Spake As a Dragon

by Larry Hunt

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Strategy at the Farm

  William, Isaac, and Stephen find Malinda and Sary working in the vegetable garden. Malinda sees them coming and runs to meet her three boys, “What did Doc say?”

  “Oh, he just said Blaze had canker on her hooves and a dry stable and soaking in Poke root juice would cure her right up.”

  “No, not about Blaze’s hooves, what did he say about buying her?”

  William was the first to complain, “Mama, surely we can’t sell Blaze it will be like selling one of the family.”

  Malinda looks at the sad faces of her three sons, young Stephen Ingram has tears running down his face. She is as distraught as they, but she is also a realist too. “Boys go round up the other children and I will explain our situation.”

  The whole family, including Sary, sits on the front porch as Malinda begins to describe their dire situation. She tells them they are two years behind in their land taxes. The sheriff has just sent out a couple of deputies who nailed an eviction notice on the front gate. She explained they must come up with fifty-two dollars and twenty-six cents in ninety days, or the sheriff is going to foreclose on their farm. Even with the selling of Blaze they are still short thirty-two dollars and twenty-six cents, and they have no way to raise that much money.

  William, the oldest begins, “But Mama, surely we can raise the money in three months time, can’t we?”

  “Son, I have been giving this much thought, so has Sary, we probably can come up with a couple of more dollars but we just cannot get all the money in time. I know, we still have the two mules, but to survive we must have them to make a crop this coming season. Without them, we will starve, no matter where we live, besides both would fetch no more than ten or twelve dollars. ”

  William asks what does his mother intend to do? He again states that the family does not want to get rid of Blaze, anything but selling the mare. Malinda reminds them they cannot raise the fifty-two dollars and twenty-six cents even after selling Blaze, and they surely cannot come up with the entire amount of money.

  Looking at William and Isaac, “You know Captain Labeau is after you two. We can’t keep you hid out forever, he is going to get you both before too long, and I agree, I don’t want to sell Blaze either. I thank Doc for his offer, but it is simply not enough money to stave off our situation.” Malinda continues to explain they have two choices - stay on the farm and have their land ripped from under them or pack up their wagons and move back to Scarlett in South Carolina. She said she recently had heard some bad news from Scarlett.

  “Kids I know you young ones will not know who Uncle Isaac and Aunt Linda Lou are – Isaac is your father’s brother. Your father had transferred use of Scarlett to him before we moved to Alabama.”

  Malinda continued telling about Isaac. “You all remember that man that stopped by last week? His name was James Pool. James lived in Scarlettsville, but the War had ruined his farm. The Yankees have killed or confiscated all his livestock except the one mule he had hidden out, burned his house and barn and killed his oldest son. His son was only fourteen when they killed him for protesting joining the Army, so now Mr. Pool is moving his family to Texas.

  “He told me Uncle Isaac and Aunt Linda Lou were killed by a bunch of thieving Union deserters who rode onto Scarlett seeking any valuables they could find. The rest of the women folk hid in the root cellar as the men of the plantation tried to fight off the plundering malcontents. A couple of Scarlett’s men received wounds, but poor Isaac and Linda Lou were both killed at the foot of the front steps trying to prevent the looters from entering the big house. In addition, one field hand was also killed. The men succeeded in running the scavengers away, but not before they set the big house ablaze. With no help to put the fire out our our beautiful Scarlett burned to the ground.

  “Mr. Pool said the overseer Uncle Dave and his wife Ora Lee are alone living in the carriage house and have no idea how to run a plantation. Mr. Pool states the overseer has no help, whatsoever; all the men are away in the Army and after the fight all the workers on the plantation ran off too.

  “Uncle Dave is at his wit’s end, he knows planting season is upon them; however, he doesn’t know what to do and is asking if we could come for a visit and straighten things out. Uncle Dave sent word by Mr. Pool to tell us that the Union forces have left that part of South Carolina, so we do not have to worry about the Yankees. To make matters even worse after Uncle Isaac was killed no one can run Scarburg Mill. It is now abandoned and closed!

  “Before our situation with the sheriff, I was considering a trip to Scarlettsville to see if we might be of some help. Now I see this as an opportunity to move back permanently to Scarlett. I know we cannot win the fight here with Captain Labeau. If only Robert were here to tell us what to do.

  “We are a family and I realize you are just children, but it is your future we are deciding. We are going to vote, everyone will have a vote, from the youngest to the oldest. Here is what I purpose we vote on. First, do we stay here and get our land taken, if so, where do we live? Second, do we go back to South Carolina and try to do something with Scarlett?

  “I’m going to give you a twig and a stone William will pass his hat around. If you want to stay, drop in the twig, if you want us to go back to Scarlett drop in the stone. The majority of twigs or stones will decide.

  “There will be a total of seven votes, six for you children and one for Sary – I will not vote, I will abide by your decision. With seven votes, there cannot be a tie, we will either stay or return to Scarlett.”

  The hat passes around the circle, and Sary cast the last vote. “All right, the decision has been made I will count the votes.” Malinda takes the hat from Sary and begins to count the ‘votes’, stone, stone, stone... the last object removed was a stone. After all the votes had been counted, there were seven stones and no twigs. “Scarlett here we come!” Malinda announces as a cheer goes up around the group.

  “Stephen, go back to Doc Crawford’s place and thank him for the offer. Tell him as soon as Blaze’s hooves are well and she is able to travel we are leaving for South Carolina and will need the horse. Wait a minute,” she said running into the house and shortly returns carrying a piece of paper. “This is a Quit Claim deed that I have just written out giving our farm to the Doc. Tell him it is his if he can pay the fifty-two dollars and twenty-six cents before the end of June.