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Chapter 6 Recruitment: The First Step in the Selection Process
MULTIPLE CHOICE
2. Which term defines a set of potential candidates who may be interested in, and who are likely to apply
for, a specific job?
a. members of a protected group
b. the labour market
c. a contingent workforce
d. an applicant pool
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 226 OBJ: 2
BLM: Remember
3. What concept refers to the generation of an applicant pool for a position in order to provide the required
number of qualified candidates for selection or promotion?
a. recruitment
b. human resource planning
c. selection
d. hiring
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 226 OBJ: 2
BLM: Remember
4. What occurs during the recruitment and selection process when candidates form an opinion that they do
not want to work in the organization for which they are being recruited?
a. negative perception
b. realistic job preview
c. opting out
d. self-selecting out
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 257 OBJ: 3
BLM: Remember
5. According to the opening vignette, Employers Brew up New Ways to Recruit Talent, what percentage of
positions is never advertised?
a. 25 percent
b. 40 percent
c. 55 percent
d. 70 percent
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 225 OBJ: 3
BLM: Remember
6. Which term refers to advertising that is designed to raise an organization’s profile in a positive manner in
order to attract interest from job seekers?
a. image advertising
b. realistic job preview
c. promotional recruitment
d. branding
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 261 OBJ: 3
BLM: Remember
8. What term is defined as the process through which an organization reaches a decision that a job
candidate fits the organization’s values and culture, and has the attributes desired by the organization?
a. person–job fit
b. person–organization fit
c. cultural fit
d. organizational fit
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 262 OBJ: 3
BLM: Remember
9. Which of the following is NOT an outcome of a mismatched individual relative to the job and the
organization?
a. absenteeism
b. low productivity
c. presenteeism
d. turnover
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 263 OBJ: 3
BLM: Remember
10. According to the textbook, which of the following is NOT an external factor affecting recruitment?
a. labour market
b. competition
c. sustainability
d. legislation
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 228 OBJ: 1,6
BLM: Remember
11. Which of the following terms refers to contracting with an outside agent to take over specified human
resource functions?
a. contract work
b. contingent work
c. outsourcing
d. leasing
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 229 OBJ: 8
BLM: Remember
12. Which factor defines the intentional or unintentional exclusion of designated groups through recruitment
and selection?
a. direct discrimination
b. systemic discrimination
c. indirect discrimination
d. intentional discrimination
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 230 OBJ: 10
BLM: Remember
13. According to the textbook, which of the following internal factors do NOT affect recruitment?
a. top management objectives
b. mission statement
c. strategic goals
d. organizational values
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 228 OBJ: 1, 2
BLM: Remember
14. Which of the following is NOT a factor that plays an influential role in creating accurate expectations
that candidates hold about prospective jobs?
a. information technology
b. communication media
c. content of information
d. source of information
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 265 OBJ: 6
BLM: Remember
20. What type of measures used to evaluate recruiting methods includes turnover and absenteeism?
a. attitudinal
b. performance
c. behavioural
d. subjective
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 270 OBJ: 10
BLM: Remember
Scenario 6-1
At TS Inc, a growing BC aviation company of 30 employees, recruitment rests on the shoulders of the
president. Like most small companies, TS Inc. frequently uses employee referrals as a method of
recruitment. The company wants to use Internet recruitment technologies but is not well versed in
information technology. The CEO is very concerned about poor hiring decisions and turnover costs.
21. Refer to Scenario 6-1. Which of the following would NOT be a constraint on TS Inc.’s recruitment?
a. lack of recruitment training
b. strategic human resource plans
c. technological costs
d. external recruiting
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 227 OBJ: 1, 3
BLM: Higher Order
22. Refer to Scenario 6-1. What does TS Inc. need to consider ensuring a good person–organization fit?
a. image advertising and branding
b. creation of high expectations of the candidate
c. sufficient orientation and training
d. accurate communication, perceptions, and expectations
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 262 OBJ: 4
BLM: Higher Order
23. Refer to Scenario 6-1. From what labour market should TS Inc. recruit aircraft maintenance engineers?
a. local
b. regional
c. global
d. national
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 237 OBJ: 3
BLM: Higher Order
24. Refer to Scenario 6-1. What would be the LEAST effective e-recruitment method for recruiting aircraft
maintenance engineers?
