CHAPTER XXV.
THE PARTING OF THE WAYS.
Afflictive dispensations had so often heaped up against the horizon ofAlice's affections, frowning, angry clouds; the memory of bier and pallhad so cruelly overlaid her young life with its gloom that but for thesolace of religion, there would be no refuge from the bitterness of hergrief; from the shadows of the grave. But in her mother's chamber, withher mother's precious Bible in her hands, she felt that there was afountain opened up before her, yes in the very house of David. "BlessedBook! What is life without thee?" she exclaimed. "Is it not a faithfultranscript of the last will of our Redeemer? Is it not the key thatunlocks the door of Heaven? Yea the guide that elaborates its beauties?'Eye hath not seen; ear hath not heard; neither hath it entered into theheart of man to conceive of those things which He hath prepared for themthat love Him.'" She felt that in the world's tragedy of sin it wasindeed a savor of life unto life; that it erects in the human soul,where there is sin, sorrow and despair, a sanitarium; rendering good forevil, giving back pardon for injury; preferring pity to vengeance;kneeling always upon the heights of virtue to uplift the broken-hearted.Whether its blessed truths be spoken in prophecy or narrative; whetherwhispered from the sepulchre or the crypt; whether thundered from Sinaior Mars Hill; they tenderly lead poor, fallen human nature into theportals of immortality, into the very gate of Heaven. "Has notreligion," she asked, "given to humanity an uplifted brow? Has it notadmonished man to put away from him every mercenary calculation and torealize that the scourges of sin are rotting whip cords? Ah yes,wherever there is a tear, there is love, wherever anguish there isconsolation, whenever the night is dark and starless and there are deepshadows, an angel stands with bowed head and welcoming arms. What a balmfor the scarified, bleeding heart! A precious pearl of great price in acasket of exceeding beauty; a sword of ethereal temper that divides untothe sundering of bone and marrow; but there are diamonds upon the hiltand golden tracery upon the scabbard. Ah, the resurrection, who givesthis promise, this faith, this hope? In all the dead aeons of deadcenturies, science, nature, man, have asked in vain 'If a man die shallhe live again?'--But just as in scaling a beautiful mountain, it needsno chemistry to analyze the air, to tell us that it is free from miasma,as every breath which paints a ruddier glow upon the cheek and sends atonic tide through the body, will tell of its invigorating touch; so itneeds no analysis, no reasoning, to persuade a spiritual mind that theair of Heaven, the breath of God is in this book; and just as on Tabor'sbrow, when from Christ His own glory pierced its callous, unfeelingsides, it needed no refracting prism to tell us that it was the sunburstof more than earthly radiance the pilgrims were gazing upon. So when aBible chapter is transfigured, when the Holy Spirit transmutes into ithis grace and glory, it will require neither a Paley or Shenstone toprove that the power and wisdom of God are there; but radiant withemitted splendor, in God's own light we will see it to be God's ownBook, and know it to be His blessed revelation. 'I know that my Redeemerliveth and that in my flesh I shall see God.' The light of faith in theafflicted man of God was burning feebly, but he begins to feel now thestrength, the virtue, which lies in innocency, as if God were beginningto reveal Himself within him. He heeds no longer the hyper-Calvinistwhen he tells him, 'Thou has taken a pledge from thy brother for naught,and stripped the naked of their clothing; thou has not given water tothe weary, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.' He raiseshis finger as if he would command attention and exclaims, not in irony,but in tranquil self-possession, 'God forbid that I should justify you;till I die, I will not remove my integrity from me. My righteousness Iwill not let go. My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.'
"Pictorial scriptures, truly, comprehending all manners, all conditions,all countries. Egypt with the Nile and the Pyramids, the nomad Arabs,the bewildered caravans, the heat of the tropics, the ice of the north,are there; all save the frozen heart of Jewish traditions andceremonials. How divinely transfigured every page of the precious Book,wherein is life eternal!"
In the great voiceless halls and chambers there was no sound but herpoor, tumultuous heart beating wildly against a bosom sore with weeping.Alas, for ties that are so fragile, for pleasures that are sotransitory! Old Clarissa would steal tip-toe to her chamber, but shedared not enter, and would return as softly to the kitchen.
