The Downstairs Girl

Jo is overjoyed to see her column announced in the Focus and brings back the paper to Mrs. Payne. Mrs. Payne likes the progressive advice of the column and resolves to buy several copies of the Focus to discuss at a meeting of the Atlanta Belles, a women’s society.

Later, Jo rides Sweet Potato and dreams of the next columns she will write. Jo comes across Merritt and his new Arabian horse, Amir. Merritt complains to her that his fiancée, “Jane Bentley of Boston” (98), is boring. Though Merritt is harmless, Jo decides to stay away from him as she believes it was his interest in her that got her fired last time.

Jo waits for Caroline outside the cemetery. She overhears Mr. Q. assure Caroline he will be cancelling his engagement with Salt soon. Noemi gives Jo food for Old Gin, who is supposed to be working in the stable. Jo finds him practicing riding instead, which is surprising, given his bad back. Later, Noemi and Jo practice riding a bicycle that Mrs. Payne has lent Noemi. When they walk back, Caroline confronts the cook.

Caroline uses a racist slur against Noemi and yells at her mother for lending Noemi the bicycle. Mrs. Payne argues that Caroline had discarded the bicycle. Noemi offers to pay for the bike to avoid trouble, but when Caroline demands $100, Jo intervenes. They settle for $80, which is to be paid against Noemi’s salary.

Jo walks Noemi to her house and reprimands Noemi for spending so much money. Noemi tells her she wants to ride a bike because even though people of color can ride cycles, they don’t out of fear. She will borrow money from her “no-account brother” (115) who lives in the city.

Back in the basement, Jo discovers Old Gin has cut up a piece of scarlet silk that belonged to his late wife. Along with the silk, a box containing the stopper of a snuff bottle is Old Gin’s most prized possession. Jo fears Old Gin is using the silk to make her a wedding dress. She writes the next Miss Sweetie column on the subject of bicycles, suggesting all women ride bikes to save time and get exercise.

Later, she dresses in a large hat and a mysterious coat she found earlier in Old Gin’s closet so she can go out and drop the column in the Bell’s mailbox. She finds a letter in the pocket of the coat. It contains both English and Chinese characters, signed by someone called “e” (119) asking “Shang” (119) to forgive them. Jo wonders if the note has something to do with Billy Riggs.

Jo feels liberated in the coat she believes belonged to Shang since, assuming she is a man, no one catcalls her. Near the Bell mailbox, Bear lunges toward her again. She turns away from Nathan, accompanying Bear. Though Nathan cannot see her face, he suspects she is Miss Sweetie. He tells her they have been receiving responses to her advice column and brings her a bunch of letters. Jo assures him she will be writing the column regularly and, as Bear nears her affectionately, asks him by name to stay away. Nathan wonders how she knows Bear’s name and Jo fibs that she heard Nathan call him earlier.

The next morning, Jo goes shopping at Buxbaum’s convenience store, where Noemi’s husband Robby works. She spots Billy Riggs at the store.

Jo tries to ignore Riggs, but asks him to stay away when he uses a racist slur against her. Riggs tells her they should talk since she is the only one who can help “that old horseman” (130), referring to Old Gin. Robby tries to draw Riggs’s attention away from Jo, even though as a Black man, he is inviting trouble by confronting a white man.

Riggs tries to take the last bottle of Pendergrass’s Long-Life Elixir, a syrup Jo has bought for Old Gin. Jo refuses; Riggs creates a scene and leaves the store, asking Jo to meet him again for Old Gin’s sake. Robby tells Jo not to take the bait and to steer clear of Riggs. In the basement, she overhears Lizzie, her former colleague at the milliner’s shop, talking to Nathan.

Lizzie asks Nathan to the races, encouraged by Miss Sweetie’s advice to women to take the initiative. Nathan agrees. Jo is dismayed, which makes her suspect she has feelings for Nathan. She knows Nathan can never court her as interracial marriages are banned in Georgia. To make a point against unjust customs, she writes a Miss Sweetie column advocating giving up practices like women riding side-saddle or people of color not being hired as clerks and agents.

Disguised in the coat and hat, Jo meets Nathan once more at the mailbox. Nathan tells her the columns are brilliant and offers Jo pay, but Jo refuses, suggesting he donate the money to an orphanage instead. Jo and Nathan banter and, as Nathan hands her more letters from readers, Jo’s scarf slips. Nathan catches a glimpse of her face and Jo leaves hastily.

At the Payne House, Caroline resents her social engagements, which are all geared toward finding a husband. Mrs. Payne is in a fix because the Suffragettes wish to sponsor a horse for the races. If she accepts the offer, the Atlanta Belles— who stand for conservative values—will be upset. Caroline suggests Mrs. Payne reject the offer on the pretext that they were outbid, but Noemi thinks Mrs. Payne should be honest. Caroline is incensed that “the help” should offer opinions. Jo tells Mrs. Payne she should accept the bid of the Suffragettes to generate interest in the races, since “controversy boosts sales” (152).

On Jo’s and Old Gin’s way back home on a streetcar, an elderly Black maid called Mrs. Gray moves to the front to warm her hands by the coal heater. People in the front rows protest and she is forced to move back. Jo is angry at the discrimination. She learns Georgia has approved racial segregation on streetcars.

Jo asks Old Gin about Shang. Old Gin tells her Shang was a groom like him who left Atlanta after a Chinese fieldworker was hanged because he was thought to be the “rabid-eyes rapist” (158), an urban legend born out of racism. Shang borrowed money from Riggs. When Jo wants to know more, Old Gin forbids her to speak of the matter.

Next day at the Payne house, Noemi tells Jo that Blacks and other minorities should support the Suffragists since they are demanding women get the right to vote. The Suffragists say that the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution gives everyone the right to vote (See: Background), so supporting them can help not just Black women, but also Black men as well. She wants Jo to come with her to attend a meeting. Jo is skeptical, since she believes she has little in common with the middle-class white women who are the Suffragists. Nevertheless, she tells Noemi she will think about going.