CHAPTER XVIII.
THE WRIT OF EJECTMENT.
Shortly after the events narrated in the last chapter, the announcementwas made by Clarissa that a white man, "und dat biggety nigger Ellic,was at de do to see ole marser." The interview occurred on the verandah.
Abram Laflin, the carpet-bagger, introduced the subject as follows:
"I observed" said he, "in passing the court house on yesterday, that youhad advertised my home to be sold to pay a debt of five thousand dollarsdue you. Will you be kind enough to make the calculation and inform mewhat is due you, principal and interest?"
"Certainly I will, with great pleasure," replied the Colonel. "Here isthe account accurately computed."
"Make your calculations, Mr. Wiggins, and see if the gentleman iscorrect," he said to the negro.
Mr. Wiggins adjusted his gold rimmed eyeglasses, fingered a moment thegold chain upon his immaculate shirt bosom, scratched his head a time ortwo with the point of his gold pencil and passed the statement to hislord and master.
"Ah, ha," exclaimed the carpet-bagger, "Four thousand three hundred andfifty-seven dollars and thirty-three and one-third cents, and not fivethousand dollars as you have it, Mr. Seymour."
"Ah, very well" replied Mr. Seymour "You may settle by my calculation ifyou wish, if not the sale shall go on."
"Give me the paper and pencil, Mr. Wiggins, I will make the calculationfor myself," said the carpet-bagger. "The result as you have it sir, iscorrect. Here is your money sir."
"Now, sir, I will show you the gate," replied the Colonel with asperity."Good morning," and the two men locked arms and went away.
As the enraged man was entering the verandah, he was greetedunexpectedly and obsequiously by Joshua, with "Compliments, ole Marser.I have fotched you some long-necked gode seeds; spected yer would lak tohab dem, mars Jon."
"Yes, Yes, I am glad you remembered me Joshua. I thought my old slavehad quite forgotten me," replied the Colonel.
"You mout hab spected dat ole masser, but I knowed all de time you wusde onliest fren I had in de wurrell," answered the old negro.
"I am surprised to see you looking so badly, Joshua. Why your hair is aswhite as cotton, and your clothes too are ragged and dirty, and thereare great hollows in your cheeks; what have you done with yourself oldman?"
The old negro dashed a great big tear from each eye as he repliedhesitatingly, "Better ax tother fokeses dat ar questun, ole marsa;better ax de bosses at de kommissery; I'se been froo de froos sens Iseed you sar, mommucked up monstrus, dat I is. Dem dar pizen'dcarpet-baggers tole us cullud fokses ef we didn't do jess lak dey sed,dat dey was agwine to put us bak in slavery, und dey skeert us jam ni todef, dat dey did. Dey uprared a grate big sto in de town, und sakesalive! de moest lasses und horg meat und flower und backer, und sich lakyu nebber did see, mars Jon, und likker, too; und wun ob de bosses hecum to de do und sez, sez he boys, fetch yer happysaks und jimmyjonsebery Tuesday, und eberry Saddy nite de Lord sens und fill dem chokfull. I clar marser, I felt jess lak I wus in Paradise, wid de angelser harpin pon golden harps und soppin lasses; und I took dat white manat his word, und I'se been on de rode twixt my house und de sto furseben weeks, backards und forrards, a totin my ole jimmyjon un happy-sak;I clar pon my Marser in Heben, I haint eben got de rappins ob my fingerfrom dat sto yit. De boss wud laf und say de rashuns had gin out fore Igot dere, und to cum agin nex Tuesday sho; und mars Jon, I'se jessnachully a tired to def, widdout a moufful ob wittels in my house fur menur Hanner nudder, und we bof a perishin to def. Ole marsa, hain't yergot nary ole ash tater, nur a leetle piece ob meat skin yer kin gib disole darky jess to pacify his stummik, seems lak I jess hab to draw mygalluses rale tite roun it to keep it frum creepin fru my mouf."
The old soldier of fifty battles looked down upon the poor old negro inhis squalor and emaciation and wretchedness, and the tears came into hiseyes, too, as he said,
"If there is anything in this house to eat, Joshua, you shall have allyou want. I pity you from my heart, old negro. These people are not yourfriends nor mine. The day will come when you will know them as theyare--enemies of every one who will not wash their dirty linen."
"Eber yu spoke de truf, Mars Jon, you spoke it den--hit's de God'struf."
