"P.S.--I understand that they are going to hunt the fellow Nimbus with dogs to-morrow. I hope they will catch him and hang him to the nearest tree. I have no doubt he killed poor Eliab, and did all the rest of the bad things laid to his charge. He is a desperate negro, and I don"t see how you can stand up for him. I hope you will let the people of the North know the truth of this affair, and make them understand that Southern gentlemen are not such savages and brutes as they are represented."
The letter was full of arrows designed to pierce her breast; but Mollie Ainslie did not feel one of them. After what she had suffered, no ungenerous flings from such a source could cause her any pain. On the contrary, it was an object of interest to her, in that it disclosed how deep down in the heart of the highest and best, as well as the lowest and meanest, was that prejudice which had originally instigated such acts as had been perpetrated at Red Wing. The credulous animosity displayed by this woman to whom she had looked for sympathy and encouragement in what she deemed a holy work, revealed to her for the first time how deep and impa.s.sable was the channel which time had cut between the people of the North and those of the South.
She did not lose her respect or regard for Mrs. Le Moyne. She did not even see that any word which had been written was intended to stab her, as a woman. She only saw that the prejudice-blinded eyes had led a good, kind heart to endorse and excuse cruelty and outrage. The letter saddened but did not enrage her. She saw and pitied the pride of the sick lady whom she had learned to love in fancy too well to regard with anger on account of what was but the natural result of her life and training.
CHAPTER XLIV.
PUTTING THIS AND THAT TOGETHER.
After Mollie had read the letter of Mrs. Le Moyne, it struck her as a curious thing that she should write to her of the hunt which was to be made after Nimbus, and the great excitement which there was in regard to him. Knowing that Mrs. Le Moyne and Hesden were both kindly disposed toward Eliab, and the latter, as she believed, toward Nimbus also, it occurred to her that this might be intended as a warning, given on the hypothesis that those parties were in hiding and not dead.
At the same time, also, it flashed upon her mind that Lugena had not seemed so utterly cast down as might naturally be expected of a widow so suddenly and sadly bereaved. She knew something of the secretive powers of the colored race. She knew that in the old slave times one of the men now living in the little village had remained a hidden runaway for months, within five miles of his master"s house, only his wife knowing his hiding-place. She knew how thousands of these people had been faithful to our soldiers escaping from Confederate prisons during the war, and she felt that a secret affecting their own liberty, or the liberty of one acting or suffering in their behalf, might be given into the keeping of the whole race without danger of revelation. She remembered that amid all the clamorous grief of others, while Lugena had mourned and wept over the burning of the church and the scenes of blood and horror, she had exhibited little of that poignant and overwhelming grief or unappeasable anger which she would have expected, under the circ.u.mstances, from one of her temperament. She concluded, therefore, that the woman might have some knowledge in regard to the fate of her husband, Eliab, and Berry, which she had not deemed it prudent to reveal. With this thought in mind, she sent for Lugena and asked if she had heard that they were going to hunt for her husband with dogs.
"Yes, Miss Mollie, I"se heerd on"t," was the reply, "but nebber you mind. Ef Nimbus is alive, dey"ll nebber git him in no sech way ez dat, an" dey knows it. "Sides dat, it"s tree days ago, an" Nimbus ain"t no sech fool ez ter stay round dat long, jes ter be cotched now. I"se glad ter hear it, dough, kase it shows ter me dat dey hain"t killed him, but wants ter skeer him off, an" git him outen de kentry. De sheriff--not de high-sheriff, but one ob his understrappers--wuz up ter our house to-day, a-purtendin" ter hunt atter Nimbus. I didn"t put no reliance in dat, but somehow I can"t make out cla"r how dey could hev got away with him an" Berry an"
"Liab, all on "em, atter de fight h"yer, an" not left no trace nor sign on" em nowhar.
"Now, I tell yer what"s my notion, Miss Mollie," she added, approaching closer, and speaking in a whisper; "I"se done a heap o" tinkin" on dis yer matter, an" dis is de way I"se done figgered it out. I don"t keer ter let on "bout it, an" mebbe you kin see furder inter it nor I kin, but I"se jes made up my min" dat Nimbus is all right somewhars. I don"t know whar, but it"s somewhar not fur from "Liab--dat yer may be sh.o.r.e on, honey. Now, yer see, Miss Mollie, dar"s two or tree tings makes me tink so. In de fus" place, yer know, I see dat feller, Berry, atter all dis ting wuz ober, an" talked wid him an" told him dat Nimbus lef all right, an" dat he tuk "Liab wid him, an" dat Bre"er "Liab wuz mighty bad hurt.
