On their reaching my side my story, told through my veil and between meanings and clingings, was to be that while on a journey in my own coach, a part of its running-gear having broken, I had sent it on to be mended; that through love of trees and wild flowers I had ventured to stay alone meantime among them, and that a snake had bitten me on the ankle. I should describe a harmless one but insist I was poisoned, and yet refuse to show the wound or be borne back to the road, or to let either man stay with me alone while the other went for a doctor, or to drink their whiskey for a cure. On getting back to the road--with the two fellows for crutches--I should send both to town for my coach, keeping with me their tackle and fish. Then I should get myself and my spoils back to our dwelling as best I could and--await the issue. If this poor performance had so come off--but see what occurred instead!
I had shut my parasol and moved into hiding behind some wild vines to mop my face, when near by on the farther side of the way came slyly into view a negro and negress. They were in haste to cross the road yet quite as wishful to cross unseen. One, in home-spun gown and sunbonnet, was ungainly, shoeless, bird-heeled, fan-toed, ragged, and would have been painfully ugly but for a grotesqueness almost winsome.
"She"s a field-hand," was my thought.
The other, in very clean shirt, trousers, and shoes, looking ten years younger and hardly full-grown, was shapely and handsome. "That boy,"
thought I, "is a house-servant. The two don"t belong in the same harness. And yet I"d bet a new hat they"re runaways."
Now they gathered courage to come over. With a childish parade of unconcern and with all their glances up and down the road, they came, and were within seven steps of me before they knew I was near. I shall never forget the ludicrous horror that flashed white and black from the eyes in that sun-bonnet, nor the snort with which its owner, like a frightened heifer, crashed off a dozen yards into the brush and as suddenly stopped.
"Good morning, boy," I said to the other, who had gulped with consternation, yet stood still.
"Good mawnin", mist"ess."
The feminine t.i.tle came luckily. I had forgotten my disguise, so disarmed was I by the refined dignity of the dark speaker"s mellow voice and graceful modesty. After all, my prejudices were Southern. I had rarely seen negroes, at worship, work, or play, without an inward groan for some way--righteous way--by which our land might be clean rid of them. But here, in my silly disguise, confronting this unmixed young African so manifestly superior to millions of our human swarm white or black, my unsympathetic generalizations were clear put to shame. The customary challenge, "Who" d"you belong to?" failed on my lips, and while those soft eyes pa.s.sed over me from bonnet to mitts I gave my head as winsome a tilt as I could and inquired: "What is your name?"
"Me?"
"Yes, you; what is it?"
"I"m name", eh, Euonymus; ya.s.s"m."
"Oh, boy, where"d your mother get that name?"
"Why, mist"ess, ain"t dat a Bible name?"
"Oh, yes," I said, remembering Onesimus. With my parasol I indicated the other figure, sunbonneted, motionless, gazing on us through the brush.
"Has she a Bible name too?"
"Ya.s.s"m; Robelia."
Robelia brought chin and shoulder together and sn.i.g.g.e.red. "Euonymus,"
I asked, "have you seen two young gentlemen, fishing, anywhere near here?"
"Ya.s.s"m, dey out "pon a san"bar "bout two hund"ed yards up de creek."
The black finger that pointed was as clean as mine.
"You and this woman," thought I again, "are dodging those men." With a smile as of curiosity I looked my slim informant over once more. I had never seen slavery so flattered yet so condemned.
All at once I said in my heart: "You, my lad, I"ll help to escape!"
But when I looked again at the absurd Robelia I saw I must help both alike.
"Euonymus, did you ever drive a lady"s coach?"
"Me? No"m, I never drove no lady"s coach."
"Well, boy, I"m travelling--in my own outfit."
"Ya.s.s"m."
"But I hire a new driver and span at each town and send the others back."
"Ya.s.s"m," said Euonymus. Robelia came nearer.
"My coach is now at a livery-stable in town, and I want a driver and a lady"s maid."
"Ya.s.s"m."
"I"d prefer free colored people. They could come with me as far as they pleased, and I shouldn"t be responsible for their return."
"Ya.s.s"m," said Euonymus, edging away from Robelia"s nudge.
"Now, Euonymus, I judge by your being out here in the woods this time of day, idle, that you"re both free, you and your sister, h"m?"
"Ro"--Robelia an" me? Eh, ye"--ya.s.s"m, as you may say, in a manneh, ya.s.s"m."
"She is your sister, is she not?"
"Ya.s.s"m," clapped in Robelia, with a happy grin, and Euonymus quietly added:
"Us full sisteh an" brotheh--in a manneh."
"Umh"m. Could you drive my coach, Euonymus?"
"What, me, mist"ess? Why, eh, o" co"se I kin drive _some_, but--" The soft, honest eyes, seeking Robelia"s, betrayed a mental conflict. I guessed there were more than two runaways, and that Euonymus was debating whether for Robelia"s sake to go with me and leave the others behind, or not.
"You kin drive de coach," blurted the one-ideaed Robelia. "You knows you kin."
"No, mi"ss, takin" all roads as dey come I ain"t no ways fitt"n"; no"m."
"Well, daddy"s fitt"n"!" said the sun-bonnet.
Euonymus flinched, yet smilingly said:
"Ya.s.s, da"s so, but I ain"t daddy, no mo"n you is."
"Well, us kin go fetch him--in th"ee shakes."
Euonymus flinched again, yet showed generalship. "Ya.s.s"m, us kin go ax daddy."
I smiled. "Let Robelia go and you stay here."
Robelia waited on tiptoe. "Go fetch him," murmured Euonymus, "an" make has"e."
"Wait! You"re a good boy, Euonymus, ain"t you?"
"I cayn"t say dat, mi"ss; but I"m glad ef you thinks so."