By Way of the Rose

by Cynthia M. Ward

  Sonny came out waving the sheet and laughing. “I got y'all good!” He laughed harder.

  Shane stepped toward him. He looked at Sarah and Greta. “Looks like you girls are gonna see another dead body tonight.” Then he turned back to Sonny and yelled. “Sonny Slone, I'm gonna kill you!” Sonny quickly stopped laughing.

  “I— I was just kidding!” He dropped the sheet and took off running with Shane tight on his heels.

  The next day as they passed the bridge Sarah, Greta and Shane hurried their steps. The old man's fingers might come up through the planks and grab their feet, or so they thought. “We never did get to properly mourn him because of Sonny Slone!” Shane shook his head.

  “Tad, are you almost ready?” John looked into the room where the child sat with her head down and her suitcase packed. She was wearing her best dress and bonnet with a spring coat to match. Her shiny, leather shoes were un-buttoned and dangling half on and half off her small feet.

  “I ain't gots my shoes on, Mr. John,” she spoke in a raspy sort of soft voice.

  “What's wrong with you, my little Tad?” John sat down on the bed and wrapped his arm around the child.

  “I don't want to go! I want to stay here!” She burst out crying.

  “Oh, is that it?” John knelt down in front of Tad. “You have no idea of the wonders that are waiting for you! You're getting a family. A whole brand new family to love you and care for you.” He wiped the tears from her face.

  “I has a family, here with you!”

  “I'm talking about a real family. A ma and a pa and a baby sister.”

  “Who says I want a baby sister?” She stiffened her back.

  “Baby sisters are mighty special, Tad.”

  “They ain't!”

  “I see you've never had one.” John grinned.

  “No... Have you?” She asked.

  A vision of Sarah filled John's mind. Her bright little face, her cheerful laugh and the way she looked at him with her trusting eyes. “Yes, I have. And she's one of the best people in my life.”

  “How come you never see her then?”

  “Who says I don't?”

  “I been here a long while and never seen no sister of yours. I ain't even know you had one.”

  “Well, I do. And the reason I never see her is because she lives far, far away from here.”

  “Is it lots of fun having a baby sister?”

  “Yeah, Tad... it's lots of fun. You won't miss being here at all when you get there and meet your new family.”

  “I'll always miss it here.”

  “Now, Tad... you got mighty attached to Mr. Fred's place after only two nights... but things got better for you as you moved on. Now, you're moving on again. Lord only knows what awaits you in your new place. But this time it's for keeps, no more moving ever again. You have a real home and a real family.” Tad smiled big.

  “A home... That does sound good Mr. John.” Tad tried to smile through her tears. “I hope you're right about everything. I hope that they love me and want me. I hope they'll take care of me like you, Mr. Tyson and the other folks here did.”

  “Have I ever lied to you? Just you wait and see.” There was a knock on the door. Tess, the maid, peeked in.

  “Mr. Tyson is here for Tad,” she announced.

  John smiled at the little girl. “You ready?”

  “I guess so. All except for my shoes.” She smiled bravely as she poked her feet in the air.

  John buttoned the shoes then walked Tad down to meet Mr. Tyson. Tad turned and hugged him tightly. “I'll never forget you, Mr. John. When I learn to write, can I write you?”

  “You'd better!” He kissed her forehead then helped her into the buggy beside Mr. Tyson. He had a lump in his throat. He couldn't help worrying about her. It was spring and even though she had the full power of Mr. Tyson backing her, the trip into Canada wasn't without its dangers. He must believe that all would go well for her and that she would reach her new family safe and sound. He looked into her small, scared face then shut the door.

  As the wheels slowly began to turn Tad's frantic cries suddenly tore through the night. She beat on the carriage screaming, “Mr. John! Mr. John! You supposed to take care of me... you are! You promised Mr. Frank and everything! Don't send me to Canada! Please, keep me! I won't never do nothing wrong... I'll be good!”

