at his throat. Janiestruck a light and quieted him.“Whut’s de matter, honey?” She soothed and soothed. “You got tuhtell me so Ah kin feel widja. Lemme bear de pain ’long widja, baby.Where hurt yuh, sugar?”“Somethin’ got after me in mah sleep, Janie.” He all but cried,“Tried tuh choke me tuh death. Hadn’t been fuh you Ah’d be dead.”“You sho wuz strainin’ wid it. But you’se all right, honey. Ah’mheah.”He went on back to sleep, but there was no getting around it. Hewas sick in the morning. He tried to make it but Janie wouldn’t hear ofhis going out at all.“If Ah kin jus’ make out de week,” Tea Cake said.“Folks wuz makin’ weeks befo’ you wuz born and they gointuh bemakin’ ’em after you’se gone. Lay back down, Tea Cake. Ah’m goin’ gitde doctor tuh come see ’bout yuh.”