Short Story #242: Dry September by William Faulkner

Title: Dry September Author: William Faulkner Summary As a town creeps into September with nearly two months of heat and no rain, the tension is palpable. On a Saturday evening, a rumor burns through the town that Miss Minnie Cooper has been in some way attacked by a Negro and so the town's men meet in the local barbershop to contemplate what needs to be done. They have decided it is Will Mayes, regardless of their proof. And they debate wha tto do. One barber continues to insist that it may not have been Will and that they are jumping to conclusions without any proof. However, the men's fervor is raised enough that they become accusational of the barber and deride him for trusting a black man over a white woman. Others show up who continue to fuel the discontent with what has supposedly happened. Eventually, it's clear that regardless of a crime, they are intent on doing harm to a black man just to keep others from thinking...