“Jeremiah was actually free before I left, but he planned to stay and earn as much as he could so he could buy his wife’s and child’s freedom as soon as possible. I believe Mr. Wally was paying him extra money so he could save enough, but I don’t know that for sure. The Traehdniks depend on Jeremiah a lot, but they will want him to be happy and find his family.”
Mandy asked thoughtfully, “But if the letter should fall into other hands along the way?”
“It is not likely, but don’t worry. I will be quite discreet in my writing.”
“If you write your letter tonight, I will take it to Canton tomorrow. None of us have peace until we know for sure,” said Ned.
Ethan had been very quiet, but now he spoke. “Why don’t we join our hearts together and pray right now that God will send an answer swiftly?”
And so they did.
Chapter 23
July was hot and dry at Rose Hill. The fields of cotton were looking very good. The workers were meticulous about keeping the weeds out and keeping each plant growing well. Jeremiah had divided the land into sections, and each Negro was given a section to work as his own. Jeremiah had talked this plan over with Mr. Wally, who approved heartily.
Each Negro planted and cared for his own section of land and was allowed to be responsible for as many sections as he wanted. This year, instead of the workers being given a wage, they would work on percentages. Each Negro was to receive 25 percent of the profit from his section or sections. Obviously, it was of benefit to a worker to make his land as productive as possible.
Mr. Wally had offered an even higher percentage, but after meeting with all the workers, Jeremiah was able to report that they preferred to receive 25 percent, and that Mr. Wally could use any extra funds to purchase (and free) more Negroes.
Thus, everyone on the plantation was content and worked hard. The fields of cotton were neater and more productive than any others around. Jeremiah worked his own plot of ground but received an extra wage from Mr. Wally for overseeing and being available to help wherever help was needed. All in all, the people were all quite happy and content.
Miss Sue Ellen helped with the housework as she could, but there were plenty of Negro women who were glad to work in the house and kitchen gardens instead of in the cotton fields. They were paid a wage instead of a percentage.
Today was an exceptionally hot day. Mr. Wally and Miss Sue Ellen were sitting on the shaded front veranda in the late afternoon when a rider came up the driveway with a letter.
“Oh, Wally. It’s another letter from Delaney. We must gather everyone together to read her letter to them.” Miss Sue Ellen continued fanning herself slowly. In a few moments she said, “It’s so hot I don’t even feel like walking to tell the others. Perhaps we could read it and then share it with them tomorrow when everyone meets for worship?” She looked at Wally to get his opinion.
“Yes, read it. It is always good to hear from Delaney. God has been good to her.” Wally still spoke deliberately, but he smiled happily at his wife as she gently slipped a hairpin under the seal and opened the envelope carefully. As she turned the envelope over she looked a bit puzzled.
“Delaney usually addresses her letters to ‘All my dear friends at Rose Hill Plantation,’ but this letter is addressed only to ‘Mr. and Mrs. Walter Traehdnik.’ Perhaps it is not to be shared at all.” She carefully unfolded the pages and read quietly for their ears only:
“Dear Mr. Wally and Miss Sue Ellen,
The most unusual thing has happened, for which I need to ask your help. We recently visited with good friends of Ned and Edna Browning here in Indiana. They are a white family who have a Negro woman and her son living with them. I have just discovered that the Negro woman (her name is Deidre, and her son’s name is Jedediah) ran away from a plantation in the South called Devil’s Bend because of severe mistreatment and a pending sale of the little boy.
As we spoke together, I told her about our Jeremiah there at Rose Hill. As she described her husband, they certainly sound like one and the same. How many large, black Jeremiahs could there be with a space between his two front teeth and an unusual dimple on the side of his chin?
I am writing to you to inquire what we should do about this situation. Deidre fears coming back to the South since she is a runaway and could be punished severely should she be discovered. But she loves her husband and longs to be reunited with him.
When the harvest is completed this fall, might you be willing to send Jeremiah to Indiana to meet her? Or do you have another idea?
She is very wary about me disclosing her information to you, but I reassured her of your heart for all people to be free and for families to be reunited. If you tell Jeremiah, please reassure him that they both are loved and well cared for in the Evanston household, and that they are happy except that they miss him very much and long to be with him. We will together be looking for a letter of advice and information from you.
I continue happily in this household until such a time that we shall be reunited.
Delaney”
Sue Ellen dropped the letter into her lap. She didn’t know what to say or think. She stared at her husband and could tell that he was deep in thought, too.
Finally he looked over at her and said quietly, “Let’s pray for wisdom, Sue Ellen. And for guidance.”
“Yes. Let’s go into the library and pray. I don’t really want word getting around until we can talk to Jeremiah ourselves.”
“Yes, that’s good.” Wally slowly pulled himself to his feet, reached for his cane, and walked with deliberate steps into the house, with Sue Ellen right behind him.
The Traehdnik household had an understanding with all who lived on the plantation. For the most part, the library door remained open. But when it was closed, it was generally for prayer for one thing or another, and no one was to enter unless it was for something very important. All the servants as well as the children respected that completely.
