The applause was deafening, though
Lovelace Peyton didn't like the scene one bit, and he kept feeling
Roxanne's head after she came and sat down in front of us in the
audience.
Nobody knew that I was going to be or do a thing, for I had begged
them not to make me, because of the difficulty I have in managing my
feet and elbows on account of their rapid growth right now. But I did!
I think I have caught the family pride habit and that is what made me
do it. This is how I felt. I looked down at the seats of honor
reserved for the Byrdsville distinguished citizens, and saw my father
sitting in one of the high places, as it were, between Judge Luttrell
and Mr. Chadwell, and his face was just beaming with enjoyment of the
way all those other men's sons and daughters were distinguishing
themselves with their beauty and talent. And then out in the audience
Judge Luttrell had Tony's mother, dressed in lovely black silk and
also full of pride, while Mr. Chadwell kept nodding to Pink's mother
at everything that Pink did, like there never had been a negro
minstrel before. I thought of Father being the only lonely one up on
the platform and with only me to be a credit to him--and me not doing
it.
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