A THREAT
The moment Chunk believed that Scoville could dispense with his
services for a time he made his way promptly to the back veranda and
gave a low, peculiar whistle which Zany recognized. He had ceased in
her estimation to be merely a subject for infinite jest. Though not
very advanced in the scale of civilization, she was influenced by
qualities which appealed to her mind, and possessed many traits common
to her sex. His shrewdness and courage were making good his lack of
inches. Above all, he was in favor with the "head Linkum man," and Zany
belonged to that class ever ready to greet the rising sun. While all
this was true, she could not be herself and abandon her coquettish
impulses and disposition to tease. She came slowly from the dining-room
and looked over Chunk's head as if she could not see him. Bent on
retaliation, he stepped behind her, lifted her in his powerful arms and
carried her on a full run to some screening shrubbery, the irate
captive cuffing his ear soundly all the way. Setting her down, he
remarked quietly, "Now I reckon you kin fin' me."
"Yo' wool git gray 'fo' you fin' me agin," she replied, making a feint
of starting for the house.
"Berry well, Miss Zany. I see you doan want ter be a free gyurl. I'se
tell Marse Scoville you no 'count niggah."
"W'at you want anyhow, imperdence?"
"I wants sup'n ter eat. Does you 'spects I kin ride all night en all
day ter brung you freedom, en den not eben git a good word? You ain'
fit fer freedom. I'se tell some nachel-bawn fool ter gib you a yaller
rib'on en den dere be two ob you."
"La now, Chunk," she replied, coming back, "ef I wuz lookin' fer a fool
I des stay right yere. Ef you git a pa'r ob steps en look in my face
you'd see I'se bettah fren' ter you ner you ter me. You stay yere en I
brings you w'at you tink a heap on mor'n me," and now she darted away
with intentions satisfactory to her strategic admirer.
Chunk grinned and soliloquized, "Reck'n I kin fotch dat gyurl roun' wid
all her contrariations. I des likes her skittishness, but I ain'
tellin' her so, kaze I gwine ter hab my han's full as 'tis."
Zany soon returned with a plate well heaped, for at this time her
argus-eyed mistress was sitting in the parlor, awaiting whatever fate
the ruthless Yankees might impose. Chunk sat Turk-fashion on the ground
and fell to as if famished, meanwhile listening eagerly to the girl's
account of what had happened during his absence.
"Hi!" said Zany disdainfully, "you'd mek lub ter Aun' Suke ef she fed
you."
"I kin mek mo'n lub," Chunk answered, nodding at her portentously; "I
kin mek mischief."
"Reck'n you do dat anyhow."
"See yere, Zany, does you tink Marse Scoville a fool?"
"Ob co'se not."
"Well, he doan tink me a fool. Whose 'pinion's wuth de mos'? Who took
keer on 'im? Who got 'im off safe right un'er de nose ob one ob Mad
Whately's sogers? Who brung 'im back des in time ter stop dat ar
mar'age en gib we uns freedom? You mighty peart, but you got a heap ter
larn 'fo' you cut yo' eye-tooths."
"Some folks gits dere eye-tooths en doan git nuthin' wid 'em," Zany
remarked nonchalantly. "I'se 'mit dough dat you comin' on, Chunk. W'en
you gits growed up you'se be right smart."
"I doan min' de foolishness ob yo' talk, Zany," Chunk replied coolly,
between his huge mouthfuls. "Dat's in you, en you kyant he'p hit any
mo'n a crow cawin'. I'se allus mek 'lowance fer dat. I des 'proves dis
'casion ter 'zort you ter be keerful w'at you DOES. Dere's gwine ter be
mighty ticklish times--sorter flash-bang times, yer know. I'se a free
man--des ez free as air, en I'se hired mysef ter Marse Scoville ter
wait on 'im. I'se growed up anuff ter know he kin tek de shine off eny
man I eber see, or you neider. He yo' boss now well ez mine. I'se gib
'im a good report on you ef I kin. I'se feard, howsomeber, dat he say
you outgrowed yo' sense."