"Clarissa!" called the Colonel, "Clarissa!"
"Sar!" came Clarissa's voice from the kitchen. "I'se er cummin, olemarsa, jes es fast es I ken."
As she saw Joshua she threw up her hands and impulsively exclaimed,
"Fur de Lawd's sake, Joshaway, whot do ail yer eny way? I faut yu wuz ergostis er settin outen here wid ole marser. Po ole nigger! Duz sisHanner luk lak yu duz? De grabeyard is er yornin fer yu rite now." AndClarissa placed her hand feelingly upon the old negro's white head,saying the while, "Po Joshaway! Po nigger!" while Joshua covered hisface with his knotty hands and his feeble body shook as with a spasm.
In obedience to orders, Clarissa placed before Joshua a huge dish ofboiled ham, cabbage, potatoes--Irish and sweet--and the old negro in thejoy of his heart sprang nimbly to his aged and aching feet and "cut depiggen whing jes ter sho ole marsa how spry und suple he wus."
"Bress Gawd!" he gratefully exclaimed, "I'se been happy two times in mylife--wun time when I jined de miluntary cumpny when de niggers wusplayin 'de jay bird' on der tootin horns (den I wus er fule), und tothertime wus dis here time."
After devouring like a starved brute the bulk of the food before him, heconsiderately placed into his old beaver hat choice bits and fragments,layer upon layer, with the observation,
"I wudn't er tasted a moufful o' dis good truck ef I hadn't er nodeHanner wuz ergwine ter git her shar. Jes er watchin me now lak a sparrerhawk er settin on er lim! Tank yer a fousun times, ole marser! Tank yu,too, sis Clarsy; tank eberybody in de whole wurld. Ole marsa," hecontinued, "mout I hab jes wun wurd wid yer?"
"Why, certainly, Joshua; what more can I do for you?" asked the old man.
The old negro put his hand to his face as if he were shielding his eyes,and asked sheepishly,
"Mars Jon, ef me und Hanner wus ter turn niggers ergin, jes lak slaberytimes, wud yer tuck us home--yu und Miss Alice?"
"I would not have you do that, Joshua; but whenever you like, you andHannah can bring your belongings to the office and Alice and I willalways be your friends. You shall never suffer any more for somethingto eat or wear as long as we live."
"Tank yer, ole marser, tank yu, a fousand times!" Joshua replied, as hebrushed away great liquid beads that were chasing each other down hishaggard cheeks. "Now I mus be ergwine, Mars Jon," and the old stiffenedjoints bore homeward a filled body and a full heart, as he sang in anuntuned but sweet voice,
"Oh de way's so delightful when I sarves de Lord, Oh de way's so delightful, journey on."
As the sun was going down the old Colonel looked across the field andsaw Joshua and Hannah with great bundles upon their heads coming towardthe mansion--coming back to the old home; coming back to be just ashumble, just as faithful, just as watchful as in the happy old days;coming back to run errands if need be, with joints stiffened byhardships and old age, but with hearts so light and trustful; comingback like homing pigeons to roost under old master's wing in the dovecote. Was there ever such a people before? The sweetest experience inthe domesticity of the South will vanish forever when the last old whitewoolly head is laid low, when the ghostly smile is given to old mistressfrom the death bed, and the last good-bye is said to "ole marser und olemissis" as the death film overlays the eye. "Tak keer ob yosefs, olemarser und ole missis, und meet me up yander." So thought the old masteras with liquid eyes he looked upward to the vaulted sky.
"Seben weeks" the old negro weighted down by the ever accumulatingburdens of life--its disappointments, its troubles--had with unsteadygait and frequent halts stepped off each rod and furlong twixt "my houseund de sto, backards und forards, toting de jimmyjon und de happy-sak.""Fur seben weeks" the torrid sun with its blistering heat had scorchedthe old negro's head, and crisped the old negro's black
skin until itwas spotted. For seven weeks a vacuum deep and broad lay between theinner coatings of the famished stomach immeasurable and unfathomable.For seven weeks "Old Glory" waved its welcome at one end of thecommissariat, and stark, pallid want walked out without a ration andflaunted its rags at the other. Poor old negro, but what worth isfreedom without its pains and penalties; what worth is the hugecommissariat without the freedmen, and what worth is the freedmenwithout the commissariat? Oh how happy the old negro in "de offis of olemarser." By fits and starts old Joshua would awake throughout the nightsand call to Hannah, "Ole womun, duz yer kno whar yer is a roosting tonight? Aint agwine to de crick fur catfish in de mornin. I kno whar mywittles is er cummin frum, bress de Lord. Cum rain ur shine, I haintnebber agwine hongry agin, no mo. Old marsa dun und said, ole nigger yershall nebber want fur sumfing to eat und sumfing to ware no mo, und Inebber cotched ole Mars Jon in a lie yit. Has yu, Hanner?"
