The nephew, the one who had nursed her while his brother held her down, didn't know he wasshaking. His uncle had warned him against that kind of confusion, but the warning didn't seem tobe taking. What she go and do that for? On account of a beating? Hell, he'd been beat a milliontimes and he was white. Once it hurt so bad and made him so mad he'd smashed the well bucket.Another time he took it out on Samson — a few tossed rocks was all. But no beating ever madehim... I mean no way he could have... What she go and do that for? And that is what he asked thesheriff, who was standing there, amazed like the rest of them, but not shaking. He was swallowinghard, over and over again. "What she want to go and do that for?"The sheriff turned, then said to the other three, "You all better go on. Look like your business isover. Mine's started now."
Schoolteacher beat his hat against his thigh and spit before leaving thewoodshed. Nephew and the catcher backed out with him. They didn't look at the woman in thepepper plants with the flower in her hat. And they didn't look at the seven or so faces that hadedged closer in spite of the catcher's rifle warning. Enough nigger eyes for now. Little nigger-boyeyes open in sawdust; little nigger-girl eyes staring between the wet fingers that held her face soher head wouldn't fall off; little nigger-baby eyes crinkling up to cry in the arms of the old niggerwhose own eyes were nothing but slivers looking down at his feet. But the worst ones were thoseof the nigger woman who looked like she didn't have any. Since the whites in them haddisappeared and since they were as black as her skin, she looked blind.
They unhitched from schoolteacher's horse the borrowed mule that was to carry the fugitivewoman back to where she belonged, and tied it to the fence. Then, with the sun straight up overtheir heads, they trotted off, leaving the sheriff behind among the damnedest bunch of coons they'dever seen. All testimony to the results of a little so-called freedom imposed on people who neededevery care and guidance in the world to keep them from the cannibal life they preferred.