Chapter 2 Summary

Minus the cost of his steak dinner, Stingo's total fortune is just under fifty dollars. Even in 1947, this was not a reassuring nest egg, and Stingo's job prospects are non-existent. But fortune smiles; within a couple of days, Stingo receives a letter from his father containing $500. A bit of a story-teller himself, Pop's letter recounts the family history behind the $500, which is not a loan or a gift, but an inheritance. Stingo's grandmother had owned slaves, two female children whom she claimed to love dearly. Apparently the girls had a brother named Artiste, who was never discussed by the family due to circumstances. Artiste had been accused of sexually assaulting a white girl, and the community was at the point of lynching him, so Stingo's family sold the boy to get him out of town. He was purchased for slave labor in some...