a. national and international Internet job boards (e.g., Workopolis.ca)
b. professional and career websites (e.g., aviation professional and industry associations)
c. technical school websites (e.g., recent aircraft maintenance engineer graduates)
d. TS Inc.’s website
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 246–250 OBJ: 9
BLM: Higher Order
25. Refer to Scenario 6-1. What method of recruiting would be most suitable for hiring aircraft maintenance
engineers for TS Inc.?
a. internal
b. external
c. internal and external
d. recruiting agency
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 237 OBJ: 8
BLM: Higher Order
Scenario 6-2
The shortage of professionals is a well-documented global issue occurring in countries with aging
populations. As a result, an organization such as BCH, the health-care organization that oversees many
diverse unionized health services in British Columbia, is experiencing staff shortages in nursing.
Patients’waiting times have increased by 500 percent. Sixty percent of nurses will be eligible for
retirement in 2014. Young graduate nurses are moving out of the province to health-care providers that
are aggressively recruiting and providing new hires with incentives ranging from flexible work
alternatives to educational funding support. Twenty percent of nurses are off the job due to illness or
injury. Eighty percent of nurses are single parents, support an elderly parent(s), or are a primary care
giver. BCH believes that becoming an “employer of choice” is a way to attract and retain its health-care
professionals.
26. Refer to Scenario 6-2. Upon what should BCH’s nursing recruitment decisions be based?
a. an assessment of the labour market
b. new health legislation
c. organizational and job analyses
d. review of mission statement
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 228 OBJ: 1,3
BLM: Higher Order
27. Refer to Scenario 6-2. What is the goal of BCH’s nursing job-related selection system?
a. to generate an applicant pool for nursing positions in order to provide the required number
of qualified nurses for selection
b. to bring nurses into BCH who will perform at above-average levels and who will increase
the productivity of the organization
c. to conduct an organizational assessment and job analysis for nursing positions
d. to develop a recruitment strategy and action plan for hiring nurses into BCH
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 228 OBJ: 2
BLM: Higher Order
28. Refer to Scenario 6-2. Which of the following conditions is important, but not always the most
influential factor in attracting highly educated professional nurses to BCH?
a. opportunity to incorporate their interests and values
b. autonomy and decision-making authority
c. opportunities for self-development
d. security and income
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 226 OBJ: 3
BLM: Higher Order
29. Refer to Scenario 6-2. What is the process when a nurse forms the opinion during recruitment that he or
she does not want to work for BCH?
a. negative organizational perceptions
b. self-selecting out
c. realistic job preview
d. negative job expectations
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 257 OBJ: 4
BLM: Higher Order
30. Refer to Scenario 6-2. What process is designed to raise BCH’s profile in a positive manner in order to
attract job seekers’ interest?
a. image advertising
b. branding
c. person–job fit
d. realistic job preview
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 261 OBJ: 3
BLM: Higher Order
31. Refer to Scenario 6-2. Which strategy is BCH using to establish its identity and perception in the
marketplace as an employer of choice?
a. image advertising
b. human resource planning
c. branding
d. strategic planning
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 261 OBJ: 3
BLM: Higher Order
32. Refer to Scenario 6-2. What does BCH need to consider to ensure a good person–organization fit?
a. image advertising
b. creating high expectations
c. recruitment and selection training
d. accurate communication, perceptions, and expectations
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 262 OBJ: 4
BLM: Higher Order
33. Refer to Scenario 6-2. Which of the following approaches can BCH use to ensure that nurse applicants
have a realistic understanding of the job they are to perform?
a. realistic job previews
b. decision-making training
c. clarifying organizational values and goals
d. self-selecting out
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 266 OBJ: 5
BLM: Higher Order
34. Refer to Scenario 6-2. What is the term for BCH’s process of gathering information about demographics
such as nursing shortages and the aging population?