After a time of prayer together, Wally and Sue Ellen discussed what should be done about the situation. After considerable thought, they decided to call Jeremiah in and let him read the letter and ask what he wanted to do.
Jeremiah was hoeing the ground in his plot of cotton. The afternoon was very warm, but the sky was clear and he was taking much pride in the many lovely fields full of cotton on this plantation. His idea of having all the workers take care of their own patch of ground was working well, because they would make only as much money as they were each willing to work for. They all knew that Mr. Wally would indeed give them their share of the earnings. It certainly made working the field a pure pleasure.
Jeremiah felt good as the sun warmed his large shoulders and black head, and the freshly loosened earth cooled his feet. The cotton flowers were mostly gone now. The bolls were growing and would soon be bursting with the soft white cotton fibers. He knew they would have a very good crop for Rose Hill this year, and all the Negroes would profit as well.
Jeremiah took a moment to lean on his hoe and study the fields surrounding his. Yes, the others were taking pride in their plots also. He breathed deeply. He loved the scent of the freshly turned, warm earth and closed his eyes to savor the moment.
Then he opened his eyes quickly. He heard running footsteps and then a child calling, “Jeremiah, Jeremiah!”
His heart stopped as he thought of Mr. Wally being in trouble again. Then he saw Mr. Wally’s son Nate running crazily through the fields in his direction, motioning with his hand as he ran.
Jeremiah dropped his hoe and ran toward the boy, filled with fear and unspoken prayer. But as he neared, Nate said breathlessly, “Daddy and Mama have asked you to come to the house to talk to them as soon as you have time.”
“Is everyone all right? Your father?”
“Yes, everyone is fine. Mother just came out to where we were playing and asked me to run to tell you that they need to talk to you when you have time.”
“Thank you, Nate. I will gather my tools and com
e with ya now.”
“May I carry your hoe, Jeremiah?”
“Of course you may.” Jeremiah handed the hoe to the boy and walked toward the house with his hand lovingly on the boy’s shoulder. “You’ll be a man soon, Nate. And you’ll make a fine master of the house.”
The young boy looked up at the man with a question in his eyes. “Do you really think so, Jeremiah? Do you think I will be good like my daddy?”
“I hope so, Son. I pray ya will, and if you try hard and trust in God to help you, I know ya will.”
Nate walked quietly by his side. Jeremiah couldn’t help loving the boy. His own son would be half the age of Nate by now; Jeremiah also wondered what he was like. Putting his hand on young Nate’s head, he said, “Always be kind, Nate. No matter what people say or do to you, always be kind. If you decide to keep kindness in yer heart, there is nothin’ anyone can do to ya to steal it out. And you’ll always have a friend if you are always kind. You’ll be just like yer own daddy.”
Nate gazed at Jeremiah with admiring eyes. “I will, Jeremiah. I will.”
As they passed the toolshed, Jeremiah stopped to clean his hoe so it would be ready for another day. While Nate watched intently, Jeremiah said, “Always take good care of yer tools, Nate, and they’ll serve you well. If you leave ’em out in the weather to rust and rot, you are throwin’ yer money away. You must take good care of ’em to get the most out of ’em.”
Nate grasped the oilcan and an old rag that hung on a nail and handed it to Jeremiah after he had washed the dirt off his hoe. Jeremiah rubbed the metal with the oiled rag before hanging the hoe on the nail on the wall. “That’s good, Nate. The oil will keep the hoe from rustin’. You’re learnin’ well.”
The boy smiled proudly.
As they neared the house, Jeremiah could smell the good aromas of dinner. He knew he would be invited to participate in the meal with the Traehdnik family. He could hear Mammy as she talked with the children somewhere not too far away. Nate said a quick good-bye and ran to be with the other children.
Miss Sue Ellen stood looking out the screen door as he climbed the steps to the wide veranda. “Good evening, Jeremiah. It’s good to see you.”
“Thank ya, ma’am. I got word that you wished to speak with me?”
She held the screen door open for Jeremiah. “Mr. Wally and I wish to talk with you about a letter we just received from Delaney. Won’t you join us in the library?”
As soon as Jeremiah sat down, Miss Sue Ellen offered him a frosty glass of sweet lemonade. The lemons had done very well this year, and the lemonade tasted exceptionally good. He drank thirstily, and Miss Sue Ellen refilled his glass before she even sat down.
When he smiled at her, Mr. Wally spoke. “Jeremiah, we received a letter from Delaney that we wish to have you read. Then we will discuss the possibilities.”
Jeremiah looked at him questioningly, then at Miss Sue Ellen, but she just smiled sweetly as she handed him a folded sheet of paper. She sat down and waited while he read. Jeremiah had only learned to read in the past few years here at Rose Hill and was still somewhat slow at the task. But soon he raised his head in awe. Quietly he said, “Could it be? Could it really be?”
“Jeremiah, of course it could all be a mistake. But it certainly does sound like it is for real. Mr. Wally and I both think it sounds like a good possibility that Delaney has found your wife and son.” Mr. Wally was nodding happily.
