RUSHY SHORE.
He feels, he feels within him
That courage self-possessed,--
That force that ye shall win him,
The brightest and the best,--
The stalwarth Saxon daring
That steadily steps on,
Unswerving and unsparing
Until the goal be won!
--_M.F. Tupper_.
The first thing Ishmael did when he found himself again settled at
Woodside, and had got over the anguish of his parting with Claudia and
the excitement of his removal from Tanglewood, was to walk over to Rushy
Shore and inquire of Overseer Brown whether a master had yet been heard
of for the little school.
"No, nor aint a-gwine to be! There aint much temptation to anybody as
knows anything about this 'ere school to take it. The chillun as comes
to it,--well there, they are just the dullest, headstrongest, forwardest
set o' boys and gals as ever was; and their fathers and mothers, take
'em all together, are the bad-payingest! The fact is, cansarning this
school, one may say as the wexation is sartain and the wages
un-sartain," answered Brown, whom Ishmael found, as usual, sauntering
through the fields with his pipe in his mouth.
"Well, then, as I am on my feet again, and no other master can be found,
I will take it myself--that is to say, if I can have it," said Ishmael.
"Well, I reckon you can. Mr. Middleton, he sent his lawyer down here to
settle up affairs arter he had bought the property, and the lawyer, he
told me, as I had been so long used to the place as I was to keep on
a-managing of it for the new master; and as a-letting out of this
schoolhouse was a part of my business, I do s'pose as I can let you have
it, if you like to take it."
"Yes, I should, and I engage it from the first of January. There are now
but two weeks remaining until the Christmas holidays. So it is not worth
while to open the school until these shall be over. But meanwhile,
Brown, you can let your friends and neighbors know that the schoolhouse
will be ready for the reception of pupils on Monday, the third of
January."
"Very well, sir; I'll let them all know."
"And now, Brown, tell me, is Mr. Middleton's family coming in at the
first of the year?" inquired Ishmael anxiously.
"Oh, no, sir! the house is a deal too damp. In some places it leaks
awful in rainy weather. There be a lot of repairs to be made. So it
won't be ready for the family much afore the spring, if then."
"I am sorry to hear that. Will you give me Mr. Middleton's address?"
"His--which, sir?"
"Tell me where I can write to him."
"Oh! he is at Washington, present speaking; Franklin Square, Washington
City; that will find him."
"Thank you." And shaking hands with the worthy overseer Ishmael
departed.
And the same day he wrote and posted a letter to Mr. Middleton.
The intervening two weeks between that day and Christmas were spent by
Ishmael, as usual, in work and study. He made up the whole year's
accounts for Reuben Gray, and put his farm books in perfect order. While
Ishmael was engaged in this latter job, it occurred to him that he could
not always be at hand to assist Reuben, and that it would be much
better for Gray to learn enough of arithmetic and bookkeeping to make
him independent of other people's help in keeping his accounts.
So when Ishmael brought him his books one evening and told him they were
all in order up to that present day, and Reuben said:
"Thank you, Ishmael! I don't know what I should do without you, my lad!"
Ishmael answered him, saying very earnestly:
"Uncle Reuben, all the events of life are proverbially very uncertain;
and it may happen that you may be obliged to do without me; in which
case, would it not be well for you to be prepared for such a
contingency?"
"What do you mean, Ishmael?" inquired Gray, in alarm.
"I mean--had you not better learn to keep your books yourself, in case
you should lose me?"
"Oh, Ishmael, I do hope you are not going to leave us!" exclaimed
Reuben, in terror.
"Not until duty obliges me to do so, and that may not be for years. It
is true that I have taken the Rushy Shore schoolhouse, which I intend to
open on the third of January; but then I shall continue to reside here
with you, and walk backward and forward between this and that."
"What! every day there and back, and it such a distance!"
"Yes, Uncle Reuben; I can manage to do so, by rising an hour earlier
than usual," said Ishmael cheerfully.
"You rise airly enough now, in all conscience! You're up at daybreak. If
you get up airlier nor that, and take that long walk twice every day, it
will wear you out and kill you--that is all."
"It will do me good, Uncle Reuben! It will be just the sort of exercise
in the open air that I shall require to antidote the effect of my
sedentary work in the schoolroom," said Ishmael cheerfully.
"That's you, Ishmael! allers looking on the bright side of everything,
and taking hold of all tools by the smooth handle! I hardly think any
hardship in this world as could be put upon you, would be took amiss by
you, Ishmael."
"I am glad you think so well of me, Uncle Reuben; I must try to retain
your good opinion; it was not of myself I wished to speak, however, but
of you. I hope you will learn to keep your own accounts, so as to be
independent of anybody else's assistance. If you would give me a half
an hour's attention every night, I could teach you to do it well in the
course of a few weeks or months."
"Law, Ishmael, that would give you more trouble than keeping the books
yourself."
"I can teach you, and keep the books besides, until you are able to do
it yourself."
"Law, Ishmael, how will you ever find the time to do all that, and keep
school, and read law, and take them long walks besides?"
"Why, Uncle Reuben, I can always find time to do every, duty I
undertake," replied the persevering boy.
"One would think your days were forty-eight hours long, Ishmael, for you
to get through all the work as you undertake."
