"Wellum," he told us, "since ol" Mis" Scarlett"s gone, folks does say de doctor is. Dat"s "cause ob de Hynds" blood in "im. All dem Hyndses was natch.e.l.ly de violentest kind o" pussons, an" Doctor, he ain"t behin" de do"." He rubbed his hands and chuckled. "Lawd, yes!
I know de Doctor, man an" boy, an" he suttinly rips an" ta"hs when he"s riled! You ought ter seen "im de day ol" Mis" Scarlett let fly wid "er shot-gun an" blowed de tails spang off"n two of "is hens an"
de haid off"n "is prize rooster! De fowls come thoo" de haidge, an"
ol" Mis" grab "er gun an" blaze away. De Doctor hear de squallation, an" come flyin" outer de office an" right ovah de haidge. I "uz totin" fiahwood fo" ol" Mis" dat day, an" I drap een de bushes; it ain"t no place fo" sensible n.i.g.g.ahs when white folks grab shot-guns.
Doctor see me an" holler: "Adam! git outer dem bushes, you ol" fool!
You my witness what dis h.e.l.lion"s done to my fowls!"
"Ol" Mis" Scarlett she s"anter ter de winder wid "er gun sort o"
hangin" loose, an" holler: "Adam! Come outer dem bushes "fo" I pickle yo" hide! You my witness ob dis ruffian trispa.s.sin" on my prop"ty an" cussin" an" seducin" a ol" woman widout "er consent,"
she says. "Has I retched my age," says ol" Mis" Scarlett, "to have his fowls ruinin" my gyardin", an" him whut"s a dunghill rooster himself flyin" ovah my fences unbeknownst?"
""If there evah was a leather-hided ol" hen ripe foh roastin" on Beelzebub"s own griddle, it"s you, you gallows ol" witch!" says Doctor, shakin" "is fist up at her.
""Aha! I got a plain case!" says ol" Mis", grim-like. "I"ll have a warrant out foh you dis day, Geddes, you owdacious villyum!"
"And she done it. Yas"m. An" dey done sont de shariff atter me for witness, all two bofe o" dem."
"Well, and what did you do?" I asked, curiously. I was getting a side-light on Great-Aunt Sophronisba.
"Me? I got on muh knees an" wrastled wid de speret," said Uncle Adam. "I done tuck mah troubles to de Lawd, whichin He _"bleeged_ ter know I cyant deal wid ol" Mis" Scarlett an" de Doctor. Missis, I prayed!"
"Oh! And what happened then?"
The old man looked around him, cautiously, and lowered his voice: "Wellum, Mis" Scarlett she tuck an" went an" up an" died. Yessum!
She done daid. An" next thing we-all heah, she "d went an" lef de Hynds place to youna, "stead ob de Doctor, or dat furriner."
"She had Hynds relatives, then? I didn"t know."
"Wellum, de Doctor an" ol" Mis" Scarlett wuz cousins. Dat"s how come dey could fight so powerful. Ain"t you nevah had no relations to fight wid, ma"ams?"
We explained, regretfully, that we hadn"t.
"Den you ain"t nevah knowed, an" you ain"t nevah gwine ter knew, whut real, sho-nough fightin" _is_," said Unc" Adam, with conviction.
"You mentioned a foreigner," hinted Alicia.
The old man shook his head deprecatingly. "Don"t seem lak I evah able to rickermembah dat boy"s name, nohow. His grampa" "uz a Hynds, likewise his ma, but she "sisted on marryin" er furriner, an" de boy takes atter de furriners "stead er we-all. "Taint de po" boy"s fault, but ol" Mis" Scarlett hated "im wuss "n pizen. De only notice she take er de boy is ter warrant "im fo" trispa.s.sin". Dat "s how come folkses ter say--" he paused suddenly.
"Well, what do folks say?" I wanted to know.
"Well, Missis," he admitted, "dey say it"s natchel to fight wid yo"
kin whilst you "re livin", but "taint natchel ter carry de fight inter de grave-yahd. Dat"s whut she done, ma"ams. An" folks is outdone wid "er, whichin" she ain"t lef de Hynds place to de Hyndses, but done tuhn it ovah ter--uh--ah--"
"To a Yankee woman named Smith?"
"Yessum, dat"s it."
"Had either the Doctor or the foreigner any real claim or right to this property, do you know?"
