Study Questions
1. What is the name of the bar and grill the narrator visits?

2. What does Barrelhouse say when the narrator asks him how business is going?

3. What reasons does Barrelhouse give for the Brotherhood’s fall in popularity?

4. On his way to the Brotherhood’s Harlem office, where does the narrator almost go?

5. Why does the narrator expect to find Brother Tarp at the office?

6. Why does the narrator wish to attend the downtown strategy meeting?

7. According to the narrator, when are the strategy meetings generally held?

8. What had the narrator decided to do downtown when he found Brother Clifton?

9. Just before they run around the corner, does Clifton say anything that suggests why the policeman might be after them?

10. What final tribute does Clifton receive from a boy that saw his last fight?

Answers
1. The name of the bar and grill the narrator visits is Barrelhouse’s Jolly Dollar.

2. When the narrator asks Barrelhouse how business is going, the latter says that it’s really bad, and he doesn’t want to talk about it.

3. The reasons that Barrelhouse gives for the Brotherhood’s fall in popularity are that there isn’t much money in Harlem, and that those who got jobs through the Brotherhood are no longer working.

4. On his way to the Brotherhood’s Harlem office, the narrator almost goes to Mary’s place.

5. The narrator expects to find Brother Tarp at the office because Tarp sleeps there, or used to. The narrator notes that the room where Tarp slept is empty, with even the bed missing.

6. The narrator wishes to attend the downtown strategy meeting because many of the policies that hurt the Brotherhood’s credibility in Harlem seem to issue from the downtown office, and the narrator wanted an explanation.

7. According to the narrator, the downtown strategy meetings are generally held at one o’clock.

8. The narrator decides to shop for a pair of new shoes downtown, just before he sees Brother Clifton.

9. Yes. Just before going around the corner and into an alley, Clifton says something about not having a license for, and therefore not paying taxes on, his Sambo dolls. This suggests that Clifton might not have a permit.

10. The final tribute that Clifton receives is that he sure knew how to use his dukes (fists). The compliment comes from an apple-cheeked little boy who saw Clifton’s last fight.