  John ran after the carriage and tore the door open before the driver could even stop. She leapt into his waiting arms. He hugged her tightly. John looked at Mr. Tyson. “I'm sorry to put you to this much trouble, Sir. But she isn't going anywhere.”

  “But that would not be right for her. She needs a family.”

  “We'll all be her family. You'd like that, wouldn't you Tad?”

  “Yeah... yeah I would.” She gasped her words as she wiped her face. “I didn't never have no family before y'all... but y'all feels like what I think family is. Ain't family the folks you has in your heart? Y'all is in mine.”

  “Yes, Tad, you're right. And you are our family because you are in our hearts too.”

  She smiled and threw her arms around John's neck. “I'll live here with y'all forever and ever!”

  “Yes, you will... won't she, Mr. Tyson?”

  “It appears so, my boy,” Mr. Tyson agreed with a bit of hesitation in his voice. “I just hope this is the best thing for her.”

  “Love is always the best you can give anyone. She has plenty of that here, I promise you, Sir.”

  “I see that.” Mr. Tyson smiled at them both. “Well, I suppose I'll get home to my wife and little ones now. Good night John, and good night to you too, little Tad.”

  “Good night Mr. Tyson,” they both said as John closed the carriage door.

  Mr. Tyson yelled to the driver and they watched him drive off into the night. Tad was home.

  John went back to work leaving Tad in the tender care of the folks at the boarding house. He knew Mrs. Jenkins and Miss Ruby, along with Tess and Mr. Tyson, would all take good care of her. Sometimes Mr. Tyson took her out to his house in the country and let her spend a few days with his daughter. Caroline was bedridden, still weak from having had scarlet fever. Tad made a good playmate for her.

  John's first trip was back into the belly of the whale, Alabama. He would see Fred and let him know that Tad and he had made it to safety. But when he got there, Fred didn't recognize him.

  “Can I help you with something?”

  “Do you recall a fellow by the name of Adams who stopped by here last fall with a little girl named Tad?”

  “W— what?” His face went a bit pale. “Not really. Should I know them?”

  “It's me, sir!” John smiled.

  “Adams?” Fred looked closer into his face. “My lands... I thought I'd read in the papers that you were dead!”

  “You don't believe everything you read, do you?” John's deep laugh rang out.

  “My gracious, boy... Come on in this house! Come on and meet the missus.”

  When they'd all said their hellos and sat down together Fred asked, “Now tell us how it is you've come back from the dead.”

  “Well, it was a fake. They planted my information on a dead man. Had this guy to confirm that the body was mine, and presto, I'm a changed man! Things were getting too hot for poor ol’ Kyle down here, so to keep going with my work, the people who wanted to see me dead had to think that they'd won. That they'd gotten rid of me.”

  “That's pure genius!” Mrs. Frank's eyes lit up. “Who would have ever thought it?”

  “It isn't like it hasn't been done before... I'm just lucky it works every time.”

  “How many times have you died, Adams?” Fred laughed heartily.

  “It's Whitehead for now, sir. And I've only died once. But there's been others.”

  “Like who?”

  “For their safety, I can't say too much. I'll just say, there isn't as many of us gone as our enemies would like to think.”

  “Well, this gives me renewed hope!” Mrs. Frank s
miled. “I'll think twice before crying over another abolitionist's murder.”

  “Yeah... She walked around the house for days moping over your demise, Mr. Whitehead.” Fred chuckled. “She was so put out because she had missed you when you came through here. Then to hear that you'd been lynched... Well, she bellowed for days.”

  “All's well that ends well, huh, Mrs. Frank?” John looked at her and smiled.

  “That's right! I'm so glad to finally meet you.” She smiled back.

  “And how is the little girl?” Mr. Frank asked.

  “She's doing wonderful. Learning more and more every day. She's sharp as a tack already reading and writing a good bit. We're just doing our best to give her a normal childhood. It's hard with things being like they are. She wanted me to be sure and thank you for everything you did for us.”

  “I didn't do all that much.”

  “Yes you did, sir. Don't ever downplay your role in this. We'd both have frozen to death that night if it hadn't been for you. I had to come back here and let you know that we made it and how grateful we are for folks like you and Mrs. Frank here.”

