Читать книгу Allegheny Hideaway - Kimberly Tanner Gordon - Страница 4

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March 15, 1861

Missus Iris Elaine Picket sat in front of her beautifully carved walnut vanity. Her sad blue eyes cast a slow glance downward. Long black hair hung to her waist. Bringing young hands of only twenty-one years to her face, Iris cried salty tears. She was so sad. Just days before, her life had seemed so gay for the first time in a year and a half. Johnathan Wayne Picket had been a good husband, for a few weeks, but after that first month of marriage, his hot temper had emerged. It was now his habit to hit and slap her, often. And he said cruel things.

Iris rubbed the ache in her abdomen. Only a week before, she had carried a very small new life in her body. She had been so excited about having a baby. But before she could tell Johnathan, he had punched her in the stomach twice. Needless to say, later that night, she had lost the baby. Ever since then, her days were filled with dread and tears wondering how she could ever escape.

Iris looked up as her bedroom door squeaked. Her colored twenty year old maid, Hattie, walked into the room. Hattie had been a wedding gift from Iris’ mother in Charleston.

“You feelin’ sick again, Missus Iris?” the young woman asked.

“Shut the door Hattie,” Iris spoke gently. Once the door was closed, Iris spoke again. “No Hattie, I’m not sick. Just sad.” She could talk to Hattie. They were friends. Iris didn’t have many friends. Johnathan didn’t allow her out much for social visits. He insisted that her place was in the home.

“How’d you want me to fix your hair tonight?” Hattie asked softly.

“I don’t care. Just put it up.” Tonight was one of those rare occasions when she and Johnathan were going to a party together. It was a celebration at a nearby cotton plantation. Johnathan was the local crop broker for Lexington, South Carolina. He made quite good money, despite his temper. She and Johnathan lived in a rather comfortable two story home in town.

Iris looked at herself in the mirror while Hattie worked on her hair. She noticed puffiness around both eyes.

“I’m going to need some cool water for my face Hattie, or everyone will know I’ve been crying,” she confessed.

“Yes’m.”

“What am I going to do, Hattie? If I stay here, he’ll kill me.”

Hattie pursed her lips. “Missus Iris, if I was you, I’d kill him first … or run away. Or both,” she added with a tiny snicker.

Iris grinned out of the corner of her mouth. She had had murderous thoughts too, but reality cautioned otherwise. “If I killed him Hattie, the law would hang me.”

“You could run away then, like them slaves do that get beat all the time,” she told her mistress.

Iris looked at Hattie through the reflection in the mirror and asked, “How do you know about that?”

Hattie raised an eyebrow and smiled. “I hears things.”

“You do, huh? Well, you had better keep that one to yourself. Don’t ever let Mister Picket hear you say that.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Iris thought for a moment while Hattie finished putting up her hair. “You know, that’s not a bad idea, Hattie. I could run away. You would have to come too though,” Iris informed her.

“I got no ties here,” Hattie answered. “Where would we go?”

Iris shook her head. “I don’t know. He’d find me. It would have to be far away.”

“We could go back to Charleston and live with your mama. I like her,” the slave admitted freely.

Iris shook her head again. “That would be the first place he’d look.” No more was spoken on the subject by either young woman that afternoon. Iris pulled on a pretty lilac-colored gown to wear to the party. Her corset was not pulled completely tight since her stomach was still sore from losing the child.

Johnathan met her downstairs. His brown hair was combed back and he wore a fine black suit. He certainly looked like a gentleman. “Ready to go, Missus Picket?” he asked eagerly.

“Yes.”

“You look lovely tonight,” he spoke, planting a kiss on her cheek. “Shall we?”

Iris and Johnathan arrived at the large brick mansion around seven-thirty. It was all aglow with candles. Fifty people milled about, drinking spirits and enjoying the food. Iris saw a small group of three women that she knew and excused herself to go visit.

“Be a good girl tonight,” Johnathan whispered before he would let her walk away.

At nine o’clock, the frivolity increased as a band began to play. Iris and Johnathan danced several times. Iris dared not dance with anyone else, even though she was asked and rudely had to turn them down. Johnathan danced with quite a few women; apparently he was a popular choice for the ladies.

