luther and jessie tell had them some elevator races when times were slow and they bet on bag totals every day they worked the bell stand , hustled like mad with smile and shine for the white folk who called 'em both george even though they wore brass name tags clear as day , and after they 'd crossed back over the frisco tracks into greenwood and retired to the saloons or the galleries down around admiral , they kept their raps up , because they were both fast in the mouth and fast on their feet and luther felt that between the two of them lay the kinship he 'd been missing , the one he 'd left behind in columbus with sticky joe beam and aeneus james and some of the other men he 'd played ball with and drank with and , in pre-lila days , chased women with .