BUT why should the tender dreams of this pure heart be transcribed
here? Indeed, why should these vague outlines be spun out to the
vanishing-point, like the gossamer threads that float and glance and
disappear in the September skies? Some of the grandchildren of George
Denham and Kitty Kendrick will read these pages, and wonder, romantic
youngsters that they are, why all the love passages have been
suppressed; other readers, more practical, and perhaps severer, will
ask themselves what possible interest there can be in the narrative of
a simple episode in the life of a humble fugitive. What reply can be
made, what explanation can be offered? Fortunately, what remains to be
told may mostly be put in the sententious language of Brother Johnny
Roach.
One day, shortly after the events which have been described, Brother
Branuum rode up to Brother Roach's mill, dismounted, and hitched his
horse to the rack.
"You're mighty welcome, Brother Brannum," said Brother Roach from the
door, as cheerful under his covering of meal dust as the clown in the
pantomime; "you're mighty welcome. I had as lief talk to my hopper as
to most folks; but the hopper knows me by heart, and I dassent take too
many liberties wi' it. Come in, Brother Brannum; there's no great head
of water on, and the gear is running soberly. Sat'days, when all the
rocks are moving, my mill is a female woman; the clatter is turrible.
I'll not deny it. I hope you're well, Brother Brannum. And Sister
Brannum. I'll never forgit the savour of her Sunday dumplings, not if I
live a thousand year."
"We're well as common, Brother Roach, well as common. Yit a twitch here
and a twinge there tells us we're moving along to'rds eternity. It's
age that's a-feeling of us, Brother Roach; and when we're ripe it'll
pluck us."
"It's age rutherthan the dumplings, that I'll take the stand on,"
exclaimed Brother Roach. "Yit, when it comes to that, look at Mizzers
Denham; that woman kin look age out of countenance any day. Then
there's Giner'l Bledser; who more nimble at a muster than the Giner'l?
I see 'era both this last gone Sat'day, and though I was in-about up to
my eyes in the toll-bin, I relished the seeing and the hearing of 'em.
But I reckon you've heard the news, Brother Brannum," said Brother
Roach, modestly deprecating his own sources of information.
"Bless you! Not me, Brother Roach," said Brother Brannum; "I've heard
no news. Down in my settlement I'm cut off from the world. Let them
caper as they may, we're not pestered wi' misinformation."
"No, nor me nuther, Brother Brannum," said Brother Roach, "bekaze it's
as much as I can do for to listen at the racket of my mill. Yit there
are some sights meal dust won't begin to hide, and some talk the
clatter of the hopper won't nigh drown."
"What might they be, Brother Roach?" Brother Brannum brushed the dust
off a box with his coat-tails, and sat down.
"Well, sir," said Brother Roach, pushing his hat back, and placing his
thumbs behind his suspenders, "last Sat'day gone I was a-hurrying to
and fro, when who should pop in at the door but Giner'l Bledser?
"'Hello, Johnny!' says he, free and familiar.
"'Howdy, Giner'l,' says I. 'You look holp up, speaking off-hand,' says
I.
"'That I am, Johnny, that I am,' says he; 'I've made a trade that makes
me particular proud,' says he.
"'How's that, Giner'l?' says I.
"'Why, I've sold Blue Dave,' says he; 'eight year ago, I bought him for
five hundred dollars, and now I've sold him to Mizzerg Denham for a
thousand,' says he. 'I've got the cold cash in my pocket, and now let
'em ketch the nigger,' says he.
"'Well, Giner'l,' says I, 'it'll be time for to marvel arter you
seethe outcome, bekaze,' says I, 'when there's business in the wind,
Mizzers Denham is as long-headed and as cle'r-sighted as a Philedelphia
lawyer,' says I.
"And (would you believe it, Brother Brannum?) the outcome happened then
and there right before our very face and eyes."
"In what regards, Brother Roach?" said Brother Brannum, rubbing his
bony hands together.
"Well, sir, I glanced my eye out of the door, and I see the Denham
carriage coming down yan hill. I p'inted it out to the Giner'l, and he
ups and says, says he--
"'Davy, though she may be a-going to town for to sue me for damages,
yit, if Mizzers Denham's in that carriage, I'll salute her now,' says
he; and then he took his stand in the door, as frisky as a colt and as
smiling as a basket of chips. As they come up, I tetch'd the Giner'l on
the shoulder.
"'Giner'l,' says I, 'look clost at that nigger on the carriage,--look
clost at him,' says I.
"'Why, what the thunderation!' says he.
"'To be certain!' says I; 'that's your Blue Dave, and he looks mighty
slick,' says I.
"The Giner'l forgot for to say howdy," continued Brother Roach,
laughing until he began to wheeze; "but Mizaers Denham, she leant out
of the carriage window, and said, says she--
"'Good morning, Giner'l, good morning I David is a most excellent
driver,' says she.
"The Giner'l managed for to take off his hat, but he was in-about the
worst-whipped-out white man I ever see. And arter the carriage got out
of hearing, sir, he stood in that there door there and cussed plump
tell he couldn't cuss. When a man's been to Congress and back, he's
liable for to know how to take the name of the Lord in vain. But don't
tell me about the wimmen, Brother Brannum. Don't!"
Blue Dave was happy at last. He became a great favourite with
everybody. His voice was the loudest at the corn-shucking, his foot was
the nimblest at the plantation frolics, his row was the straightest and
the cleanest in the cotton-patch, his hand was the firmest on the
carriage-seat, his arm was the strongest at the log-rolling. When his
old mistress came to die, her wandering mind dwelt upon the negro who
had served her so faithfully. She fancied she was making a journey.
"The carriage goes smoothly along here," she said. Then, after a little
pause, she asked, "Is David driving?" and the weeping negro cried out
from a corner of the room--
"'Tain't po' Dave, Mistiss! De good Lord done tuck holt er de lines."
And so, dreaming as a little child would dream, the old lady slipped
from life into the beatitudes, if the smiles of the dead mean anything.