a. needs analysis
b. labour market analysis
c. organizational planning
d. demographic analysis
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 228, 236 OBJ: 3
BLM: Higher Order
35. Refer to Scenario 6-2. Which factors are LEAST important when BCH is developing its recruitment
strategy?
a. external factors
b. internal factors
c. labour market factors
d. legislative factors
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 228 OBJ: 1,3
BLM: Higher Order
36. Refer to Scenario 6-2. Which work alternatives may help BCH recruit and retain both its senior and
younger new nurses?
a. part-time positions
b. contract positions
c. temporary work
d. family-friendly practices
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 259 OBJ: 6
BLM: Higher Order
37. Refer to Scenario 6-2. Which two external factors are influencing BCH’s recruitment strategy?
a. BCH’s business plan of becoming an employer of choice and its union contract
b. the job expectations and the attitudes of nurse applicants
c. BCH’s organizational and job analysis
d. the scarcity of qualified nursing labour and the legal environment
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 228 OBJ: 1, 3
BLM: Higher Order
38. Refer to Scenario 6-2. Which two internal factors are influencing BCH’s recruitment strategy?
a. the scarcity of qualified nursing labour and the legal environment
b. BCH’s business plan of becoming an employer of choice and its union contracts
c. the job expectations and the attitudes of the nurse applicants
d. the part-time labour market and outsourcing
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 228 OBJ: 1, 3
BLM: Higher Order
39. Refer to Scenario 6-2. Which of the following questions would NOT be relevant to a job advertisement
campaign to target nursing applicants?
a. How will the costs of advertising be balanced by reaching the target applicant pool?
b. What advertising media will reach the target applicant pool?
c. How many applicants do we need to fill the position with qualified people?
d. What type of ad content will attract the target applicant pool’s attention?
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 240 OBJ: 3
BLM: Higher Order
40. Refer to Scenario 6-2. What would be the most effective way to advertise for nurses?
a. internal postings job board
b. nurses’ professional websites
c. external job board
d. national newspaper
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 241–243 OBJ: 9
BLM: Higher Order
Scenario 6-3
You are a HRM consultant working with several municipal governments across Eastern Canada to help
them recruit future managers. As the baby boom generation retires, it is getting more difficult to find
replacements to fill management-level public-sector positions. You have been involved in promoting
several managers from within the organizations and have embarked on a program of leadership
development and succession planning. In trying to recruit business school graduates, you have heard
young job seekers state that they perceive government as a negative place to work and would not
consider applying for government management positions.
41. Refer to Scenario 6-3. What might the municipalities design to raise their profile in a positive manner in
order to attract young business job seekers?
a. image advertising
b. a corporate image
c. branding
d. realistic job previews
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 261 OBJ: 3
BLM: Higher Order
42. Refer to Scenario 6-3. What is an important but not always the most influential factor when attracting
young business graduates?
a. opportunity to use their knowledge, skills, and abilities
b. reputation of the organization and location
c. flexible work schedule
d. security and income
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 226 OBJ: 3
BLM: Higher Order
43. Refer to Scenario 6-3. How could the municipalities build a positive perception about government
organizations in the minds of the young business job seekers?
a. image advertising
b. a corporate image
c. branding
d. realistic job previews
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 261 OBJ: 3
BLM: Higher Order
TRUE/FALSE
5. Ensuring accurate job expectations during the recruitment and selection process helps develop a good
organization–job fit between the person and the organization.
6. Realistic job previews are intended to improve the fit between the job candidate and the organization.
7. The best defence against charges of systemic discrimination is to document that every attempt has been
made to attract members from the protected group.
8. Employment equity involves policies and practices to increase the presence of visible minorities and gay
individuals in the workplace.
9. There is evidence that employees recruited by referral remain longer in the organization.
10. Walk-in and write-in methods of job recruitment are inexpensive ways to fill entry-level positions, and
they are more effective than referrals because there is no nepotism.
11. One disadvantage of Internet recruiting is that it results in an overwhelming number of applicants, many
of whom are unqualified.