"No, ma"am, we-all "lows dey ain"t got no mo" law-right dan whut you"s got. Ol" Mis" Scarlett ain"t _"bleeged_ ter lef it to de Hyndses, but folks thinks she oughter done it, an" dey"s powerful riled "cause she ain"t. Dey minds dis wuss"n all de warrantin" an"
rampagin" an" rucusses she cut up whilst she wuz wid us."
"I see," said I, thoughtfully.
"Missises," said the old man, anxiously, "you-all ain"t meanin" ter stay hyuh to-night, is you?" He seemed really distressed at the notion. "Lemme take you-all to de hotel, please, Missises! Don"t stay hyuh to-night!"
"Why not? What"s the matter with this house?"
Again he looked around him, stealthily.
"It"s h"anted!" said he, desperately. "Missis, listen: I "uz comin"
home from prayer-meetin", "bout two weeks ago, walkin" back er dis same place in de dark ob de moon. An" all ob a suddin I hyuh de pianner in de pahlor, _ting-a-ling-a-ling! ting-a-ling-a-ling!_ I say, "Who de name er Gawd in ol" Mis" Scarlett"s pahlor, when dey ain"t n.o.body in it?" I look thoo de haidge, an" dey"s one weenchy light in de room, an" whilst I"m lookin", it goes out! An" de pianner, she"s a-playin" right along! Yessum, de pianner, she"s er tingalingin" by "erself in de middle o" de night!"
"And who was playing it, Uncle Adam?"
"Dat"s what I axin yit: who playin" Mis" Scarlett"s pianner when dey wasn"t n.o.body in de house?"
"Why didn"t you find out?"
"Who, me?" cried the old man, with horror. "If I could er borried a extra pahr er laigs from er yaller dawg, I"d a did it right den, so "s I could run twict faster "n I done!--Whichin" please, ma"ams, lemme take you-all ter de hotel."
When he saw that he couldn"t prevail upon us to do so, he left us regretfully, shaking his head. He would come back early in the morning to do anything we might require. But he wouldn"t stay overnight in Hynds House for any consideration. No negro in the county would.
"Alicia," said I, when we had had a cup of tea made over our spirit lamp, and firelight and lamplight made the place less depressing and eerie, "Alicia, that terrible old woman has played me, like an ace up her sleeve, against her neighbors and her family. She has left me a house that needs everything done to it except to burn it down and rebuild it, and a garden that will have to be cleared out with dynamite. And she has seen to it that I have the preconceived prejudice of all Hyndsville."
Alicia"s pretty, soft lips closed firmly.
"Here we are and here we stay!" she said determinedly. "n.o.body"s been disinherited to make room for us. Sophy, in all our lives we have never had a chance to make a real home. Well, then, Hynds House is our chance, and I"d just like to see anybody take it away from us!"
"Up, Guards, and at "em!" said I, smiling at her tone. I am slower than she, but even more stubborn, as the English are.
"Tell your admiral that if he gets in my way I will blow his ships out of the water!" said Alicia, gallantly.
But when we went up-stairs, we took good care to lock our door, and bolt it, too. Alicia said her prayers kneeling by the gate-legged table, snuggled into bed between the clean sheets we had brought with us, tucked a china dog under her chin, and went to sleep like the child that she was. I said the Shepherd"s Psalm and went to sleep, too.
I was awakened suddenly, and found myself sitting up in bed, staring wildly about the strange room. The house was breathlessly still. My heart pounded against my ribs, the blood beat in my ears. I was oppressed with a nameless terror, an anguished sense that something had happened, something irremediable. The feeling was so strong that my throat closed chokingly.
I am particular in thus setting it down, because it was an experience that all of us under that roof had to undergo. You had to fight it, shut your mind against it, oppose your will to it like a stone wall, refuse to let it master you. Then, as if defeated, it would go as suddenly, as inexplicably, as it had come.
That"s what I did then, more by instinct than reason. But I was exhausted when I finally got back to sleep.
CHAPTER III
THE DEAR LITTLE G.o.d!
When we went over Hynds House the next morning and took stock, I began to entertain very, very peculiar feelings toward Great-Aunt Sophronisba Scarlett, who, it would appear, had given me a white elephant which I could neither hire out for its keep, nor yet sell out of hand. I had to live in Hynds House, and Hynds House as it stood wasn"t to be lived in.