A NIGHT IN THE PARSON'S KITCHEN
"And see the servants met,
Their daily labour's o'er;
And with the jest and song they set
The kitchen in a roar."
MR. PECK kept around him four servants besides Currer, of whom we
have made mention: of these, Sam was considered the first. If a
dinner-party was in contemplation, or any company to be invited
to the parson's, after all the arrangements had been talked over
by the minister and his daughter, Sam was sure to be consulted
upon the subject by "Miss Georgy," as Miss Peck was called by the
servants. If furniture, crockery, or anything else was to be
purchased, Sam felt that he had been slighted if his opinion had
not been asked. As to the marketing, he did it all. At the
servants' table in the kitchen, he sat at the head, and was
master of ceremonies. A single look from him was enough to
silence any conversation or noise in the kitchen, or any other
part of the premises. There is, in the Southern States, a great
amount of prejudice against colour amongst the Negroes
themselves. The nearer the Negro or mulatto approaches to the
white, the more he seems to feel his superiority over those of a
darker hue. This is, no doubt, the result of the prejudice that
exists on the part of the whites towards both mulattoes and
blacks. Sam was originally from Kentucky, and through the
instrumentality of one of his young masters whom he had to take
to school, he had learned to read so as to be well understood;
and, owing to that fact, was considered a prodigy among the
slaves, not only of his own master's, but those of the town who
knew him. Sam had a great wish to follow in the footsteps of his
master, and be a poet; and was, therefore, often heard singing
doggerels of his own composition. But there was one great drawback
to Sam, and that was his colour. He was one of the blackest of
his race. This he evidently regarded as a great misfortune.
However, he made up for this in his dress. Mr. Peck kept his
house servants well dressed; and as for Sam, he was seldom seen
except in a ruffled shirt. Indeed, the washerwoman feared him
more than all others about the house.
Currer, as we have already stated, was chief of the kitchen
department, and had a general supervision of the household
affairs. Alfred the coachman, Peter, and Hetty made up the
remainder of the house servants. Besides these, Mr. Peck owned
eight slaves who were masons. These worked in the city. Being
mechanics, they were let out to greater advantage than to keep
them on the farm. However, every Sunday night, Peck's servants,
including the bricklayers, usually assembled in the kitchen, when
the events of the week were freely discussed and commented on.
It was on a Sunday evening, in the month of June, that there was
a party at Mr. Peck's, and, according to custom in the Southern
States, the ladies had their maid-servants with them. Tea had
been served in "the house," and the servants, including the
strangers, had taken their seats at the tea table in the kitchen.
Sam, being a "single gentleman," was usually attentive to the
"ladies" on this occasion. He seldom or ever let the day pass
without spending at least an hour in combing and brushing up his
"hair." Sam had an idea that fresh butter was better for his hair
than any other kind of grease; and therefore, on churning days,
half a pound of butter had always to be taken out before it was
salted. When he wished to appear to great advantage, he would
grease his face, to make it "shiny." On the evening of the party
therefore, when all the servants were at the table, Sam cut a
big figure. There he sat with his wool well combed and buttered,
face nicely greased, and his ruffles extending five or six inches
from his breast. The parson in his own drawing-room did not make
a more imposing appearance than did his servant on this occasion.
"I jist bin had my fortune told last Sunday night," said Sam, as
he helped one of the girls to some sweet hash. "Indeed," cried
half-a-dozen voices. "Yes," continued he; "Aunt Winny teld me I
is to hab de prettiest yaller gal in town, and dat I is to be
free." All eyes were immediately turned toward Sally Johnson, who
was seated near Sarn. "I speck I see somebody blush at dat
remark," said Alfred. "Pass dem pancakes and molasses up dis way,
Mr. Alf, and none of your insinawaysion here," rejoined Sam. "Dat
reminds me," said Currer, "dat Doreas Simpson is gwine to git
married." "Who to, I want to know?" inquired Peter. "To one of
Mr. Darby's field-hands," answered Currer. "I should tink dat dat
gal would not trow hersef away in dat manner," said Sally. "She
good enough looking to get a house servant, and not to put up wid
a fiel' nigger," continued she. "Yes," said Sam, "dat's a wery
insensible remark of yours, Miss Sally. I admire your judgment
wery much, I assure you. Dah's plenty of suspectible and
well-dressed house servants dat a gal of her looks can get, wid
out taken up wid dem common darkies." "Is de man black or a
mulatto?" inquired one of the company. "He's nearly white,"
replied Currer. "Well den, dat's some exchuse for her,"
remarked Sam; "for I don't like to see dis malgemation of blacks
and mulattoes." "No mulatto?" inquired one of the corn-how.
