In the middle of the night "the used-to-be sheriff" comes up to the store to warn Momma, whom he calls Annie, "to lay low" because "a crazy" black man "messed with a white lady today." He goes on to say that "some of the boys" will be riding by later, which means that the KKK will be riding around looking for black men to hold responsible for the "crime" (if it even happened). Uncle Willie, a crippled man, could not possible harm anyone, yet he must suffer the degradation of hiding in the vegetable bin so that the KKK doesn't harass him and even possibly lynch him.