"No, dat I haint, nur Miss Alice nudder," replied Hannah. "I haint gotno mo skeer erbout me, Joshaway, dan a billy gote. I kno's when MissAlice flings a dumplin in de pot for hersef, she is agwine to fling wunin dare fur me too."
"Pears lak, Hanner, I kin heer my stummick ebery now und den nachullysinging de ole ship ob Zion, hit is so full ob ole marser's goodwittles."
Bright and early the next morning the old negro was standing in the wideopen door of the office, swinging his arms in exercise like a prizefighter, and occasionally "cuttin de piggen whing out of doors," as hesaid, "dat yung misses mout see how he could twist his foots erbout." Ashe was skipping about the yard he discovered as it were, a moccasinsnake; a red, white, and blue stake about two feet long in the groundnear the office, and he knew what it was and called in a fit of rage toHannah. "Jess cum und see what dem dratted niggers has dun gon und dun.Lord a massy! Duz dem pizened willians fink dey kin oberride dis hereplantashun wid me, und Ned, und ole marsa, und yung misses, und yu undClaissy a fendin for deselvs? I'se agwine to lode up my muskit dis berynite, und de fust nigger dat cums pestering our white fokses on dis herelan, I'se agwine to shoot two pounds of hot led into his karkas. Tak disole streked striped stick, Hanner, und burn it up," and he jerked thepeg out of the ground as if it had been an aching molar in his gum, andthrew it violently into the fire-place.
"Who upon de yurth did fetch dese pizened stiks on dis lan? I'm ergwineer roun dis yer plantashun, und maybe I'll fine sum mo ob dering-streeked-und-striped things, er painted jes like 'ole Glory' outyander in de town, jes ter fool niggers und git dem sassinated lak erpassel o' polecats."
While Joshua was making the "grand rounds" over the plantation acarriage with a pair of beautiful, high-stepping horses rolled up to thedoor, and two "gemmen of culler" alighted and walked with unnaturaldignity to the door and rang the bell. Clarissa, of course, obeyed thecall, and in their presence was so bewildered that she asked them intothe library. Placing into her hands their cards _de visite_, upon whichwere written the names of the "Hon. Alexander Wiggins" and the "Hon.Ephraim Gillam," she carried them to Colonel Seymour.
Instantly the devil was aroused in the old man, and he told Clarissa totell them to get out of the house.
Clarissa, in executing the order, said, "Ole marser says how dat yuniggers must go back out er doors. Jes tak yosef outen dis houseimmegit." Then upon recognizing one of the negroes, she enquired, "Haintdat yer Ellick, wid dem fine close und shoes, und gold specks, und beverhat, comin into dis house lak yer was a king, or a gineral, or sumfing Idon't kno what? What is yer doing here in ole marser's house, anyhow? Ispecks yer is up to sum devilment rate now."
"My name is not Ellic, replied the negro, und I am not up to devilment.I am de prieter ob dis manshun house, und my stinguished friend, Mr.Ephrum Gillum und me, hez cum to sarv a rit ob jectment upon Mr. Semofortwid."
"Lord hab marcy upon my soul!" exclaimed Clarissa in great excitement,"Ef yer sarves dat dar fing on ole marsa, dares gwine to be aressurreckshun in dis grate house fortwid, yer haint agwine to lib togit bak to town. You und dat udder nigger better tak yerselvs offen dislan fore marser sees yer; he spises yer worse den eny mocksin snake inde crick, und yer nose it."
"Ah, well," the negro replied arrogantly, "Yu jess gib him dis writ ob'jectment und tell him dat Mr. Wiggins und his lady will returnter-morrer ebenin at ate o'clock und tak persesshun, und see dat yuprepars a bed in de best chamber in dis mansion fur him."