12. Social network sites for job applicants might be discriminatory if disabled individuals are required to
post photographs of themselves.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 252 OBJ: 9
13. Social network sites protect the private information of job applicants such as age, religion, and ethnicity,
and are not discriminatory.
14. One disadvantage of employee referrals is that they may lead to discrimination and inbreeding.
15. One disadvantage of using Canada Employment Centres for recruitment is that hiring success is limited
to certain occupational categories.
SHORT ANSWER
1. What is recruitment? What information does an organization need to make a decision to recruit?
ANS:
Recruitment is the generation of an applicant pool for a position or job in order to provide the required
number of qualified candidates for subsequent selection or promotion processes. Decisions to recruit
candidates for jobs in organizations are based on
2. Why is corporate image important in recruiting efforts? Explain the difference between image
advertising and branding.
ANS:
The reputation of an organization is important to job applicants. Corporate image predicts the likelihood
that people will apply for a job: the better the image, the more attractive the organization is to job
applicants. Image advertising is designed to raise an organization’s profile in a positive manner in order
to attract interest from job seekers. Branding is used by companies to establish certain perceptions about
the corporation in the public’s mind through associating the organization with high-profile celebrity
profiles or being known as one of the Best 100 employers in Canada.
3. Scribe Engineering has experienced a high turnover rate of its administrative assistant positions. The
hiring decision and the candidate’s job acceptance are based on limited information about the future
work. What can Scribe Engineering do to ensure that candidates have a realistic understanding of the
organization and the administrative assistant positions?
ANS:
The decision of fit and the decision of the company to make an offer, and the candidate to accept it, are
based on the exchange of information that takes place in the recruitment process. The following factors
and procedures improve the chances of making a good fit between candidates and the organization:
Ways to ensure candidates receive information about the organization range from providing published
documents (e.g., annual reports, newspapers, periodicals) and Internet resources (e.g., company home
page, Internet employment-related websites) to image advertising and branding.
Refer to Recruitment and Selection Notebook 6.2, Guidelines for Effective Recruiting, on page 262.
ANS:
Person–job fit is a process through which an organization reaches a decision that a job candidate has the
knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies required by the job in question.
Person–organization fit is a process through which an organization reaches a decision that a job
candidate fits the organization’s values and culture and has the contextual attributes desired by the
organization. The decision of person job–organization fit and the decision of the company to make an
offer and the candidate to accept it are based on the exchange of information that takes place in the
recruitment process.
ANS:
Constraints to recruitment and selection can include organizational policies; legislation; labour market;
economy; business plan; recruiting strategy and goals; job level and type; human resource plans;
demographics; workforce diversity; technology; globalization; competition; organizational structure;
organizational vision, mission, values, and culture; union/nonunion environment; and cost containment.
For example, if an information technology company requires specialized KSAOs in information
technology in order to compete globally, the organization will need to target and expand its recruiting
efforts.
6. Choose an organization and specific job position you are familiar with. Describe three internal and/or
external recruitment methods you would suggest for recruiting for your chosen position. Describe their
advantages and how you would deal with the disadvantages of your chosen methods.
ANS:
Internal
Job postings are internal advertisements of job vacancies. As a matter of policy, some organizations seek
to fill positions through internal sources before going to the external market. Collective agreements may
also dictate the requirement to post internally first.
Replacement charts list each job with respect to its position in the organizational structure, particularly
the relationship to the position above and below it. These charts provide a quick, visual presentation of
an organization’s human resources.
Human resources information systems are comprehensive computerized databases that contain job
analysis information on each position, including information on the required KSAOs. This computerized
inventory may also include information on employee competencies and KSAOs, along with their work
histories, experiences, and results of performance evaluations.
Nominations are the least systematic internal recruitment method. They occur when someone who
knows about a vacancy nominates another employee to fill it.
External
Job advertisements are one of the most commonly used methods of recruiting job candidates. These ads
come in different forms and in different media (e.g., newspapers, professional periodicals, and trade
magazines, radio and television, public displays, and direct mail). These media are increasingly found on
website job boards.
