But the pleasant home-life of Louis and Minnie was destined to be rudely
broken up. He began to receive threats and anonymous letters, such as
these: "Louis Lecroix, you are a doomed man. We are determined to
tolerate no scalawags, nor carpetbaggers among us. Beware, the sacred
serpent has hissed."
But Louis, brave and resolute, kept on the even tenor of his way,
although he never left his home without some forebodings that he tried
in vain to cast off. But his young wife being less in contact with the
brutal elements of society in that sin-cursed region, did not comprehend
the danger as Louis did, and yet she could not help feeling anxious for
her husband's safety.
They never parted without her looking after him with a sigh, and then
turning to her school, or whatever work or reading she had on her hand,
she would strive to suppress her heart's forebodings. But the storm
about to burst and to darken forever the sunshine of that home was
destined to fall on that fair young head.
Imperative business called Louis from home for one night. Minnie stood
at the door and said, "Louis, I hate to have you go. I have been feeling
so badly here lately, as if something was going to happen. Come home as
soon as you can."
"I will, darling," he said, kissing her tenderly again and again. "I do
feel rather loath to leave you, but death is every where, always lurking
in ambush. A man may escape from an earthquake to be strangled by a
hair. So, darling, keep in good spirits till I come."
Minnie stood at the door watching him till he was out of sight, and then
turning to her mother with a sigh, she said, "What a wretched state of
society. When he goes I never feel easy till he returns. I do wish we
had a government under which our lives would be just as safe as they
were in Pennsylvania."
Ellen felt very anxious, but she tried to hide her disquietude and keep
Minnie's spirits from sinking, and so she said, "This is a hard country.
We colored people have seen our hard times here."
"But, mother, don't you sometimes feel bitter towards these people, who
have treated you so unkindly?"
"No, Minnie; I used to, but I don't now. God says we must forgive, and
if we don't forgive, He won't forgive."
"But, mother, how did you get to feeling so?"
"Why, honey, I used to suffer until my heart was almost ready to burst,
but I learned to cast my burden on the Lord, and then my misery all
passed away. My burden fell off at the foot of the cross, and I felt
that my feet were planted on a rock."
"How wonderful," said Minnie, "is this faith! How real it is to them!
How near some of these suffering people have drawn to God!"
"Yes," said Ellen, "Mrs. Sumpter had a colored woman, to whom they were
real mean and cruel, and one day they whipped her and beat her on her
feet to keep her from running away; but she made up her mind to leave,
and so she packed up her clothes to run away. But before she started, I
believe she kneeled down and prayed, and asked what she should do, and
something reasoned with her and said, 'Stand still and see what I am
going to do for you,' and so she unpacked her clothes and stayed, and
now the best part of it was this, Milly's son had been away, and he
came back and brought with him money enough to buy his mother; for he
had been out begging money to buy her, and so Milly got free, and she
was mighty glad that she had stayed, because when he'd come back, if she
had been gone, he would not have known where to find her."
"Well, it is wonderful. Somehow these people have passed through the
darkness and laid their hands on God's robe of love and light, and have
been sustained. It seems to me that some things they see clearer through
their tears."
"Mother," said Minnie, "As it is Saturday I will visit some of my
scholars."
"Well, Minnie, I would; you look troubled, and may be you'll feel
better."
"Yes, Mother, I often feel strengthened after visiting some of these
good old souls, and getting glimpses into their inner life. I sometimes
ask them, after listening to the story of their past wrongs, what has
sustained you? What has kept you up? And the almost invariable answer
has been the power of God. Some of these poor old souls, who have been
turned adrift to shift for themselves, don't live by bread alone; they
live by bread and faith in God. I asked one of them a few days since,
Are you not afraid of starving? and the answer was, Not while God
lives."
After Minnie left, she visited a number of lowly cabins. The first one
she entered was the home of an industrious couple who were just making a
start in life. The room in which Minnie was, had no window-lights, only
an aperture that supplied them with light, but also admitted the cold.
"Why don't you have window-lights?" said Minnie.
"Oh we must crawl before we walk;" and yet even in this humble home they
had taken two orphan children of their race, and were giving them food
and shelter. And this kindness to the orphans of their race Minnie
found to be a very praiseworthy practice among some of those people who
were not poorer than themselves.
