Paul Laurence Dunbar

“ Sam Bowles moved from the window a moment and wiped the blood drops from his cheek. He looked down upon the dead man as if the deed had dazed him. Then, with a few sharp commands, he turned again to the window.
Some over-zealous fool among the strikers had fired one of the huts, and the growing flames discovered their foes to the little garrison.
“Put out that light,” ordered big Sam. “All of you that can, get to the two front windows—you, Toliver, an’ you, Moten, here with me. [223] All the rest of you lay flat on the floor. ”

“ The great change that gave to the blacks fairly trained ministers from the schools had not at this time succeeded their recently accomplished emancipation. And the sermon of Elder Smith was full of all the fervour, common-sense, and rude eloquence of the old plantation exhorter. He spoke to his hearers in the language that they understood, because he himself knew no other. He drew his symbols and illustrations from the things which he saw most commonly about him,—things which he and his congregation understood equally well. ”

“ With a wisdom that was not entirely instinctive, though it may have had its origin in the Negro’s social inclination, they built one large eating-room a little way from their cabin and up the mountain-side. The back of the place was the bare wall of a sheer cliff. Here their breakfasts and suppers were to be taken, the midday meal being eaten in the mine.
The Negro who held Jason Andrews’ place as foreman of Shaft 11, the best yielding of all the mines, and the man who seemed to be the acknowledged leader of all the blacks, was known as big Sam Bowles. ”

“ She was lifted tenderly up from the mourner’s bench by a couple of solicitous sisters, and after listening to the preacher’s exhortation to “pray constantly, thoo de day an’ thoo de night, in de highways an’ de byways an’ in yo’ secret closet,” she went home praying in her soul, leaving the rest of the congregation to loiter along the way and gossip over the night’s events.
All the next day Anner ’Lizer, erstwhile so cheerful, went about her work sad and silent; every now and then stopping in the midst of her labours and burying her face in her neat white apron to sob violently. ”

“ So, when night fell and her work was over, she had gone up into the woods to pray. She had prayed long without success, and now she was crying aloud from the very fulness of her heart, “O Lawd, sen’ de light—sen’ de light!” Suddenly, as if in answer to her prayer, a light appeared before her some distance away.
The sudden attainment of one’s desires often shocks one; so with our mourner. For a moment her heart stood still and the thought came to her to flee; but her mind flashed back over the words of one of the hymns she had heard down at church, “Let us walk in de light;” ”

“ Catfish, chubs, and suckers were landed in numbers sufficient to please the heart of any amateur angler.
’Lias was happy, and the minister was in the best of spirits, for his charge seemed promising. He looked on at the boy’s jovial face, and laughed within himself; for, mused he, “it is so much harder for the devil to get into a cheerful heart than into a sullen, gloomy one.” By the time they were ready to go home Harold Dokesbury had received a promise from ’Lias to attend service the next morning and hear the sermon. ”

“ Some few combated the man’s ideas, and none among these more forcibly than did Jason Andrews, the foreman of Shaft 11. But the heresy grew, and the opposition was soon overwhelmed. There are always fifty fools for every fallacy. Of course, the thing to do was to organise against oppression, and accordingly, amid great enthusiasm, the union was formed. With the exception of Jason Andrews, most of the men, cowed by the majority opposed to them, yielded their ground and joined. ”

“ Ruggles was the Coloured American Investment Company. The people whom he persuaded to put their money into his concern were only accessories. Though a man of slight education, he was possessed of a liberal amount of that shrewd wit which allows its possessor to feed upon the credulity of others. ”

“ Every one who has ever cooked a ’possum—and who has not?—knows that the animal must be killed the day before and hung out of doors over night to freeze “de wil’ tas’e outen him.” This duty had been intrusted to Jabez, and shouts of joy went up from the assembled people when he appeared, followed by the committee and bearing a bag on his shoulder. He set the bag on the floor, and as the crowd closed round him, he put his arm far down into it, and drew forth by the tail a beautiful white fat cleaned ’possum.
“O-om, jes’ look at dat! Ain’t dat a possum fu’ you? ”

“ I reckon the darkies have already begun to jubilate and to shirk in consequence, and I won’t be able to get a thing done decently for a week.”
“Don’t you bother ’bout none o’ de res’, Mas’ [73] Estridge; you kin ’pend on me—I ain’t gwine to shu’k even ef ’t is Christmus.”
“That’s right, Ike. I can depend upon you. You’re always faithful. Just you get things done up right for me, and I’ll give you that broadcloth suit of mine. It’s most as good as new.”
“Thanky, Mas’ Bob, thanky.” The old Negro said it as fervently as if he had not worn out that old broadcloth a dozen years ago. ”

