Читать книгу The Two Sams: Men of the West - F. M. Worden - Страница 9

Chapter 3

Slave Owner

Sam and his blacks drove on thru town to the south road. They drove for over an hour. No words were passed between Sam and his newly purchased blacks. The sun was starting to set.

Sam announced, “We must stop and fix something to eat. I’m hungry, I ain’t had nothing since this morning.”

Finding an open spot in the trees, he pulled the mules off the road. Getting down he tied the mules to a nearby tree, retrieved two nose bags and slipped them on the mules. During this time the black ones were picking up leaves and twigs to start a fire. As they finished Sam handed the woman his flint and steel. She struck a fire immediately. Sam took down a water jug and from a sack of tin utensils, a coffee pot and filled it with water. Set the pot by the fire. We’ll have coffee as soon as the water boils.

All three sat silently staring into the fire. Soon the water boiled. Sam from a small sack, took a hand full of ground coffee and dropped it into the boiling water. From a food sack he took a chunk of meat wrapped in oil cloth.

“Possum killed and cooked yesterday,” he told them.

“I shore like’s possum meat,” the black man said licking his lips.

Sam brought forth tin cups and plates, from the utensils sack. He cut three chunks of meat and put them in a skillet by the fire to let them heat. Cold biscuits and a baked potato finished the meal.

“Go ahead, eat, eat.” He set three tin cups on the ground and filled them with coffee. He motioned for them to pick up and drink. “Careful, it’s hot,” he advised. They both cupped the cups in their hands and sipped slowly looking at Sam as they did. It burned the man’s mouth.

“Blow on it,” Sam kinda laughed. “Never had hot coffee before?”

“No sur, never has. I’z a wonders why our white folk always had to have coffee in the morning.”

Sam laughed, “Now you know.”

“It’s good.”

They built the fire up. Now they could see each other as the darkness came on, the fire danced in their eyes. Sam could see hunger had taken them over as he handed plates to eager hands. They pushed the food into their mouths with their fingers as fast as they could.

“Take it easy you wanta to choke. When was last time you had some food?”

“Kin’t rightly say. Been some time...ni-on two- three days.”

“What-ya drink if you drank no coffee?” asked Sam.

“Well water mostly, had apple cider one time when the foreman ain’t looking. We squeeze pear juices when they was ripe, if we could steal some pears.” The man hung his head as to be ashamed of stealing.

“I ain’t been told your names, what do I call you?”

“My name is Joe,” the man replied.

“What’s your name?” he asked the woman.

She replied, “I ain’t never had a named.”

“What would you be called?” Sam asked.

The man spoke up. “I calls her sweets.”

“I can’t be call-en her sweet’s.” Sam laughed. “How come you think she’s with child?”

The woman stood up, pulled her dress up and showed him her little round belly. “I believe you’re right,” Sam said. “She sure looks like she is.” He had no more questions.

After eating they put out the fire, loaded the wagon, untied the mules, climbed aboard and drove on toward home.

When they turned into the farm it was well after dark. Light from the kitchen thru a dim light on the wagon and mules.

Liz called out. “What took so long, you been gone all day, did you buy one?”

Sam yelled back, “Come see for your self.”

The two blacks climbed down and stood on the ground by the wagon. The dim light hardly showed how they looked as she appeared in the door way.

“My, you got two?”

“Why sure,” Sam said with some pride. “And ones a woman.”

“Good lord, ones a woman?” She came closer to see them. “I can’t believe it,” she responded. “How in the world did you manage to do that?”

“Just lucky I guess.”

Liz motioned for the woman to come into the house.

“Joe and I will put the mules away,” Sam called

The two women entered the kitchen. The black one looked all around. Liz asked, “Can you talk?”

“Yes-m I shore can.”

Liz told her to come over by the fire. “Are you hungry?”

“Yes-m, we done ate on da road, I’z a still starved. I needs a drink of water.”

“You can have all you can drink,” Liz told her. She set a pitcher and a cup on the table. The women took two... three... four cups full. “My, my, you had a terrible thirst. When the men get back we’ll set some food on the table. I’ve cooked a chicken, baked some fresh bread and made a peach cobbler. What do I call you? What’s your name?”

“I ain’t never been named,” she said with a frown on her face.

“You never had a name? Good lord how come?”

“Don’t know and don’t rightly care. The foreman don’t give a rip, if you’s got’s a name or not. I-za always works as a field hand.”

