Summary

Seven is the focus of the first part of the chapter. He is now 20-something years old, and it has been more than five years since the world has seen Blind Tom. Some people think Tom has just disappeared; some think he has died. Because Seven is not sure, he feels safe to use another mentally challenged black man, Juluster, who is more than 10 years older than Tom, to take the stage and claim to be “The Original Blind Tom.” The war has been over for three years, and Seven makes arrangements for a show in New York. He must register for the show in a small building in the Central Park area. This is the same area where the Negro soldiers have set up camp after returning from war. He has heard that this is a dangerous part of town and that anyone...