In this story by Kay Boyle, a ten- twelve-year-old girl living with her grandfather in a seaside city befriends an African-American “boy” who pushes rolling chairs by day and appears to sleep under the boardwalk at night. When the girl’s grandfather discovers them talking, he warns her off spending time with the boy because he might do you some kind of harm. The girl’s hobby is horse riding along the sand. When the boy helps her home after a fall, he doesn’t get the thanks he deserves. Themes: childhood innocence, friendship, prejudice and racism, dreams and imagination.
An intriguing question is the age of the black boy. At the time of the story (early 1930s), the term “boy” was often used as a disparaging term for a black man. Given his comments after the accident (Oh, my little lamb, my little lamb pie!) and that he had the strength to carry the girl home, it could well be that he was significantly older than the girl.
Original Text / PDF (2,250 words)