In all the years that were gone, his old master and mistress had been so kind to him, in sickness and health; they had clothed and fed him; without their a.s.sistance he would have been so helpless. Indeed, Ned had never felt the rigors or oppression of slavery in this household or upon this plantation. Old master"s government was patriarchal, and emanc.i.p.ation had come so inopportunely; somehow it never appealed to the affections, or the love of the old negroes, but it came upon them as other great crises have come--with arguments and reinforcements that shattered every principle of manhood and b.e.s.t.i.a.lized their natures. It came with proclamations against the universally denounced crime of slavery, and with an energetically centralized power; and the old negroes, unable to reason intelligently from premises so false and enticing, forgot their loyalty to their friends and looked to the carpet-bagger for a new revelation.
The lovely girl was always happy when ministering to the sick, even in the huts of dest.i.tution and squalor. She was happy when she pressed Uncle Ned"s wrinkled brow and felt that the consuming fever had been driven out of his system by medication and faithful nursing.
When her own heart was burdened by sorrow, she sang out of its fullness and pathos to the negro, and the tears glided out of his eyes and ran down into the deep-cut furrows of his black face.
The old negro discovered in the experience of the few eventful years that there was nothing hopeful or helpful in the pledges or proclamations of the reconstructionists. The very old negroes were not counted in the aggregation of their numerical power, or in the sum total of the freedmen. "Old Glory" never welcomed them with a dip of its proud crest as they pa.s.sed in and out of the town in tatters and rags. It never bade them with its caress to pause within its grateful shadow in the dog days when they were over wearied with marching and counter-marching.
The great Commissariat persistently withheld its bounty when there was no election--no votes to be polled for Laflin and his pampered minions.
These dilapidated creatures were post-prandial guests in the banqueting halls of the bosses; hounds rather to gnaw the bones that were flung as offal upon the refuse heaps. They were not the artisans who were toiling upon the superstructure of the new south; not wanted in cabals, intrigues, conventions; not the journeymen who where revamping the political edifice; not mechanics who were furbishing the weapons of plunder; not trained to the harness as beasts of burden in dragging the car of reconstruction with its whetted knives over the prostrated country. Hence it was that gaunt poverty with its steel tined fork was constantly prodding the old negroes who had turned their backs upon their masters and whose new masters were dull of hearing, hence it was that so many who had hungered for the flesh pots were going back to the leaks and garlic; hence it was that hunger had given such acuteness to old Ned"s sense of smell, that Alice was greeted with an exclamation br.i.m.m.i.n.g over with grat.i.tude.
"I"m so skeert, young missis, dat I haint ergwine to git outen dis house in a hole munt."
The exclamation provoked a smile from the sweet girl who came laden with good things for Ned and she replied apologetically,
"I am sorry, uncle Ned, that I couldn"t know just what you wanted."
The sick negro shook his head, for his mouth was too full for verbal explanations, and then bowed his thanks, observing after a moment.
"Clarsy, when I heerd yung missis at de do I node it was Santy Clors, sho nuff."
"Bress you hart, missis, enny n.i.g.g.e.r dat wudn"t fite twell def fur yu und ole ma.r.s.er had ort to be hung by de nek twell hes ded."
Ned would have extemporized upon the subject perhaps at greater length; but for the interruption of a dilapidated negro, dressed in a dingy threadbare blue uniform; whose white head was covered by a decayed beaver, from which a dirty red handkerchief hung over his left eye.
The new comer was Joshua; perhaps the first and most patriotic recruit in the army of the freedmen; among the first to cut asunder the ligature of slavery.
As the huge Commissariat advertised the fatness of reconstruction, so Joshua advertised the leanness thereof.
The black diplomat in a tentative way was preparing the colored people for an event of momentous consequence. His mission to Ned"s cabin was for this purpose.
"Mornin to yu boff," came the crusty greeting.
"Is dat yu, brudder Joshaway?" Clarissa enquired.
"Yes, dis is me."
"c.u.m in, den," said Clarissa, and Joshua, reeling from old age tottered in and took a seat with a groan.
"Is dat you, Miss Alice?" he asked looking up and shading his eyes with a palsied hand and seeing the young lady in the cabin.
"Scuse me, marm, I haint seed yu afore."
"Good morning, Uncle Joshua, I am very glad to see you. You are a stranger to us and the old home. I should think you would come to see us now and then, to know how we are getting on. Have you entirely forgotten your old friends?"
The old negro dropped his head embarra.s.singly as he replied with hesitation. "Not eggzackly, mum, but fokeses has dun und got so kurous now a days dar haint no telling how menny sc.r.a.pes yu is ergwine to git kotched in; I"m moest afeered to git outen Hanner"s wision, deed I is, mum."
"You are not a soldier I hope, uncle Joshua? Do you belong to the army,"
asked Alice as she observed the blue uniform that he wore.
"No mum, not pintedly," the negro furtively answered. "Dat is I don"t tote no muskeet--und I got my deesharge from de leftenant--und I haint got no offis in pertickler, but de cappen lowed dat he mout pint me corpurul of de gyard at de k.u.missurry ef I cud hole out."
