Honeydripper Page #4

of more places to go.

Nice to see you, Luther!

You've got that boy

eating out of your hand!

Luther is the only one

didn't pull my hair,

he sat behind me in Sunday school.

I hope you got a little

of that sugar left, cos

we got to spare some on

Miss Bertha Mae Spivey.

You gonna ask her to come sing

I'm gonna ask her for money.

Word is, she got a whole pile

of it squirrelled away.

Daddy... Hey, come on, girl,

I got to rest.

Oh, I'm sorry, honey.

You catch your breath, OK.

Yeah.

So why Miss Spivey

gonna give you money,

if you won't let her sing

at the club no more?

I'm gonna make her partner.

Partner in what?

The Honeydripper.

But all you ever say, it's just

a hole you pour good money into.

It don't matter.

I'm gonna make her proprietor.

Tress. Like waiter and waitress.

Proprietress.

She got to like the sound of that.

Lovely ladies out to make a purchase.

Is that the same Guitar Sam is

The very one.

What does he look like?

A fine looking man,

a real lady killer from what I hear.

Got that New Orleans style to him.

Well, you ought to have

a picture up there.

We'll be getting some of those

when he come in on the train.

Main thing is,

the man is electrifying

and you know what that means.

OK.

Make like we just come by

to see how how she keeping.

Then I'll kind of mention I'd been

thinking of bringing her on as a partner.

Left the door open.

She gone.

Oh. When she going to be back?

She just gone.

Woke up beside her.

Oh, damn.

24 years.

China doll, go find your mama.

She'll know how to fix up the body.

Laugh and all but...

...I've been with that woman

24 years.

She gave me the only home

I ever had.

What am I gonna do now?

What's your hurry, boy?

No hurry.

Take your hat off.

Where you headed?

I'm looking for work.

You're not from around here?

No, sir.

Stranger wandering around, no job,

that would make you a vagrant.

But I'm looking.

I got a job for you.

Get in the back.

I can always use another hand.

Well, I caught this young fella in

flagrant violation of the statutes -

gawkery, with intent to mope.

What's he going to run me?

3 a day, plus you feed him lunch.

The sentence, that all depends on how

long you're gonna need the help?

I don't get any trial?

Sure you do, boy, and a speedy

one at that. Meet the judge.

Judge Gatlin.

Grab a sack.

Oh dear, I believe

it's about that time.

Would you care to join me?

No, thank you.

Of course you won't join me,

you don't partake.

That was thoughtless of me.

No, that's all right.

So, you don't take spirits

and what else in your church?

I'm sort of between churches Oh.

I've been thinking about

changing over to the Holiness,

but I haven't been sanctified yet.

Oh.

There's been a minister

in this week.

The tent over by the fairgrounds?

The church I was raised in,

we were Pentecostals.

They wouldn't have anything but

the human voice inside the church.

Dancing, any kind of dancing,

music, card-playing.

It was very strict.

They took up serpents.

I heard of that.

I tell Floyd these stories,

and he's... He's horrified.

They have always been Methodists,

Floyd's family.

It can be a trial, married folks

differ in their religion.

And your husband is a...?

Unaffiliated.

Unaffiliated, I see.

But he has his social club.

The Honeydripper? That is such

a colourful name.

Yes.

He must have a great deal

of his energy to it.

It's just him

and Maceo Green runs it,

I go over and cook some

after I get off here.

Well, that's very supportive of you,

considering the sort of environment.

I've been in those bar rooms

most of my life, Miss Amanda.

I see.

I was a singer.

I met Tyrone in the Paradise,

down in Treefork.

China doll was only two.

And I was just...

living alone, you know,

drinking more than I ought,

and then Tyrone...

...Like a light, come into my life.

People think things

cos he owns the lounge,

but they don't know him.

Small minds are never

in short supply.

People in this town...

I suppose they expected that Floyd,

being from a prominent family,

as prominent as is possible

here in Harmony,

would have chosen somebody more...

In school,

if you didn't have shoes...

Oh, I forgot!

I was going through some of Emily's

old things the other day.

I thought this would look

just darling on your China Doll.

Oh, I don't think that would

near fit her, Miss Amanda.

Why, how old is she, now?

Oh, my...

I must have lost track

somewhere along the line.

17?

It was a very nice thought.

Mama, mama, they need you...

Oh, I'm sorry.

Miss Amanda, I didn't know China Doll!

We were just recalling

how you used to play right here,

under this table.

There's not any cash money

that I know of.

She sold a good deal

of the furniture,

but there's still a nice looking

couch in the parlour.

Didn't care about too much,

other than singing

at the Pine Top's place.

You're welcome to look

around the house,

if there's anything

your missus might like.

As long as it's not something

personal to me and Bertha Mae.

It's just...

She's got to go out in style.

You ain't never done this job before?

Can't say I have.

You want to set your pins out wide,

bend over at the hip.

Don't be bobbing up and down

all the time.

When you're up, be up.

When you're on the roll, stay down.

But most important,

you got to get a rhythm.

Everything in life got a rhythm,

even pulling cotton off the plant.

Lay it out for me. Not my rhythm,

your rhythm.

That's between you and the day

and the work you got before you.

Once you get it, don't let nothing

or nobody push you off it.

I'm going so slow.

Are you getting paid

by the pound or by the hour?

I ain't getting paid at all,

none of us are.

I suggest you work that

into your rhythm too.

Let's see more picking and

less talking over there.

Getting right to it, boss.

Them boys frying over there.

That's just Gatlin's gang.

He works them people from can

into cane, every damn day.

When the fields get picked,

he bid 'em out to the neighbours.

Harvest time come around here,

you'd better sign with somebody

fast, or get out of sight.

I ate a pick of dust today.

Why don't you get some water?

The only thing that wash out

the dust is whisky.

Ain't enough whisky in this world to

wash out what I swallowed in my life.

What are we playing for?

Two bits of ham.

Woo! That's awful steep, ain't it?

Well... I remember playing

this game one night,

Memphis's boss Crumpstown folks

is gambling before they can walk,

caught me a winning streak

that cleaned out half

the sporting men on Beale Street.

I got up from that table,

my money was long as train smoke.

What happened to it?

I spent it all on fine-looking women.

Yo, Mississippi!

His name is Hamilton. Hambo!

You want in on this?

Settle up on pay day.

That your deck of cards?

What if it is?

I'll stay clear of it then.

Are you insinuating? I'm just saying,

Looks like dinner.

A rabbit is a rodent.

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