Just around ten fifteen, Iris’ stomach began to ache terribly. “It must be from the dancing,” she told her husband. “Will you take me home, please?”

“Why, my dear? The party has just begun!” he stated with annoyance.

“But Johnathan, I hurt,” she spoke with whispered fervor.

“Go sit down for a while. If you still hurt in an hour, we’ll go then,” he decreed with callousness.

Knowing he would not yield, Iris went to a chair near a front corner. For fifteen minutes she went unnoticed. She fought back tears of loneliness and pain.

“May I be of some service to you, Missus Picket?” a young man asked at last. He was one of the men she had previously turned down for a dance.

“Please, sir, find my husband. I am ill and really must get home,” she asked of him.

“Right away, ma’am.”

Iris leaned her head against the wall as the young man disappeared into the crowd. She guessed him to be about her age. After five minutes, he returned with furrowed brows.

“I am sorry, Missus Picket. Your husband is quite grossly engaged in a game of cards. He did however give me leave to escort you home. With your permission, ma’am,” he said most sincerely.

Hoping her husband would not turn on her later for accepting, Iris agreed. “Thank you, sir. I would be most obliged.”

The young man summoned his family carriage. While they waited, he introduced himself.

“Missus Picket, my name is Samuel B. Reed. My father is in the lumber business.”

Iris extended her hand. “It is very nice to meet you, Mister Reed.”

“I am sorry you are not feeling well, ma’am. But you will be home resting before you know it.” On the outside, Samuel was being polite. On the inside, he wanted to strangle Mister Picket for abandoning his wife in her time of need.

Iris smiled to herself. How nice this young man was to come to her rescue. When the coach arrived, Samuel helped her inside. The cushions were covered in velvet.

“To Lexington,” Samuel told his driver.

As the coach drove her home, Iris searched her mind for something to say. “Mister Reed, you mentioned your father was in the lumber business. Was he at the party too?”

“No, ma’am. He’s visiting my grandmamma in Pennsylvania. She lives in a little town up near the Allegheny Mountains called Williamsport,” he replied. “Ever heard of it?”

Iris laughed quietly. “Well, actually, no. But I’m sure it’s a very nice place.”

“Oh, it is,” he answered quickly. “It’s a beautiful little town in the mountains with a big river running just south. I’ll go back one day.”

Iris smiled at him in the darkness. “Are you from there? How did you end up way down South?”

“My father’s family is from there. My mother’s was from Maryland. I’ve been all over, going with my father where the work goes. Right now, we are harvesting some land …” his voice trailed off. “Do you really want to hear this?”

She smiled slightly. “Do go on.”

Samuel shifted in his seat. “Well, to keep it simple, we are clearing forest here. But the main reason we moved south is for my mother. She hated the cold winters.”

“Is she with your father then, up north?” Iris asked.

“No, ma’am. Not this trip. You see, she died last year.”

Iris regretted the question. “Oh. I’m very sorry. My father died when I was ten. But my mother remarried. She and Tom live in Charleston.”

The remainder of the drive into town was uneventful as Iris and Samuel spoke about families. When they reached her doorstep, he politely assisted her out of the coach. While her hand was still in his, he bent down to offer it a kiss. “If you ever need help again ma’am, or a friend, please call on me,” he offered.

Iris was genuinely touched by his sincerity and manners. What a wonderful person he was. “Thank you very much, Mister Reed,” she told him with gratefulness.

Martin, the Picket’s doorman, opened the front door. Iris thanked her escort and went inside.

After a good night’s rest, Iris awoke with a plan. She knew now what needed to be done to protect herself from Johnathan’s anger. She had to run away; she had to leave and go far. And now, after the conversation with Samuel Reed, she knew where to go. Johnathan would never dream that she would move north. And he would never set foot on Northern soil to come find her. Iris made up her mind to make a plan and leave this very week.

That night at the dinner table, Iris and Johnathan were having a quiet meal when Iris put her plan into action. Butterflies in her stomach churned wildly, but she forced herself to look calm on the outside.

“Johnathan dear, I would like to go and visit my mother,” she began.

“What for?” he barked. “All she will do is try to convince you to stay in the city when you know you belong here.” His eyebrows furrowed angrily.