“Well!” Liz said. “I had a Mammy growing up, her name was Maude. I loved her like my own Momma, my Ma was sickly all the time while I was growing up. Maude was like my Ma, when Ma died I cried for days. My Maude died a few days later. I never knew if I was a crying for my Ma or for Maude. I was twelve years old then. Will you be my new Maude? I’ll call you Maude, okay?”

“Good with me,” the black woman seemed please to have a name. “My name is Maude? Maude, Maude. I like’s the sound of Maude. Was your Maude a slave?” the woman asked.

“I didn’t know. She was always living at our house. She was always there.” Liz then asked the woman, “How old are you?”

“I don’t rightly know, Maybe...” she stopped. “Maybe, maybe thirty years.” She covered her face with her hands as she spoke, she looked to be much older. Liz could see the cuts around her wrists.

“Good lord what has they did to you? Your wrists are bleeding. What-a they do to you?”

“They tied us with wire, our legs too. We all stayed tied til we was sold. We rode a wagon from our home place. The man was afraid we’d run off.” All the time she spoke she rubbed her arms and legs.

“I’ll fix your cuts.” Liz went out of the room and returned with a jar of salve and treated Maude’s cuts. Liz asked again if she knew how old she was.

“I’za don’t rightly know.”

“Did you know your Momma?”

“No ma’am, I don’t think I had a Momma.”

“You had to have a Momma. What’s the first thing you remember?”

“I’za on a big boat. We niggers was all down inside the boat. All kind of us blacks, more men, just a few women and us chill-en.” The woman seemed unconcerned.

“Who raised you?” Liz asked.

“No one’s. I hung around the plantations slave cabins. Someone would take time to feed us chill-en. All the white folk call us pick- a- ninnies. I guess we was.” Her voice trembled, her eyes were red and blood shot.

As she spoke she wiped tears away with her dirty grey dress. “I’za chopped and picked cotton as soon as I’za big nuff.”

“When did you and Joe? You know get together?”

“I knowed Joe a long time. He crawled into my bed one night when I was young. We been together all the time. I had two chill-en with Joe. The master wants me to have chill-en, so’s they can sell em.”

The men returned from the barn and came into the kitchen. ”We’ve washed up and ready for some food,” Sam said.

“Set, I’ll put it on the table,” Liz told them. The two blacks pulled back, looked in astonishment. Sam demanded, “Set, yore in our house now.” They did but very uneasy. They never had set at a white man’s table before. They both looked at each other, not believing what was happening to them.

Liz spoke as she set food down. “I’ve named this woman Maude, how you like it?”

“Okay,” said Sam.

“Okay with me. How you like it Maude?”

“Fine.”

“You know what? Liz” Sam said. “This woman is with child, how you like that Liz?”

“Lord e lord,” Liz said. “I’ve got news for you, I’m with child too.”

Sam couldn’t believe it! How long they had tried and now, could it be true? He questioned her. “How do you know?”

“We women know that something has changed.”

Sam was overjoyed, could it be true. A baby on the way! Sam asked again,” How do you know, are you sure Liz?”

“You can be sure I know.” Liz smiled as she spoke.

Sam asked, “When will it happen?”

“Some time in December,” Liz replied.

“When you gonna have yours Maude?” Sam asked

“When it’s ready to come” was her answer.

“Looks like about the same time,” reported Liz. “Maybe hers will be a little earlier.”

No more was said about babies that night.

Sam said, “These folks need some clothes. There’s men and women things in a trunk in the upstairs. Come Maude, let’s go take a look.” Sam started for the stairs.

Liz stopped him and took the lamp saying, “Maude and I will look.” Up the stairs the two women went.

Sam moved to and sat in a chair by the fire. Took his pipe, filled, and lit it with a stick lit from the fireplace. He asked Joe, “Do you smoke?”

“No sur. Tried a grape vine once, didn’t like it.”

Sam laughed, “So did I when I was young boy, burns the heck out-a your tongue, don’t it?”

“Yes sur never tried again.”

Liz and Maude came down the stairs, both had arms loaded with clothes, shirts, trousers, a coat and hat. “These things are yours,” she said as she laid the clothes on Joe’s arms. “There’s some boots up there too, we’ll get them in the morning.”

She turned to Maude saying, “I have a dress or two you can have. Come with me.” Liz took the lamp and went into the bedroom. Maude followed.

Joe asked, “Can I go to the barn now?”

“Sure, I know you must be tired. Wait, I’ll get you a quilt.”

