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Ninety Days Inside The Empire: A Novel by William Appleman Williams

Into the Dining Room

Page 69

"What was the building out back?"

"What's upstairs now?"

"Why all the changes?"

"I'm confused. You got granddaddies and sons and daddies and grandsons running around in all directions. You got to slow down."

Albert sparkled under the light of interest and attention, and his hair flickered auburn. He pulled a chair from the dining room table.

"Best sit for this. I got to think a minute on it . . . Anyway, a round table is best for the serious talk we got comin' along."

Cat and Run-Run winked to each other as they brought chairs from the kitchen. There were just enough.

"Well, the way Susan and I were wandering around it is confusing.

The granddaddy Warrener got here sometime after the Civil War and set about pickin' the chickens. From the stories that come down he was so good at it that even the roosters didn't feel the scalding till it was too late. He lived simple but very good. Neither for nor against Negroes; just hired us for certain kinds of work and otherwise left us alone. Better'n' being kicked-on regular."

He looked up at the ceiling. "Upstairs, other than the big closets it was just two big rooms. One where they ate and entertained lookin' out at the water and the bedroom that got just right in the evening for sleepin'."

"You are still jumping around; thought you said he didn't build this place."

"What's upstairs now?"

Cat broke in: "Mrs. Warrener told me it was just storage so it'd just be her fussing around if we heard any noise."

Case reached over and patted Cat's arm. "Thanks, Lieutenant, got a bit ahead of my story there. No, granddaddy didn't build this place. His son took over the business and did maybe even better with it. Then he got married but they still lived in the hotel, though fancier than granddaddy." He smiled, mostly to himself. "Real fancy. Had most of one floor up at the top. But she died, caught the fever, and after that he put everything into his son."

"So what," asked Elizabeth Lee, "is that brick building out back?"

"Now just you slow down, Mrs. Lee."

Both Cat and Run-Run caught that rebuke; more the name than the admonition itself. So did Mr. Lee and Lette. Rozanne again stepped on Albert's toe. He just blinked both eyes at her.

"Now if you stayin' with me we are now talkin' about the son of a son. When he caught the fancy to get married his father built him this place."

"So how'd you get hired?" Mrs. Lee was not intimidated.

"Strong back. They was pretty much like their father and granddaddy -hire us and forget us. Now, Mrs. Lee, I'll tell you about the place out back. The son getting married was one of the first hereabouts to get a car and that was a garage with the two white servants living upstairs."

Susan was taken off guard. "Not Negroes?"

"Not for anything, Susan. Your Mrs. Warrener comes from one of the big Klan families around here and she refused to have us anyways around her anytime."

Lette thought it didn't quite figure. "What about him? I mean the son who married her?"

"Like his daddy and granddaddy -most ignored us. People told stories about him laughin' at her when she'd get worked-up. After he died others said he hated the place but she wouldn't move. Anyway, he didn't spend much time around here; mostly off gamblin' up the Gulf or over in New Orleans, and keepin' time with this-that-or-any-other good lookin' fancy woman."

Run-Run asked Case if that was where the money went.