Читать книгу Return to Tinnin - Jasper S. Lee - Страница 7

Ellen and all the Shepard family adjusted as best they could following their ordeal at the hands of Union soldiers. Now, they hoped the Confederates would stay away and let the family and farm heal. And, they did, as the Union forces had pretty well depleted the will of the Confederate soldiers to fight for a losing cause.

The fall harvest of 1863 had been made. Eleven bales of cotton, worth about $375, had been picked and ginned. Production was down from a couple of years ago when the farm still had slaves. Beyond the money for the cotton, there wasn't much cash income available. Self-sufficiency was so important--grow potatoes, corn, beans, greens, okra, squash, and other foods. Raise a few animals, particularly pigs for butchering and chickens for eggs and meat. Not much was gleaned from hunting game; the Shepard family was never much into hunting. Times were hard.

With the harvest done, Ellen had a little spare time. She did some knitting and general things around the house. Her thoughts began to wonder about a larger world. Ellen and her first cousin Susan Ratliff were about the same age and shared some of the same interests in getting a man. They often talked about what they wanted in a man and assessed local young men in terms of their dreams. Except for an occasional outing at a church singing or barbecue, they didn't have contact with many men in the Tinnin community who were eligible or met the standards that they had.

Susan and Ellen would typically find fault with the local young men--they were not bathed, were not considerate, had poor personal skills, lacked education, had little potential for income, were dishonest or not trustworthy, and were immoral by the standards of the day. Some might drink too much whiskey or carry on close relationships with women they deemed inappropriate for the man they wanted.

Thanks to a friend, Susan was about to help change their lack of men. On the second Friday in November, Susan walked over to Ellen's home--about a mile away. Susan told Ellen that she and her friend, Beatrice, were going to Brandon on Saturday. They would spend the night with the family of an aunt and return late Sunday. They invited Ellen to go with them. But, before she went, Ellen wanted to know more about their activities.

Other than the experience being a good outing, the incentive was that there were a few young, single men in Brandon. They had come there to help reconstruct the town and railroad after damage by soldiers in the Civil War. Susan explained to Ellen that these men had jobs and made money. Now, that was appealing. During the war, people had very little money. But, Susan didn't know much about the education, morals, and personal backgrounds of the men--they had come from all around. Maybe they were dodging military service with the Confederate or Union forces, or maybe they had just gotten out of prison, or maybe they had deserted wives and families in other states. Anyway, Susan, Beatrice, and Ellen decided they would go and check out the situation.

Susan explained that the fare on the train from Clinton to Brandon was $1 each way. They would each need $2. They would get Susan's younger brother, Robbie, to drive them to the Clinton depot in the family's wagon and return on Sunday to get them. That sure sounded good to Ellen. She had turned 16 in September and was approaching the age of major interest in men, particularly men who had jobs and made money.

So, Ellen got permission from Ma and Pa to go--not always easy. She told them that her cousin had invited her to go with her and a friend. Ellen didn't tell them that there were possibly some single men of interest. She packed a few things, including a fairly fancy dress and her "prettying-up stuff." She got almost everything ready to go by Friday night.

Saturday morning arrived, and the wagon driven by Susan's brother came but was about five minutes late. Susan and Beatrice were in the wagon. Ellen, always conscientious, was concerned that they might be late arriving at the depot and miss the train. She mentioned it. Robbie popped the lines on the horses' rumps to speed them up. They arrived at the depot in Clinton nearing 9:00 a.m. and caught the 9:23 train to Jackson; it continued on to Brandon.

The train arrived in Brandon at 12:28. Susan's aunt was there to meet them. She took them to her home, where they refreshed and prettied up a tad before going to the barbecue, singing, and dancing at the local Presbyterian Church. (It was a bit more liberal about such activities than the local Mason Chapel in Tinnin and defined sin, whatever that is, a little differently.) Ellen was so very pretty and womanly after getting ready. She was enough to tempt any man's eyes.

