CHAPTER XII.
HOME AGAIN.
Alice felt that in the afflictive dispensations that were from day today scourging the poor south, that in her own personal trials there wasan inscrutable Providence enacting its ordinances, and by and by the"end would justify the means." Great and simple was the faith of thisbeautiful child of the sunny south, great and simple her faith in theunfailing source of truth, love, and Divine equity. Great was her faithin the possibilities and recuperative power of a country that had beenscathed so remorselessly by the great storms of war. She had thrownaround her life a great bulkhead of faith, and she could suffer almostuncomplainingly, for there was solace in tears and prayers when herspiritual discernment brought her face to face with Him who said, "I'llnever leave thee nor forsake thee."
After the arrest of her father she retired to her chamber for a shortcommunion with her Savior, to whom she had yielded without reserve aheart soon to be cast again into the heated furnace of affliction. Shecame out of her room to respond to a feeble knock at the back door, andshe opened it to admit Clarissa. Alice saw instantly that something hadgone wrong with the negro, for there were great tears standing in herliquid eyes and her speech was broken and emotional.
"Miss Alice," she exclaimed, amid her sobs with her black face buried inher apron, "Ole Clarisy is so sorry, deed she is dat she trod on yourfeelins, but Ned he suaded me clare outen my senses, deed he didMissis, und I declares fore my Maker in heaben, dat when dat fool niggerspaciated erbout dem hosses und kerriges, und horg und horminy pyannyshe was agwine ter fetch home, und de silk umbrells und de whoop skeertsund sich lak, I jes drapped back into dat nigger busum und didn't seewun bressed fing but kerriges und hosses er cummin und ergwine; undbress yo sole, Miss Alice, all dat nite long Ned was gwine on bout demhosses und piany fortes und now und den he wud drap orf to sleep, undden I heerd him hollow to Joshaway 'Git outen de way wid de rones, deseheer clay banks is ergwine to tak dis rode, Glang Shurmans! GlangLaflin!' und fo de Lord wun time dat stractified nigger pearched hissefpon de tip eend ob de bedsted und hilt on to de postes same ez apoll-parrot hollering 'wo! wo! wo!' und him plum fast asleep; und whende fust lite of day cum I heerd him er coaxin ole Saltpeter, dats ourole steer, wid a moufful of fodder, und den he hollered to me to fetchde blue chiss to put de munny in und me und him got into de steer kyartund dat ole Saltpeter jess turned hissef loose down dat rode same asmars Jon's bay filly; but I haint neber seed no munny yet, nor declay-banks nudder; und Ned he lowed how dat de bero man dun an sed datde man dat was fetchin' de hosses to de souf, hed done und tucked derong rode, und mout not git heer in time to pitch de crap, but dat hewas gwine to cum sho, und I axed Ned ef he pinned his fafe to dat manund de hosses, und day er straying disserway und datterway twixt de norfand de souf und he lowed dat 'nobody cud hit de rite rode all de timekase de bellion hed dun und flung all de rodes outen jint.' Den I upsand sezs,'I nose wun rode dat haint flung outen jint und dis heer footpassenger is agwine to take hit rite back to de grate house;' und heer Iis Miss Alice; und den I got er studdin erbout ole Marser und youngMissis und it peared lak I was stobbing dem to de hart wid a pitchfork,und I sez to mysef sez I 'Clarisy is yu ergwine ter leave dem pocritters in de grate house wid de cussed niggers er pirooting froo deland?' I dun cum back now Miss Alice to slave fur yu und ole Marsertwell I die; twell de ark angel stretches out his whings and taks me terrest in his busum. I know I was a stracted fool when I drapped thekitchen key under de do, but bress your hart Miss Alice dar is sich aflustrashun all ober de land, de niggers lak ragged ruffins ergwine tode town und cummin back agin, er gallipin hosses und er blowin great bighorns pine blank lak dam yaller mornin glories, dat I is so pestered datI don't know de fo eend ob de grate house frum de hind eend." "Is youbeen in de kitchen dis mornin Miss Alice?"
"Oh yes," replied Alice, "and everything is tidy and clean."
"Is!" ejaculated Clarissa. "Well I'm ergwine in dar und cook ole marsasum good wittles fur I knows he ergwine ter be most perished when hecomes. Po ole marsa; it do pear lak he is suckin sorrow all de bressedtime; to be sho dis wurrull is turned rong side outards; ef er ark angelwas ter pearch upon de tip eend ef de chimney und see de ruinashun ofdis po souf he wud'nt flop his whings but wun time fo he wud be cleanouten site, dat he wud'n't."
The coming back of the truant servant was a bright page in the lifehistory of Alice. She had been so sad, so lonely, so forsaken. She hadlooked into the arching sky and saw nothing there but frowning clouds;she had introspected her poor heart and there was nothing there but thepictures of the dead; she thought of her friends and saw only grinningphantoms. Still sowing the wind and sowing, sowing, came back the echo.
She went into the parlor and seating herself at the piano thrummed itsneglected chords, and was ever music or song so enrapturing. Surely aninvisible choir supplemented her sweet voice. She arose from the pianoand knelt at the little altar to pray for her father, who was at thatmoment in the hands of these merciless people; who like Huns and Vandalswere riding rough shod over the south arresting arbitrarily the aged menwhose learning, experience and virtue had illustrated its civilizationand given impulse and direction to its grandeur and glory. She waspleading with Him who had permitted his chosen people to be scourged bythe lashes of the Egyptian task-masters; pleading not for her life butfor another life, that like the wasted candle would flicker a littlelonger and go out. Alice then went to the kitchen and found Clarissaburnishing the tea service.
