Cotton Comes To Harlem

At the Cotton Club, Billie does an erotic dance around the bale of cotton, trying to stir up excitement: “Women stared at her greedily, enviously, with glittering eyes. Men stared lustfully, lids lowered to hide their thoughts” (109). Afterward Billie puts the cotton up for auction, as Grave Digger and Coffin Ed watch on. Calhoun bids $1,000 for the cotton. Billie tries to goad others into raising the bet, even offering to sell herself with it: “Cheapskates [...] You’re going to close your eyes and imagine it’s me, but it ain’t going to be the same. Last chance. Going, going, gone” (110). No other bidders speak up, and Calhoun wins. Grave Digger and Coffin Ed watch from behind the scenes as Calhoun and his blond companion take the bale, and the detectives follow them to the Back-to-the-Southland office.

Grave Digger and Coffin Ed pretend to be workers at a repair garage across the street. They watch until Calhoun and his companion leave, then break into the Back-to-the-Southland headquarters, hiding in a broom closet to wait for Calhoun to return: “They had to let the Colonel get the money from the bale of cotton himself” (111). Calhoun and his companion come back and cut into the cotton but soon realize the money is gone and go “berserk” (112).