Jeremiah was speechless. Many questions ran wildly through his head. Indiana? How far was that? How would he ever get to them? When could he go?
When he didn’t say anything, Miss Sue Ellen continued. “Mr. Wally and I thought that perhaps we could make the trip to Indiana together—the three of us. Then, if it is truly your wife and you wish to stay, he and I would come home together. Or if you wish to bring her back here with you, we would make arrangements for us all to travel home together. The fields are planted and growing well. Do you think Alexander could oversee everything here now until we returned? Your idea of everyone having their own field was excellent. The crop is looking better than it ever has before. I think the time to take a month or two away is now, don’t you?”
“Yes, I suppose we could,” Jeremiah responded. “That is very generous of y’all. I would love to go to see if this is really my Deidre. Do you really think we could? When do you think we would leave?” Suddenly Jeremiah had more questions than he knew how to ask.
When they were called to dinner, they continued to discuss the options and the plans while they ate. After dinner they went back to the library to finish their plans.
As Jeremiah walked back to his little house under the full moon that night, he looked up at the moon and smiled at the face he saw there, thinking that somewhere out there, Deidre might be looking at the very same moon. And the path between them was getting suddenly much straighter.
Chapter 24
There was much to be done in only a week’s time before they left for Indiana. Jeremiah worked diligently with Alexander. The young man wrote volumes of notes as he listened solemnly to everything Jeremiah had to say to him. He was a very smart young man, and Jeremiah was confident that he would serve the Traehdniks and all the Negroes fairly and well.
Jeremiah stressed to him that he should never forget from where he came. Just because God had seen fit to give him some administrative abilities did not make him any better than the ones to whom he was giving guidance.
“And remember. That’s all you’re here for: to give guidance. Let each man work his land the way he sees best to do it. If his crop is not as good as it could be, he will learn and do better next year. But if ’n ya force him to do it yer way—even if it is a better way—you’re stealin’ his freedom just as though ya were buyin’ him on the auction block. Respect each man’s personality and abilities. But any way ya can see to help out, be willin’ to work at it and help all men. You will never be sorry if you help someone improve himself or pick up slack where there is a need.”
Alexander continued to write in his notebook. Jeremiah chuckled. “Will you know where to look in your notebook each time you have a question?”
Alexander didn’t smile but said very soberly, “I will read the notes over and over until I become as good an overseer as you are, Jeremiah.”
“Well, just never forget to pray and seek God’s guidance. And never be too serious to laugh. Laughter is good for your soul. The Bible says so. Did you know that, Alexander?”
“Do you mean Proverbs 15:13 that says, ‘A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance?’ or Proverbs 17:22 that says, ‘A merry heart doeth good like a medicine?’”
“Yes, both of those teach the same lesson. It is a good thing to be jolly.”
Alexander still did not smile but continued to write rapidly in his book. Jeremiah observed the young man, shook his head, and ran his hands through his hair, and stood to go. “And don’t forget that you can ride over for help from Mr. Bart if you have any questions.”
Jeremiah had a little money tucked away that he had been saving to buy Deidre’s freedom. Now that he had been given not only Deidre’s papers but Jedediah’s also, he felt the money could be used as he needed. He really did not know how much the trip would cost, but he did know that he needed some new clothes.
The Traehdniks were very generous with the Negroes and encouraged them to dress nicely. Jeremiah had been very conservative with his money, hoping he could earn enough to purchase his family, so had worn his clothes as long as possible. His clothes were faded and worn, although still serviceable as work clothes, but he wanted to look nice as he rode the trains and when he saw Deidre.
He rode into town to make some purchases for himself. He had spent very little time in the town, knowing that Negroes were not welcome most places, but he was certain it would be different if he had money to spend. He was eager to bring his family to his nice little home, so he wanted to know a bit more about the town where they would go to buy their supplies.
A
fter leaving his horse at the stables, Jeremiah first walked along the street to look at the various stores. Soon he noticed that folks pretended he was not there, and they would not speak to him. He looked into the store windows but was ignored by the white folks inside.
When he saw a store with ready-made men’s clothing, he decided to go inside and inquire about the clothes. There were several people in the store, and he could hear conversation as he opened the door. But when he stepped inside, the store became suddenly silent. Jeremiah looked around and noticed that everyone was staring at him. One gentleman came up to him abruptly and said in a businesslike tone, “May I help you?”
Still everyone in the store was silent. All heads had swiveled to stare at Jeremiah. He cleared his throat and spoke softly to the man, “I am going on a trip and need some clothes.”
“I’m sorry. We don’t serve niggers here.”
Jeremiah was expecting some rude treatment, but this completely surprised him. He was speechless momentarily. Before he could think what to say or do, the man spoke again.
“Did you hear me? There’s nothing for you in here. You’ll have to get your fancy clothes somewhere else.”
Jeremiah dropped his head and turned to leave. He walked out of the store without speaking a word. On the sidewalk he turned back toward the stables. There had been a Negro who had taken his horse. Perhaps he could ask him where to purchase new clothes.
The Long Road Home Romance Collection Page 37