“ The men who made up the community were all employees, in one capacity or another, of the great Crofton West Virginia Mining Co. They had been working on, contented and happy, at fair wages and on good terms with their employers, until the advent among them of one who called himself, alternately, a benefactor of humanity and a labour agitator. ”

“ There were moments when he felt, as every man, howsoever brave, must feel at times, that he would like to shift all his responsibilities and go away from the place that seemed destined to tax his powers beyond their capability of endurance. ”

“ Den all of a sudden I hyeah de winder go up, an’ I lak to fall over gittin’ outen de way to keep f’om bein’ seed. Aunt Emmerline done opened de winder an’ gone in. Dey bofe tu’ned an’ looked at huh s’prised lak, an’ Mas’ Jack sta’ted to say somep’n’, but she th’owed up huh han’ an’ say ‘Wait!’ lak she owned de house. ‘Mas’ Jack,’ she say, ‘you an’ Mas’ Tho’nton ain’t gwine pa’t dis way. You mus’n’t. You’s father an’ son. You loves one another. I knows I ain’t got no bus’ness meddlin’ in yo’ ’fairs, but I cain’t see you all qua’l dis way. ”

“ Miss Callena,” he said, with subdued ardour, “’cause I’m a ign’ant man. I ain’t had no ejication nor no schoolin’. I’m jes’ a se’f-made man. All I know I’ve lunned f’om de white folks I’ve wo’ked fu’.”
“It isn’t always education that makes the man, Mr. Taft,” said the school-teacher, encouragingly. “I’ve seen a great many men in my life who had all the education and schooling that heart could wish, but when that was said, all was said. They hadn’t anything here.” She pressed her hand feelingly and impressively upon her heart. “It’s the noble heart, after all, that makes the real man.” ”

“ The wine had gone to make good cheer when a Federal regiment had lighted its campfires on the Estridge lawn, but old Ike had heard it too often before and knew his business too well to give any sign.
“I want you to take some things up to Miss Clarinda Randolph to-morrow, too, and I’ve got a silver snuffbox for Thomas Daniels. I can’t make many presents this year. I’ve got to devote my money to the interest of your young masters.”
There was a catch in the Negro’s voice as he replied, “Yes, Mas’ Estridge, dey needs it mos’, dey needs it mos’.” ”

“ Your Mas’ Bob and your Mas’ Stanton are going to be home to-morrow, and I want to show them that their father’s house hasn’t lost any of the qualities that have made it famous in Virginia for a hundred years. Ike, there ain’t anything in this world for making men out of boys like making them feel the debt they owe to their name and family. ”

“ There was no more demur, and as soon as night had fallen, the Negroes did as they were bidden, though the rude, ill-furnished huts contained little or nothing of value. Another precaution taken by the blacks was to leave short candles burning in their dwellings so as to give the impression of occupancy. If nothing occurred during the night, the lights would go out of themselves and the enemy would be none the wiser as to their vigilance. ”

“ On the edge of the throng, half in the shadow, Jason Andrews listened in silence, and his just anger grew.
The speaker was saying, “What are we white men goin’ to do? Set still an’ let niggers steal the bread out of our mouths? Ain’t it our duty to rise up like free Americans an’ drive ’em from the place? Who dares say no to that?” ”

“ No one knew better than he how to bring out the good point of a bad article. He would have sold you a blind horse and convinced you that he was doing you a favour in giving you an animal that would not be frightened by anything he saw. ”

“ What have you got to say to that?”
“I reckon dat’s right, mastah, I reckon dat’s mighty nigh right.”
“Well, we shall see about it when the time comes; we shall see about it.”
“Lawd, how long!” mumbled the old servant to himself as he went on about his work. “Ain’t Mas’ Bob nevah gwine to git his almanec straight? He been gwine on dis way fu’ ovah twenty yeahs now. He cain’t git it thoo’ his haid dat time been a-passin’. Hyeah I done been ma’ied to Lize fu’ lo dese many yeahs, an’ we’ve got ma’ied chillum, but he still think I’s a-cou’tin’ huh.” ”