"Bress yor hart, young missis," Clarissa said "you allus cums lak astreak o' sunshine. Ef de clouds was a drapping rain all de time I cudsee de bressed sun er shinin when yu'se erbout."
"I thank you Clarissa, but I don't deserve your compliments," Alicereplied. "I don't feel as if I could cheer any one or make one humanheart light or happy. What will they do with father Clarissa?" shecontinued.
"De good Lord in heaben only knows, missis. Pears lak dey ez wouring datpo man up wid leetle moufuls at de time, and he so innosen too."
"Poor father," she said to herself. "I have been made very strong by arefreshing influence. If you could only place your burdens upon me untilI became wearied like yourself, I would be so happy."
At twilight the old man, foot sore and exhausted, tottered into theverandah very much in the spirit of Cataline "nursing wrath andbreathing mischief." "How uniform in all ages," he vehementlyexclaimed, "are the workings of tyranny; how plausible its pretexts;how detestable its purposes! I have thought of death and felt no fearwhen I invited him to come and to come quickly; but I beseech the greatGod now that he will spare me to behold my people rising in theirmajesty, with a constitutional exercise of their power, to expel thesebarbarians from the country; to preserve our laws, our peace, ourhumanity; and to sustain the liberties of the people against theimminent perils to which they stand exposed."
He knew that he was powerless against that oppression that lacked everyresource of intellectual vigor; he knew that whatever indignities wereoffered to person or property were condoned or excused; he knew that themanhood of the South was suffering a social attaint.
He told his daughter as best he could his humiliating experiences withinterjections and volleys of wrath; how that when he was confronted by ablack savage in the court he was told with fiendish laughter that theofficer "had fotched the rong man," "dat de state had no charge aginhim, but it mout hab fore he lef de town." Scarcely had the clear sunbegun to overlook the trees the next morning when the negro officeragain presented himself at the door with a requisition for Mr. Seymour.
"Yu is ordered ter kote ergin," the negro demanded. "The jedge sed howdat he made er mistake yestiddy und sent de rong man ter jail."
"Let me see your warrant," Colonel Seymour sternly asked.
"If yu fetches a witnis I'll read de warrant," the ignorant brutereplied.
Clarissa who was dusting the furniture in the hall, overhearing ananimated conversation between her old master and the negro officer,peeped out of the door when the negro saw her and commanded her t
o cometo him.
To go or to run, that was the question with Clarissa, but she made avirtue of necessity and timidly obeyed the order.
"Hold up your right hand, yu po nigger trash," the negro exclaimed.
"Oh Lordy, Mr. jedge, what has I dun und dun?" cried Clarissa; "Ergwineto de jail house fur nuffin in dis wurrul, me und ole marsa; und what isergwine ter cum ob miss Alice?"
"Hole your old mouf, I haint ergwine ter hurt yu. Stand rite dar as dewitnis und den you is deescharged," and with that he took from hispocket a dirty yellow paper and began to spell out its contents.
The officer patronizingly remarked to Colonel Seymour as he was seatinghimself in the buggy, "I can gib yu er ride to de kote ef yu will excepof my sability." The Colonel thanked him, for his gouty joints wererebelling. By a cruel inexorable law of gravitation the old man wassinking from the level of a man to the condition of a slave. Alightingat the court house he was mortified to see a white man and a negrohandcuffed together walking in the court room, in the custody of anothernegro officer. As he walked toward the black judge, a score of brutishnegroes cried out "Yander is dat ole secesh, he'e ergwine to git jestisnow."
"Fetch Mr. Seymour fore me, sar," commanded the judge; "whar is squireWiggins und his affidavy?"
"Mr. Seymour, yu is scused of interruptin de squire heer in de joymentob his social pribileges, and dis kote has found yu gilty. Let disprisner be found er hundred dollars und ef yu haint got dat much munnyhandy, de kote will change de jedgment und send yu ter jail."
The Colonel had no difficulty in finding a friend who advanced for himthe amount of the fine and he sought the carpet bagger Laflin to ask hisprotection against future indignities. The name Laflin stank in thenostrils of an outraged people. This free rover of reconstruction wasshameless and conscienceless; the marplot of every conservativesentiment conceived for the betterment of the people; a human ogre withbut one eye that fixed its stare upon the dollar whether enveloped in atattered rag or a silken purse. The Colonel saw this man as he wascoming out of a low groggery arm in arm with negroes. "Can I speak toyou sir?" he replied.
Laflin turned fiercely upon him with the interrogatory.
"Who are you sir, and what is your business?"
"I am Mr. Seymour, and my business is to ask your protection."
"Ah indeed, you are the rebel who has been giving our people so muchtrouble." the brute replied.
"I am sure you do not wish to annoy an old man who is trying to livepeaceably at home."
"Yes. I do sir, and I will hear nothing more from an infamous villainlike you."
"My people white and black have my authority to do as they will; toinsult and assault rebels and to make reprisals whenever they thinkproper."
Thus day by day the uncrowned satraps were collecting material for thecoming carnival of vice and crime.
The Broken Sword; Or, A Pictorial Page in Reconstruction Page 14