CHAPTER XVIII.
THE WRIT OF EJECTMENT.
Shortly after the events narrated in the last chapter, the announcement was made by Clarissa that a white man, "und dat biggety n.i.g.g.e.r Ellic, was at de do to see ole ma.r.s.er." The interview occurred on the verandah.
Abram Laflin, the carpet-bagger, introduced the subject as follows:
"I observed" said he, "in pa.s.sing the court house on yesterday, that you had advertised my home to be sold to pay a debt of five thousand dollars due you. Will you be kind enough to make the calculation and inform me what is due you, princ.i.p.al and interest?"
"Certainly I will, with great pleasure," replied the Colonel. "Here is the account accurately computed."
"Make your calculations, Mr. Wiggins, and see if the gentleman is correct," he said to the negro.
Mr. Wiggins adjusted his gold rimmed eyegla.s.ses, fingered a moment the gold chain upon his immaculate shirt bosom, scratched his head a time or two with the point of his gold pencil and pa.s.sed the statement to his lord and master.
"Ah, ha," exclaimed the carpet-bagger, "Four thousand three hundred and fifty-seven dollars and thirty-three and one-third cents, and not five thousand dollars as you have it, Mr. Seymour."
"Ah, very well" replied Mr. Seymour "You may settle by my calculation if you wish, if not the sale shall go on."
"Give me the paper and pencil, Mr. Wiggins, I will make the calculation for myself," said the carpet-bagger. "The result as you have it sir, is correct. Here is your money sir."
"Now, sir, I will show you the gate," replied the Colonel with asperity.
"Good morning," and the two men locked arms and went away.
As the enraged man was entering the verandah, he was greeted unexpectedly and obsequiously by Joshua, with "Compliments, ole Ma.r.s.er.
I have fotched you some long-necked G.o.de seeds; spected yer would lak to hab dem, mars Jon."
"Yes, Yes, I am glad you remembered me Joshua. I thought my old slave had quite forgotten me," replied the Colonel.
"You mout hab spected dat ole ma.s.ser, but I knowed all de time you wus de onliest fren I had in de wurrell," answered the old negro.
"I am surprised to see you looking so badly, Joshua. Why your hair is as white as cotton, and your clothes too are ragged and dirty, and there are great hollows in your cheeks; what have you done with yourself old man?"
The old negro dashed a great big tear from each eye as he replied hesitatingly, "Better ax tother fokeses dat ar questun, ole marsa; better ax de bosses at de kommissery; I"se been froo de froos sens I seed you sar, mommucked up monstrus, dat I is. Dem dar pizen"d carpet-baggers tole us cullud fokses ef we didn"t do jess lak dey sed, dat dey was agwine to put us bak in slavery, und dey skeert us jam ni to def, dat dey did. Dey uprared a grate big sto in de town, und sakes alive! de moest la.s.ses und horg meat und flower und backer, und sich lak yu nebber did see, mars Jon, und likker, too; und wun ob de bosses he c.u.m to de do und sez, sez he boys, fetch yer happysaks und jimmyjons ebery Tuesday, und eberry Saddy nite de Lord sens und fill dem chok full. I clar ma.r.s.er, I felt jess lak I wus in Paradise, wid de angels er harpin pon golden harps und soppin la.s.ses; und I took dat white man at his word, und I"se been on de rode twixt my house und de sto fur seben weeks, backards und forrards, a totin my ole jimmyjon un happy-sak; I clar pon my Ma.r.s.er in Heben, I haint eben got de rappins ob my finger from dat sto yit. De boss wud laf und say de rashuns had gin out fore I got dere, und to c.u.m agin nex Tuesday sho; und mars Jon, I"se jess nachully a tired to def, widdout a moufful ob wittels in my house fur me nur Hanner nudder, und we bof a perishin to def. Ole marsa, hain"t yer got nary ole ash tater, nur a leetle piece ob meat skin yer kin gib dis ole darky jess to pacify his stummik, seems lak I jess hab to draw my galluses rale t.i.te roun it to keep it frum creepin fru my mouf."
The old soldier of fifty battles looked down upon the poor old negro in his squalor and emaciation and wretchedness, and the tears came into his eyes, too, as he said,
"If there is anything in this house to eat, Joshua, you shall have all you want. I pity you from my heart, old negro. These people are not your friends nor mine. The day will come when you will know them as they are--enemies of every one who will not wash their dirty linen."
