Mrs. Wilson, just finishing baking gingerbread, hears her son Johnny arrive home with his friend, Boyd, who is African American and a bit smaller than Johnny. Boyd is carrying kindling wood, and Mrs. Wilson reprimands Johnny for not helping his friend and invites Boyd to join them for lunch. Johnny and Boyd act naturally with one another, but Mrs. Walpole inquires about Boyd’s family with hesitation.
She inquires about the profession of Boyd’s father; when Johnny responds that he works at a factory, Mrs. Wilson assumes Boyd’s father is a manual laborer. In fact, he is a foreman. Mrs. Wilson questions why Boyd’s mother does not work, but is chastised when Johnny points out that she too does not work.