They’ve done a fine job.
Tell you what they did—you know the Holy Roller preachers all the time follow the people around, preachin’ an’ takin’ up collections?
Well, they wanted to preach in this camp.
And a lot of the older folks wanted them.
So it was up to the Central Committee.
They went into meeting and here’s how they fixed it. They say,
‘Any preacher can preach in this camp.
Nobody can take up a collection in this camp.’
And it was kinda sad for the old folks, ’cause there hasn’t been a preacher in since.”
Tom laughed and then he asked,
“You mean to say the fellas that runs the camp is jus’ fellas—campin’ here?”
“Sure.
And it works.”
“You said about cops——”
“Central Committee keeps order an’ makes rules.
Then there’s the ladies.
They’ll call on your ma.
They keep care of kids an’ look after the sanitary units.
If your ma isn’t working, she’ll look after kids for the ones that is working, an’ when she gets a job—why, there’ll be others.
They sew, and a nurse comes out an’ teaches ’em.
All kinds of things like that.”
“You mean to say they ain’t no cops?”
“No, sir.
No cop can come in here without a warrant.”
“Well, s’pose a fella is jus’ mean, or drunk an’ quarrelsome. What then?”
The watchman stabbed the blotter with a pencil.
“Well, the first time the Central Committee warns him.
And the second time they really warn him.
The third time they kick him out of the camp.”
“God Almighty, I can’t hardly believe it!
Tonight the deputies an’ them fellas with the little caps, they burned the camp out by the river.”
“They don’t get in here,” the watchman said. “Some nights the boys patrol the fences, ’specially dance nights.”
“Dance nights?
Jesus Christ!”
“We got the best dances in the county every Saturday night.”
“Well, for Christ’s sake!
Why ain’t they more places like this?”
The watchman looked sullen.
“You’ll have to find that out yourself.
Go get some sleep.”
“Good night,” said Tom. “Ma’s gonna like this place.
She ain’t been treated decent for a long time.”
“Good night,” the watchman said. “Get some sleep.
This camp wakes up early.”
Tom walked down the street between the rows of tents.
His eyes grew used to the starlight.
He saw that the rows were straight and that there was no litter about the tents.
The ground of the street had been swept and sprinkled.
From the tents came the snores of sleeping people.
The whole camp buzzed and snorted.