"Eber yu spoke de truf, Mars Jon, you spoke it den--hit"s de G.o.d"s truf."
"Clarissa!" called the Colonel, "Clarissa!"
"Sar!" came Clarissa"s voice from the kitchen. "I"se er c.u.mmin, ole marsa, jes es fast es I ken."
As she saw Joshua she threw up her hands and impulsively exclaimed,
"Fur de Lawd"s sake, Joshaway, whot do ail yer eny way? I faut yu wuz er gostis er settin outen here wid ole ma.r.s.er. Po ole n.i.g.g.e.r! Duz sis Hanner luk lak yu duz? De grabeyard is er yornin fer yu rite now." And Clarissa placed her hand feelingly upon the old negro"s white head, saying the while, "Po Joshaway! Po n.i.g.g.e.r!" while Joshua covered his face with his knotty hands and his feeble body shook as with a spasm.
In obedience to orders, Clarissa placed before Joshua a huge dish of boiled ham, cabbage, potatoes--Irish and sweet--and the old negro in the joy of his heart sprang nimbly to his aged and aching feet and "cut de piggen whing jes ter sho ole marsa how spry und suple he wus."
"Bress Gawd!" he gratefully exclaimed, "I"se been happy two times in my life--wun time when I jined de miluntary c.u.mpny when de n.i.g.g.e.rs wus playin "de jay bird" on der tootin horns (den I wus er fule), und tother time wus dis here time."
After devouring like a starved brute the bulk of the food before him, he considerately placed into his old beaver hat choice bits and fragments, layer upon layer, with the observation,
"I wudn"t er tasted a moufful o" dis good truck ef I hadn"t er node Hanner wuz ergwine ter git her shar. Jes er watchin me now lak a sparrer hawk er settin on er lim! Tank yer a fousun times, ole ma.r.s.er! Tank yu, too, sis Clarsy; tank eberybody in de whole wurld. Ole marsa," he continued, "mout I hab jes wun wurd wid yer?"
"Why, certainly, Joshua; what more can I do for you?" asked the old man.
The old negro put his hand to his face as if he were shielding his eyes, and asked sheepishly,
"Mars Jon, ef me und Hanner wus ter turn n.i.g.g.e.rs ergin, jes lak slabery times, wud yer tuck us home--yu und Miss Alice?"
"I would not have you do that, Joshua; but whenever you like, you and Hannah can bring your belongings to the office and Alice and I will always be your friends. You shall never suffer any more for something to eat or wear as long as we live."
"Tank yer, ole ma.r.s.er, tank yu, a fousand times!" Joshua replied, as he brushed away great liquid beads that were chasing each other down his haggard cheeks. "Now I mus be ergwine, Mars Jon," and the old stiffened joints bore homeward a filled body and a full heart, as he sang in an untuned but sweet voice,
"Oh de way"s so delightful when I sarves de Lord, Oh de way"s so delightful, journey on."
As the sun was going down the old Colonel looked across the field and saw Joshua and Hannah with great bundles upon their heads coming toward the mansion--coming back to the old home; coming back to be just as humble, just as faithful, just as watchful as in the happy old days; coming back to run errands if need be, with joints stiffened by hardships and old age, but with hearts so light and trustful; coming back like homing pigeons to roost under old master"s wing in the dove cote. Was there ever such a people before? The sweetest experience in the domesticity of the South will vanish forever when the last old white woolly head is laid low, when the ghostly smile is given to old mistress from the death bed, and the last good-bye is said to "ole ma.r.s.er und ole missis" as the death film overlays the eye. "Tak keer ob yosefs, ole ma.r.s.er und ole missis, und meet me up yander." So thought the old master as with liquid eyes he looked upward to the vaulted sky.
"Seben weeks" the old negro weighted down by the ever acc.u.mulating burdens of life--its disappointments, its troubles--had with unsteady gait and frequent halts stepped off each rod and furlong twixt "my house und de sto, backards und forards, toting de jimmyjon und de happy-sak."
"Fur seben weeks" the torrid sun with its blistering heat had scorched the old negro"s head, and crisped the old negro"s black skin until it was spotted. For seven weeks a vacuum deep and broad lay between the inner coatings of the famished stomach immeasurable and unfathomable.
