Green Pastures Page #3

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forget his troubles like raising a family.

- Now you better git.

- Yes, sir.

Adam and Eve, you better have Seth

and lots more children.

I don't like the way things is going at all.

Well, I guess that's about all the

important business this morning, Lawd.

What about that little cherub

over at Archangel Montgomery's house?

Where do they live, Lawd?

In that little two-story gold house

over by the Pearly Gates.

That Montgomery.

I thought you was referring

to the old gentleman.

Here it is.

"Cherub Christina Montgomery...

"wings is molting out of season

and nobody know what to do."

Well, you want to take care of that.

- You got to be more careful, Gabe.

- Yes, Lawd.

- Now watch yourself, Gabriel.

- I wasn't going to blow, Lawd.

I just do that every now and then

so I can keep the feel of it.

What's this here about the moon?

The moon people say,

it's beginning to melt a little...

on account 'cause the sun's so hot.

It's going around

according to schedule, ain't it?

Yes, Lawd.

There ain't nothing

the matter with that moon.

The trouble of it is...

too many angels go flying over there

on Saturday night.

They get to beating their wings...

while they's dancing,

and that makes the heat.

Tell them, from now on,

dancing round the moon is sinning.

They got to stop it,

and that'll cool off the moon.

- Anything else you ought to remind me of?

- The prayers, Lawd.

The prayers?

For mankind, you know,

down on the Earth.

Yes, the poor little Earth.

Bless my soul, I almost forgot about that.

Must be three or four hundred years

since I've been down there.

I wasn't any too pleased with that job.

You know you don't make

no mistakes, Lawd.

So they tell me.

But I find I can be displeased, though...

and I was displeased

with the mankind I last seen.

Maybe I ought to go down there again.

- I need a little holiday.

- Might do you good, Lawd.

I'll go down there and

see how them poor humans is making out.

What time is it by the sun and the stars?

Just exactly half past, Lawd.

Take care of yourself. I'll be back Saturday.

That's nice.

Nice and quiet.

That's the way I likes for Sunday to be.

Now that ain't so good.

- Stop that.

- What's the matter with you, country boy?

- Pull up your pants.

- Stop that.

Say, listen to me, banjo eyes...

what right you got

to stop a lady enjoying herself?

This is the Sabbath.

That ain't no kind of song to be singing

on De Lawd's day.

Who care about De Lawd's day anymore?

People just use Sunday

now to get over Saturday.

- You is a mighty sassy little girl.

- I come from sassy people.

- We even speak mean of the dead.

- What's your name?

"What's my name?"

Ain't you the old-time gal hunter.

First it's, "What's my name?"

Then, I suppose, "What would it be like

if you tried to kiss me?"

You preachers is the devil.

I ain't aiming to touch you, daughter.

What is your name?

- Zeba.

- Who's your family?

Why, I is the great-great-granddaughter

of Seth.

Of Seth? Seth was a good man.

Yeah, he too good. He'd die of holiness.

And here's his little granddaughter,

reeking with cologne.

Ain't nobody ever told you

you's on the road to hell?

Sure. That's what the preachers say,

excepting, of course, I happens to know...

that I'm on the road to the picnic grounds.

And at the present time, I'm waiting...

to keep engaged with my sweet pop.

He don't like people talking to me.

Hello, sugar.

Hi, mama. Sorry I'm late, baby...

but the gals down at the barrelhouse

just wouldn't let me go.

Doggone. One little wirehead swore

she'd tear me down.

- What is your name, son?

- Soap and water, country boy.

- What is your name?

- Cain the Sixth.

I was afraid so.

You a new preacher?

- Where do you live?

- Me? I live most any place.

Yes, and you're going to see them all.

Is all the other young men like you?

Well, the gals don't think so.

Ain't nobody in this world

like my honey cake.

They tells me last night

you was talking to a creeper man, baby.

You know there ain't nobody in this world

for me but you.

I knows there ain't.

I even got that guaranteed.

You see that, baby?

That just makes me positive.

You don't want to believe

all them stories, papa.

I didn't believe them, baby.

Course, that big gorilla, Flatfoot, from

the other side of the river is in town again.

- Why, Flatfoot ain't nothing to me.

- Course he ain't.

Go ahead and play some more, baby.

Bad business.

The birds is going about their business

all right.

- And how you little flowers making out?

- We is okay, Lawd.

Yes, and you looking mighty pretty, too.

Thank you, Lawd.

It's only the human beings

that make me downhearted.

Now here's as nice a Sunday

as they turns out anywhere...

and nobody making the right use of it.

Lawd, you know I'm down here praying.

Lawd, you know I ain't asked

you for nothing for a long time.

There's people praying.

Lawd, the smokehouse is empty.

Lawd, let me get them groceries.

Lawd, let me see that little six.

Wham.

Gambling, and with frozen dice.

There's $1.50 talking for me.

- How much you want in, Flatfoot?

- I take four bits.

Wait a minute. Maybe I take a little more.

Hello, liver lips. Look at old liver lips.

Ain't his pockets high from the ground?

Old high pockets.

Come on, you gonna feed me or not?

Why, you just a little boy,

gambling and sinning...

and chewing tobacco,

like you was your own pappy...

and you've been drinking

sonny-kick-mammy wine, too.

You gamblers ought to be ashamed

of yourself, leading this boy to sin.

Why, he's the best crapshooter in town.

Does your mammy

know what you is doing?

See can you beat him, high pocket?

There's $1 open here.

I ain't going to beat him. I must teach him.

I may have to teach you all.

If you find my mammy,

you can do more than I can.

His mammy ran off last week

with a railroad man. She eloped.

Who wants any part of the $1?

Fortune told, honey?

- Where did you get this nice horse?

- I stole it.

Nice horse.

- Morning, brother.

- Morning.

I declare, you look like a good man.

I try to be. I'm the preacher here.

I don't believe I seen you

at the meeting this morning.

I just got in town a little while ago,

and I been pretty busy.

Most everybody say they pretty busy,

so busy they can't come to meeting.

Today, there wasn't a single member

for the choir.

There I was, just preaching to me.

The people perfectly healthy, ain't they?

They healthy, all right.

They just lazy and full of sin.

- Ain't you a preacher, too, brother?

- Yes, I is in a way.

Well, I live right here.

Why don't you give us the pleasure

of your company for dinner?

I believe the old lady has killed a chicken.

Well, that's mighty nice of you, brother...

I don't believe I caught your name.

Noah, just Noah. Come right in, brother.

This is the old lady.

This gentleman's a preacher, too, honey.

That's fine.

You just catch me

when I'm getting dinner ready.

I got a chicken in the pot.

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