Narration

way up on top of the hill out back, there was a man who lived in a shack. He was all bent over, and he walked with a limp. Mamoo and Pat told me he was friendly, but whenever I saw him head in my way, I ran helter-skelter like a scared cat and head.

Don't know why. He just looked and walked different. That's all. Well, one day I was running down the hauler to the swimming hole, and he was haulering at his dog and running after him. The two of us just up and bumped into each other.

We knocked noggins and fell over together in a heap of leaves. My ankle hit a rock, and was cut so as I couldn't walk. That stranger ripped off part of his own shirt and wrapped my foot up, gentle as butter fly wings. Said he was scared of old Miss Haggerty, too. Then he carted me all the way

back to my place. Pap and Mamu were waiting, and that night he even brought over some stew for us. Sure as beans, he was the nicest feller you'd ever hoped to meet. Told us this is daily collected from someplace, way far off in Africa.