DuBose Heyward

“ The advancing figure closed convulsive hands upon her shoulders and snatched her body forward. Wide, red-lit eyes glared into her face. A voice half sobbed, half screamed, "Yuh say dat 'bout Porgy? Yuh say Porgy is t'ief?"
The victim was young and strong. She tore the hands from her shoulders and raised her arms before her face. One of the other women reached out to seize the intruder, but was met with a glare so insanely malignant that she retreated screaming.
Above them windows were leaping to light. Dark bodies strained from sills. ”

“ The counting off continued after he went to bed, and he was strangely undisturbed by Bess's mutterings. Now the boat had arrived, he finally told himself. Maria had said that the cabin was near the landing. Surely it would not take the woman long to brew the spell. His excitement increased to a mood of exaltation. He lay with his hand upon Bess's forehead, waiting. ”

“ He harnessed the goat with steady hands, drove out of the court and to the pier-head.
He experienced no difficulty in finding his man. Mango accepted the mission and the handful of pennies and nickels; and Porgy, having closed the bargain, returned at once to the court.
Maria was opening her shop as he entered, and paused with a shutter in her hands. She could scarcely believe her eyes. The beggar's face was bright, and he was humming a tune.
"Wut de news?" she asked. "Bess done git well?" ”

“ Then his second alternative: the white man's God, vague and abstract as the wind that moved among the lichens, with his Jesus, who could stir him suddenly to his most beautiful songs and make his heart expand until, for a moment, it embraced all mankind with compassionate love, but who passed, as the wind passes, leaving him cold and disillusioned. ”

“ He scowled at them, dropped the dice back into his pocket, and started to leave. Then he seemed to think better of it, and joined the circle.
As the game proceeded it became evident that Porgy's luck was with him; he was the most consistent winner, and Sportin' Life was bearing most of the burden. But the mulatto was too good a gambler to evince any discomfiture. He talked steadily, laughed much, and missed no opportunity to drop a sly word of suspicion when Porgy drew in a pot. ”

“ I'll see you now about your divorce business," he said to the other negro, and showed him into the office.
Presently through an open window behind Porgy came the sound of Archdale's voice:
"All right, Frasier. Out with it. The gentleman who has come down to improve moral conditions among the negroes thinks you are a menace. He is going to have you indicted for granting divorces illegally."
In a voice very different from the one in which he had arraigned Porgy, Frasier began:
"I fin' so much nigger onsattify wid dere marriage, an' I hyuh tell ob a t'ing dey calls divorce." ”

“ When life reaches a certain level of misery, it envelopes itself in a protective anesthesia which deadens the senses to extremes; and having no tasks to perform, the prisoners awaited the expiration of their brief sentences with sodden patience, or hastened the passage of time with song. ”

“ Immediately the light of victory, carefully veiled, but bright, shone in Porgy's eyes. He reached behind him and tweaked the goat by the ear. The dejected animal mistook the signal, and started forward.
"No, no, bubber," whispered Porgy. "Ain't yuh hear de Boss laugh? When nigger mek de buckra laugh, den he know he done won. Dis wey we goin' spen' we libe. You watch." ”

“ Porgy's earnings were adequate to their modest needs, and Bess was always up and out with the first of the women, and among them all there was none who could bargain more shrewdly with the fishermen and hucksters who sold their wares on the wharf. ”

“ Archdale made a movement that actually crossed Porgy's line of vision; but the beggar's face gave no sign of recognition. His voice rose to a pitch of indignation: "Yuh might be a lawyuh, an' all dat; but I ain't goin' tuh hab yuh stan' dey an' tell me dat Mistuh Archdale gots dem po' w'itetrash ways. Ob course he don't likes de smell ob goat; but he gots er haht in he breas' fuh de po' cripple nigger." ”

“ The court was sinking to sleep. One by one the lighted windows went blank. The women at the wash-bench got to their feet. One yawned noisily, and another knocked her clay pipe out on the flags in a shower of sparks. Then a voice came clearly—the one that had complained before about the crap game.
"I ain't sayin' ef it conjer, er jus' plain loaded dice. All I gots tuh say is dat dam nigger, Porgy, steal my Sam' wages off him now t'ree week runnin'." ”

“ Then he heard him address the negro.
"We are not going to lock you up this time, Simon. But you will have to stop divorcing your people. I have given my word. If you do it again, snap! to jail we both go. Do you understand?"
A relieved gasp greeted the announcement, followed by "Gawd bless yuh, Boss!" and a moment later Frasier stood blinking in the white glare of the street.
Porgy looked up, and in an exact imitation of Frasier's professional manner, said testily, "Mobe on, please; mobe on. I gots a berry perlite goat hyuh wut objec' tuh de smell ob de jail-bird." ”

“ The hard lines about her mouth softened, and, in scarcely more than a whisper, she added:
"I gots tuh be decent 'bout somet'ing, 'less I couldn't go back an' look in Porgy face."
Maria got heavily to her feet. The other visitors were leaving, and she longed to be free of the high, brick walls. She dropped a hand on Bess's shoulder.
"Yuh do right, Sister. But ef dat yalluh nigger come tuh Catfish Row agin—leabe him fuh me—dat's all!" Then the big negress joined the departing group, and passed out through the small steel doorway that pierced the massive gate. ”

“ No one was passing at the moment. Porgy turned the head of his beast toward the entrance, gave a sudden twist to the tail, and drove audaciously across the pavement, and into the retreat. Then he hitched his wagon a few feet from the street, and seated himself, cup in hand, at the pavement's inner edge
"Yuh bes' git along out of Mr. Alan' do way wid dat goat befo' he fin' yuh. Ain't yuh onduhstan' gentlemen ain't likes tuh smell goat?"
Porgy looked up and met the threatening gaze of Simon Frasier. ”

“ The question stirred her customer's consciousness to a faint gleam of life; but it did not vitalize it sufficiently for adroit prevarication.
"I miss de boat dis trip," he managed to articulate. "I take er drink wid er frien', and when I git tuh de wharf, de boat done gone."
Two powerful hands gripped his shoulders and flung him back against the wall. He opened his eyes wide and looked into a face of such cold ferocity that his loose lips emitted a sudden "Oh, Jedus!" and he became immediately sober, and very much afraid. ”

“ Maria lowered herself to a seat beside her.
"I lubs dat nigger, Porgy, lak he been my chile," she told her. "An' wut mo', I t'ink I know what done happen tuh yuh."
"Wut yuh know?"
"I been in my do' dat night; an' I seen dat skunk, Sportin' Life, sell yuh dat stuff. Ef I had er known den wut it wuz, I'd a been hyuh long side ob yuh now fuh murder."
After a moment, she asked: "Wut mek yuh don't tell de jailluh who done um, an' come on home?"
Bess remained silent for a moment; then she raised her head and looked into the eyes of the older woman.
"I's a 'oman grown. ”

“ Porgy assured him with an ingenuous smile. "Yuh is goin' to be mighty lubbin' of dis goat attuh a while, Boss."
"No; goats don't wash, Porgy. Away you go after today." But the power of absolute conviction was not in Archdale's voice. His foot was still in the crack; but he knew that the door was closing.
"All right, Frasier ”