we had sighted. The only other ship was an antique biplane which
deserved housing in a museum. As I looked around the deserted
landingstrip a tall Negro emerged leisurely from one of the buildings
and walked toward us.

"Where are the airport officials?" I asked rather sharply, for I didnt
relish being greeted by a janitor.

"I am the chief dispatcher. In fact, I am the entire personnel at the
moment."

My pilot, standing behind me, broke in. "Boy, where're the white folks
around here?"

The chief dispatcher looked at him steadily a long moment before
answering. "I imagine you will find people of various shades all over
town, including those allegedly white. Was there anyone in particular
you were interested in or are you solely concerned with pigmentation?"

"Why, you goddam--"

I thought it advisable to prevent a possible altercation. I recalled Le
ffacase's articles on the Black South which I had considered vastly
overdrawn. Evidently they were not, for the chocolatecolored man spoke
with all the ease and assurance of unquestioned authority. "I want to
get to a Miss Francis at--" I consulted my notes and gave him the
address. "Can you get me a taxi or car?"

He smiled gravely. "We are without such luxuries at present, I regret to
say. But there will be a bus along in about twenty minutes."

It had been a long time since I suffered the wasted time and
inconvenience of public transportation. However, there was no help for
it and I resigned myself philosophically. I walked with the chief
dispatcher into the airport waitingroom, dull with the listless air, not
of unoccupancy, but disuse.

"Not much air travel," I remarked idly.

"Yours is the first plane in a month."

"I wonder you bother to keep the airport open at all."

"We do what we can to preserve the forms of civilization. The substance,
unfortunately, cannot be affected by transportation, production,
distribution, education or any other such niceties."

I smiled inwardly. What children these black people were, afterall. I
was relieved from further ramblings by the arrival of the bus which was
as laughable as the chief dispatcher's philosophizing. The dented and
rusty vehicle had been disencumbered of its motor and was hitched to
four mules who seemed less than enthusiastic over their lot. I got in
and seated myself gingerly on one of the dilapidated seats, noting that
the warning signs "For White" and "For Colored" had been smeared over
with jus