Joe was so loaded down. He could hardly get off the porch. Sam could hear him saying, “Some day we-z had,” as he headed for the barn.

Liz and Maude returned to the kitchen. Maude dressed in a blue dress falling right down to her ankles. “Now all you need is shoes,” said Liz.

“No shoes for me,” Maude replied. “Ain’t ever had none no how.”

Liz told her, “You’ll have some now.”

Sam interjected with his idea. “I’ll make her some Indian shoes out of some buckskin. We have plenty in the barn. I used to wear em all the time.”

Liz stretched and yawned and said, “It’s late, we must get to bed, it’s past my bed time. I’ll make a pallet for Maude by the fire. You go onto bed Sam.”

“Yes Ma’am.” He headed to the bed room, undressed got in bed and went to sleep.

Something woke him up. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and there standing in the moonlight by the window was a naked Liz, with her un-braided blonde hair hanging down over her shoulders, covering her full rounded beautiful breasts. She was more beautiful than he had ever seen her.

“I love you Liz, come to bed,” he called.

“I love you too Sam. We better do it now, it’ll be some time before we can do it again.” She literally melted into his waiting arms.

The sun was streaming into the bed room as Sam came alive. “It must be late?” he said as he stretched and jumped from the bed. “I’ve slept too long.” He could hear Liz’s voice coming from the kitchen. He dressed as fast as he could and went to the kitchen.

Liz asked him, “How’s ham and eggs sound Sam?”

“I need all the energy I can get after last night, sounds good to me.”

“SAM, SAM!” Liz had anger in her voice. “Shut your mouth Sam.”

Sam laughed. Maude looked up from her work at the stove, she was smiling. “Maude knows what married folks do,” Sam said.

Liz frowned and came back with, “I understand Maude and Joe ain’t married, did you know that Sam?”

“I didn’t think about it.” Sam asked, “Does it make any difference?”

“On our place, there’ll be nobody living in adultery. Sam’s we must take them with us to church Sunday and get em hitched. I’m sure our preacher will do it, okay with you?” Liz by the tone of her voice, wouldn’t be denied.

Sam came back, “Okay by me. Yer gonna make the white folks mad, taking our blacks there. They ain’t gonna like it.”

“I don’t care if they don’t.” Liz was positive in her voice.

Sam asked, “Has Joe had his breakfast?”

“Yes,” Liz replied. “I fixed them a table out on the porch, that’s what they wanted.”

“I’m gonna eat and go on down to the barn, see what’s going on,” He told Liz.

He finished and walked to the barn. Inside he saw the stalls were cleaned, fresh straw in place, the whole barn raked cleaned.

“Joe, where are you?” he called.

“I-za out here in tis pen.”

Sam pushed the gate open, went on into the pen. He could see the mules were groomed and eating. Joe was working on the horses.

“Them’s da littlest mules I done see. Where da come from?” Joe asked.

“They’re Spanish mules, smaller than Arkansas mules,” Sam told him.

“Kinda mean ain’t da?”

“No not really, you gotta work slow around em. They’re the best traveling animals you can have. Go all day at a trot, outlast any horse or big mule you’ve ever seen.”

“I see-d they travel really well when we were on da roads. Sure air little ones. They shore fussily. I believe you’s when you’s say go slow. One shore did its best to kick on me.”

Sam laughed. “My wife wants you and Maude to get hitched next Sunday at our church. Okay with you Joe?”

“It shore is.” Joe said with a big grin showing his white teeth.

Sunday morning found the two couples in the spring wagon on the road to church. Half mile from the church Mr. O’Reilly passed them in his buggy, driving his black pacer. Sam could hear Joe remark, “Da- at’s some horse.”

Sam leaned over to Liz and said, “That man has got an eye for horses.” She nodded her approval.

The congregation was gathering as they drove up. All in their Sunday best. Liz could hear one lady saying, “What did they bring them Niggers for? This is white Folks church.”

Liz heard it plain as could be. Her Irish blood boiled over. She turned on the crowd and the lady with fire in her eyes and voiced, “These people are here with me to get married in God’s House, you can like it or lump it, I don’t give a rip whether you give a sh-t or not.”

Liz never cussed before in her whole life. At least where someone could hear her. This was a time she wasn’t ashamed to let her feelings go.

“There’ll be no unmarried couples living on our place, ever. I don’t care if they’re white, black, green or whatever, they have to be married and if your Niggers isn’t, you’re in just as much sin as they are.” She threw up her head, shoulders back and marched into the church.

