SOUTHERN HIGHWAY 51
13
ing to count the turns of the' crank. After some time he counted forty
turns. Finally Sandy did get tired. He stood· up and swore.
"The goddam bioch's froze stiff. We shouldn't have stayed heah so
long."
"D'juh think she'll start?"
"Sho', sho'. She'll start when she's goddam good an' ready. Jest
like any woman. They give in only when they're warmed up.
An'
all yuh
gotta do, is warm 'em up... . " He paused and turned. Tex turned to
follow his glance. Coming down the road, heading in their direction, they
saw a husky Negro, all bundled up in a tattered mackinaw. They waited.
He stopped at the side of the caIl and nodded affably.
"Good-mawnin'." Sandy looked him over carefully, then jerked his
head toward the car, and held up the crank at the same time.
"Try turnin' her over a bit? Huh?" The Negro looked at the
crank, at Texas, then. at Sandy. To Tex, he seemed llimost grotesque, as
he stood there with his long legs, and his bundled top-heavy tor50.
"Sho' nuff. I'll take a try at her." Sandy tendered him thei crank
and remained at his side. Tex made himself ready with the throttle and
'choke' and looked through the cloudy windshield. The Negro's teeth
flashed.
"Ready, please suh?"
Tex nodded. He saw the black bob up and down in front of the
radiator, turning the crank rapidly. He counted thirty-five turns. The
Negro stopped, straightened up and breathed hard. H e smiled broadly.
"Kinda froze, huh?" Sandy was rolling another cigarette and grunt–
ed. "Yeah."
The bla<:k man's eyes moved slowly from Sandy to the Texas Kid and
back again. Jack Kearns stood motionless, expressionless, manipulating
with heavy fingers, the cigarette paper and 'makins'. The two men,
black and white, looked at each other for a full second. Tex glanced
from onC! to the other, curious. The Negro spat on his hands, and took
hold of the rusty crank.
The Kid counted twenty-three. The black fellow was sweating now,
and glistening drops of water rolled off his black skin. Then he suddenly
stopped and straightened, and addressed no one, particularly.
"I reckon she jest won't start up."
Sandy grunted. "She'll start."
The Negro did not look at him, but kept staring at the crank.
"S-ho' nuff, but I figger I'll have tuh be mavin' away. I'm tuh be in
Knoxville at nine." He pushed his hands into ragged pockets and looked
