DARBY By Lily Tripp

Darby It was 1926, and I was sitting in my daddy’s cotton fields in Marlboro County waiting for my friend Evette to come and play with me. I knew that I couldn’t just walk into her house and ask her to play because I knew that white people couldn’t see inside black people’s houses and that black people couldn’t see the inside of white people’s houses. Oh yes I totally forgot my name is Darby, I’m a third grader at the Murchison School for all white people. My family owns a farm with tenant houses on them(Evette lives in one of them) and a store called the Carmichael Dry Goods. I have a mom named Darby like me, a dad named Sherman, an Aunt Greer who lives with my family, and an older brother named McCall. Once Evette told me that her aunt lives in New York with her own car and a job being a news paper editor. At first I couldn’t believe that because I thought blacks couldn’t have a life like that. Soon I got the idea to be a news paper girl for the Bennettsville Times newspaper. My first article I wrote was about toads and how they don’t cause you warts. I took my article to Mr. Salter so he could put it into the newspaper. Mr. Salter knows my dad and he is the person in charge of it. He fixed it up a little and said he thought it was cute so he would put it into the newspaper! I was so happy and I thought about writing more articles!

Evette and Darby Evette I was so happy when I saw Darby’s article in the newspaper on toads. Then the other day Darby and I went into the woods and she showed me another article about her Great Uncle Harvey, how he is blind, and that he can’t smell very well. I told her it needed some adjustments, then I took her article and fixed it up a little. Darby I took my next article that Evette edited on Uncle Harvey to Mr. Salter. He said that it was very thoughtful but not as cute as my last one on toads. Mr. Salter also said that since Evette helped, and that she is black, she can only have her first name in the newspaper. Evette When I saw my name in the article I was just thrilled! I couldn’t wait for another article I could edit from Darby.

Darby, Evette and Mr. Salter Darby When I looked around town I thought that blacks weren’t treated as nice as white’s. How black men always had to take of their hat when they would pass white people. I thought that would be embarrassing. They also don’t have as nice places to shop for food and other needs. That gave me the idea for my next column! Evette I was a little surprised with the article Darby brought for me on blacks not treated fairly. But I also thought that she was very considerate. I edited the article and handed it over to Darby. Mr. Salter Now Darby I understand that you want this article in the newspaper but I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask your dad before putting it into the newspaper. Some people might just not really like it. Darby I shook my head in agreement with Mr. Salter I just didn’t no why it mattered, because I know that being a newspaper girl has to tell the truth.

Darby I wasn’t so satisfied to come home with Daddy after my article was in the newspaper seeing Mom in tears. She told me that I ruined our family by writing that article about blacks. After a couple days I started to believe her. People starting stopping me and telling me that I made a bad choice by putting my column in the newspaper. Even Sissy my friend at school told me that her dad told her that she couldn’t play with me. One night, McCall was starring out the window. I looked out there and saw on our yard a big burning cross right in front of my eyes. Daddy said that was the sign of the Ku Klux Klan. The Ku Klux Klan are people who think they have the right to move black people where ever they want. I knew that Mr. Dunn(he lives near us) was one of them. I also knew they did that because of my article. Later at Daddy’s store Mr. Dunn was talking about my article with a harsh tone. Then he threatened Daddy and I, and called us backstabbers! I was very scared but Daddy told me I had nothing to worry, but I worried.

Darby I was walking to the Carmichael Dry Goods to see daddy after school. I still couldn’t stop thinking about Mr. Dunn. In the store it was very quiet only a couple people were in there in clouding me and Daddy. We were just talking about my day at school when all the sudden a brick came smashing through the window! “Ahhhhh!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. My daddy told me to stay back. He looked out side the smashed window and saw a huge crowed forming. We also saw a note on the brick. The note had three letters on it. They were KKK. I knew that stood for the Ku Klux Klan. Daddy saw Mr. Dunn in the crowed. He started making his way over to him. Just When I thought my article was going to cause the whole town to make a big argument I did something I thought I would never do. “Everybody!” I said nervously. “We shouldn’t argue about this. All I wanted to do was just say that blacks should have the same amount of fairness like whites in my article. I have a friend named Evette and she is black. We go to separate schools and never have seen the inside of each other's houses. That’s all I meant. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.” It took awhile but A few months later after I stood up to that crowed Evette actually came to my house for dinner sometimes! The town is also trying to get better black schools. I’m glad everything was turning out to be better. I knew that the town was being way more thought full to blacks.

Thanks for watching my slide show! Sorry that I kind of spoiled the book. 