The Color Purple by Alice Walker Read Free Book Online Page B

he don’t care. He making a net for seining fish. He look out toward the creek every once in a while and whistle a little tune. But it nothing compared to the way he usually whistle. His little whistle sound like it lost way down in a jar, and the jar in the bottom of the creek.
    At the last minute I decide to give Sofia the quilt. I don’t know what her sister place be like, but we been having right smart cold weather long in now. For all I know, she and the children have to sleep on the floor.
    You gon let her go? I ast Harpo.
    He look like only a fool could ast the question. He puff back, She made up her mind to go, he say. How I’m gon stop her? Let her go on, he say, cutting his eyes at her sister wagons.
    Us sit on the steps together. All us hear from inside is the thump, thump, thump of plump and stout feet. All Sofia sisters moving round together at one time make the house shake.
    Where us going? ast the oldest girl.
    Going to visit Aunt Odessa, say Sofia.
    Daddy coming? she ast.
    Naw, say Sofia.
    How come daddy ain’t coming? another one ast.
    Daddy need to stay here and take care of the house. Look after Dilsey, Coco and Boo.
    The child come stand in front of his daddy and just look at him real good.
    You not coming? he say.
    Harpo say, Naw.
    Child go whisper to the baby crawling round on the floor, Daddy not coming with us, what you think of that.
    Baby sit real still, strain real hard, fart.
    Us all laugh, but it sad too. Harpo pick it up, finger the daidie, and get her ready for a change.
    I don’t think she wet, say Sofia. Just gas.
    But he change her anyway. Him and the baby over in a corner of the little porch out of the way of traffic. He use the old dry daidie to wipe his eyes.
    At the last, he hand Sofia the baby and she sling it up side her hip, sling a sack of daidies and food over her shoulder, corral all the little ones together, tell ’em to Say Good-bye to Daddy. Then she hug me best she can what with the baby and all, and she clam up on the wagon. Every sister just about got a child tween her knees, cept the two driving the mules, and they all quiet as they leave Sofia and Harpo yard and drive on up past the house.

DEAR GOD,
    Sofia gone six months, Harpo act like a different man. Used to be a homebody, now all the time in the road.
    I ast him what going on. He say, Miss Celie, I done learned a few things.
    One thing he learned is that he cute. Another that he smart. Plus, he can make money. He don’t say who the teacher is.
    I hadn’t heard so much hammering since before Sofia left, but every evening after he leave the field, he knocking down and nailing up. Sometime his friend Swain come by to help. The two of them work all into the night. Mr. _____ have to call down to tell them to shut up the racket.
    What you building? I ast.
    Jukejoint, he say.
    Way back here?
    No further back than any of the others.
    I don’t know nothing bout no others, only bout the Lucky Star.
    Jukejoint sposed to be back in the woods, say Harpo. Nobody be bothered by the loud music. The dancing. The fights.
    Swain say, the killings.
    Harpo say, and the polices don’t know where to look.
    What Sofia gon say bout what you doing to her house? I ast. Spose she and the children come back. Where they gon sleep.
    They ain’t coming back, say Harpo, nailing together planks for a counter.
    How you know? I ast.
    He don’t answer. He keep working, doing every thing with Swain.

DEAR GOD,
    The first week, nobody come. Second week, three or four. Third week, one. Harpo sit behind his little counter listening to Swain pick his box.
    He got cold drinks, he got barbecue, he got chitlins, got store bought bread. He got a sign saying Harpo’s tacked up on the side of the house and another one out on the road. But he ain’t got no customers.
    I go down the path to the yard, stand outside, look in. Harpo look out and wave.
    Come on in, Miss Celie, he say.
    I say, Naw thank you.
    Mr. _____ sometime walk down, have a cold drink,