Wal, atter I told him dat, an" he"d helped me hunt up de chillens dat wuz scattered in de co"n, an" "bout one place an" anudder, Berry he "llows dat he"ll go an" try ter fin" Nimbus an" "Liab.
So he goes off fru de co"n wid dat ar won"ful gun dat jes keeps on a-shootin" widout ary load.
"Atter a while I heahs him ober in de woods a-whistlin" an" a-carryin"
on like a mockin"-bird, ez you"se heerd de quar critter du many a time." Mollie nodded affirmatively, and Lugena went on: "I couldn"t help but laugh den, dough I wuz nigh about skeered ter death, ter tink what a mighty cute trick it wuz. I knowed he wuz a callin"
Nimbus an" dat Nimbus "ud know it, tu, jest ez soon ez he heerd it; but yer know ennybody dat hadn"t heerd it over an offen, wouldn"t nebber tink dat it warn"t a mocker waked up by de light, or jes mockin" a cat-bird an" rain-crow, an" de like, in his dreams, ez dey say dey does when de moon shines, yer know."
Mollie smiled at the quaint conceit, so well justified by the fact she had herself often observed. Lugena continued:
"I tell yer, Miss Mollie, dat ar Berry"s a right cute n.i.g.g.a, fer all dey say "bout him. He ain"t stiddy, like Nimbus, yer know, ner pious like "Liab--dat is not ter hurt, yer know--but he sartin hab got a heap ob sense, fer all dat."
"It was certainly a very shrewd thing, but I don"t see what it has to do with the fate of Nimbus," said Mollie. "I don"t wish to seem to discourage you, but I am quite certain, myself, that we shall never see Nimbus or Eliab again."
"Oh, yer can"t discourage _me_, Miss Mollie," answered the colored woman bravely. "I jes knows, er ez good ez knows, dat Nimbus is all right yit awhile. Now I tells yer, honey, what dis yer"s got ter du wid it. Yer see, it must ha" been nigh about a half-hour atter Nimbus left afore Berry went off; jes dat er way I tole yer "bout."
"Well?" said Mollie, inquiringly.
"Wal," continued Lugena, "don"t yer see? Dar hain"t been nary word heard from neither one o" dem boys sence."
"Well?" said Mollie, knitting her brows in perplexity.
"_Don"t_ yer see, Miss Mollie," said the woman impatiently, "dat dey couldn"t hab got "em bofe togedder, "cept Berry had found Nimbus fust?"
"Well?"
"_Wal!_ Don"t yer see dar would hev been a--a--_terrible_ fight afore dem two n.i.g.g.as would hev gin up Bre"er "Liab, let alone derselves? Yer must "member dat dey had dat ar gun. Sakes-a-ma.s.sy!
Miss Mollie, yer orter hev hearn it dat night. "Peared ter me yer could hab heard it clar" roun" de yairth, ef it _is_ round, ez yer say "tis. Now, somebody--some cullu"d body--would have been sh.o.r.e ter heah dat gun ef dar"d been a fight."
"I had not thought of that, Lugena," said Mollie.
"Co"se yer hadn"t, honey; an" dere"s sunthin" else yer didn"t link ob, nuther, kase yer didn"t know it," said Lugena. "Yer min" dat boy Berry, he"d done borrered our mule, jest afo" dat, ter take Sally an" de chillen an" what few duds dey hez down inter Hanson County, whar his brudder Rufe libs, an" whar dey"s gwine ter libbin"
tu. Dar didn"t n.o.body "spect him ter git back till de nex" day, any more"n Nimbus; an" it war jes kinder accidental-like dat either on "em got h"yer dat night. Now, Miss Mollie, what yer s"pose hez come ob dat ar mule an" carryall? Dat"s de question."
"I"m sure I don"t know, "Gena, said Mollie thoughtfully. "Ner I don"t know, nuther," was the response; "but it"s jes my notion dat whar dey is, right dar yer"ll fin" Nimbus an" Berry, an" not fur off from dem yer"ll find Bre"er "Liab."
"You may be right," said her listener, musingly.