The next cabin she entered was very neat, though it bore evidences of
poverty. The woman, in referring to the past, told her how her child had
been taken away when it was about two years old, and how she had lost
all trace of him, and would not know him if he stood in her presence.
"How did you feel?" said Minnie.
"I felt as I was going to my grave, but I thought if I wouldn't get
justice here, I would get it in another world."
"My husband," said another, "asked if God is a just God, how would sich
as slavery be, and something answered and said, 'sich shan't always be,'
and you couldn't beat it out of my husband's head that the Spirit didn't
speak to him."
And thus the morning waned away, and Minnie returned calmer than when
she had left. A holy peace stole over her mind. She felt that for high
and low, rich and poor, there was a common refuge. That there was no
corner so dark that the light of heaven could not shine through, and
that these people in their ignorance and simplicity had learned to look
upon God as a friend coming near to them in their sorrows, and taking
cognizance of their wants and woes.
Minnie loved to listen to these beautiful stories of faith and trust. To
her they were grand inspirations to faith and duty. Sometimes Minnie
would think, when listening to some dear aged saint, I can't teach these
people religion, I must learn from them.
Refreshed and strengthened she returned home and began to work upon a
dress for a destitute and orphaned child, and when night came she
retired quite early, being somewhat wearied with her day's work.
During his absence Louis had been among the freedmen in a new
settlement where he had lately established a school, where,
notwithstanding all their disadvantages, he was pleased to see evidences
of growth and progress.
There was an earnestness and growing manliness that commanded his
respect. They were beginning to learn the power of combination, and gave
but little heed to the cajoling words, "We are your best friends."
"Don't you think," Louis said to an intelligent freedman, "that the
rebels are your best friends?"
"I'll think so when I lose my senses."
"But you are ignorant," Louis said to another one. "How will you know
whom to vote for?"
"Well if I don't, I know how not to vote for a rebel."
"How do you know you didn't vote for a rebel?" said Louis to another one
who came from one of the most benighted districts.
"I voted for one of my own color," as if treason and a black skin were
incompatible.
In the evening Louis called the people together, and talked with them,
trying to keep them from being discouraged, for the times were evil, and
the days were very gloomy. The impeachment had failed. State after State
in the North had voted against enfranchising the colored man in their
midst. The spirit of the lost cause revived, murders multiplied. The Ku
Klux spread terror and death around. Every item of Northern meanness to
the colored people in their midst was a message of hope to the rebel
element of the South, which had only changed. Ballot and bullet had
failed, but another resort was found in secret assassination. Men
advocating equal rights did so at the peril of their lives, for violence
and murder were rampant in the land. Oh those dark and weary days when
politicians were flattering for place and murdered Union men were
sleeping in their bloody shrouds. Louis' courage did not desert him, and
he tried to nerve the hearts of those that were sinking with fear in
those days of gloom and terror. His advice to the people was, "Defend
your firesides if they are invaded, live as peaceably as you can, spare
no pains to educate your children, be saving and industrious, try to get
land under your feet and homes over your heads. My faith is very strong
in political parties, but, as the world has outgrown other forms of
wrong, I believe that it will outgrow this also. We must trust and hope
for better things." What else could he say? And yet there were times when
his words seemed to him almost like bitter mockery. Here was outrage
upon outrage committed upon these people, and to tell them to hope and
wait for better times, but seemed like speaking hollow words. Oh he
longed for a central administration strong enough to put down violence
and misrule in the South. If Johnson was clasping hands with rebels and
traitors was there no power in Congress to give, at least, security to
life? Must they wait till murder was organized into an institution, and
life and property were at the mercy of the mob? And, if so, would not
such a government be a farce, and such a civilization a failure?
With these reflections passing through his mind he fell asleep, but his
slumber was restless and disturbed. He dreamed (but it seemed so plain
to him, that he thought it was hardly a dream,) that Minnie came to his
side and pressed her lips to his, but they were very pale and very cold.
He reached out his hand to clasp her, but she was gone, but as she
vanished he heard her say, "My husband."
Restless and uneasy he arose; there was a strange feeling around his
soul, a great sinking and depression of his spirits. He could not
account for his feelings. He arose and walked the floor and looked up at
the heavens, but the night was very bright and beautiful, still he could
not shake off his strange and sad forebodings, and as soon as it was
light he started for home.
* * * * *
[Installment missing.]