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

122/260worried about his not eating his meals, till she found out he was havingold lady Davis to cook for him. She knew that she was a much bettercook than the old woman, and cleaner about the kitchen. So shebought a beef-bone and made him some soup.“Naw, thank you,” he told her shortly. “Ah’m havin’ uh hardenough time tuh try and git well as it is.”She was stunned at first and hurt afterwards. So she went straightto her bosom friend, Pheoby Watson, and told her about it.“Ah’d ruther be dead than for Jody tuh think Ah’d hurt him,” shesobbed to Pheoby. “It ain’t always been too pleasant, ’cause you knowhow Joe worships de works of his own hands, but God in heben knowsAh wouldn’t do one thing tuh hurt nobody. It’s too underhand andmean.”“Janie, Ah though maybe de thing would die down and you neverwould know nothin’ ’bout it, but it’s been singin’ round here ever sincede big fuss in de store dat Joe was ‘fixed’ and you wuz de one dat didit.”“Pheoby, for de longest time, Ah been feelin’ dat somethin’ set forstill-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’s too latefuh y’all tuh be splittin’ up and gittin’ divorce. Just g’wan back homeand set down on yo’ royal diasticutis and say nothin’. Nobody don’tb’lieve it nohow.”“Tuh think Ah been wid Jody twenty yeahs and Ah just now got tuhbear de name uh poisonin’ him! It’s ’bout to kill me, Pheoby. Sorrowdogged by sorrow is in mah heart.”