Employee referrals refer to word-of-mouth advertising that relies on current employees telling their
friends and relatives about job vacancies within their company.
Networking is a cross between a recruiting method and a job search technique. Networking is deemed to
be vital to career advancement and is promoted by career transition experts as the best way for a
professional to find a job.
Walk-in recruitment is initiated by the job seeker, who visits an organization’s personnel office and asks
to fill out an application for employment, even though the organization may not have any job vacancies.
The write-in method is a variation of this approach; rather than visiting the company, job seekers send a
copy of their résumés to the company.
Employment agencies are independent organizations that attempt to find a match between a person and a
job. Their success depends on the willingness of the job seeker and the organization to use all of their
services. There are numerous types of employment agencies including Human Resources Canada
Centres, private employment agencies, executive search firms, in-house recruiters, and temporary help
agencies.
Recruiting at educational institutions such as technical schools, colleges, and universities is common for
organizations seeking entry-level technical, professional, and managerial employees. Many schools
provide their students with placement services, which assist recruiting efforts of visiting organizations.
The Internet has significantly changed the way recruitment is done. A company can place a notice of a
vacancy on its website or list it with one of the online job or career websites. The job site does a keyword
search of résumés on its database and forwards those that match the position requirements to the
company. Internet recruiting is the use of the Internet to match candidates to jobs through electronic
databases that store information on jobs and job candidates.
ANS:
Some effective recruitment methods that TS Inc. could consider in recruiting for an aircraft maintenance
engineer position include apprenticeships, professional and career websites (e.g., aviation professional
and industry associations), technical institutions with aircraft maintenance program websites (e.g.,
recent graduates and alumni), TS Inc.’s website, current and former employee and client referrals,
campus recruiting, and industry/trade publications (usually have job boards on their websites).
ANS:
External environment factors can include economic, labour market, demographic, legal, workforce
diversity, technology, globalization, and competition. Internal environment factors can include
organizational structure, job level and type, business plan, organizational vision, mission, value and
culture, union/nonunion environment, and cost containment.
For example, if qualified labour is scarce, the organization must broaden its recruitment process and
increase its expenses. If an organization is expanding globally, it must identify, recruit, and select
individuals based on competencies related to success abroad. The organization must deal with issues
concerning family adjustment to new cultures and the managers’ potential lack of personal adjustment to
the foreign business environment.
Refer to Figure 6.1, Recruitment as Part of the HR Planning Process, on page 228.
9. Shortages of health-care professionals are a well-documented global issue occurring in countries with
aging populations. As a result, organizations such as BCH, the health care organization that oversees
many diverse unionized health services in British Columbia, are experiencing staff shortages in nursing.
Patients’ waiting times have increased by 500 percent. Sixty percent of the nurses will be eligible for
retirement in 2014. Young graduate nurses are moving out of the province to health-care providers that
are aggressively recruiting and providing new hires with incentives ranging from flexible work
alternatives to educational funding support. Twenty percent of nurses are off the job due to illness or
injury. Eighty percent of nurses are single parents, support an elderly parent(s), or are a primary care
giver. BCH believes that becoming an “employer of choice” is a way to attract and retain its health-care
professionals. Develop a comprehensive recruitment strategy for nurses at BCH.
ANS:
Refer to Recruitment and Selection Notebook 6.1, Elements of a Recruitment and Staffing Action Plan
(p. 236), for the human resources planning questions that must be answered in order to form BCH’s
recruitment strategy. Some areas of discussion include conducting an organizational analysis and job
analysis; developing an organizational vision and strategic plan (e.g., to become an employer of choice);
and conducting an environmental scan of the demographic information particular to nurse shortages
(e.g., reduced training; increased nurse illness/leaves; increased family-care responsibilities; increased
relocations to other provinces and the United States; fiscal management of health-care facilities,
programs, and services; changing nature of the position; varied degree and diploma requirements; union
environment; internal hiring policies; increasingly part-time labour market; reduced labour supply;
aging population/increasing number of patients; government health-care legislation; human rights;
privacy and workers compensation legislation; and other organizational external and internal factors).
