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

114/260“Some folks ain’t got no heart in dey bosom. They’s willin’ tuh seeuh po’ woman and her helpless chillun starve tuh death. God’s gointuhput ’em under arrest, some uh dese days, wid dey stingy gripin’ ways.”She stepped from the store porch and marched off in highdudgeon! Some laughed and some got mad.“If dat wuz mah wife,” said Walter Thomas, “Ah’d kill her cemeterydead.”“More special after Ah done bought her everything mah wages kinstand, lak Tony do,” Coker said. “In de fust place Ah never wouldspend on no woman whut Tony spend on her.”Starks came back and took his seat. He had to stop and add themeat to Tony’s account.“Well, Tony tells me tuh humor her along. He moved here from upde State hopin’ tuh change her, but it ain’t. He say he can’t bear tuhleave her and he hate to kill her, so ’tain’t nothin’ tuh do but put upwid her.”“Dat’s ’cause Tony love her too good,” said Coker. “Ah could breakher if she wuz mine. Ah’d break her or kill her. Makin’ uh fool outa mein front of everybody.”“Tony won’t never hit her. He says beatin’ women is just like steppin’on baby chickens. He claims ’tain’t no place on uh woman tuhhit,” Joe Lindsay said with scornful disapproval, “but Ah’d kill uh babyjust born dis mawnin’ fuh uh thing lak dat. ’Tain’t nothin’ but lowdownspitefulness ’ginst her husband make her do it.”“Dat’s de God’s truth,” Jim Stone agreed. “Dat’s de very reason.”