"Dar now, Chunk, you puttin' on mo' airs dan Marse Scoville hissef. He
des ez perlite ter marster en ole miss ez ef he come ter pay his
'spects ter dem en he look at Miss Lou ez a cat do at cream."
"Hi! dat so? No won'er he want ter git ahaid ob de parson en dat
weddin' business."
"Oh, yo' orful growed up en ain' fin' dat out?"
"I 'spicioned it. Well, de ting fer you'n me is ter he'p 'im."
"La, now," replied Zany, proposing to give a broad hint at the same
time, "I ain' gwine ter he'p no man in sech doin's. De cream neber goes
ter de cat."
"Yere, tek de plate, Zany, wid my tanks," said Chunk, rising. "Sech
cream ez you gits orful sour ef de cat doan fin' it sud'n. I'se took my
'zert now," and he caught her up again and kissed her on the way back
to the veranda.
This time his performances were seen by Aun' Suke, who stood in the
kitchen door. She snatched up a pail of water, exclaiming, "I cool you
uns off, I sut'ny will. Sech goin's on!" But they were too quick for
her. Zany pretended to be as irate as she was secretly pleased, while
Chunk caused the old woman to boil over with rage by declaring, "Aun'
Suke, I sen' a soger yere ter hab you 'rested for 'zorderly conduct."
"Ef you eber comes ter dis kitchen agin I'se emty de pot ob bilin'
water on you," cried Aun' Suke, retreating to her domain.
"Ef you does, you get yosef ober haid en years in hot water," Chunk
answered with exasperating sang froid. "You niggahs gwine ter fin' out
who's who on dis plantashun 'fo' yo' nex' birthday."
Zany's only response was a grimace, and he next carried his exaggerated
sense of importance to his granny's cabin. He had seen Aun' Jinkey and
spoken a few reassuring words as he passed with Scoville's attacking
force. Since that time she had done a power of "projeckin'" over her
corncob pipe, but events were now hurrying toward conclusions beyond
her ken. It has already been observed that Aun' Jinkey was a neutral
power. As yet, the weight of her decision had been cast neither for the
North nor the South, while the question of freedom remained to be
smoked over indefinitely. There was no indecision in her mind, however,
in regard to her young mistress, and greater even than her fears when
she heard the sounds of conflict was her solicitude over the
possibility of a forced marriage. Since she was under the impression
that her cabin might soon become again the refuge of one or the other
of the contending powers, possibly of Miss Lou herself, she left the
door ajar and was on the alert.
"Hi dar! granny," cried Chunk, the first to appear, "dat's right. Now
you kin smoke in peace, fer you own yosef. Nobody come bossin' you yere
any mo'."
"Doan you git so bumptious all ter oncet," said Aun' Jinkey. "Does you
'spect de hull top's gwine ter be tu'ned right ober down'erds in er
day? But dar! you ain' no 'sper'ience. Yo' stomack emty en you' haid
light. Draw up now en tell me de news. Tell me sud'n 'bout Miss Lou.
Did dey git her mar'd?"
"Yah! yah! Marse Scoville's so'd ud cut de knot ef dey had."
"Dat's des ez much ez you knows. All de so'ds ober flash kyant cut dat
ar knot 'less dey kill Marse Whately."
"Dat 'min's me ob someting ter'ble quar. Marse Scoville had he so'd
pintin' right agin Mad Whately's neck en yit he ain' jab 'im. Dat same
Mad Whately gwine ter mek a heap ob trouble fer he got clean off."
"Marse Scoville know dat ef he kill a man right straight wid he own
han' he spook come and mek a heap mo' trouble."
"Hi! didn't tink o' dat."
"Bettah tink right smart, Chunk. You'se gittin' top-heaby ef you is
sho't. Now tell me all 'bout de mar'age."
"Dey ain' no mar'age. Zany tole me how Miss Lou say she ain' neber
'sent, en den 'fo' dey could say dere lingo ober her en mar'y her des
ez dey would a bale ob cotton, up rides Marse Scoville en put his so'd
troo ebryting. He tells us we all free en--"
"En eat yo' supper. I ain' done projeckin' 'bout dis freedom business.
How we uns gwine ter be free 'less Marse Scoville stay yere en kep us
free?"
