of the frying pans and rigged up a spit for the rest.
Jeremy studied the sky. “Normally I’d say leave the carcass hanging to dry
for a few days, but it looks like bad weather coming. You’d best smoke it
tonight.” He looked at Mourning’s blank face and continued. “Just finish
skinning it, cut the meat into smaller pieces, and hang them over a slow burning
fire. You got to watch the wind and keep the meat in the smoke. And the fire not
too hot. Four-five hours ought to do it.”
“I thought we spose to pickle it,” Mourning said.
“You could do that.”
While the men went to clean themselves up in the river, Olivia finished frying
up the meat and potatoes.
Mourning returned before Jeremy and bent down close to her, whispering.
“What he been sayin’ back there – ’bout my skin?”
“Your skin?” Olivia asked, puzzled.
“When we been walkin’ before, two a you behind me, I heard him say
something ’bout my skin bein’ good.”
Olivia frowned for a moment and then realized what he was referring to and
grinned. “No. What he said was that you ‘seem like a right good skin.’ It’s an expression the Irish use – means a good person. My Mammo Killion used to say
that about people.”
“He sure talk funny sometimes,” Mourning said.
Olivia considered this. “He must have Irish grandparents, like me. Doesn’t
have an Irish accent, but once in a while one of those sayings creeps in.”
“He sound like a skin what don’t know who he be.”
“Well you know, people pick up the way their own folks talk. Don’t even
realize that other people might not understand some of the expressions they use.
You know . . .” She hesitated. “I’ve always wanted to ask you about the way you
talk.”
“What wrong with the way I be talkin’?”
“Nothing. Nothing’s wrong with it. Not at all. It’s just different from the way
everyone else in Five Rocks speaks.”
She paused, but Mourning said nothing.
“You’re the only colored person I know, but I’m guessing other colored folks
talk like you. Is that right?”
“Spose so.”
“But you grew up listening to white people all day, so I would think you
might talk more like us.”
“You forgettin’ I been livin’ with them Carters.”
“Well, yes, but even then you worked for white folks. Spent most of your day
with white folks. And you ran away from the Carters when you were what,
nine?”