"Jes yer fling dat pizen fing on de flo. I aint ergwine ter mess my hansup wid no sich nasty trash, und yer tak yersefs offen here--don't I'magwine ter set Jube on yer, yer hateful creetur. Ugh! ef yer gitsanyfing pared on dis plantashun hit's ergwine ter be a ded-fall ter killyu cussed niggers. Dat's de bed yer is ergwine ter git ter morrer at ateo'clock, 'member dat! Ugh! I specks when dat time cums yer will be dedund gon rite strait ter torment."
Clarissa seized the tongs and prodded the document upon the floor as ifit had been a tarantula, then holding it at arm's length, muttering thewhile like a savage, brought it to Colonel Seymour with the observation,
"Mars Jon, yer mout as well gib up dis grate house und de plantashun,too, to de stinkin, outdashus niggers, don't dey is ergwine ter tarrifyde life outen yer, und me too."
To this the old man deigned no reply, but unfolding the paper andreading it, he concluded there was but one thing to be done. Forone-third of a century he had been a highly respected communicant in theEpiscopal church; orthodox and consistent in his views and observances,but upon reading the insulting document he swore like "our army inFlanders."
"Clarissa," he exclaimed, "bring me my pistols. I will defend my ownwith my life, and"--
"Mars Jon," interrupted Clarissa, "I'se skeert ob dem dar shootin iruns.What is yer ergwine ter do, ole marser? Is yer ergwine ter hab aresurreckshun in de grate house? Sposin yer und young missis gitskilt--whot in de name ob Gawd is ergwine ter cum ob tother ones? SarveEllick rite ef he gits masskreed; but sposin yer und Ned gits kilt, whotis ergwine ter cum ob me und Miss Alice? Yer is too brash, ole marser."
The old soldier was quiet for a moment, and then he called Ned to him.
"Yes, Mars Jon, here I is, sar. Whot yer want now, Mars John?" Ned askedhumbly.
"Go and tell Mr. Jake Flowers to come here at once."
"Sartinly, Sar, mejitly, Mars Jon."
And in a short time Mr. Flowers, accompanied by Ned, saluted the Colonelwith,
"What are your orders for to-day, sir?"
Now, thought the Colonel, I shall marshal a force more terrible than anarmy with banners. I shall recruit my regiment from the "InvincibleEmpire," and I shall tear down and let them reconstruct if they can. "Wewill march to victory under the flag of the 'White Camelia,' shall wenot, Mr. Flowers?" asked the Colonel.
"Well, when I wants to play demnation wid ther niggers, I don't fightunder no other," was the sententious answer of the regulator.
"Come into my library a moment, sir."
As the regulator was ambling along he put his two fingers to his mouthand accidentally(?) expectorated "ambeer" in the eye of old Jupiter, thefox hound, which set up a prolonged howl and caused Clarissa to exclaimwith great warmth;
"Mars Jon, did yer see dat ou'dashus white man a spettin dat dar backerjuce in ole Jube's tother eye? Wun ob dem is outen now, und I specks datfafefulest ole dorg will go plum blind. He is de fafefulest creetur ondis hole plantashun. Po' ole Jube! Nebber mind, Clarsy is ergwine terset yer on dat speckled-face white man when he cums outen dat do, und isergwine ter give yu sum mo wittles ef yer chaws him good. Po' ole Jube!"And Clarissa walked back into the kitchen with Jube following her, withthe further observation, "Twixt de niggers und de low-down white trash Ihaint got no chusen--hit's a half duzzen wun way und a half duzzentother way, und de debbil tak de diffunce."
The Colonel drew a chair up to the table and asked the regulator to beseated.
"Tomorrow night at eight o'clock sharp I will take possession ofIngleside, peaceably if I can, forcibly if I must."
"When the Prince of the Thebaird sent this message to th
e queen of lowerEgypt, "Tomorrow I will knock at the door of your palace with the hiltof my spear," she returned this warning, "And I will welcome you withbloody hands, and the crocodiles of the Nile shall devour your carcass."
"What shall be our message, Mr. Flowers?"
The regulator thought a little dreamily for awhile, and then with theusual squint in the right eye replied drowsily,
"Wall, thar is two ways to kill a nigger unbeknownst to him. I kinku-klux him, or I kin strike him with forked litenin; but I haint gotammunition enuff to kill a hole passul at wunce."