"Po Miss Alice, she do suffer mazin. Pears lak ebery now und den whenher eyes gits bright und her face is sunny und sweet, und her lafter islak de ripplin ob de little brook in de medder, dat de good Lord drapsanudder drug in de cup und maks her drink ebery drap. Dere aint a gwineto be no mo sorrer for Miss Alice now; yung Mars Harry is gon, undmissis is gon, und ole marser is gon, und bimeby her eyes is agwine togit bright agin, und her purty solemcholly face is er gwine to be fullof smiles, und de little birds is ergwine to hang dere heads und drap tosleep when she sings dem lubly ole fashined himes agin."
The poor girl finally fell asleep. It was the only anodyne that naturehad in her laboratory for a broken heart; and she slept as tranquilly asa little child. She awoke refreshed by dreams, peopled by friends of herearly childhood, many of whom were living and happy. She went into thekitchen, to give directions to Clarissa, whom she found at heraccustomed labor. Crushed and spiritless as she was, there was comfortfor her in the broken, incoherent utterances of the old negro.
"Don't cry no mo," said Clarissa quite sympathetically. "I used to heerole missis say when she was ailin monstrous bad, dat ebery cloud had asilver linin, und I beliebs it pine plank. I beliebs dat when de goodLord sends trouble on dis here lan He's ergwine ter sen grace too. Dat'smy belief, yung misses, und I'm ergwine to lib by it und I'm ergwine todie by it. When I looked down into ole marser's grave and seed all demlilies ob de walley kivered up in de dirt, I node de good Lord was notergwine to mommuck up ole marser's soul fur nuthin. I node dere wuzergwine to be a transplantin in His hebenly garden of all debeautifullest flowers dat withers and parishes here in dese low grounsoh sorror, und I sez to mysef, dat I specks ole missis is er runnin termeet ole marser dis bery minit, wid boff hans chock full ob white rosesund jonquils und lilies ob de walley. Duz yer kno what I beliebs, MissAlice?" she continued, as she wiped her eyes in her old checked apron."When I sees a little white flower er droopin und er dying in olemissis' garden, I nose dat she hez cum down fru de purly gates to pullit und tak it back in her busum to yung Mars Harry; und when I sees alittle teensy baby a droopin und er dyin jest lak dat little flower, Inose de good Lawd is er takin it home in His busum too. Wun ob dese daysyu und me is agwine ter see fur oursefs. Bress de Lawd!"
The days were passing now so languidly, and wretchedness was stillbrooding in the heart of Alice. To one event, however, she lookedforward with intense yearnings. There was somewhere in the wide, wideworld a great sympathetic heart perpetually telegraphing its love, andshe was feeling the electric current in its pulsations every moment inthe day. He had promised to come again in the mellow, fragrant month ofOctober, before the flowers fade and die; when the artist of nature ispainting the foliage upon the trees green, purple and golden, and with aricher iris the twilight sky, and dappling the fleecy clouds. Yes, he iscoming, not as the judge of the assizes, but as a prisoner of hope. Heraffections hitherto were divided--now he yearns for the whole heart.Coming to endow her with a treasure selfishly coveted above rubies anddiamonds, above principalities and thrones; coming to plight his trothat God's altar, that in sickness and in health they would cling to oneanother till death doth part them.
How would Alice appear in her funereal robes before him, before thealtar? Perhaps Clarissa can reassure her in this dilemma.
"Miss Alice," she exclaimed as she clapped her hands approvingly, "Ifyer is as butiful when the jedge cums as yer is now, dat er po man isergwine stracted wid hissef. I clare fore my blessed Marster up yanderif I had er node how butiful yer is agwine ter look in dat blackmourning, I wuld er swaded yer to dun und dun it fore ole marsa died."And what is going to become of Clarissa and Ned? The mildew of age isupo
n them both. For years past their old heads have been whitening withthe hoar frost. "Now ole marsa is dun und gon, de fambly is ergwine tobreak up und de grate house is agwine to be the home of de owls, und deswallers und de bull-bats." So thought Clarissa as in the quiet gloamingshe stood in the verandah, and listened to the melancholy winds and themore melancholy bleating of the cattle. Ned had been doing little choresabout the house all the day, and after he had eaten his supper, he andClarissa had by permission assembled in the dining-room where they foundtheir young mistress engaged in some light needle work. She of coursewelcomed the negroes heartily. They were her friends and had beenthrough many sore trials.