“Yes, I know. But we haven’t been there since last summer and I would like to go in the spring before it gets too hot. I can take Hattie and stay for just two weeks. That would make me happy. You don’t care do you?” She held her breath for his answer.

“I suppose I really don’t care one way or the other,” he said sarcastically. “But I’m not going. You can stay for two weeks, but after that, you come right back,” he ordered.

Iris nodded, not trusting her voice to speak. She could not believe her good fortune. It had been easier than she thought.

Later that night, Iris secretly began sewing hidden pockets into the folds of her petticoats. After three more days, she was packed and ready. All of her jewelry was secretly stashed away into the folds. She would sell them as money was needed.

As her trunk was lifted onto the back of the wagon, she and Johnathan climbed into the coach. Hattie, with her one bag, climbed onto the wagon. They had a ten mile ride to Columbia. Iris had warned Hattie to say absolutely nothing about their plans. She told her to act normal, that they were just going on a visit to Charleston.

Iris’ cream and peach colored dress echoed her cheerful spirits as the coach pulled up to the train station in Columbia on this pretty spring day. Once on the platform, Johnathan handed her a ten dollar bill.

“Just a little money in case you do something stupid and get into trouble,” he told her. “Be careful in Charleston. Don’t be seen where you shouldn’t be. I have friends down there who will be watching out for you,” he advised. He then turned to Hattie. “Don’t you be uppity to your mistress now, just because she’s taking you on a trip. Understand?” he asked.

“Yes, sir,” Hattie answered obediently with a nod of her scarf-covered head.

Iris nearly jumped out of her shoes as the train whistle blew from nearby. It would depart in just minutes and she would be free at last.

“Take care while I’m gone,” she told her husband, trying to act normal. “I’ll be back two weeks from today.”

Johnathan gave her a quick kiss goodbye. “I’ll sure be lonely at night while you’re gone,” he whispered quietly. “But we can make up for it when you get back,” he added with a wink.

Inside, Iris was repulsed at the thought. For appearances though, she smiled and tried to act embarrassed.

“All aboard,” came the call from the man down the line.

Iris watched as her trunk was loaded. She turned to Hattie.“You go on down to your car now. I’ll see you in Charleston.” Hattie took her bag and headed toward the back of the train.

“Goodbye, Johnathan,” Iris spoke demurely.

“Bye, Iris. See you soon,” he answered.

Iris gripped her closed parasol tightly and entered the train with strong reserve. This was her freedom, this was her escape. She took a seat on the far side of the car so Johnathan would not be able to see her as the train pulled away. She never even looked back to see if he remained on the platform. The whistle blew again and she could hear the captain shouting. Her heart beat wildly. Finally, the train began to pull away. “Goodbye, cruel Johnathan,” she thought in her mind. “You’ll never see me again.”

Iris sat mostly still for the first twenty-five miles of the trip, trying to accept that her surroundings were for real. But after the stop in Kingsville, she began to smile. It was real. It was wonderfully real. The train crossed the bridge over the Congaree River and headed south to Orangeburg. Iris enjoyed the scenery as distance was gained from her past. She chatted easily with a few of the fellow passengers. One family of six was traveling to the seashore for a holiday. Many passengers were men on business. Iris could tell by the way they dressed and the seriousness of their expressions. One young couple sat in the back and the woman kept giggling. Iris supposed them to be newlyweds, off on a trip. She wondered what it would have been like to be happily married. She hoped this woman had not been deceived as she had been. Johnathan had been very charming while he was courting her. It was not until after the marriage that his true nature had shown through. Iris caught herself thinking about Johnathan and resolved not to give him further thought for a long time.

The South Carolina Railroad steamed through Branchville, St. Georges and several other small towns before finally reaching Charleston. Iris was so thrilled to breathe in salty ocean air once more. This was her real home. She searched the crowd on the platform to find her mother and Tom. Tom had been good to her in the seven years they had known one another, and it was obvious that he loved her mother. She knew her mother would always be in good hands.

The train entered the large train yard where several lines of tracks came together bringing people and products from north, west, and south. Iris collected her lace trimmed parasol and exited the train. She entered the throng of people on the platform. It was hard to move around at times, with all the women in wide hooped skirts, but at last she heard a familiar voice cry out.