  “I suppose it's time for me to get supper. You are staying aren't you, Mr. Adams... um, Mr. Whitehead or whoever you are?”

  “Just call me John. Sorry to say, I can't stay for supper. I'll be leaving here pretty soon. I'm trying to make it down to the Gulf Coast.”

  “I hate to see you run. We've barely gotten a chance to talk,” Mrs. Frank fussed. “Remember, I wasn't here when you came by the first time.”

  “I'll stop by again someday for a longer visit. But for now, I really have to be going.” John stood and plopped his hat on his head. “Good to have met you, Mrs. Frank.”

  “Likewise.” She smiled.

  With that John was on the move again, changing his name at almost every stop. Mr. Whitehead, Mr. Scott, Mr. Smith... the list was never-ending. His old argument was still very effective, yet bitterly hated among the wealthy plantation owners. Hated or not, it was powerful and it was working. “Why would you want slavery? Do you own slaves? How does keeping slavery alive benefit you and your family? The answer is, it doesn't! The fact is, in the South, anyone who can pay a man for an honest day's work owns slaves! The only job out there for you, if you're lucky, is being an overseer. But, if we work together to end slavery, you could get a job and buy your family fine things. Live in a nice house... Get yourself a fancy carriage to ride around in... Buy food and warm clothing for your loved ones! The list goes on and on!” Cheers echoed all over the Southlands... The crowds gathered in front of Bandy's Mercantile in Georgia, at Rudy's barber shop in Mississippi, in Jake's Bar in South Carolina. All over the South, more and more people began standing against slavery. The poor chanted John's words: “How does slavery benefit us?”

  Chapter Ten

  * * * *

  After the cotton was harvested, and the debt worked off, Jonas and his family left to go north, as did Isaiah and Jericho. The next season Daniel bought a new team of workers and after the next harvest they went north as well. Year after year, a new group came and went with freedom papers in hand.

  It was the summer of 1852 now and Sarah was thirteen years old. Marion's ideas and expectations of the role Sarah must play in life had already begun. Settling down with the right man should be her daughter's top priority. Marion worried that Sarah's native features were beginning to show and might become more pronounced as time wore on. What hope would there be for an Indian female in this place if she didn't find a husband soon

  “That Samuel Grey is a nice young man,” Marion urged. “You should see how Jack Taylor looks at you,” she cooed. “Of course, there's always Shane Thompson.”

  Because of this sudden wave of anxious prodding, Sarah knew she had to make this summer count. She hated the thought of being forced into the plain everyday drudgery of housework. She dreamed of seeing those faraway places she'd read about and having wonderful real-life adventures. She wanted to see the Statue of Liberty, and the big cities. She wanted to see where John lived and experience the grand life that he wrote about. The majestic Upper Falls, the many buildings that lined the cobblestone streets, people, life and excitement, it all called to her. But if she married, she would miss it all. She would never see what lay beyond these hills and valleys.

  “Don't worry so much over me. I'll be fine, I've got plans and they don't include being married right now. Just leave me be.”

  “You're still young, I know. But you do need to set your mind on someone. There's no one you like?”

  “I like a lot of people. But not one of them has what I want.”

  “And what do you want?”

  “I don't know. All I do know is that they don't have it.”

  “Well, you need to start thinking about it, seriously.”

  “Yes, Ma'am. I understand.”

  Sarah sat on the bank beside Greta dabbling her toes in the cool waters as they indulged themselves in little girl's giggly gossip. Their corks danced on the sparkling water. Shane had found himself a perfect spot under a sprawling water oak down the way.

  “You know what I heard?” Greta looked at Sarah.

  “What? What did you hear?” Sarah perked up.

  “Trissy Eastland likes Shane!”

  “Oh, Greta. Everyone knows that already.” Sarah's interest fell. “I thought it was something plummy.”

  “Well, how about this... this same someone said that Trissy positively despises you because she thinks you and my brother are sweethearts.”