"Ef I cud hole out" sneeringly repeated Clarissa. "Ugh! Nigh unto er hunded year ole er holin out; mouter say ef yu cud hole in; jess es ragged es er sedge hen."
Alice was very much amused at the coa.r.s.e wit of Clarissa, but it was important that she should return home and perhaps, too, her presence might embarra.s.s the interview between the freed slaves, and taking uncle Joshua"s hand in her own she bade him good bye with the observation.
"Remember, old man, that father and I are still your friends; and when you are in trouble or distress come to us. May G.o.d bless you, uncle Joshua."
"Good by, missis!" exclaimed Joshua, as he wiped his eyes with his coat sleeve, "May de Lord do de same to yu missis."
After the young lady had retired, Joshua, with some trepidation, observed:
"Brudder Johnsing, Hanner sont me ober heer to ax yu und sister to de weddin Saddy nite und to tell sister Johnsing how she mout bake er cake wid ice on de tip eend of hit, ur she moutent ef she didn"t want to."
"Who dat want er cake?" exclaimed Clarissa.
"Yu heerd whot I sed, didn"t yu?" Joshua petulantly replied.
"Who dat ergwine to git married Joshua?" she asked.
"Efrum, dats who," replied Joshua.
"My King! dat biggerty n.i.g.g.e.r ergwine to git married sho nuff?"
"Deed he is, und he is ergwine to marry way up yander outen site too--ergwine to git er portly white gal wid de moest dimuns und watch chains und bunnets kivered wid hostrich fedders. When yu sees dat gal yu"ll see er hole steer kaart full of dimuns er shinin ebery which er way; und yu has to keep yo eyes shot rite t.i.te, don"t yu ergwine to git struck plum bline, same as de possle Peter dun when dat white man was ergwine up to Jarriko; dat yu will! Is you und sister Jonsin ergwine to de weddin; und is yu ergwine to bake de cake? Tell me dat fust."
Clarissa deliberately raised herself out of the rickety chair in which she was sitting, with a grunt, and walked over to Joshua, and lifting the old beaver from his head, remarked in a provoking way:
"I spishuned dat de boss had dun und c.r.a.pped yo years wid swaller forks."
"How much yu dun und got from ole Laffin fur bein his n.i.g.g.e.r; yu und Efrum; tell me dat?"
"Swaller forks!" indignantly replied Joshua. "Sich humans as yu is dun woured up de creeters dat toted de swaller-forks fo de belliun fell.
Swaller-forks!" he again repeated in disgust; and turned in his seat to look savagely at Clarissa and held his peace.
"You need nt shine dem ole holler eyes at me, Joshaway; yuse ergwine erbout er hipperty hop from wun house to ernudder wid yo weddin inwites und I lay a fo pence yu haint got narry tater nur hocake nudder whar yu stays. I don"t look fur nuffin else but er yurthshake to swaller up de pizened n.i.g.g.e.rs big und little er keepin dis plantashun in er monstrus fl.u.s.trashun ebery day und nite de Lord sends. Ergwine to marry er portly white gal! Great King! Und yu er noratin de news, lookin dis werry minit lak a po run down gizzard shad wid one foot in de grabe und tuther wun er slanting innards. Ergwine to de weddin! When yu sees er biggerty n.i.g.g.e.r er jinin hissef to er white gal in dis lan, yu ergwine to see seben moons in de h.e.l.lyments at wun time."
"Yu and Efrum needn"t spishun kase de Soufland is dun und konkered wun time und flung upon hits back dat yu pizened n.i.g.g.e.rs is gwine to git de underholt de nex time, ef boff her hands is tied, Dares ole mars Jon"s sord a lyin agen de bofat er natally cryin fur a moufful of yore black meat same as a strayed gander er squorkin for his shipmates, und it aims to cut hit off whay hit aint ergwine to heal togedder no mo! und ef yu don"t walk mity perpundikkler, de werry fust time yu c.u.ms to yo membrunce, dat ole crows" nest on de tip eend of yo ole hed is ergwine to be layin in wun jam of de fence und yo old karkuss in er nudder.
Ergwine to de weddin! Grate Jerusalem!"
Joshua for a moment was completely disarmed by the rapid volleys from Clarissa"s battery, but he was not without resources, even in this terrific encounter. He fixed his savage glance upon the old negress, as he asked with due gravity.
"Is yu ergwine to fight for the secesh ef de war do take a fresh rise?"
"Yu heerd what I sed, Joshaway," replied Clarissa with a significant gesture. "Ef yu don"t want Mars Jon"s sord er gashing yu into leetle hunks of horg meat yu got to walk mity perpundikkler.
"Bress G.o.d!" exclaimed Joshua as he wiped his face with his dirty handkerchief, "How kin a humans walk perpundikkler wid free crooks in de back und de rumatiz in boff shanks?"
"Dat ole sord is ergwine to tak dem dere crooks outen yore back same as a toof doctor jerkin out dat ole snag of yourn," answered Clarissa.