A small crowd was there when they got to the church on Government Street in Brandon. More people were arriving. Ellen was a tad shy at first. She was experiencing a lot of new things. The aunt introduced her to a few people. She got some barbecued goat, a baked sweet potato, and some corn pone. She, Susan, and Beatrice took their plates over to an empty table outside to sit.

Men in the crowd had been admiring the young women, particularly good-looking Ellen. Three men got their food and sauntered over to sit with the women. The one that sat by Ellen asked her name; she shyly said, "Ellen. What's yours?"

"Jasper," he replied.

"Where do you live?," "Do you like this barbecue?," and such were questions that guided their conversation.

Both Ellen and Jasper instantly felt some sort of attraction to each other. They continued to sit at the table and talk after they finished eating. Susan and Beatrice had left the table with the men they were sitting with. Ellen had overheard Beatrice's man say that there was some fresh, soft hay in the stable on the other side of the church building where folks put their horses during services. Both couples were soon nowhere to be seen. Ellen wasn't sure about what was next with Jasper. She kept remembering what her mother always said, "No young man good enough for marrying wants to marry a used woman." Apparently, Jasper had some of the same feelings, but Ellen didn't know. Ellen carefully structured the conversation and activities in a "safe" direction. She kept remembering what her mother taught her about relationships between men and women.

Ellen wanted an honest man of high morals for a long-term relationship. She wanted a loving husband who would care for her, protect her, father children, and be kind. She wanted a good provider. Ellen and Jasper kept sitting at the table and talking. War had created so much destruction and uncertainty, and it was always on her mind. A time of calmness with an interesting man was good.

Ellen told a little about herself. She began by telling about her family and that she lived with her parents and seven younger siblings. Next, she told about her home and farm. The farm had 1,200 acres of hills and creek bottoms. The Shepards planted cotton (their main source of money), corn, and other southern crops. She told about the little community of Tinnin, where they lived. She told Jasper that he needed to come see it for himself, and he said he might. And, what about him?

Jasper told Ellen that he was in Brandon working to upgrade railroad structures to the east that were damaged by Confederate troops as they left. These structures were toward a little town known as Pelahatchie. The Confederates did not want Union troops to find a usable railroad. On the other hand, they did not want to completely destroy the rails, as they might need them in the future. So Jasper got paid at the rate of $1.75 a day and was provided food and lodging in a nearby boarding house, known as Sister Annie's.

The music was beginning to start under the brush arbor by the church building. The music was provided by an elderly man with a fiddle, a young woman playing a wash tub, a man with a guitar, and former slave named Sam playing a beat-up old piano. There were some chairs around the music group and an open area for dancing.

Jasper took Ellen's hand and asked her to go over near the music. Something new for Ellen--no man had ever taken her hand and asked her to go with him anywhere. She smiled at him. They arose from the bench seat at the table and walked together, holding hands, to the brush arbor. She had a certain feeling of infatuation or something about her that she couldn't readily explain to herself in her mind. She looked at Jasper and tried to size him up. He was kind of tall, relatively thin, but with ample muscles. He was whiskered, and his clothing needed care, though it appeared relatively clean. Something she liked was that he did not have body odor, as did the pungent soldiers she had experienced earlier. His teeth looked okay. Jasper didn't appear sickly. He was well tanned, with calloused hands and blue eyes.

One big question Ellen had was his age: How old was he? He kind of looked almost as old as Pa, but, she thought, he couldn't be. She was reluctant to ask. So, she asked where he was from, and he replied, "Another state back east of here."

Then she asked how long he had been in Brandon, and he answered, "Going on three weeks." Ellen told him she was from the Tinnin community in Hinds County and that she was in Brandon with friends.

