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“What was Mark doing in my hog pen at night, anyway?” Arch said, shouting at them both.

Neither Clem nor Lonnie replied. Arch glared at them for not answering. But no matter how many times he looked at them, his eyes returned each time to stare at the torn body of Mark Newsome on the ground at his feet.

“There’s nothing to be done now,” Arch said finally.”We’ll just have to wait till daylight and send for the undertaker.” He walked a few steps away.”Looks like you could have waited till morning in the first place. There wasn’t no sense in getting me up.

He turned his back and looked sideways at Clem. Clem stood up and looked him straight in the eyes.

“What do you want, Clem Henry?” he said.”Who told you to be coming around my house in the middle of the night? I don’t want niggers coming here except when I send for them.”

“I couldn’t stand to see anybody eaten up by the hogs, and not do anything about it,” Clem said.

“You mind your own business,” Arch told him.”And when you talk to me, take off your hat, or you’ll be sorry for it. It wouldn’t take much to make me do you up the way you belong.”

Lonnie backed away. There was a feeling of uneasiness around them. That was how trouble between Clem and Arch always began. He had seen it start that way dozens of times before. As long as Clem turned and went away, nothing happened, but sometimes he stayed right where he was and talked up to Arch just as if he had been a white man, too.

Lonnie hoped it would not happen this time. Arch was already mad enough about being waked up in the middle of the night, and Lonnie knew there was no limit to what Arch would do when he got good and mad at a Negro. Nobody had ever seen him kill a Negro, but he had said he had, and he told people that he was not scared to do it again.

“I reckon you know how he came to get eaten up by the hogs like that,” Clem said, looking straight at Arch.

Arch whirled around.

“Are you talking to me … ?”

“I asked you that,” Clem stated.

“God damn you, yellow-blooded …” Arch yelled.

He swung the lantern at Clem’s head. Clem dodged, but the bottom of it hit his shoulder, and it was smashed to pieces. The oil splattered on the ground, igniting in the air from the flaming wick. Clem was lucky not to have it splash on his face and overalls.

“Now, look here …” Clem said.

“You yellow-blooded nigger,” Arch said, rushing at him.”I’ll teach you to talk back to me. You’ve got too big for your place for the last time. I’ve been taking too much from you, but I aint doing it no more.”

“Mr. Arch, I …” Lonnie said, stepping forward partly between them. No one heard him.

Arch stood back and watched the kerosene flicker out on the ground.

“You know good and well why he got eaten up by the fattening hogs,” Clem said, standing his ground.”He was so hungry he had to get up out of bed in the middle of the night and come up here in the dark trying to find something to eat. Maybe he was trying to find the smokehouse. It makes no difference, either way. He’s been on short-rations like everybody else working on your place, and he was so old he didn’t know where else to look for food except in your smokehouse. You know good and well that’s how he got lost u’ here in the dark and fell in the hog pen.”

The kerosene had died out completely. In the last faint flare, Arch had reached down and grabbed up the singletree that had been lying on the ground where Lonnie had dropped it.

Arch raised the singletree over his head and struck with all his might at Clem. Clem dodged, but Arch drew back again quickly and landed a blow on his arm just above the elbow before Clem could dodge it. Clem’s arm dropped to his side, dangling lifelessly.

“You Goddamn yellow-blooded nigger!” Arch shouted.”Now’s your time, you black bastard. I’ve been waiting for the chance to teach you your lesson. And this’s going to be one you won’t never forget.”