“See hyar, boss,” a big black “buck” would begin, “ef you doan’ like de way Ah does dis job you kin git somebody else to do it; ‘cause Ah doan’ stay to take no orders from nobody. Ah doan’—” and so on, while the crowd would gather and listen and stare. After the first meal nearly all the steel knives had been missing, and now every negro had one, ground to a fine point, hidden in his boots.