The Colonel unfolded and laid upon the table a large sheet of paper,such as engineers use in diagramming, and began in a perfunctory way tomark off lines, angles, eccentric and concentric figures, until he fixedthe point of his pencil suspiciously at the upper abutment of a bridgethat spanned a rivulet, with this remark,
"Just here, sir, must be the point of attack. This is the onlydefensible position upon the plantation. If the malicious negroes passthis bridge, all is lost. Now, my friend," he continued, "heroicdiseases must be healed with heroic remedies. You and I are oldsoldiers. Up and down the Chickahominy our army would have been tinsoldiers but for our sappers and miners. Now you may sap and mine toyour heart's content," he said jocularly. "Do you understand, Mr.Flowers?"
"No, not eggzactly," replied Flowers. "Dos yer want ther cussed niggersdrounded?" he asked.
"No, only frightened so they will let me alone," replied the Colonel.
"Frightened!" ejaculated the regulator. "Wall, fokeses in gineral gitsfrightened before they gits drounded, don't they? If I don't mistrustyou, Kernel, you wants the bridge upsot, and then you wants the kerridgeupsot, and then you wants the blamed niggers upsot, altogether in thecrick."
"If in your opinion my language bears that construction, you mayproceed," said the Colonel.
"Eggzactly so," replied the regulator. "I may percede with anotherpercession and a funeral at the tail eend of it. Eight o'clock, sharp!"reiterated the regulator, and waving his hand backwards at the old manin the verandah, cried back, "I will be thar or thar abouts," took hisleave.
Clarissa tried to sick "ole Jube" on the regulator as he passed throughthe gate, but the old dog looked sheepishly into Clarissa's face andwagged his tail, as much as to say, "Ef yer wants enybody sicked on datwhite man, jes sick yersef."
Nero never planned the destruction of Rome, nor Titus the destruction ofJerusalem with a more implacable spirit then did the regulator thedestruction of the upper abutment of the wooden bridge on the Inglesideplantation. As the bold man stood upon the bridge contemplating the workto be done, and then upon the cold full orbed moon bathing its face inlight, cumulus clouds, and then on the cold waters, he said to himself;"A soldier boy that can climb the elements in the Crater fight and butthis head agin the stars, aint pestered by little diffikilties when itcomes to drownin niggers."
He threw off his coat, took up the crowbar and went to work. The apronwas then propped up upon skids too weak to bear the weight of acarriage, but so skillfully as to ward off suspicion in case thestructure or any part of it should fall. At 7:30 sharp the work was doneand completely done, the pitfall was laid, and well laid, and at 7:40 ablack cavalcade, noisy and ruffianly, were galloping on the way to takeby force actual possession of Ingleside, against the emphatic protest ofits owner and against the law of the land. They were marching with theirtrombones and their flags, flags striped and starred, just like the onethat laughed in the faces of the starved negroes that marched inplatoons, desperately hungry, out of the back doors of the Commissariat.Just like the one ruffian Laflin wrapped about his beastly person whenhe said to poor oppressed Seymour, "My freedmen may make reprisalswhenever they please in this accursed country." Just like the flag thatwaved from the stern sheets of the batteau, that cold sleety night, whenWashington was cutting the ice out of his way upon the Delaware. Justlike the "Old Glory" that Ethan Allen wound around his head atTiconderoga. Just like the flag that thrilled every heart, that PhilipBarton Key immortalized in the first battle hymn of the Republic.
"Tis the Star Spangled Banner long may it wave, Over the land of the free and the home of the brave."
"Ah, no," the Southern patriot would say "Our hot sun has tarnished itsbright stars, has made black and dingy the blue field, and see! it isblushing ever so red, as it is made to accentuate the horrors ofreconstruction." But the flags were coming, so were the horses, and sowere the negroes, and so were the trombones, and so was death, each in avain attempt to bridge the chasm before 8 o'clock sharp. Ah, that crash,that shriek, that doom! The affrightened horses break from thedescending carriage and scamper like zebras into the open fields ofIngleside. The uniformed escort turn their horses heads and scampertoward the town, even the trombones have ceased to sound now, but thereare echoing hoofs, and there are the wails of the dying, coming up fromthe darkened abyss, and the moon is still bathing its face in the wateryclouds overhead. What! art thou a prophetess, Clarissa, that thoushouldst have said "I specks when dat time cums yer will be ded and gonerate strait to torment?"
The Broken Sword; Or, A Pictorial Page in Reconstruction Page 20