“Iris!” her mother shouted.

Iris turned to that wonderful sound and saw her mother waving arms above her head. She smiled at the wonderful sight. It was like pure medicine to see her loving face again. Iris waved back and headed in her direction.

“It’s so good to see you!” her mother said with relief as they embraced.

“It’s good to be home, Mother. I’m so glad to be here,” she answered, nearly crying with happy emotions.

“What about me?” Tom teased. Both women snickered.

“Hello, Tom. It’s good to see you too,” Iris answered, giving him a hug as well.

“You look more like your mama every year it seems,” Tom said with a smile. “Pretty as ever!”

Both women exchanged a glance and grinned. Tom had been saying that for six years. “Let’s go home,” he then suggested.

“Wait. Hattie is here,” Iris explained. “We need to find her.”

Tom stood on his toes to look over the crowd. “I think I see her just getting off now.”

“Can you wave at her?” Iris asked.

Tom caught Hattie’s attention. The slave walked over to the family with her bag in hand.

“Hello again, Hattie,” Iris’ mother, Savannah, told the maid.

“Hello, Missus Payton. Mister Payton,” she answered with a curtsey.

Tom nodded a response, then turned to his stepdaughter. “Which one is your trunk, Iris?”

“The one with purple straps.”

After searching for the trunk, the group climbed into a waiting carriage to make the drive home. Hattie sat up front with the driver and was perfectly content with the scenery.

“It’s so good to have you back,” Savannah told her daughter. “I wish you could stay for more than two weeks though. That’s just hardly any time at all!”

Iris grimaced. She had not yet told her mother anything about Johnathan’s abuse and her real intentions for this visit. She would break it to her parents tonight after dinner and leave the day after tomorrow. It would be hard to say goodbye, but necessary.

Tom’s carriage pulled into the drive. He was a local merchant and made a comfortable living for himself and Savannah. Their brick home featured both an upper and lower porch facing east and a cool shade covered garden down the north side of the home. Iris could have lived here forever. It was such a pleasant way of life.

Dinner was served on the upper porch. It consisted of crab cakes, baked flounder stuffed with onions and breading, rice and spices and green beans topped with almonds. Dessert was a special tropical pudding with coconut and pineapple.

“Bought the fruit right off the ship from the islands,” Tom told her proudly.

“It’s absolutely delicious!” Iris complimented after the first bite. What a wonderful feast this had been. The perfect meal to remember for a long time.

Shortly after dinner was over and the dishes had been cleared by servants, Iris’ thoughts returned to her plan. With a deep, brave breath, she began.

“I sure wish I could stay and enjoy everything that you and Charleston have to offer. I could be so happy here …” She looked dreamily off the balcony at the pretty yard below.

Savannah frowned. “What do you mean, honey? Aren’t you happy in Lexington with Johnathan?”

Iris took another deep breath. “Well, actually Mama, no. I’m not.”

With both their attentions, Iris explained to her mother and Tom all that had transpired recently, including the loss of her baby. She then outlined her plan to leave the day after tomorrow and escape once and for all.

“Oh, no! Iris, you can’t just leave like that,” Savannah spoke with alarm.

“I’ll just go kill him!” Tom stated angrily.

“I’ve thought of that too Tom, but the law would hang us,” Iris cautioned him sensibly.

“It’s not right,” Savannah uttered as she began to cry. “He’s the one ought to be hanged.”

“I know Mama, I know,” Iris answered with a hug. “But they won’t. And if I asked him for a divorce, he wouldn’t let me have one, and I would be disgracing the family. If I moved here, he would simply come and get me. Then I’d really be beaten. So my only choice really is to just disappear.”

Tom was deep in thought as his wife spoke her fears.

“Surely there must be another way,” Savannah sighed. She was terrified at the thought of losing her only child.

“Mama, he even has spies here in Charleston. He said they would be watching me.”

“What if I threatened him?” Tom offered.

“Thank you Tom, but I don’t think it would matter to him. His heart is cruel. He’s an evil nature none of us saw before it was too late. I just have to leave him,” Iris spoke solemnly. “Or fake my own death, but that could get complicated …”

Grasping for hope, Savannah asked, “Why do you have to leave the day after tomorrow? Johnathan knows you’re going to be here for two weeks. Why can’t you just leave then?”