Clarissa was the first to break the silence, as she enquired of heryoung mistress the day of the month.
"It is the 27th day of September replied Alice."
"Ugh! Ugh! I tole yer so Ned. Aint nex mont October?" she asked again.
"Yes, why do you ask?" replied Alice.
"Kase Ned sed the jedge warnt agwine to cum no mo twell juvember. Ned isflustrated monstrus, Miss Alice. So skeered de jedge is ergwine to takyer away frum me und him."
"And if he does, I am sure you will both be very glad," Alice replied.
"Dat mout be so, yung mistress ef me und Clarsy wus peerter und cud fendfur deyselves. But bofe uv us is mity cranksided now er days, und deLord in Heaben only nose whar we'se agwine to git ary moufful ob wittleswhen yu is dun und gon to de tother eend ov de yearth. Me und Clarsyslaved fur ole marsa fore de bellyun fell, und we aint got no ole marsato look bak to now, und we puts our pendence in yu yung mistress."
"If I go away, Uncle Ned," replied Alice, "you and Clarissa shall neversuffer as long as I live."
"Ugh! Ugh! now yer got de wurd," exclaimed Clarissa in tears.
"I haint er mistrusting yu Miss Alice," Ned answered, quite dejectedly,as he raised his old coat sleeve to his face, "but when yer is dun undgon clean away how is yer eber agwine to git to us, ef me er Clarissymout need ye? Dar is de pint right dar, misses. Ef I hes er bad miserryin my head, und calls fur Miss Alice she cums lak er butterfly und laysher soft hands on my po head und de missery stops rite short; und ef Ihankers arter er chiken it is de same fing. Ef yer duz go erway, misses,old Ned will follow yer with his shaky jints twill yer gits clean, clarouten site, und pray ebery day de Lord sens, dat yer mout be ez happy asde angels."
It was Alice's turn as a matter of conceit to ask the old negro what hethought of Judge Livingstone?
"Dat is a pinted questun," Ned answered hesitatingly.
"You mout ax me ef he was er suple man und dat wudn't be a pintedquestun, but yung missis I'm bleeged to mistrust dese furreners dat cumsdown here und spreads deyselves all ober de lan, und fetches freedum undde horg colery, und plays ruination wid our white fokses, und den runsclean clar away wid our white gals, upsotting de whole creashun wid deyflamborgasted fixments. You mout be happy way off yander to de tuthereend ob de yearth, den agin you mouten. Yer can't tell misses how fur debull-frog is ergwine ter jump by lookin at his mouf."
To the foregoing argument Clarissa was assenting by repeated nods ofthe head, ejaculating occasionally "Ugh! Ugh! dats de gospel trufe."
"But Uncle Ned," enquired Alice, "would you have me as your friend, apoor lonely girl to remain at Ingleside without protection? Why don'tyou know I would be miserable?"
"Yer mout be miserabler dan yer is, misses. Heep er times our white galsfinks dey is er upsotting de yearth by gittin jined to de furreners whendey is er flinging de fat in de fire. Look at dat white gal ober demedder. She run away wid wun ob dese carpet-sackers, und she wus datproud dat she wud hold her nose ef de po white trash breshed up agin hercote skeerts. Und where is she now?"
"Ugh! Ugh!" ejaculated Clarissa. "Wid de furrener in de penitenshur, undshe ergwine to de ole kommissary fur her rashuns. Don't yer see?"exclaimed Clarissa.
"Now misses I aint er sensing yer wid nun ob dis bad luck, und I aint erputting de jedge on er ekality wid de furrener in de penitenshur, butyer don't know misses what is ergwine to happen when de rope is er rounyer neck, und de furrener has got hold ob de tuther eend."
"Dat yer don't," exclaimed Clarissa, rocking to and fro.
"Und yer don't know missis whar me und Clarissa is ergwine when dat arjedge gits to be de boss ob dis heer plantashun."
"Oh my Lord," shouted Clarissa as she burst into tears. "Dats maks meses wat I dos, yung missis, dat yu axes me a pinted questun. Dats detruf. It sho is."
