June 6th, 3 p.m.
SADIE OPENED her eyes as the door swung open. She had fallen into an exhausted sleep and her dreams had been terrifying. She sat up on the bed, her hand going to her mouth and her eyes dark with fear.
Fan came in and shut the door behind her. The silk wrap that she wore outlined her full figure. There was no mistaking what she was.
Sadie caught her breath when she saw her. Her mouth was so dry that she couldn’t say anything.
“Take it easy,” Fan said, leaning against the door; “I’ve been told to have a little talk with you.”
Still Sadie couldn’t say anything. She continued to stare at her with growing horror.
Fan said crossly, “Don’t look at me like that. You’re givin’ me the heebies. Relax, sister.”
“Who are you?” Sadie managed to get out.
“What does it matter?” Fan asked, giving a hard little smile. “You worry about yourself. You’re in a spot.”
“Where am I? What does all this mean?”
Fan came over to the bed and sat down. “I’ve got to talk to you,” she said. “Don’t think I want to, but when I’m told to do anythin’ in this joint it’s easier to do it than to kick. The old cow downstairs has sent me up to scare you. Well, I ain’t goin’ to. I’m goin’ to tell you what’ll be good for you, and what you ought to do.”
Sadie said, “But tell me where I am.”
“Can’t you guess?” Fan said bitterly. “Take a look at me? What do you think I ama nun?”
Sadie felt herself go suddenly very cold. She flinched away from Fan.
“Skip it, sister,” Fan said roughly. “You don’t have to take it that way. You’re in the same boat as me. I don’t know why they’ve picked on you, but they’re goin’ to put you through it. If you take my advice you’ll do as you’re told and get off lightly.”
Sadie looked at her in horror.
“There’s a nigger who runs this house. She’s tough. Make no mistake about it. She’s had dozens of girls like you through her hands. Some of them stuck it for a hell of a long time. They wouldn’t do what she wanted.
But they did in the end. You’ll do it too. Maybe you don’t think you will, but you will.”
Sadie said, “Get me out of here. I’ll give you anything if you’ll get me out of here.”
“Skip it. No amount of that talk will help. I can’t do anythin’ for you. All I can tell you is what’ll come to you if you buck.”
Sadie controlled her nerves with a great effort. “They won’t make me do that,” she said fiercely. “They’ll have to kill me first. I won’t!”
Fan took a packet of cigarettes from her pocket. “Have one?” she said, shaking two out on the sheet.
Sadie didn’t even look at them. “If you won’t help me, then I want to see someone else,” she said. “You can’t do this sort of thing in this country and get away with it.”
Fan lit a cigarette and put the odd one back in the packet. “Don’t be a sap,” she said. “A kid like you don’t know anythin’. Listen, sister, have you ever been whipped?”
Sadie flushed hotly. “What’s that got to do with it?”
“You tell me. Have you?”
“Of course I haven’t. Why should I be?”
“Well, I have.” Fan said grimly. “And believe me it ain’t pleasant. When Carrie comes up she’ll explain what she wants done. You’ll say yes or no. If it’s yes, then you’ll be okay; if it’s noGawd help you. She’ll tie you to that bed and she’ll whip you. She’ll whip you until you say yes. Don’t think she’ll get tired of itshe won’t. She’ll whip you every hour of the day until you can’t take any more of it. And when she’s broken you you’ll be doin’ what you said no to in the first place.”
Sadie said quietly, “She can do anythin’ she likes to mebut I’ll never agree.”
Fan sighed. “It’s always the same,” she said. “My God, I’m sick of all this! She sends me up to talk you kids into being sensible, but you all say the same. You all think you’ve got enough guts to take it and in the end you give way. Why don’t you be sensible? What the hell’s the use of being bashed about, losing your nice skin, just because you ain’t got the brains to know when you’re sunk?”
Sadie shook her head. “Nothin’ you can say will make any difference,” she said.