For seven weeks "Old Glory" waved its welcome at one end of the commissariat, and stark, pallid want walked out without a ration and flaunted its rags at the other. Poor old negro, but what worth is freedom without its pains and penalties; what worth is the huge commissariat without the freedmen, and what worth is the freedmen without the commissariat? Oh how happy the old negro in "de offis of ole ma.r.s.er." By fits and starts old Joshua would awake throughout the nights and call to Hannah, "Ole womun, duz yer kno whar yer is a roosting to night? Aint agwine to de crick fur catfish in de mornin. I kno whar my wittles is er c.u.mmin frum, bress de Lord. c.u.m rain ur shine, I haint nebber agwine hongry agin, no mo. Old marsa dun und said, ole n.i.g.g.e.r yer shall nebber want fur sumfing to eat und sumfing to ware no mo, und I nebber cotched ole Mars Jon in a lie yit. Has yu, Hanner?"
"No, dat I haint, nur Miss Alice nudder," replied Hannah. "I haint got no mo skeer erbout me, Joshaway, dan a billy gote. I kno"s when Miss Alice flings a dumplin in de pot for hersef, she is agwine to fling wun in dare fur me too."
"Pears lak, Hanner, I kin heer my stummick ebery now und den nachully singing de ole ship ob Zion, hit is so full ob ole ma.r.s.er"s good wittles."
Bright and early the next morning the old negro was standing in the wide open door of the office, swinging his arms in exercise like a prize fighter, and occasionally "cuttin de piggen whing out of doors," as he said, "dat yung misses mout see how he could twist his foots erbout." As he was skipping about the yard he discovered as it were, a moccasin snake; a red, white, and blue stake about two feet long in the ground near the office, and he knew what it was and called in a fit of rage to Hannah. "Jess c.u.m und see what dem dratted n.i.g.g.e.rs has dun gon und dun.
Lord a ma.s.sy! Duz dem pizened willians fink dey kin oberride dis here plantashun wid me, und Ned, und ole marsa, und yung misses, und yu und Claissy a fendin for deselvs? I"se agwine to lode up my muskit dis bery nite, und de fust n.i.g.g.e.r dat c.u.ms pestering our white fokses on dis here lan, I"se agwine to shoot two pounds of hot led into his karkas. Tak dis ole streked striped stick, Hanner, und burn it up," and he jerked the peg out of the ground as if it had been an aching molar in his gum, and threw it violently into the fire-place.
"Who upon de yurth did fetch dese pizened stiks on dis lan? I"m ergwine er roun dis yer plantashun, und maybe I"ll fine sum mo ob de ring-streeked-und-striped things, er painted jes like "ole Glory" out yander in de town, jes ter fool n.i.g.g.e.rs und git dem sa.s.sinated lak er pa.s.sel o" polecats."
While Joshua was making the "grand rounds" over the plantation a carriage with a pair of beautiful, high-stepping horses rolled up to the door, and two "gemmen of culler" alighted and walked with unnatural dignity to the door and rang the bell. Clarissa, of course, obeyed the call, and in their presence was so bewildered that she asked them into the library. Placing into her hands their cards _de visite_, upon which were written the names of the "Hon. Alexander Wiggins" and the "Hon.
Ephraim Gillam," she carried them to Colonel Seymour.
Instantly the devil was aroused in the old man, and he told Clarissa to tell them to get out of the house.
Clarissa, in executing the order, said, "Ole ma.r.s.er says how dat yu n.i.g.g.e.rs must go back out er doors. Jes tak yosef outen dis house immegit." Then upon recognizing one of the negroes, she enquired, "Haint dat yer Ellick, wid dem fine close und shoes, und gold specks, und bever hat, comin into dis house lak yer was a king, or a gineral, or sumfing I don"t kno what? What is yer doing here in ole ma.r.s.er"s house, anyhow? I specks yer is up to sum devilment rate now."
"My name is not Ellic, replied the negro, und I am not up to devilment.
I am de prieter ob dis manshun house, und my stinguished friend, Mr.
Ephrum Gillum und me, hez c.u.m to sarv a rit ob jectment upon Mr. Semo fortwid."