Guardian by Julius Lester Read Free Book Online Page A

who it was had come in and seen it was him, she say, ‘What do you want? You get on outta here and leave me alone. I’m praying.’
    â€œHe don’t pay no mind to what she say. He go up to her and grab her and try to kiss her. She push him away. She say, ‘Get away from me or I’ll kick you so hard you won’t be able to move for a month.’
    â€œThat’s when he whipped out his knife and before she could do anything, he was on her, stabbing her over and over. Then I seen him raise up her skirt, and I didn’t want to see no more. Mistah Zeph was so caught up in what he was doing that he didn’t see me, and I hurried out and that’s when I seen you and your boy. That’s the God’s truth, Mistah Bert. You believe me, don’t you? You’ll tell the white folks it wasn’t me. Won’t you, Mistah Bert?”
    â€œWho you going to believe, Bert? A nigger or a white man?”
    Zeph notices that Bert is hesitating, that Bert is thinking about what the right thing to do is, and Zeph drops the knife on the floor next to Mary Susan’s body, runs up the aisle and out of the church.
    â€œRape! Rape! Pastor’s daughter been raped by a nigger!” Zeph is running and yelling at the sametime. Over and over he shouts and the only words that are clear are “rape” and “nigger.”
    The men sitting on benches around the square, who, a mere instant before had not wanted to move against the heat, spring up and hurry to meet Zeph.
    â€œThat crazy, shell-shocked nigger who works around the church done raped and killed the preacher’s daughter!” Zeph tells his eager listeners.
    The men see the blood on his shirt, the blood on his hands, and they know. They know Zeph Davis. They had seen him just the other day walking toward the back of Anderson’s store with the preacher’s girl, and they had seen him come back by himself, and a little later, seen her come out. They know what didn’t happen then, and they know what happened this evening. But they tell themselves Zeph got covered with blood because he was trying to save the pastor’s daughter from that crazy nigger. Yes, that’s how it was.
    Some of the men hurry off into the night to spread the news to all those sitting on their porches. Soon people are rushing to the church, some walking, some running, some in cars. They get there in time to hear a loud scream, and rush inside to see Polly,Reverend Dennis’s wife, lying across the body of her only child.
    Reverend Dennis hovers behind his wife and takes her gently by the shoulders, pulls her away from the body, and enfolds her in his arms.
    Big Willie still stands at the back of the church, tears flowing down his face. He wants to run, but that would be like saying he did it.
    But Mistah Bert knows the truth, him and the boy. They know the truth of the matter. Everything’s gon’ be all right.
    Zeph rushes back into the church, a crowd following him. He sees Willie. “There the nigger is! Grab him!”
    â€œWell, I be damned,” someone says. “This is one brazen nigger! Instead of running, he stays around to admire what he done to a white girl!”
    Big Willie is seized by several men, their eyes lust-blind with violence.
    Willie’s eyes plead with Bert Anderson. When those blue eyes turn quickly away from Willie’s, he calls out, “Mistah Bert, suh. Please tell these gentlemen I had nothing to do with what happened to that girl. You know that’s the God’s truth, suh. Please tell ’em!”
    Suddenly, everyone stops. All eyes are now on Bert.
    Ansel had left Mary Susan’s side when her parents came in. Now he stands next to his father, looking up at him, waiting for him to tell everyone who did it, who killed Mary Susan, his Mary Susan.
    Bert does not have a smile for this occasion. His head turns toward Big Willie, but his eyes are looking past him, but are not