O’Reilly could be heard saying, “What a woman! I love that woman.”

After the church service, Liz apologized to the preacher for using bad language. The black couple sat on a bench under an open church window and sang along with the congregation. Songs they had heard from their past, coming from the white peoples’ church on the plantation, they had come from.

After the church service the black couple was married by the preacher man, under a large oak tree. Some of the white people from the church stayed for the joining of the couple. Later at home a few people from the neighboring farms came. Mr. O’Reilly had passed the word. He brought all his blacks for the celebration. Fried chicken and watermelons were had all round. A few black people brought their music instruments. Dancing broke out. It was a merry bunch that Sunday afternoon on the Duncan farm.

The next few months were spent rebuilding the cabin. New roof shingles were cut and nailed in place. A new door was built. New glass windows were installed and last the fire place was rebuilt. Liz and Maude made a new feather bed for the cabin. The black couple moved in.

The rest of the summer, the living was easy, the catfish were biting in the creek, the fruit orchard outdid itself, the grass grew tall, the cows gave lots of milk and cream. Butter was churned. The chickens laid so much, Liz and Maude took eggs and sold them in the little village on the east road.

Liz had her companion and helper. Sam had good help and the summer turned to fall. The crops came in and were harvested. The fall turned to winter. The babies came due. Maude’s came first, then Liz had hers. Both women had boys, nice healthy boys. Maude and Joe named theirs Little Joe. Liz and Sam followed with Little Sam. It was joy to the world that winter on the Duncan farm.

Bill O’Reilly had set up a church meeting place on his farm for his blacks and blacks on the adjoining farms. He also found a black fire preaching, preacher for the flock. He had talked most of the farms into letting their blacks attend and the people came. There was a lot of singing. Hal-la-lu-ya’s and a-mens could be heard coming from those meetings. Even the little ones were getting some schooling. Liz had made a difference in the community of the blacks.

Time passed, one year, two years. In the third year both Liz and Maude gave birth to boys again. The blacks named theirs Josh. Liz and Sam named theirs Jackson and called him Jack.

The times had been too good. It just couldn’t last. Sam had borrowed money to keep the farm going. It was getting close to pay back time. A drought had hit and a depression was covering the whole country in the late 1830’s. Sam had to tighten things up. Three more years and he had to go for money to pay on his last loan. It kept building up. He showed a happy face but inside he was hurting really badly. He knew it would come to a head soon and it did.

He drove over to see Bill O’Reilly to ask advice. A mammy ushered Sam into Bill’s bedroom. She said he was feeling poorly. O’Reilly sat up and greeted Sam with a smile. “Not feeling so good,” explained Bill. “Probably don’t look so good, been down for a couple weeks now.”

“What seems to be the trouble?”

“Have a lot of chest pain, and can’t seem to get my breath. I’ll get over it soon. Had it before and it always went away.”

“That’s too bad.” Sam was concerned. “Hope you’re up and better soon.”

“What-ja want-a to see me about?” asked Bill.

“My troubles aren’t yours, I don’t want to bother you.”

“Be my guest, what’s friends for?”

“I’m in trouble with my loan, can’t seem to get enough money together to pay it back.”

“Don’t feel bad Sam, I’m in the same boat, borrowed way more than I should have, can’t get my money together either.”

“You?” Sam said surprised. “I thought you were all set for life.”

“Not hardly, this depression and prices set us all back. I’m in bad shape. I have the whole dang place mortgaged to the hilt, all but my blacks. If the worst comes I’ll free the blacks and to hell with the rest of the world. Sam, some times you have to cut and run.”

“I hate to bother you more,” Sam told him. “I just have my land mortgaged. The tools and stock are free. I’ll do the same with my blacks. This old farming is a hell of a life. Get well Bill. I’ll send Liz over to cheer you up.”

With that Bill smiled. Sam bid him goodbye gave a hug to Mammy on the way out and drove home.

He told Liz about Bill. “He shore don’t look too good. His lips are purple.”

“I’ll go over in the morning and cheer him up, if it’s okay with you?” Liz said.

“You bet, he’d like seeing you. I think he’s been in love with you since the day he met you,” Sam said proudly.

“Sam, I got a letter from my sister, Jane. She married Walter Johnson. Do you remember him ? He did the books for my papa at the docks.”

“I seem to recollect, he was a tall lanky fellow? He never had much to say, at least not to me. He was always well dressed.” Sam was scratching his head as he spoke.

