A/N-This chapter is based on the episode, 'Anthony's Graduation'. Anthony graduated from college and his "Dandi" ( grandmother ) came to visit him. Anthony was also in charge of getting funds for the black reading room at the school's library sooooooo...as far as I could tell, they never did give her an official name so I am naming her "Frances".

There may be some delicate subjects that you might be uncomfortable with but please read and review.

None of the women will even be born at the time of this chapter.

Frances was eight years old and she would be nine in a few months her momma told her. She was standing beside an old oak tree and she was waiting. She only had to wait for about 10 minutes then she heard them coming, 4 or 5 young black teenage girls coming down the road, they were in age from 13 to 16 and Frances moved herself behind the tree so they couldn't see her...but one of them did, only Frances didn't know she saw her.

The next day at that same time, Frances was again beside the tree and she heard the girls coming down the dirt road carrying their school books but there was only 4 of them. Frances was a little confused...where could the other girl be? probably home sick so Frances watched the girls walk on home but her eyes went to their schoolbooks, little ones and big ones. The girls walked until they were out of sight and Frances sighed and she stepped down to go home to her little humble shack in the woods but she feels a hand on the shoulder. Her heart nearly stops and she gasps and turns around and she sees the girl who she didn't see walking.

The girl seems to be about 13 years old, creamy black skin and a kind smile, her clothes were almost threadbare but they were clean. The girl asks Frances. "What are you looking for girl?"

Frances suddenly feels ashamed and embarrassed that she was caught and the older girl asks her. "I asked what are you looking for? Can you hear me?" Frances nods her head and she says in a trembling voice. "You and your friends...you go to school". The girl nods her head then says. "Yes, we go to school". A little bolder, Frances points to the books and says. "You got books". The girl looks at the books then asks. "Don't you go to school?" Frances shakes her head no then the teen age girl asks. "Why not?" Frances shrugs her shoulders then says. "Poppy don't put much in learning, he says white man don't want her to learn to read. He says when he tried, they beat him with a leather whip"

The teenage girl sqirms and she shakes the image from her mind then she says. "Your poppa is right, they don't want us to but we got our own schools now...we don't worry about the white man...you want to learn to read?" Frances looks at her and slowly nods her head then the girl smiles and says. "I'll teach you...my name is Pat". Frances smiles a mile wide at Pat.

A few months later, Frances sits at a wooden table with an oil lamp in the middle and Frances holds a little black slate with the alphabet on one side and numbers on the other side is numbers and she looks at a woman and says. "Momma, I can read". Her mother's eyes go huge and she asks. "W-what?" "I can read momma, see this? These are letters, they are called the alphabet and these...they are numbers". Just then a black man in his mid 30's come stumbling in and he hollers.

"What is this about you reading?" He raises his arm up high to hit Frances who trembles and shrinks back but her mother stands up and grabs his arm and she throws it down then says. "Shut up you old fool, she will learn to read. She gonna be smart... ". A tear rolls down her eyes and she says. "She gonna be better than us..." She looks at him dead in the eyes and she says. "You should want that too or do you want her to be slave like you grand pappy?" He looks at her like he could kill her and he says. "My pappy is no slave and I no slave". Her mother sternly says. "She will be if she does not read!" He looks at Frances then at her mother then back at Frances then leaves the room . The mother sits down and Frances says. "I don't want to be better than you momma, you are the best"

Frances's mother puts her hand on her daughters then says. "Tell me more". Frances picks up the slate and points to the letters and says. "This is A...B...C...". Frances tells her mother the rest of the alphabet and numbers into the night.

The next day, Frances runs up to Pat as she walks to school and Frances says. "Pat! Momma told pappy last night that I go to school!" Pat's face brightens up and the girls hug then Frances says. "I tell Momma that I want to go to school with you and your friends!" Pat nods her head then says. "They will be your friend also...come along, we don't want to be late!" The girls lock arm in arm and walk on down the dusty road to the one room school room in the dark part of the woods for blacks.

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Four years later, twelve-year-old Frances runs up to her friend Pat who is holding a piece of paper in her hand and she asks her. "Can I see it?" Pat hands her the paper and Frances reads it and she says proudly, " 'Patricia Gilbert-1921 graduate of Atlanta school for the blacks'" She hands it back to her friend and they squeal together.

Pat rolls up the certificate and puts it in her blouse and both the girls begin to happily walk down the road when Pat is hit by a balloon and when it busts on her, it is full of white paint and she turns and sees a truck full of stupid white trash teenagers and one of them says. "Niggers don't need to read!" They throw another balloon and it hits Frances in the shoulder and Pat yells. "Run!" She grabs Frances's hand and they run down the road with the boys throwing the balloons full of paint and they keep hitting them until they run off into the woods.

One of the boys says. "Damn!" Another piece of white trash says. "We probably stopped those two from learning anything! Scared them to death!" Another one says. "Yeah, come on, let's go!" The boys sit down and throw what is left of the balloons on the ground and yell and scream and drink beer while in the woods, Frances and Pat sit and shiver in fear for a few minutes more than finally come out and Pat takes off her thin white sweater, shakes the paint off and says. "I'm not stopping nothing, are you?" She looks at Frances who watches the paint drip on her body to the ground then says. "Heck no, I'm not stopping anything because of some old paint!"

The girls smile at each other and giggle then walk on home.

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Frances was sitting in her classroom studying her books...reading, math and other subjects. Pat was now assisting the teacher. Light was coming in through the broken windows and a slight wind from the Autumn chill was flowing around but it was the best school they could get for blacks. There was 12 desks for the students and everyone was filled. Pat had just put a piece of wood in for the heater to give warmth when a stick of fire was thrown in, just breaking a sliver of a broken window and they heard. "Burn, niggers!'

Pat screamed. "This way children!' All the children run to the door and Frances helps a little black girl who fell on the floor and when Pat tries to open the door, she feels that she almost can't open it but she gives all her strength and she opens it and sees a white boy trying to put a chain in the door handles with a lock. She looks in his shocked eyes then a second later, a huge black man grabs the white boy and throws him down on the ground and proceeds to beat him and he screams to Pat. "Get the kids out!" Pat shows the children out while the black man beats the white boy to death.

Later that night as sixteen year old Frances sits at the wooden dinner table with her parents and the flickering of the oil lamp is on her face, she says. "They hung old man Henry for beating that white boy today...no trail...no nothing, they just hung him but Henry said he did it and he would do it again to save us". Her pappy looks up at her then he asks her. "Don't that show you to stop all this book learning child?"

Not a sound is heard, only the crackling of fire from the fireplace and she looks at him and she says. "No "

She just gets up from the table and she climbs the ladder to her loft while her dad and mom look at each other and worry.

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A few years later, Frances stands in the front of her new classroom that finally has real windows and she holds her graduation papers and someone says-"Miss Frances Miller-1927 graduate of Atlanta school for the blacks." Everybody claps and she goes to her mother who is sitting in the front row crying and she gives her momma the paper and she says. "This is for you momma"

Frances stands up and everybody claps and Pat stands proudly watching her friend with her husband and new baby.j

Sand n'Sable

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