They fought and somehow he managed to bite Tea Cake high up on his cheek-bone once.

Ah jus’ couldn’t see mahself married to no black man. It’s too many black folks already. We oughta lighten up de race.”

Janie learned what it felt like to be jealous. A little chunky girl took to picking a play out of Tea Cake in the fields and in the quarters.

All day Ah’m pickin’ beans. All night Ah’m pickin’ mah box and rollin’ dice. Between de beans and de dice Ah can’t lose. Ah’m gone right now tuh pick me uh job uh work wid de best man on de muck. Before de rest of ’em gits heah. You can always git jobs round heah in de season, but not wid de right folks.”

Things might not turn out like she thought.

“Still and all Ah’d rather be wid Tea Cake.”

he began to talk about her age all the time, as if he didn’t want her to stay young while he grew old

“Aw dat mule is plenty strong. Jus’ evil and don’t want tuh be led.”

“You and yo’ daughter goin’ tuh join wid us in fellowship?”

Saved up some money—round three hundred dollars, yes indeed, right here in his pocket.