Continued Sam, "If I had my rights I would be a mulatto too, for
my mother was almost as light-coloured as Miss Sally," said he.
Although Sam was one of the blackest men living, he nevertheless
contended that his mother was a mulatto, and no one was more
prejudiced against the blacks than he. A good deal of work, and
the free use of fresh butter, had no doubt done wonders for his
"hare" in causing it to grow long, and to this he would always
appeal when he wished to convince others that he was part of an
Anglo-Saxon. "I always thought you was not clear black, Mr. Sam,"
said Agnes. "You are right dahr, Miss Agnes. My hare tells what
company I belong to," answered Sam. Here the whole company joined
in the conversation about colour, which lasted for some time,
giving unmistakeable evidence that caste is owing to ignorance.
The evening's entertainment concluded by Sam's relating a little
of his own experience while with his first master in old
Kentucky.
Sam's former master was a doctor, and had a large practice among
his neighbours, doctoring both masters and slaves. When Sam was
about fifteen years of age, his old master set him to grinding up
the ointment, then to making pills. As the young student grew
older and became more practised in his profession, his services
were of more importance to the doctor. The physician having a
good business, and a large number of his patients being slaves,
the most of whom had to call on the doctor when ill, he put Sam
to bleeding, pulling teeth, and administering medicine to the
slaves. Sam soon acquired the name amongst the slaves of the
"Black Doctor." With this appellation he was delighted, and no
regular physician could possibly have put on more airs than did
the black doctor when his services were required. In bleeding, he
must have more bandages, and rub and smack the arm more than the
doctor would have thought of. We once saw Sam taking out a tooth
for one of his patients, and nothing appeared more amusing. He
got the poor fellow down on his back, and he got astraddle of the
man's chest, and getting the turnkeys on the wrong tooth, he shut
both eyes and pulled for his life. The poor man screamed as loud
as he could, but to no purpose. Sam had him fast. After a great
effort, out came the sound grinder, and the young doctor saw his
mistake; but consoled himself with the idea that as the wrong
tooth was out of the way, there was more room to get at the right
one. Bleeding and a dose of calomel was always considered
indispensable by the "Old Boss"; and, as a matter of course, Sam
followed in his footsteps.
On one occasion the old doctor was ill himself, so as to be unable
to attend to his patients. A slave, with pass in hand, called to
receive medical advice, and the master told Sam to examine him
and see what he wanted. This delighted him beyond measure, for
although he had been acting his part in the way of giving out
medicine as the master ordered it, he had never been called upon
by the latter to examine a patient, and this seemed to convince
him that, after all, he was no sham doctor. As might have been
expected, he cut a rare figure in his first examination, placing
himself directly opposite his patient, and folding his arms
across his breast, and looking very knowingly, he began, "What's
de matter wid you?" "I is sick." "Where is you sick?" "Here,"
replied the man, putting his hand upon his stomach. "Put out your
tongue," continued the doctor. The man ran out his tongue at full
length. "Let me feel your pulse," at the same time taking his
patient's hand in his, placing his fingers on his pulse, he said,
"Ah, your case is a bad one; if I don't do something for you, and
dat pretty quick, you'll be a gone coon, and dat's sartin." At
this the man appeared frightened, and inquired what was the matter
with him: in answer, Sam said, "I done told you dat your case is
a bad one, and dat's enough." On Sam's returning to his master's
bedside, the latter said, "Well, Sam, what do you think is the
matter with him?" "His stomach is out of order, sir," he replied.
"What do you think had best be done for him?" "I think I better
bleed him and give him a dose of calomel," returned Sam. So to
the latter's gratification the master let him have his own way.
We need not further say, that the recital of Sam's experience as a
physician gave him a high position amongst the servants that
evening, and made him a decided favourite with the ladies, one of
whom feigned illness, when the black doctor, to the delight of
all, and certainly to himself, gave medical advice. Thus ended
the evening amongst the servants in the parson's kitchen.