Old Ned groaned as the gravity of the argument seemed to affect him andbrushed a tear from his eye with the sleeve of his coat. The matter wasof momentous consequence to these old landmarks of a decayedcivilization, and they felt it acutely. Old Master as long as he livedhad held out the lighted candle to light up the dreary, tortuous pathsinto which reconstruction was driving the old negroes; but the flame haddied down into cold ashes, and the hand that held it aloft was nervelessand dead. There came as it were to their old hearts a sad, sadrefrain--"Breaking up! breaking up!" It came from the winds that moanedin and out of broken window shutters. It came from the featheredsongsters, Prima Donnas of the air, who were sending forth their advanceagents to secure homes in Southern climes. "Breaking up! breaking up!"Between such as these and their former masters were there not higher andholier feelings and relations than those of master and servant? Withoutthem the South would have been the mere appurtenance of the commercialNorth, dragging after it the weary chain of colonial dependence. What awilderness of wealth they brought to our firesides, what a teemingaggregation of populous and powerful states! Let us at least give theseold slaves one look of kindness in the desolate twilight of theirlingering days.
The old negroes bade their young mistress a hearty good night. "May deangels shelter yer dis nite und all tuther nites wid dere whings,missis," exclaimed Ned as he followed Clarissa out of the door. It wasthe saddest of all anticipations. They loved Alice as if she were theapple of the eye--the heart's core. Their sufferings and privations,their joys and happiness in common, had touched as it were the twoextremes of the varied horizon of life. And now they were advancingtoward the parting of the ways. Ned and Clarissa, with unsteady,faltering footsteps toward the sunset, the gloaming, the end of life;the young mistress toward the sunrise, never so resplendent as now.
* * * * *
Judge Livingstone, with his clerical friend from the North, arrived atthe appointed time at Ingleside; he a bachelor of thirty-five, to wedthis beautiful heiress, the exquisite flower that had budded and bloomedlike a rose for twenty-six seasons. Arrived to lacerate the old slavishhearts, that clung so helplessly to the young mistress, like morningglories around the fair flower. Arrived to snatch from Ingleside sorudely its life, its hope, its promise--the all in all to poor Clarissaand old Ned. "Eben ole Jube knows dat sumfing solemkolly is ergwine tohappin," observed Clarissa to her young mistress, as she assisted thebride in her adornments for the nuptial hour. "Jess look at dat olefafeful dorg a lyin dare jess a strugglin wid his moshuns, lak he was ahumans sho nuff."
The minister stood at the little altar in the parlor. The ring thatAlice had given to "Arthur" was slipped upon her finger, and in thepresence of the angels, Judge Livingstone and Alice were made man andwife. As Ned and Clarissa passed out of the little verandah, Nedobserved with streaming eyes, "Now Clarsy, dere is no mo music fur usbut de crickets upon de hath. Miss Alice has dun und sung her las himeund we kaint foller Miss Alice whar she is ergwine no mo. Ef we uns istuk sick we kaint holler fur Miss Alice no mo. I feels lak I haint gotno frend now. Miss Alice dun jined hersef to dat furriner."
"Dat is Gords truf Ned," exclaimed Clarissa as she drew her old checkedapron across her eyes, "Hit pears lak dere is nuffin in dis wurrelepseps tribulashun of sperits. But bress her dear heart," the old negrocontinued, "I hope she may be jes es happy es de larks down in demedder, und dat when she arrivs way ober yander whar she is er gwine shewill send her membrunces to me und yu fortwid."
It was necessary that Ingleside
should be placed in first class order.Above all things else it was necessary that ample provision should bemade for Clarissa and Ned. These arrangements in minutest detail weresatisfactorily made, as the Judge observed to his bride one morningafter the wedding, "Do you not grieve to part from your old friends, mydear?"
Tears came into the sweet girl's eyes as she replied so tenderly, "Yes,yes, they cling so helplessly to me, but dear Arthur, you will notforget them, will you?"
[THE END.]
ERRATA.
In the 15th line, page 78, for "permit" read "pretermit."
In line 25, page 99, the word "first" should read "fifth."
In line 2, page 139, for "preservingly" read "perseveringly."
Transcriber's Note:
Added List of Illustrations.
The Errata noted at the end of the text have been corrected in this version.
The Broken Sword; Or, A Pictorial Page in Reconstruction Page 27