  “That's foolish! Everyone knows we're just friends and that's it!” Sarah smiled slyly, remembering the way she had grasped Shane's arm that day for Trissy to see.

  “Well, Trissy doesn't see it that way.”

  “That's because her ma dropped her on her head when she was a baby!” Sarah and Greta laughed.

  Then all of a sudden Greta stopped. “What in the world is that?” She exclaimed as she pulled Sarah's dress collar down.

  Sarah pulled her collar back up to hide the ugly bruise. “Nothing.”

  “It is too something!” Greta pulled the collar back to reveal the mark again. “That looks like a hand print on your neck!”

  “Its fine, Greta... just stop it! All right?”

  “He's still hurting you, isn't he?”

  “Greta, don't get so upset.”

  “Did he choke you?”

  “He just grabbed me.”

  “Why?”

  “It's Nathan, Greta, do you think he needs a reason?”

  “I thought he'd stopped!”

  “No, I just got better at hiding it... until today, that is.”

  “He's going to kill you if someone doesn't stop him!”

  “Greta, I love you... I do. But don't get overly dramatic. Everything is fine. I'm used to it. Honestly, it would scare me more if he didn't smack me around every so often!” Sarah shrugged. Greta looked away. She had tears in her eyes. “Greta, don't! Don't cry... You'll make me cry too and I don't want to. Not today, I'm having too much fun!”

  “He's almost nineteen years old! When is he going to grow up? He can do real harm to you now!”

  “He can do real harm now? Believe me, Greta... he's done about all he can do to me!”

  “I've got one! I've got one!” Shane screeched as he stood up to pull in his line.

  “I wanna see!” Sarah ran over to watch him, mostly to get away from the topic. She didn't want to talk about unpleasant things. She wanted to have fun.

  That evening, after Sarah left, Greta confided to her brother, “Shane, there's something I have to tell you. But you have to promise not to let Sarah know that you know it.”

  “Fine then, I promise. What is it? Is it something serious?”

  “It is. Very serious.”

  “What's wrong?” Shane's face became sober.

  “It's her brother... he's been hitting her.”

  “What?”

  “He's been hitting her... beating her really. I thought
he'd stopped, but I found another bruise on her today.”

  “He hits her bad then?”

  “Yeah, he does. I'm so angry I could choke!”

  “How long has he been hitting her?”

  “Years.”

  “And you knew about it the whole time and didn't tell me?”

  “I knew at first, but then she hid the marks... I didn't know it was still going on. I thought he'd stopped or that their parents had stopped him. I thought it was just kid stuff, but now I know different.”

  “You should have told me back then! I'd have stopped him!”

  “Sarah asked me not to.”

  “I'm going to do something... I'm going to get even!”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I don't know yet, but I'll think of something!” Shane's face was on fire with anger.

  Greta knew how much he loved Sarah, and that the thought of that big bully of a brother beating up on her made him want to strike out. He wanted to hit something, someone. He wanted to hit Nathan! Even if he was only fifteen and Nathan eighteen, Shane was big for his age and believed he could whip Nathan if he were standing there at that moment.

  Shane and Greta were better schemers than fighters. So they worked out a plan. This was the one scheme that they couldn't let Sarah in on. So, alone, they planned it all out. They knew Nathan liked to go for swims down at the water hole when no one was there. That way he could swim in the buff. Even though the boys were known to swim in the buff together, Nathan was shy about it. So, he'd make sure no one was around when he went in. That was the perfect time and place, to carry out revenge.

  The “revenge team” picked out their hiding places. Greta was behind the thick clump of bushes and Shane on the other side of the swimming hole behind a tall sweet gum tree. They stockpiled their posts with plenty of rocks and stones. Large enough to hurt, but small enough to chuck at their enemy.

  By the time Nathan was ready for his swim, Shane and Greta were ready for him. Shane snuck out and took all of Nathan's clothes. It was the oldest trick in the book, but it was a good one! Then Greta fired the first blow, hitting Nathan right in the middle of his shoulders.