I 
Ihe next afternoon I sat on the porch again. The young’uns had the grassy lane 
that ran past the left side of the house playing the same games that I had played 
in the same lane years before. With the camphor tree as a base, they played >Go- 
ing ’Round de Montain.« Little Hubert Alexander was in the ring. The others 
danced rhythmically ’round him and sang: 
Going around de mountain two by two 
Going around de mountain two by two 
Tell me who love sugar and candy. 
Now, show me your motion, two by two 
Show me your motion two by two 
Tell me who love sugar and candy. 
Tl tried to write a letter but the games were too exciting. 
»Little Sally Walker, »Draw a bucket of water, »Sissy in de barn,< and at last 
that most raucous, popular and most African of games, >Chirck, mak Chick, mah 
Craney crow.« Little Harriet Staggers, the smallest girl in the game, was contend- 
ing for the place of the mama hen. She fought hard, but the larger girls promptly 
overruled her and she had to take her place in line behind the other little bid- 
dies, two-year-old Donnie Brown, being a vear younger than Harriet, was the 
hindmost chick, 
During the hilarious uproar of the game, Charlie Jones and Bubber Mimms 
came up and sat on the porch with me. 
>Good Lawd, Zora! How kin you stand all dat racket? Why don’t you run dem 
chaps ’way from here% Seeing his nieces, Laura and Melinda and his nephew, 
Judson, he started to chase them off home but I made him see that it was a hap- 
py accident that they have chosen the lane as a playground. That I was enjoying 
it more than the chaps. 
That settled, Charlie asked, »Well, Zora, did we lie enough for you las’ night?« 
‚You lied good but not enough,< I answered. 
‚Course, Zora, you ain’t at de right place to git de bes’ lies. Why don’t you go 
down ’round Bartow and Lakeland and ’round in dere—Polk County? Dat’s where 
they really lies up a mess and dats where dey makes up all de songs and things 
lak dat. Ain’t vou never hea’d dat Polk County de water drink lak cherrv wine?