I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Chapter 3

Marguerite prides herself on being able to measure flour accurately. If she fails, she punishes herself by not allowing herself chocolate-which she loves, just as she loves canned pineapples. She is only allowed to eat those at Christmas, when her grandmother makes cakes, and allows her grandchildren one slice from the can each.

Marguerite loves the Store. She thinks of it like a human being that gets tired at the end of the day. She feels a sense of belonging when she eats dinner with her family in the evening. One night when she is feeding the hogs, however, she hears Mr. Steward, the former sheriff, ride up on his horse. He warns Momma that a black man supposedly molested a white woman, so "the boys" (the KKK) are angry and looking to punish a black man. The sheriff acts like he is doing them a great favor, when really he is telling Willie to hide, because he will not prevent the Klan from hurting him. Willie crawls into a bin of onions and potatoes, and stays there all night while Momma prays. But Marguerite knows that if the Klan had come to the house at all, they surely would have found Willie and killed him.