Life Is So Good: Chapters 6–12

By 1910, blacks were caught in a degrading system of total segregation throughout the South.

The United States Supreme Court gave its approval to Jim Crow segregation in the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson.

I would set the horse in its harness for the plow, but I rarely did the plowing.

When Mrs. Little brought us food, she set it in a hamper in the back of the wagon and headed back to the house.

I had expected an empty wagon and was taken aback to see Ashley there extending a plate toward me.

Richard handed me the paper and asked, “Some historians say that, in 1914, political conditions were so tense that the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand by an anarchist started World War One. What did you think of World War One at the time?”

“I remember the year 1914 all right, but don’t recollect any archduke or much about the World War,” I said to Richard.

There’s some napkins on top. I embroidered them myself.

It was rare to see Papa shake hands with a white man and now I saw it twice in one day. Any other time, I would have pondered on that, but right then it seemed natural.

As we passed by the thickets, the birds broke into the quiet, not caring what we was about that morning.

The weather was hot and the steam machine that pulled the chain logs through the blade had a big furnace that was always being stoked.

They worked in town but weren’t too practical. We didn't get a lot of rain, but when the rain came it was most often a downpour. Our roads turned to mud, and the autos just couldn’t make it.

The mule was off grazing by the barn and with a halter in my hand I went to get him.

Trouble was, when I got within ten feet or so, he would just move away and graze on another patch of grass.

I picked up a rock to hit him on the flank.

He started braying in pain.

I was short and stocky and was always the catcher wherever we played. Though we were brothers, Johnny was tall and lanky.

So, sometimes, especially when there were good spring rains, before practice we would be out there cutting the tall grass with a scythe.

He never heard of civil rights, but we all had our pride.

There weren't no designated hitters or relief pitchers.

So it might be a mill or a feed store that sponsored a team. You would see the name on the back of the uniform.

Full panoplied for battle, 25,000 soldiers paraded the flower of the American army overseas.

Behind the stalwart doughboys rumbled field artillery of every type, followed by divisional trains.

He had his usual blessing and then added, “Lord, protect young George on his travels. Help him to do well and to help others. Keep him from temptation and lead him to do the right thing. When the time is right, return him safely to his family and to those that love him.”

They were talking about the vagrancy laws.
Back in those days, they arrested someone that just hung around and didn’t work.

It was easy to see that he was just trying to get Billy riled up.

Some dirt had sloughed off an embankment and some track had moved itself a bit.

Much iron pipe for the Oklahoma and Texas oil fields is brought out this way and hauled from New Orleans on sea barges to the railroads at Houston and Beaumont.

It wasn’t that long of a hill, but it was steep.

Holding back that river is gonna be some job. They will be needing my help to build that levee.

I knew mules enough to know that temperament is more important than size or strength.

You want one with spunk but at the same time ain’t too stubborn.

If it was one of the warm summer evenings, there would still be groups congregating, just without the fire. There was a lot of talking, and then usually some instruments came out.

The mule was tethered in front of the cabin.

Jeremiah nodded, and in a weak voice said, “I need to sell my mule. Be obliged if you buy it. You interested?”

Since my return, I seen there was more cars and even more paved roads. The mule seemed to have adjusted, though, and I didn’t give it too much thought either.

There were a lot of peddlers bringing their wares across and setting up on the Brownsville side. They only took what they could carry, but you could buy vegetables, bread, jewelry, blankets, clothes, lots of stuff.

The houses were small and of adobe.

Though tanned from the sun, Jorge wasn’t Indian or mestizo, a mixed blood.

I got in line behind the others that were waiting, some with old gourds and others with buckets.