“Carrie distrusts a dame she has had to beat into submission. She makes sure that she’ll stick when she finally gives in. There won’t be much kick−back coming from you. Can’t you see this is the one time you can’t beat the rap? You can’t get away. Carrie’s got everything the way she wants it. She won’t have any mercy on you. I’m tellin’ you. Use your nut and give in right away. It’ll be tough, but it ain’t goin’ to be the hell you’ll make for yourself if you try and stick it. I’ve said my little bit. It’s up to you. She’ll be up in a while. Think it over.” She got off the bed.
Sadie beat her to it. She darted across the room, wrenched open the door and ran into the passage. Fan grimaced. She made no attempt to intercept her.
Sadie could see a flight of stairs at the end of the passage. Blindly she ran towards them. Halfway down the stairs she became aware that someone was waiting for her at the bottom. She brought herself up with a jerk.
Carrie, her flat face expressionless, looked up at her. “Go back to your room,” she said harshly.
Sadie didn’t move. Her heart pounded against her side. She felt as if she had suddenly become involved in a horrible nightmare.
“Go back to your room,” Carrie repeated.
Sadie retreated one step up. Then, realizing that this would be her one chance of escape, she said, “You’ve got to let me godo you hear? You can’t do this to me.”
Carrie began to climb the stairs slowly. Her big mouth gaped in a grin. “Go on back,” she said. “I’m comin’
to talk to you. Look what I’ve got for you.”
Sadie saw she was holding a thin length of whalebone in her hand. She caught her breath and turned to run up the stairs. A powerfully built negro was standing at the head of the stairs, blocking her escape. He grinned at her; his thick lips seemed to split his face in half.
Paralysed with terror, Sadie turned again. Carrie was right on her. She said, “Go to your room.”
Sadie suddenly clutched her head between her hands and began to scream. Her screams resounded against the walls.
The negro ran down the few stairs and grabbed her. She nearly went mad with terror as his great damp hands closed on her.
“Get her upstairsquick!” Carrie said angrily. “She’ll disturb my people.”
The negro, grinning broadly, carried Sadie up the stairs. Her arms and legs banged against the sides of the wall as he carried her. She twisted and struggled frantically, but the grip round her arms and thighs was immovable. She continued to scream until she heard the door shut with a thud, and then she went limp.
Carrie said, “She doesn’t know anythin’ yet. Put her on the bed, Joe.”
The negro lowered her on to the bed and stood away. His face beamed. Sadie half lay, half crouched, looking at Carrie.
The mulatto stood, her big hands hanging loosely at her sides and her big eyes blazing with a curious animal expression. “My girls know how to behave themselves in this house,” she said. “You better learn.”
Sadie had lost her fear. She was nearly suffocating with rage. Her Southern blood had revolted at the touch of the negro. She said furiously, “You’ll pay for this! How dare you touch me!… How dare you touch me!”
Carrie glanced at the negro. “All right, Joe. Fix her up for me.”
The negro shuffled across the room. Sadie could see little red tints in his eyes as he came towards her. She said wildly, shrinking back on the bed, “Don’t touch me!” And then he was on her. The horrible rancid nigger smell of him sickened her, and she struck at him twice before he pinned her hands. He muttered, “She’ll sure take the hide off you for this, baby,” and twisting her arms, he turned her over on her face. His knee rammed down between her shoulders and she felt her hands being fixed to the bedposts.
Sobbing with rage, she kicked and twisted, moving the bed half across the room. One of her ankles was seized and fastened to the lower bedpost. She kicked wildly with her free leg and she felt a jar as she caught the negro in his chest. He grunted, grabbed the flaying leg and fastened that too. Then he got off the bed and looked at Carrie with a little smirk.
Sadie pulled and strained on the cords that held her, but they only bit further into her flesh. She was securely tied, face down on the bed.
Then she gave herself up for lost. No one would come at the last moment and save her from this horror.
She knew that she would not wake up to find that it had only been some strange and horrible nightmare. It was real and it was happening to her. And when the negro began to rip the clothes off her back she screamed like a terrified child.