About five years ago I worked as road man for a large negro insurance company. My job kept me on the go most of the time. One evening I had engine trouble, thirty miles from town, and since it was getting dark I decided to walk to the nearest farm house to get food and shelter for the night. It must have been 7 P.M., but it was in November and of course it was fully dark. I took out my brief case and hand bag, then locked the car and started up the road. I was a little hungry and stiff too after so many hours of driving, but the moon and that freshness of the night gave me new life and I found myself trudging up a strange North Carolina road, brief in one hand and hand bag in the other, just as happy and carefree as a school boy on his way to see his girl. I walked about three miles before I saw a house. Then just as I turned around a short bend in the road I could see the faint gleam of light stealing from beneath a window shade that was partly drawn at a side window. The house looked to be a very small and humble one from a distance, but as I came close, I noticed that it was quite a large building. Knowing by this time that white people lived in the home I, of course started towards the back, intending to ask for some kind of shelter and food or directions that would carry me to same. When I opened the side gate that led to the back yard I heard a mighty bark and could see by the moonlight that a heavy chain was the only thing that had saved me from the well developed jaws and perfectly sound teeth of a large white bull dog.
Shortly after the bark I heard the front porch light button click and thinking that may be an angry planter was coming with his gun I yelled out my name, my color, my business, my home town, and my desires for food and shelter. A soft voice answered me. "Come to the front porch so that I may see you." Still nervous I walked around to the porch and nearly lost my balance at what I saw. The most beautiful copper colored woman stood on the porch. She had very large eyes and her long black hair hung loosely about her head, making her look very much like an Indian maiden standing there in the moonlight.
She questioned me several minutes, then told me to come inside and make myself at home. I went directly to my room and she brought food there. I was so tired I did not even bother to write the customary letter to the home office. I undressed and in a few seconds was ready for sleep. Then suddenly sleep left me; I began to think about the lady, just how beautiful she was; wondered who she was and a thousand thoughts about her made me wide awake in a little time. I was just trying to forget this strange lady when I heard a faint tap, then a pause, then a louder rap. My God, I nearly jumped out of bed. I stammered, I cursed, I, I er--finally said "come in". And there she stood gowned in a gorgeous silk sleeping outfit. She stood for a moment as if waiting to see what I was going to say; then she said, "Do you have room in your bed for another?" I turned hot, I turned cold, I turned all of the colors, then I could feel large beads of perspiration breaking out on my forehead. I stuttered, I tried to talk but words failed me.
"Oh that is all right," she said, "if you would rather not have company in your room; you see another lodger has just come in and since he is an insurance man too, I thought you two would like to be together."