Some recruitment initiatives might include establishing integrated performance management programs;
government and union action; increasing training available at education institutions; increasing number
of nursing school programs; increasing international recruitment; consolidating and integrating
health-care services; increasing use of technology for remote locations; reviewing compensation,
rewards, and recognition practices; facilitating health promotion programs; subsidizing refresher
training for returning nurses; subsidizing student loans; utilizing more LPNs; focusing on prevention;
and providing flexible work options.
Research suggests that organizations that use effective human resource planning, recruitment, and
selection practices gain a competitive advantage in the labour market. BCH’s success, growth, and
patient care are linked to the attraction and retention of top nursing professionals. This increasingly
diverse workforce with heightened workplace expectations means nurses are making career choices on
factors such as leadership, career development, meaningful work, flexible work alternatives, resources
to support work–life balance, and other factors that go beyond total compensation. Planning for BCH’s
human resource nursing requirements is much more than simply advertising for a nursing position; it is
the process of developing and implementing plans and programs to ensure the right number and type of
nurses are available at the right time and place to meet BCH’s needs.
Refer to Recruitment and Selection Notebook 6.1, Elements of a Recruitment and Staffing Action Plan,
on page 236.
10. Social networks are increasingly being used as a powerful recruiting method by employers. What is
social networking? As an applicant, what are the advantages and disadvantages of using social networks
to apply for a position?
ANS:
Social networks are Internet sites that allow users to post a profile with a certain amount of information
that is visible to the public.
In the cabin, a big fire blazed up the chimney, and a delicious scent
of food came to meet them.
“Who dat in my house?” Big Sue cried out, when April came to the
door.
“You got company.”
“Who? You?”
“No. You guess again.”
“I dunno, an’ I’m too weak to walk, much less talk.”
“It’s Joy. E come on de boat dis evenin’.”
Big Sue stopped short in her tracks, dumb-struck. “Great Gawd! You
don’ mean it! Whe’ is Joy?”
Instead of hurrying forward she gazed at the cabin with black dismay
as if she turned some terrible thought over and over in her mind, but
a warm laugh gurgled out, and a low voice called:
“What did you tell Ma for, Cun April? I been want to fool em!”
A girl in a bright red dress and with red-stockinged legs came
bounding across the yard to meet them.
“How you do, Ma? I bet you is surprised to see me!” She held her
mouth up to meet Big Sue’s, their kiss made a loud smack, then
Uncle Bill hurried to shake her hand.
“Lawd, Joy! Just de sight o’ you would cure de sore eyes! Honey,
you looks sweet enough to eat!” Breeze stared at her. Deep down in
his heart he felt Uncle Bill spoke the truth. He had never seen any
one like Joy before.
She leaned to pull up one red stocking tighter over a knee, but she
grinned up into Uncle Bill’s face. “Do listen at Uncle Bill! A-sweet-
talkin’ me right here befo’ ev’ybody!” Her eyes beamed, her low soft
drawl was full of friendliness, and she turned to Breeze with a blithe
greeting:
“How you do, son? I’m sho’ glad to see you here wid Ma!” A small
bold hand shot out to meet his, but Breeze cast his eyes down,
bashful and afraid. The hand gave his shoulder a light pat, took one
of his and led him toward the house.
“You ain’ scared o’ me, is you, son? Come on in by de fire. I want to
see you good.”
Breeze couldn’t say a word, but as they walked in April threw a fat
pine knot on the fire to make a better light. The fire blazed up,
crackling merrily, making the room hot and bright, but shyness kept
Breeze’s face turned away from Joy, until with a quick laugh she
wheeled him around and lifted his chin.
“How come you won’ look at me, son?” Her face was so close
Breeze could feel her breath when she laughed again, but his eyes
were riveted on her twinkling shoe-buckles.
“Left de boy ’lone, Joy. E don’ feel like playin’. His ma was just buried
dis evenin’. Come unstring my shoes, son. I ain’ gwine let Joy plague
you.”