Just as Ellen was getting up courage to ask Jasper his age, the old man with the fiddle announced that it was time for a singing. The songs were mostly religious--church hymns such as "Rock of Ages" and "My Faith Looks Up to Thee." Other songs included "Goober Peas," "I Wish I Was in Dixie," and "Yellow Rose of Texas." This last one would be of particular note in their future, but Ellen and Jasper didn't know it.

Ellen knew some of the words to the songs; Jasper knew a few. They both enjoyed trying to sing. She observed that he knew the words of songs from the South better than those of songs from the North. Of course, Ellen's Pa was from Indiana and had taught his family a few of the songs he knew from the North.

After about 45 minutes, the fiddler announced that the singing was over and that the band would play more music. "Dance if you want to," he said. On the second number, Jasper tugged Ellen's hand, and they were up getting into the dancing. Some numbers were fast; others slow. After a couple of dances, they decided to walk outside. It was getting dark. They would walk into the woods near the church.

Just as they were going out the door, Beatrice and her man were coming inside. No eye contact was made. Beatrice had a couple of pieces of straw in her hair. They went to the dance floor and began doing their do. Susan and her man weren't to be seen.

Ellen and Jasper strolled on their way out holding hands. After they had taken a couple of steps into the woods, Jasper said that Sister Annie's Boarding House was only a short walking distance. He asked Ellen if she would go to the house with him; she said yes. But, "yes" made her quite nervous.

They entered the parlor at Sister Annie's and sat on a sofa. Across the room sitting on another sofa was a couple obviously falling in love or something--maybe the emotion wasn't love but passion. Ellen had all kinds of feelings about this experience. She did not know what Jasper's next suggestion might be, but she kept holding his hand.

Ellen did not have to wait long for Jasper's next suggestion: "Want to see my room?"

She said, "Yes, I would like to briefly see your room." All the while flashing in Ellen's mind was her commitment to herself and family that her "specialness" would wait until her wedding night. She saw in his room and quickly looked around and said, "It is time for me to go back to the church to get with my friends and leave."

Jasper asked, "Are you sure?"

Ellen answered, "Yes, but let's hold hands and talk some more." She did not want this to end. Something about the situation made her want it to last a while longer.

When Ellen and Jasper got back to the Presbyterian Church, both Susan and Beatrice were sitting with their men at one of the barbecue tables. The band had stopped playing for the night. Susan's aunt would soon be there to pick them up.

Jasper told Ellen that he would like to see her tomorrow. Ellen said that she was staying on the edge of town toward Gulde. "We will be leaving early to catch the train to Clinton and home."

Jasper promised he would come early to talk and tell her goodbye. Ellen indicated that she would also like to see him. She told Jasper goodnight and went with Susan and Beatrice to get in the wagon to ride away. Ellen waived at Jasper until they were out of sight--longer than usual because of the bright harvest moon.

Was Ellen excited! She had met a man for whom she had almost immediate feelings. She barely slept that night and was up extra early the next day to see Jasper. Of course, she didn't know if he was a man of his word and would show up. He did; Ellen rushed to greet him. They talked; she told him to write and to visit her in Tinnin. He agreed to do so (even though he wasn't much at writing).

The threesome caught the 11:32 a.m. train in Brandon for Jackson and Clinton. Robbie was there at the depot to meet them at 2:30 p.m. and drive them home in the wagon.

Thoughts kept going through Ellen's mind: Would she ever see Jasper again? Little did she know that Jasper had some of the same feelings for her. He immediately wrote and mailed a letter to her in Tinnin. She got it about the first of December. He wanted to come see her in late December. He said he thought he was falling in love with her. She wrote back and said it would be fine to come for a visit. "I can introduce you to Pa and Ma and my sisters and brothers."

After another exchange of letters, things were set for Jasper to visit the day after Christmas. Ellen talked Pa into letting her use the wagon to go get a young man at the Clinton depot that she had met in Brandon. She talked her sister Rachel into going with her. The horse and wagon with Ellen and Rachel arrived at the depot on December 26 about a half hour before the train.