“ Its leaves are put’ nigh all gone. You look at de branches, dey’s all rough an’ crookid. De tree’s all full of sticks an’ stones an’ wiah an’ ole tin cans. Hit’s all bruised up an’ hit’s a ha’d thing to look at altogether. You look at de tree an’ whut do you say in yo’ hea’t? You say de tree ain’t no ’count, fu’ ‘by deir fruits shell you know dem.’ But you wrong, my frien’s, you wrong. Dat tree did ba’ good fruit, an’ by hits fruit was hit knowed. John tol’ Gawge an’ Gawge tol’ Sam, an’ evah one dat passed erlong de road had to have a shy at dat fruit. ”

“ Leave Dale’s horse here, and—I won’t want you any more to-night.”
“Now how does you an’ Mas’ Dale ’spect dat you gwine to wait on yo’se’ves to-night?”
“I shall not want you again to-night, I tell you.”
Pete turned away with an injured expression on his dark face. “Bess,” he said to the spirited black mare as he led her toward the stables, “you jes’ bettah t’ank yo’ Makah dat you ain’t no human-bein’, ’ca’se human-bein’s [175] is cur’ous articles. Now you’s a hoss, ain’t you? An’ dey say you ain’t got no soul, but you got sense, Bess, you got sense. ”

“ Mr. Taft also pressed his hand against his heart and sighed. They were both so absorbed that neither of them saw the shadow that fell on the floor from a form that stood in the doorway.
“As for being self-made,” Miss Callena went on, “why, Mr. Taft, what can be nobler or better for a man to know than that all he has he has got by his own efforts?”
The shadow disappeared, and the form receded from the doorway as the suitor was saying: “I tek no credit to myse’f fu’ what I’ve got, neither [261] in sense or money. But I am glad to say dat I wo’ked fu’ everything myse’f.” ”

“ When she come back, ’long to’ds ebenin’, I say, ‘Aunt Emmerline, whah you been all day?’
“‘Nemmine, honey, you see,’ she say, an’ [149] laff. Well, I ain’t seed nobidy laff fu’ so long dat hit jes’ mek me feel right wa’m erroun’ my hea’t, an’ I laff an’ keep on laffin’ jes’ at nuffin’.
“Nex’ mo’nin’ Aunt Emmerline mighty oneasy, an’ I don’ know whut de matter ontwell I hyeah some un say, ‘Tek dat hoss, Ike, an’ feed him, but keep de saddle on.’ Aunt Emmerline jes’ fa’ly fall out de do’ an’ I lak to drap, ’ca’se hit’s Mas’ Tho’nton’s voice. ”

“ If that was a twinkle which for an instant lightened the dark eyes of Miss Callena, Mr. Taft did not see it, for his own orbs were still feelingly contemplating the ceiling.
[251]
“Ah, yes,” sighed the teacher, “the strong arms of man would save poor woman a great deal; but it is always the same difficulty, to find them both strong and willing.”
“Oh, I know ef you was de lady in question, dey’d be plenty dat was willin’ right hyeah in dis town.” Alonzo went on impetuously, “Men dat owns houses an’ lan’ an’ hosses an’ hogs, even dey’d be willin’ ef it was you.” ”

“ For thirty years life has been a curse to me; but I am going back to Kentucky now, and when I get there I’ll lay it down without a regret.”
All the anger had melted from the Negro’s face, and there were tears in his eyes as he [200] cried, “You sha’n’t do it, Mas’ Tom,—you sha’n’t do it.”
His destructive instinct had turned to one of preservation.
“But, Nelse, I have no further hopes,” said the dejected man.
“You have, and you shall have. You’re goin’ back to Kintucky, an’ you’re goin’ back a gentleman. I kin he’p you, an’ I will; you’re welcome to the last I have.” ”

“ So, after the third night, everybody wondered and talked, and not a few began to lean to Phiny’s explanation, that “de ole snek in de grass had be’n a-goin’ on doin’ all her dev’ment on de sly, so’s people wouldn’t know it; but de Lawd he did, an’ he payin’ her up fu’ it now.”
Sam Merritt alone did not talk, and seemed perfectly indifferent to all that was said; when he was in Phiny’s company and she rallied him about the actions of his “gal,” he remained silent.
On the fourth night of Anner ’Lizer’s mourning, the congregation gathered as usual at the church. ”