Iris smiled at her mother sympathetically. “Because I need a head start Mama, to make it harder for him to track me.”

“What will you use to get by? Where will you go? What will you do?” Tom wondered, trying to help her with a solution.

“I have all my jewelry sewn into my clothes. I plan to sell it when I need money,” she confessed.

Tom nodded. “But it won’t last forever, Iris. What will you do then?”

Iris raised her hands in gesture. “I will work.”

Savannah made a noise in her throat at the thought of her lovely daughter working. “Where?” she asked.

“I don’t yet know that, Mama. It just depends,” she answered honestly. “I don’t have my whole plan thought out yet, but I’m working on it.”

Tom didn’t like any of it, not one bit. He might even have to put his foot down. “Where will you go?”

Iris looked him in the eye. “I have an idea, but I want to keep it a secret. I don’t even want you both to know where I am, in case Johnathan tries to get it out of you.”

Savannah scoffed. “He’d have to kill me first!”

“He might try, Mother. That’s why I won’t tell you.”

“Then how will I know if you are safe? I won’t be able to sleep at night,” Savannah complained. What could she say to keep her daughter close?

“I have a letter on me that says who I really am and who you are. If anything bad happens to me, you will be notified. If you don’t hear from anyone, then you know I am safe,” Iris answered factually. She had put a lot of thought into these things as well.

Savannah brought her hand up to her head and cried. “Oh Iris!”

Tom came over for support. He looked at Iris. “I understand why you want to do this, Iris. But I want to give this some thought overnight and see if I can’t come up with another plan for you. Are you sure you don’t want me to go to the authorities, or talk to Johnathan myself?”

“Please Tom, don’t bother. I want to leave,” she admitted humbly. “I want to go far away and start over somewhere where nobody knows me. You two are the only people I have to leave behind, but I’ll be back. Someday … I hope.”

Savannah quietly wept real tears as she thought of her daughter’s terrible situation. What could she do to help?

All business, Iris turned to Tom. “Tomorrow, will you please ask one of your employees to purchase a ticket for me on a ship to Wilmington? Give him another name to use, I can’t go as myself. One of Johnathan’s spies might recognize me. I need a ticket for Hattie as well.”

Suddenly, Savannah shouted out, “A wig and a veil!”

Tom and Iris both turned to her.

Savannah lowered her voice. “Iris, I have a blond wig that I wore to a masquerade ball several years ago. You could wear it. I also have a black hat and a veil you could use to cover your face.”

“That would be wonderful, Mother,” Iris agreed. “Do you have a black dress I could wear? I could go as a widow. That would really throw them off.”

“Actually dear, I do. It’s very dated though, from when your father died.”

“Even better,” Iris smiled. “With gloves on, they will think I’m an old lady.”

Tom snorted. “Very funny,” Savannah spoke sarcastically.

Realizing what she had said, Iris began to giggle. “Sorry, Mother. I didn’t mean it that way.”

Tom still grinned. “It is a good idea though. It’s a great disguise.”

Later that evening, after the sun was down, Savannah took Iris up to her room. “Honey, you know I hate to see you go,” she spoke quietly. “But I know that you must. I want to help you any way I can. I want you to have some things.”

Savannah went over to her jewelry box and pulled out several precious items: two rings, a pearl necklace, garnet earbobs, two cameos, and a gold brooch. She also pulled out several silver coins.

“Oh Mother, I couldn’t,” Iris protested.

“But Daughter, if it will help save your life … I would hate myself if I didn’t give these things to you. They are small and will travel easily in your clothes. They will bring you more money if you need it.” She handed the items to her daughter. “The only advice I can give you is to try and invest some of the money you have left when you get where you’re going. Find a way to make money with your money. And be very careful with whom you invest. A woman can’t trust just anybody,” she explained wisely.

Iris gave her mother a loving embrace. “Thank you, Mama. You’re so wonderful.” After a moment, Iris added, “You know I hate to leave you.”

“You will come back one day though, won’t you?” Savannah asked. “Or at least let me know where you are and if you’re well?”

“If I can, you know I will.”