"I"se pretty sh.o.r.e on"t, honey. Yer see when dat ar under-sheriff come ter day an" had look all "round fer Nimbus, he sed, finally, sez he, "I"se got a"tachment"--dat"s what he call it, Miss Mollie--a"tachment "gin de property, or sunthin" o" dat kine. I didn"t know nary ting "bout it, but I s.p.u.n.ked up an" tole him ebbery ting in de house dar was mine. He argyfied "bout it a right smart while, an" finally sed dar wan"t nuffin" dar ob no "count, ennyhow.
Den he inquired "bout de mule an" de carryall, an" atter dat he went out an" levelled on de c.r.a.p."
"Did what?" asked Mollie.
"Levelled on de c.r.a.p, Miss, dat"s what he said, least-a-ways. Den he called fer de key ob de "backer-barn, an" I tole him "twan"t nowheres "bout de house--good reason too, kase Nimbus allus do carry dat key in his breeches pocket, "long wid his money an" terbacker.
So he takes de axe an" goes up ter de barn, an" I goes "long wid him ter see what he"s gwine ter du. Den he breaks de staple an"
opens de do". Now, Miss Mollie, "twan"t but a week er two ago, of a Sunday atternoon, Nimbus an" I wuz in dar lookin" roun", an" dar wuz a right smart bulk o" fine terbacker dar--some two er tree-hundred poun"s on"t. Now when de sheriff went in, dar wa"n"t more"n four or five ban"s ob "backer scattered "long "twixt whar de pile had been an" de do". Yah! yah! I couldn"t help laughin" right out, though I wuz dat mad dat I couldn"t hardly see, kase I knowed ter once how "twas. D"yer see _now_, Miss Mollie?" "I confess I do not," answered the teacher.
"No? Wal, whar yer "spose dat "backer gone ter, hey?"
"I"m sure I don"t know. Where do you think?"
"What I tink become ob dat "backer? Wal, Miss Mollie, I tink Nimbus an" Berry put dat "backer in dat carryall, an" den put Bre"er "Liab in on dat "backer, an" jes druv off somewhar--"Gena don"t know whar, but dat "backer "ll take "em a long way wid dat ar mule an"
carryall. It"s all right, Miss Mollie, it"s all right wid Nimbus.
"Gena ain"t feared. She knows her ole man too well fer dat!
"Yer know he runned away once afo" in de ole slave times. He didn"t say nary word ter me "bout gwine ober ter de Yanks, an" de folks all tole me dat I nebber"d see him no mo". But I knowed Nimbus, an" sh.o.r.e "nough, atter "bout two year, back he come! An" dat"s de way it"ll be dis time--atter de trouble"s ober, he"ll come back.
But dat ain"t what worries me now, Miss Mollie," continued Lugena.
"Co"se I"d like ter know jes whar Nimbus is, but I know he"s all right. I"se a heap fearder "bout Bre"er "Liab, fer I "llow it"s jes which an" t"other ef we ever sees him again. But what troubles me now, Miss Mollie, is "bout myseff."
"About yourself?" asked Mollie, in surprise.
""Bout me an" my chillens, Miss Mollie," was the reply.
"Why, how is that, "Gena?"
"Wal yer see, dar"s dat ar "tachment matter. I don"t understan"
it, nohow."
"Nor I either," said Mollie.
"P"raps yer could make out sunthin" "bout it from dese yer," said the colored woman, drawing a ma.s.s of crumpled papers from her pocket.
Mollie smoothed them out upon the table beside her, and began her examination by reading the endors.e.m.e.nts. The first was ent.i.tled, "_Peyton Winburn v. Nimbus Desmit_, et al. _Action for the recovery of real estate. Summons._" The next was endorsed, "_Copy of Complaint_," and another, "_Affidavit and Order of Attachment against Non-Resident or Absconding Debtor._"
"What"s dat, Miss Mollie?" asked Lugena, eagerly, as the last t.i.tle was read. "Dat"s what dat ar sheriff man said my Nimbus was--a non--_non_--what, Miss Mollie? I tole him "twan"t no sech ting; but la sakes! I didn"t know nothing in de worl" "bout it.
I jes "llowed dat "twas sunthin" mighty mean, an" I knowed dat I couldn"t be very fur wrong nohow, ef I jes contraried ebbery word what he said. What does it mean, Miss Mollie?"
"It just means," said Mollie, "that Nimbus owes somebody--this Mr.
Winburn, I judge, and--"