“ Sister Williams saw that she had overshot her mark. “Oh, hit’s all right, Sis’ Sneedon, hit’s all right. I jes’ spoke of it a-wunnerin’. What we women folks wants to do is to ban’ togethah to hol’ up de han’ of de pastah dat comes, whoms’ever he may be.”
“Dat’s hit, dat’s hit,” assented her companion; “an’ you kin ’pend on me thah, fu’ I’s a powahful han’ to uphol’ de ministah whoms’ever he is.”
“An’ you right too, fu’ dey’s de shepuds of de flock. Well, I mus’ be goin’—come ovah.” ”

“ Mas’ Tho’nton say, ‘Why, father didn’t eat his cakes.’ ‘I reckon yo’ pa ain’t well,’ says I, fu’ I knowed de chile was innercent.
“Well, after dat day, ole Mas’ tuk extry pains to keep de chillun apa’t—but ’twa’n’t no use. ’Tain’t never no use in a case lak dat. Dey jes’ would be together, an’ ez de boy got older, it seemed to grieve his pappy mighty. I reckon he didn’t lak to jes’ fu’bid him seein’ Miss Nellie, fu’ he know how haidstrong Mas’ Tho’nton was, anyhow. So things kep’ on dis way, an’ de boy got handsomer evah day. ”

“ Eliza Hatton had been quietly watching proceedings, and as her husband entered the kitchen she said, “Look a-here, Nelse, you shorely ain’t a-goin’ to have that tramp in the kitchen a-settin’ up to the table?”
“Why, course,” said Nelse; “he’s human, ain’t he?”
“That don’t make no difference. I bet none of these white folks round here would do it.”
“That ain’t none of my business,” answered her husband. “I believe in every person doin’ their own duty. Put somethin’ down on the table; the man’s hungry. An’ don’t never git stuck up, ’Lizy; you don’t know what our children have got to come to.” ”

“ Mas’ Jamieson ma’ied too, an’ after so many years dey was bofe wid’ers, but dey ain’t fu’give one another yit. When Mas’ Tho’nton was big enough to run erroun’, ole Mas’ used to try to ’press on him dat a Venable mus’n’ never put his foot on de Jamieson lan’; an’ many a tongue-lashin’ an’ sometimes wuss de han’s on our place got fu’ mixin’ wif de Jamieson servants. But, la! young Mas’ Tho’nton was wuss’n de niggers. Evah time he got a chance he was out an’ gone, over lots an’ fiel’s an’ into de Jamieson ya’d a-playin’ wif little Miss Nellie, whut was Mas’ Tom’s little gal. ”

“ You got blood an’ fiah an’ breedin’ in you too, ain’t you? Co’se you has. But you knows how to answah de rein. You’s a high steppah, too: but you don’ go to work an’ try to brek yo’ naik de fus’ chanst you git. Bess, I ’spect you ’ca’se you got jedgment, an’ you don’ have to have a black man runnin’ ’roun aftah you all de time plannin’ his haid off jes’ to keep you out o’ trouble. Some folks dat’s human-bein’s does. Yet an’ still, Bess, you ain’t nuffin’ but a dumb beas’, so dey says. Now, what I gwine to do? Co’se dey wants to fight. But whah an’ when an’ how I gwine to stop hit? ”

“ He say, ‘I want you to know, Emmerline, dat hit ain’t yo’ place to dictate to yo’ mastah whut he shell do—Shet up, shet up! I don’ want a word outen you. You been on dis place so long, an’ been bossin’ de other darkies an’ yo’ Mas’ Tho’nton erroun’ so long, dat I ’low you think you own de place. Shet up, not a word outen you! Ef you an’ yo’ young Mas’ ’s a-gwine to run dis place, I reckon I’d better step out. Humph! You was so sma’t to go to Lexin’ton de other day, you kin go back dah ergin. ”

“ Dunkin seek, and delivered himself as follows: “Mistah Tat’, you reco’nise de dooty dat is laid upon me by bein’ a membah of de school-boa’d. I has got to go to de depot aftah Miss Callena Johnson to-morrow aftahnoon. Now, Mistah Taf’, I is a delibut man myse’f. I is mighty keerful what I does an’ how I does it. As you know, I ain’t no man fu’ society, an’ conserkently I is not convusant wid some of de manipulations of comp’ny. So I t’ought I’d come an’ ax yo’ advice about sev’al t’ings,—what to waih, an’ which side o’ de wagon to have Miss Callena on, an’ how to he’p huh in, an’ so fofe.” ”