The train stopped; passengers were getting off and on. No Jasper. Did he stand her up? And, then, he appeared with a small bouquet of camellia blossoms. He was late getting off because he was helping an elderly preacher at the Women's Institute get off. Ellen thought to herself that Jasper was a kind man. She rushed to greet him. And, they hugged. She had never hugged a man other than her father before, but this was a different kind of hug. There was a romantic feel to it. Jasper handed Ellen the camellia bouquet; she looked at the colorful flowers and adored their beauty. She thanked him. Ellen introduced Jasper to Rachel, and they got in the wagon for the five-mile ride to the home in Tinnin.

They arrived at the Shepard home in Tinnin about 4:30. Bummer came from under the house to bark ferociously at the stranger. Rachel jumped from the wagon to calm Bummer by patting his head. She and Ellen knew he could be mean with people he hadn't sniffed before. Ellen and Jasper unloaded, and Ellen tied the horses, still hitched to the wagon, to a post. They all went on the porch. Pa and Ma came out; a couple of sisters peered out through a window.

Ellen introduced Jasper to her father and mother. She said, "I call them Pa and Ma; you can call them Mr. Shepard and Mrs. Shepard."

Pa welcomed Jasper and exchanged a few greetings. He asked him where he was from, how old he was, and what work he did to earn a living. Jasper said he was from back east, 37 years old, and worked for the railroad. Some of those answers didn't satisfy Pa. Other questions went through Pa's mind: What about previous marriages or communal relationships? Had he fathered children he didn't talk about? Had he been involved in crime? What work skills did he have? So many questions; so few answers. Little did Ellen know that she might never learn full details after several years.

Pa, in a stern voice, asked, "What do you mean by back east?"

Jasper related that he had been traveling for quite a while. He had stopped in many places, where he worked a while and moved on. He said he often told people he was born in South Carolina. Pa asked about his mother and father and what they did. Jasper indicated that he had no communication with them and gave no names. Most of these answers did not sit well with Pa.

Ellen said that Jasper was here for a couple of nights and would be leaving three days from now. Ma stated that he could sleep on a pallet in the closet under the steps that go upstairs. "We have some dry fresh-from-the-crib corn shucks in a large cotton-pick sack." Jasper, trying to be gracious, said that would be fine. Ellen was a bit taken back, but she knew that there were Pa, Ma, and eight children in the house and no extra beds. So, she needed to be content; after all she was trying to introduce a new person to her family.

Ellen told Jasper that she wanted to let him look around a bit. She took him into the house and showed him the kitchen, sitting room, bedroom for Pa and Ma, bedroom for girls, and bedroom for boys. The privy was out back and was a two-holer. Water could be drawn from the well. They went outside for Ellen to continue showing Jasper around. Their first activity was to store under the shed the wagon they had ridden in from the depot and release the horses into the lot. Afterward, they walked past the smokehouse, stables, hogpen, chicken house, and other outbuildings. Ellen said, "I want to show you the crystal-clear flowing water in the spring branch."

They walked across a small area of open pasture; simultaneously, they reached for each other's hand. Holding hands, they approached the spring branch at the edge of the woods. It was flowing nicely. Ellen told Jasper that the water was very good and that they would sometimes drink it. She showed him where a gourd dipper was kept for getting and drinking spring-branch water. Jasper tried the water and agreed it was good.

At that point, they simultaneously embraced each other. A long kiss followed. Wow! Ellen thought that she was in love; maybe Jasper was in love. After a few moments, they continued their stroll holding hands. Ellen and Jasper were gone on what Ellen called "Jasper's showing-around." It took longer than Pa and Ma thought it should unless the two went to fields some distance away. But, they didn't think that the couple was that interested in the fields. They didn't know that Ellen and Jasper were taking an innocent romantic stroll through the woods past the spring branch. But it was getting late in the December afternoon, and Ellen and Jasper figured they had better soon get back to the house.