"Zany guv me my supper en--"
"Dar now, I ain' no mo' 'count. Zany gobble you aready. I des stick ter
my chimbly corner."
"Howdy, Aunt Jinkey," cried Scoville, coming in briskly. "Well, you see
I'm back again as I promised."
"You welcome, a hun'erd times welcome, kaze you kep my young mistis fum
bein' mar'ed right slap 'gin her own feelin's ter her cousin."
"Pshaw! Aunt Jinkey. No one can marry a girl against her will in this
country."
"Dat des de question Miss Lou en me projeckin' 'bout dis berry mawnin'.
She gyardeens went straight along ez ef dey had de po'r, dey sut'ny
did. Dat's w'at so upset Miss Lou en me. De po'r ob gyardeens is sump'n
I kyant smoke out straight, en I des lak ter know how much dey KIN do.
Ole mars'r al'ays manage her prop'ty en we wuz flustrated w'en we see
'im en Mad Whately en he moder en ole miss en all gittin' ready fer de
weddin' des ez ef hit was comin' like sun-up sho."
"It was a shame," cried Scoville angrily. "They were seeking to drive
her into submission by strong, steady pressure, but if she insisted on
her right--"
"Dat des w'at she did, Marse Scoville. She say she neber 'sent, NEBER,"
Chunk interrupted.
"Then the whole Southern Confederacy could not have married her and she
ought to know it."
"Well, you mus' be 'siderate, Marse Scoville. Miss Lou know a heap
'bout some tings en she des a chile 'bout oder tings. Ole mars'r en
misus al'ays try ter mek her tink dat only w'at dey say is right en
nuthin' else, en dey al'ays 'low ter her dat she gwine ter mar'y her
cousin some day, en she al'ays 'low ter me she doan wanter."
"Poor child! she does need a friend in very truth. What kind of a man
is this Mad Whately anyway, that he could think of taking part in such
a wrong?"
"He de same kin' ob man dat he wuz a boy," Chunk answered. "Den he kick
en howl till he git w'at he want. 'Scuse me, Marse Scoville, but I
kyant hep tinkin' you mek big 'stake dat you didn't jab 'im w'en you
hab de chance."
"Chunk," was the grave answer, "if you are going to wait on me you must
learn my ways. I'd no more kill a man when it was not essential than I
would kill you this minute. Soldiers are not butchers."
"Granny sez how you wuz feared on his spook"--
"Bah! you expect to be free, yet remain slaves to such fears? My horse
knows better. Come, Aunt Jinkey, I'd rather you would give me some
supper than your views on spooks."
"Leftenant," said Perkins, the overseer, from the door, "Mr. Baron
pr'sents his compliments en gives you a invite to supper."
Scoville thought a moment, then answered, "Present mine in return, and
say it will give me pleasure to accept."
"Bress de Lawd! you gwine ter de big house. Not dat I 'grudges cookin'
fer you w'eneber you come, but I des wants you ter took a 'tunerty ter
advise dat po' chile 'bout she rights en de mar'age question."
After assuring himself that the overseer was out of earshot, Scoville
said almost sternly, "Aunt Jinkey, you and Chunk must not say one word
of my ever having been here before. It might make your young mistress a
great deal of trouble, and I should be sorry indeed if I ever caused
her any trouble whatever." Then as he made his way to the mansion he
smilingly soliloquized, "I don't know of any other question concerning
which I would rather give her advice, nor would it be wholly
disinterested, I fear, if I had a chance. At this time to-morrow," he
sighingly concluded, "I may be miles away or dead. Poor unsophisticated
child! I never was touched so close before as now by her need of a
friend who cares more for her than his own schemes."
Chunk following at a respectful distance became aware that the overseer
was glowering at him. "Bettah 'lebe yo' min', Marse Perkins," he
remarked condescendingly.
"You infernal, horse-stealing nigger!" was the low response.
"Hi! Marse Perkins, you kin growl, but you muzzled all de same."
"The muzzle may be off before many mo' sunsets, en then you'll find my
teeth in your throat," said the man under his breath, and his look was
so dark and vindictive that even in his elation Chunk became uneasy.