"But how about the lessons, Uncle Reuben?"
"Oh, Ishmael, I'm too old to larn; it aint worth while now; I'm past
fifty, you know."
"Well, but you are a fine, strong, healthy man, and may live to be
eighty or ninety. Now, if I can teach you in two or three months an art
which will be useful to you every day of your life, for thirty or forty
years, don't you think that it is quite worth while to learn it?"
"Well, Ishmael, you have got a way of putting things as makes people
think they're reasonable, whether or no, and convinces of folks agin'
their will. I think, after all, belike you oughter be a lawyer, if so be
you'd turn a judge and jury round your finger as easy as you turn other
people. I'll e'en larn of you, Ishmael, though it do look rum like for
an old man like me to go to school to a boy like you."
"That is right, Uncle Reuben. You'll be a good accountant yet before the
winter is over," laughed Ishmael.
Christmas came; but it would take too long to tell of the rustic
merry-makings in a neighborhood noted for the festive style in which it
celebrates its Christmas holidays. There were dinner, supper, and
dancing parties in all the cottages during the entire week. Reuben Gray
gave a rustic ball on New Year's evening. And all the country beaus and
belles of his rank in society came and danced at it. And Ishmael, in the
geniality of his nature, made himself so agreeable to everybody that he
unconsciously turned the heads of half the girls in the room, who
unanimously pronounced him "quite the gentleman."
This was the last as well as the gayest party of the holidays. It broke
up at twelve midnight, because the next day was Sunday.
On Monday Ishmael arose early and walked over to Rushy Shore, opened his
schoolhouse, lighted a fire in it, and sat down at his teacher's desk to
await the arrival of his pupils.
About eight or nine o'clock they began to come, by ones, twos, and
threes; some attended by their parents and some alone. Rough-looking
customers they were, to be sure; shock-headed, sun-burned, and
freckle-faced girls and boys of the humblest class of "poor whites," as
they were called in the slave States.
Ishmael received them, each and all, with that genial kindness which
always won the hearts of all who knew him.
In arranging his school and classifying his pupils, Ishmael found the
latter as ignorant, stubborn, and froward as they had been represented
to him.
Sam White would not go into the same class with Pete Johnson because
Pete's father got drunk and was "had up" for fighting. Susan Jones would
not sit beside Ann Bates because Ann's mother "hired out." Jem Ellis,
who was a big boy that did not know his ABC's, insisted on being put at
the head of the highest class because he was the tallest pupil in the
school. And Sarah Brown refused to go into any class at all, because her
father was the overseer of the estate, and she felt herself above them
all!
These objections and claims were all put forth with loud voices and rude
gestures.
But Ishmael, though shocked, was not discouraged. "In patience he
possessed his soul" that day. And after a while he succeeded in calming
all these turbulent spirits and reducing his little kingdom to order.
It was a very harassing day, however, and after he had dismissed his
school and walked home, and given Reuben Gray his lesson, and posted the
account-book, and read a portion of his "Coke," he retired to bed,
thoroughly wearied in mind and body and keenly appreciative of the
privilege of rest. From this day forth Ishmael worked harder and
suffered more privations than, perhaps, he had ever done at any former
period of his life.
He rose every morning at four o'clock, before any of the family were
stirring; dressed himself neatly, read a portion of the Holy Scriptures
by candle-light, said his prayers, ate a cold breakfast that had been
laid out for him the night before, and set off to walk five miles to his
schoolhouse.
He usually reached it at half-past six; opened and aired the room, and
made the fire; and then sat down to read law until the arrival of the
hour for the commencement of the studies.
He taught diligently until twelve o'clock; then he dismissed the pupils
for two hours to go home and get their dinners; he ate the cold luncheon
of bread and cheese or meat that he had brought with him; and set off to
walk briskly the distance of a mile and a half to Shelton, where the
court was in session, and where he spent an hour watching their
proceedings and taking notes. He got back to his school at two o'clock;
called in his pupils for the afternoon session, and taught diligently
until six o'clock in the afternoon, when he dismissed them for the day,
shut up the schoolhouse, and set off to walk home.
He usually reached Woodside at about seven o'clock, where he found them
waiting tea for him. As this was the only meal Ishmael could take home,
Hannah always took care that it should be a comfortable and abundant
one. After tea he would give Reuben his lesson in bookkeeping, post up
the day's accounts, and then retire to his room to study for an hour or
two before going to bed. This was the history of five days out of every
week of Ishmael's life.
On Saturdays, according to custom, the school had a holiday; and Ishmael
spent the morning in working in the garden. As it was now the depth of
winter, there was but little to do, and half a day's work in the week
sufficed to keep all in order. Saturday afternoons Ishmael went over to
open and air the library at Tanglewood, and to return the books he had
read and bring back new ones. Saturday evenings he spent very much as he
did the preceding ones of the week--in giving Reuben his lesson, in
posting up the week's accounts, and in reading law until bed time.
On Sundays Ishmael rested from worldly labors and went to church to
refresh his soul. But for this Sabbath's rest, made obligatory upon him
by the Christian law, Ishmael must have broken down under his severe
labors. As it was, however, the benign Christian law of the Sabbath's
holy rest proved his salvation.