Ma was fixing supper with the help of Rachel and Mag. Georgia Ann was looking after Ira, the baby brother who was only a little more than two years of age and the youngest of the Shepard children. Pa was out gathering the last eggs of the day. He would soon be in the house.

As the family gathered for supper, each of Ellen's siblings met Jasper. He tried to talk to them a little. They were very interested in who he was, where he was from, what kind of work he did, and if he had been to school. After all, this was the first man that Ellen had brought home. They sat down at the table; Jasper had a seat next to Ellen. The meal wasn't very scrumptious: fried salt pork meat, dried butter beans, corn bread, and baked sweet potatoes. Jasper ate and expressed appreciation for his meal.

Afterward, Pa said that he wanted to talk with Jasper. Though the weather was kind of cool in the early evening, they went on the front porch. Pa again asked Jasper about his parents, where he was from, and what kind of work he did. The answers weren't very satisfactory. However, Jasper indicated that he had great respect and growing love for Ellen.

Pa assumed, and rightly so, that a courtship was developing between Jasper and Ellen. Answers from Jasper were not very informative. Pa would talk with Ma and Ellen later, particularly Ellen, to see if he could learn more.

It was getting dark. The coal oil lamps were lit. The shutters on the windows had been closed and secured. A fire was built in the fireplace to drive away some coolness in the air. General chatter while watching siblings play lasted about an hour. Then Pa said that it was time to go to bed. He also said to Jasper, "And you know where your bed is, right?" The implication was that Jasper was to stay on the pallet of fresh, dry corn shucks and not approach Ellen. But, Pa didn't know that his daughter might go into the closet.

Everyone was about in bed. Pa went and peed off the porch, as he did each night but in a different place. The coal oil lamps were blown out. A few embers in the fireplace glowed and would keep overnight to start the fire in the morning (with the help of heart pine kindling). After everyone was asleep, Ellen sneaked out and opened the closet door under the steps. Jasper was there but not asleep. She got down on her knees, rubbed the hair on his head, and they kissed. He put his arms around her; she didn't resist. She pulled the closet door shut and lay beside him. They kissed again; he rubbed her shoulder. Passion was high, but Ellen remembered that her "specialness" was for another time. They lay side by side and talked lowly for about an hour. Ellen then left and went to her own bed without awaking members of the family (the six Shepard girls all shared the same room).

Next morning everyone was up. Jasper got a little sleep on the shuck and cotton-pick-sack pallet in the closet under the steps. Ellen wanted to take him around Tinnin and especially to see the Ratliff Store (that her grandparents ran), Mason Chapel, and the schoolhouse (though it was shabby and not exactly a source of community pride). Ellen asked Pa if she could borrow the wagon for this. Pa said no.

Ellen became upset and pleaded. "We will walk." Pa softened his mind and let her borrow the wagon. But, she had to promise to use it carefully and treat the horses kindly. She would also have to do the harnessing and then the unhitching after the wagon was back. She agreed to this.

However, Ellen didn't have to do the harnessing and the unhitching all by herself; Jasper would help. In fact, he was quite skilled at the tasks. Experience from some past times and places proved useful. He just needed to know the exact ways Pa wanted things done.

While on their outing, they learned of a singing that evening at Mason Chapel. They made plans to go and enjoyed it. The singing was a bit more "churchy" than at the Presbyterian Church in Brandon. As Ellen's Pa had said, sin has a range of meanings: sin in one situation might not be sin in another. This singing might have been a little straight-laced for a couple that was falling in love, or maybe it was more appropriate considering Ellen's moral standards.

If someone wanted a liquid "something" before, during, or after the singing, it was available behind the Ratliff Store. Under the wagon shed, an out-of-towner from Bolton would be there with home brew. Somehow, the Ratliffs always turned to look away from what was going on under the wagon shed. Of course, it wouldn't have been there if some people hadn't wanted it. But, Ellen and Jasper did not go there for a sample. Several others at the singing did, and when they returned, their imbibing was quite evident.