“That’s him. Seems he’s got a job with the government running a Indian reservation over in the nations. He needs help. Jane wants to know if we can come help them run their agency. She says they need help bad. He bit off a lot more than he can chew. We could go over and help if things don’t work out here.” Liz was trying to make Sam feel better. Sam told her he would go in the morning and ask the banker if he would extend his loan.

Morning came, with it bad news. Bill had passed in the night. All who knew this fine man were heart sick. Liz broke down and cried all that day.

The service was short and very sad. All who were there had nothing but good words to say about Bill, his blacks were heart broken, many cried and wailed all during the service.

Bill was a man of his word. He had papers made, that gave freedom to all his blacks. There would no mistake, they were all set free. Most packed their belongings and started walking as a group, north the next day.

Some of Bill’s blacks wanted to stay. The foreman Jon Henry who was Bill’s oldest black, gave a talk to the remaining people saying, “You have to move on, some whites won’t honor Master O’Reilly’s paper. Y-all must go while the getting’s good.” All the rest of the blacks packed and headed north walking to the free states.

Sam rose early. Hardly had anything to eat for breakfast. He rode one of the mules to town to see the banker.

The meeting turned sour almost immediately. Sam could feel the hostility in the room, as soon as he entered. He had known and heard talk that some people had desires on his place. The banker turned on him in a belligerent voice saying, “Duncan, your loan is past due. You got no more time. Get out now or I’ll send the law to put you out.”

The man’s manners and harsh words had Sam boiling mad. If it wasn’t for Liz, he would give this son of a gun a bad beating but he just shook his head in disgust. As he started to leave, he turned back and said to the banker, “We’ll leave, I only have the land mortgaged, not our tools or stock. We’ll be out in a few days. You keep away until we’re gone or so help me I’ll be back and it won’t be very damn pleasant for you, you low down money grubber.”

He turned on his heels and stormed out. On the way home he cussed the banker and said to himself how people with money think they own the whole damn world, he never said cuss words where Liz would hear him.

At home he came in, dropped into his rocking chair, put his face in his hands and said, “Liz I’ve made a bad mess of things. They won’t give us more time. We have to get out. I’m sorry Liz, I know how you loved this place.”

She could see he was hurting. “It’s not so bad.” She was very sympathetic. “It’s not the end of the world, lots of folks have had to let their places go. I hear folks are going west to homestead all the time.”

Sam looked up, tears in his eyes. She tried her best to soothe him saying, “We have each other and the boys. No one could have done better.” Sam just shook his head. Liz said “Let’s go on over to the nations. Maybe it’ll be just the thing for us.”

Sam couldn’t say anything. He was sick at heart. He just shook his head.

Liz told him, “Let’s get a good nights sleep, you’ll see things better in the morning.”

Next morning Sam sent for Joe, “We’ve got to move on. I’ve lost this place to the bank. You go hitch up the big wagon. We’ll take our stock and tools over on the east road and sell what we can.”

They sold all the things they took. People like bargains.

On the way home Sam told Joe to load his belongs in the spring wagon in the morning. “Come help us to load the big wagon, as soon as you’re done.”

At the farm each went to their own house. Sam was more sick at heart than ever to have lost his farm.

Next morning the wagons were loaded. With one cow in tow, a few chickens and some farm tools, the two families were on the road by noon, on their way north. The third day found them outside Ft. Smith, Arkansas. They camped for a few days. Sam went to town several times.

Early one morning Sam and Liz told Joe and Maude they’re free and handed them their papers of freedom. Joe and Maude both threw up their hands and cried. “We-z don’t know where to go, what to do, we want’s to go with you’s.”

Sam is stern. “We’re going into the nations, there’s still slavery there, you won’t be safe. Joe, you and Maude have earned your freedom, go north until you reach a free state. Joe, you’re the best hand I ever saw, you can do anything, shoe horses, farm as good as any man. The man who hires you will get a real helper. Take the spring wagon and the mules. You can have my shot gun, I have a few dollars for you. You can hunt and fish on the way, keep going north till you find a place you like.”

Joe and Maude could see his mind was made up. With misgivings they agreed, many tears were shed by both families.

The next morning, with heavy hearts, Joe and Maude hitched the mules to the spring wagon. With their two boys, they headed the little wagon on the road north. Sam and Liz watched until they were out of sight. With broken hearts they turned their wagon west and a new life.