"Sad'day. De train goes at two erclock."
"I'll see that he gets there in plenty of time."
Stella's eyes roamed unconcernedly around the shining rows of aluminum
pans; she sighed with satisfaction. "How's Miss Susie an' Miss Nell?"
"Both doing finely. Susie's living in Detroit, you know; and Nell is
studying art in her neighborhood."
The old mammy leaned forward. "Ah seed Mistuh Hollis w'en he wuz heah
las' monf. He do make a fine sojer, Miss' Mary."
"We are both proud of him. And now with Ned visiting in Jackson, there
are only two of us here."
"Mistuh Pelham ain't come roun' much, is he? He doan't git along wid his
paw, do he?... Dat's what mah boys dey say, in dat union...."
Mary breathed out heavily. "They do not agree on everything, Stella."
Stella's eyes rounded with satisfaction; with the intimate impertinence
native to negroes who have grown old in confidential employ, she nodded
her head proudly. "Mah boys dey got along finely wid deir paw, Miss'
Mary. Thank you kin'ly, ma'am, fuh speakin' to Mr. Judson."
Finally the trunks and boxes were packed, with the help of neighbors
from Lilydale. Brother Adams' boys got most of her sons' clothes,
except the newest suits; these she folded into the bottom of the biggest
trunk for future emergencies. Peter was on hand, at Mr. Judson's orders,
to crate such of the furniture as she wished to take; although many of
the extra things went to this friend and that.... There did not seem
much use in taking everything.
Babe's cap with the new mining lamp, Diana's school books and framed
diploma, the old family Bible, Ed's re-shined deputy's badge, were
wrapped carefully together.
At length the last package was hoisted onto the wagon, and after laying
the shoebox of lunch on the seat Peter was to occupy, and taking a final
drink of spring water, she clambered carefully up to the driver's bench.
Peter hopped up with gray-haired, cricket-like agility, clucked sharply,
and the horses jogged off.
They drove behind the crest, on the circling road above Lilydale. Peter
chuckled to himself.
"What you laughin' at?"
"Ah'se thinkin', sistuh Stella, dat you sho' buried a passel er people
in dis place."
She nodded in complacency. "Six of 'em, Peter, six of 'em."
He chuckled on. "Dey gwineter plant you nex', sistuh Stella."
"Dey gotter kill me fu'st."
She looked back, as the road turned into the viaduct for Adamsville, and
sighed heavily. She remembered the arrival in the city ... the wait in
the office of the Galilean Fishermen, while the children ate up all the
cold fish sandwiches and speckled bananas Tom had gotten for their
lunch. All gone. All gone. Unbidden, fragmentary pictures of the
romping, frolicking boys, sober Diana, came.... Jim crying, when the
hatchet chopped his foot.... Babe's round face.... Ed's face, and the
others, in their pine-wood coffins.... Tom's kindly smile. All gone. A
weak tear welled from under each old eyelid.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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