The Land by Mildred D. Taylor Read Free Book Online Page A

“But then he gone and lit into R.T. there for no reason. He the one started it! Got what was comin’ t’ him!”
    â€œYeah! Jus’ ’cause he got a white daddy, he think he can do whatever he wanna!” put in R.T. “Well, we don’t be ’lowin’ no white niggers t’ be beatin’ up on us. He ain’t no better’n us!”
    â€œHe done said he was?” asked Mitchell.
    â€œWell . . . might ain’t said it, but might well as’ve. Sittin’ there readin’ that book.”
    Mitchell looked at the ground and saw the torn pages and the book lying now facedown in the mud. “Yeah . . . yeah, I see what ya mean, how Paul done started it and all. See how he done torn pages outa his own book and riled y’all. Well, y’all wanna fight this boy, then fight him fair, one at a time, but don’t y’all be jumpin’ him like ya done or y’all gonna have me t’ fight right ’long with him.”
    â€œAh, Mitchell, what ya doin’ takin’ up for him?” retorted R.T., getting to his feet and wiping at the blood Mitchell had drawn. “You used t’ couldn’t stand him yo’ own self! I recalls correctly, you used t’ always be beatin’ up on him!”
    â€œYeah, that’s right, and I ain’t never had no help t’ do it neither. Like I said, y’all wanna fight him, that’s fine with me, but y’all go jumpin’ him like ya done, all of y’all knockin’ him round at once, I’m gonna back Paul up. Now, y’all got a problem with that?”
    R.T. glanced at the other boys, then back at Mitchell, and shook his head. “Naw, ain’t got no problem.”
    Mitchell nodded at the understanding and dismissed any grievance he had with R.T. “Look, I got me a wagon stuck in the mud down a ways. Y’all wanna come help get me out?”
    â€œOh, yeah, sure,” the boys said, seemingly happy to do whatever Mitchell asked.
    â€œâ€™Fore ya do, though,” added Mitchell, “y’all best pick up all them pages outa Paul’s book there. And next time don’t let him rile ya so.”
    R.T. and the others did what Mitchell said; then all of them went with Mitchell to help him with his wagon. I suppose I could have gone to help too, seeing how Mitchell had helped me out, but Mitchell hadn’t asked me to come and I figured the others wouldn’t have wanted me along anyway. I had no need to go where I wasn’t wanted.
    After they were gone, I sat on the bank alone and tried to put my book together. Although some of the pages were crumpled and muddy, they were still readable. I wiped them off as best I could, then put them in order and laid them in the binding. Afterward I just sat there thinking on those boys jumping me, then a while later, I went back to my reading, even though my right eye was swollen. I wasn’t about to let R.T. and those other boys and their ignorance chase me from what I wanted to do.
    I was still sitting there reading with my one good eye when Mitchell came back. “Some reason thought you’d still be here,” he said. “Don’t you ever get tired of readin’?”
    I looked up at him. “Not really.”
    Mitchell shook his head as if finding it hard to understand that and sat down. “Got the wagon unstuck.”
    â€œGood.”
    â€œYou know R.T. and them others, they had plenty t’ say ’bout ya.”
    â€œS’pose they did.”
    â€œThey said you gone and threatened them.”
    â€œThreatened them?”
    â€œYeah. Said they was on your daddy’s land and maybe they mess wit’ you, they’d be off it.”
    I took a moment. “I suppose it did come out that way.”
    â€œPaul, you wanna get along with these boys, how come you bringin’ up your white daddy all the time?”
    â€œI didn’t bring him up. They