As he knelt to unlace the shoes Joy appealed to him: “I ain’ plaguin’
you, is I, Breeze? Me an’ you is gwine be buddies, enty?” Breeze
looked up and met her slanting eyes, and the smile that lit them
seemed to him so lovely, so gentle, he fairly tingled all over. He had
never seen anybody like Joy before. Her slight body in its scant, red
satin dress was not tall, but it had the straight, swift, upward thrust of
a pine sapling. Her slim black arms, bare from the elbows, and held
akimbo, came out from shoulders lean as his own. Her short skirt
gave a flirt and Breeze’s glance darted to the skinniness of her red-
stockinged legs. But her smile had thrilled the fear out of him, and
given him confidence enough to feast his eyes on her gay over-ripe
little figure, from the bright buckles on her shiny black slippers to the
short coarse straightened hair on her small head.
“Set down, honey. Talk to Uncle Bill an’ you’ Cun April whilst me an’
Breeze fixes supper.” Big Sue’s bare feet pattered back and forth
from the hearth to the four-legged safe against the wall, mixing
bread, and smoothing it on a hot griddle, slicing meat and dropping it
on a hot spider, once in a while scolding Breeze for dawdling, or
asking Joy a question about the town or the school. April smiled and
joined pleasantly in the talk Joy led. A necklace of blue glass beads
clinked against the smooth black skin of her neck, gold bracelets
glittered on her slim wrists. Breeze was bewildered, rapt with the
glamour of her. Her sparkling eyes strayed from one face to another
until they met April’s, bold and staring. Joy’s flickered and fell and
her laughter chilled. Like everybody else, she feared him, and his
shining gaze, fixed on her alone, withered all the fun out of her and
put something sober in its place.
Except for the fire’s crackling a hush filled the room. Big Sue
suddenly straightened up from bending over the pots and, looking
over her shoulder, said, “Git de plates out o’ de safe, Breeze. How
come yunnuh is so quiet? Dis ain’ church!”
April laughed and shifted in his chair and his eyes turned from Joy to
her mother. “De victuals smells so good, I’m gone got speechless!”
“Me too,” Joy chimed, but Uncle Bill got up to go. He had already
stayed longer than he intended. He must go see if everything at the
barnyard was in order.
April stood up to say good night, tall, straight-limbed, broad-
shouldered, hawk-eyed.
“Stay an’ eat wid us, Cun April, you too, Uncle Bill! What’s you’
hurry?”
Uncle Bill had to go. He had left Jake to see about feeding the stock,
and Jake was mighty forgetful and careless. Nobody could depend
on him.
In spite of the fineness of her red satin dress, Joy took the plates
from Breeze and piling two of them with the collards dripping with pot
liquor, and chunks of fat meat and pieces of the newly baked corn-
bread, she gave Big Sue and April each one.
“Yunnuh must eat all dis I put on you’ plates,” Joy bade them gaily,
but silence had fallen over them. Both their faces wore a troubled
look. April’s eyes held both darkness and light, and a kind of
sadness Breeze had seen sometimes in Sis’ eyes.
“How was de buryin’?” April asked when the edge of his appetite was
dulled.
“Fine! Fine! All but dat fool boy Breeze. E made me pure shame.”
Big Sue’s words were smothered by food in her mouth, but Breeze
felt the sharp sting of their bitter contempt. He longed to get up and
go back into the dark shed-room and hide, but shame chained his
feet to the floor and made his neck so limp his head drooped lower
and lower.
“Wha’ dat Breeze done so bad?”
April leaned his head against the mantel-shelf, and listened without a
word to Big Sue’s story. Most of the time he looked into the fire, deep
in thought, forgetting to eat his supper.
When Big Sue’s tale was done, Breeze listened for April’s abuse, but
instead of scolding him, April spoke kindly, gently.
“Don’ be too hard on de boy, Big Sue. Death kin scare bigger people
dan Breeze. I don’ like to look on em myself. Gawd made people so.
Mules too. When Dukkin put pizen in de spring last summer and
killed Uncle Isaac’s old mule, Lula, I had a time gittin’ em dragged off