That night, Jasper slept on the same pallet of corn shucks in a cotton-pick sack as the night before. Ellen came into the closet after everyone else in the family was asleep to tell him goodnight, thank him for the day, and remind him of tomorrow's early schedule. Passion was high and ended with a big kiss.

Next morning, Jasper was up and ready to go to the Clinton depot and back to Brandon. It was time to say goodbye. There were hugs and kisses. Jasper asked Ellen to come to Brandon. Ellen asked Jasper to come back to Tinnin. Letters would be exchanged. They would work things out so they could have some time together!

Pa had his say with Ellen. He did not think Jasper would be a good fit in the family. There was too much age difference--he was 37, and she was 16. He was more than twice her age! Ellen would explain the age difference by saying many young women married older men. Most of the time the marriages worked as long as the wives pretty well followed instructions of their husbands. There weren't enough men to go around. The war had caused the deaths of so many men, and others had been permanently maimed. Pa thought that Jasper was little more than a vagrant roaming around the South. He thought that there was a lot he didn't know about Jasper. He wanted Ellen to have a better man! But, Pa didn't change Ellen's mind.

With passion as high as it was, a way would be found for the couple to be together. So, in mid-January, Jasper made another trip to Tinnin. He was there three days. It was hog-killing time, and Jasper knew how to do what needed to be done. He worked side-by-side with Pa for a full day. Their work enhanced meals with fried fresh pork tenderloin and scrambled chicken eggs with hog brains. Delicious! The hog's bladder was removed, drained of liquid, and hung up to dry in the wagon shed. Once dry, baby Ira could play with it like a ball. It would last until it burst, and that could be fairly soon with rough play. And, as during his last visit, Jasper slept on the pallet made of corn shucks in a cotton-pick sack in the closet under the steps. Of course, he and Ellen had time together. Ellen would sneak into the closet to kiss him goodnight and, on the last night, said she loved him. He said the same back to her.

Jasper found his way back to Tinnin at least four more times before the end of February. His and Ellen's romance was moving fast. And Valentine's Day sped the romance along. Jasper came to see Ellen and brought her a small bottle of perfume. She adored it; she had never had perfume before. They embraced--took walks--held hands--and talked about a possible future together.

They reasoned that Pa and Ma had a big house that could be home to a young couple and that the 1,200 acres of farmland would provide enough for them to get into farming. Life and work would be hard, but that way of life is all they had ever known. They dreamed that they would later get a house of their own and become more independent. Or, as a newly wed couple, they could continue living in Sister Annie's Boarding House in Brandon. He could continue with his job, and she could seek work. But, Jasper didn't like the notion of his bride living at Sister Annie's; there were some tough guys there, and she might not be safe around them.

Jasper and Ellen never knew what soldiers would be doing and when they would pass through the area. The Union troops coming from Vicksburg were under orders to be very destructive. Any Confederates were fairly well demoralized because of the defeats they had experienced. That, however, didn't keep them from being mean. It was best to avoid where soldiers might be, and that wasn't easy, as the line of movement from Vicksburg to the east was along the route of the railroad. Until the war was over and all matters about it settled, uneasiness would always be a part of life in certain areas of the South.

More plans were made before the Valentine's visit was over. Things had to be kept simple; there wasn't much money or time. Those plans would go into early March. And, Ellen was not sure about the feelings of Pa and Ma, particularly Pa. He wanted the best for his oldest daughter. But, with the feelings that Ellen had for Jasper, would she really care? Maybe she should care; Pa was often right about things.

As for Ellen and Jasper, love was all about them. But how could it be? They hadn't known each other that long. There were many uncertainties. They didn't have education, personal possessions, or other things of worth; but they knew how to work and take risks. Ellen was smart, and Jasper was experienced. Together, they could figure things out.