A Day To Pick Your Own Cotton Part 25

ALETA WAS YOUNG AND WASN'T REALLY AWARE of the implications of what was happening, but as the day wore on Katie grew more and more worried about me. She knew that the more time that pa.s.sed, the worse the outcome was likely to be. of the implications of what was happening, but as the day wore on Katie grew more and more worried about me. She knew that the more time that pa.s.sed, the worse the outcome was likely to be.

Emma sensed it too. Katie said she was quieter and more thoughtful all that day. She knew they were looking for her and that whatever was happening to me was on account of her.

Slowly the day pa.s.sed, then the evening, and finally they went to bed again, more worried than ever about me.

The next morning after they'd eaten breakfast, Emma said she was going to go outside and take a bath.

"Can I hold William?" asked Aleta.

Emma looked at her in surprise.

"I reckon so, Miz Aleta. He probably be 'bout ready fer sleep. His tummy's full er milk."

"Can I take him into the parlor and rock him in the rocking chair?"

"Yes'm, Miz Aleta. Dat be fine. Jes' put a towel under him in case he make a mess from one end or da other."

Katie went out with Emma to help her get the water to bathe in the washtub. When she was finished and drying up, Katie went back into the house. As she entered the kitchen she heard the soft sound of singing coming from the parlor. Slowly she stole across the kitchen floor to the door.

There sat Aleta slowly rocking William and quietly singing.

"Day is dying in the west, angels watching over me, my Lord.

Sleep my child and take your rest, angels watching over me.

All night, all day ... angels watching over me, my Lord.

All night, all day ... angels watching over me.

Now I lay me down to sleep, angels watching over me, my Lord.

Pray the Lord my soul to keep, angels watching over me.

All night, all day ... angels watching over me, my Lord.

All night, all day ... angels watching over me."

Slowly Katie walked into the room.

"Where did you learn that?" she asked.

"Mayme taught it to me."

"It was beautiful, Aleta. William must like it too-he's sound asleep."

Katie sat down and began humming the tune again, and in another minute they were both quietly singing it together.

A few minutes later they heard the sound of Emma's footsteps. Before she was even into the room, she was humming along in high harmony. When she saw her little son sleeping in Aleta's lap, she said a surge of motherly affection went through her heart like she'd never felt before.

She sat down and slowly the song came to an end and the room grew quiet. It was Emma who first broke the silence.

"We got ter do sumfin 'bout poor Mayme, Miz Katie," she said.

"I don't know what to do, Emma."

"But we got got to, Miz Katie. I don' think we can do dis alone, 'cause I ain't like Mayme. I can't do things like she can. You an' she's always havin' ter take care er me, an' I ain't smart like the two er you an' I'm feared sumfin sick ob what's ter become ob us if Mayme don' come back. Yer real smart, Miz Katie, an' yer so good ter me, but I ain't gwine be much help like you need." to, Miz Katie. I don' think we can do dis alone, 'cause I ain't like Mayme. I can't do things like she can. You an' she's always havin' ter take care er me, an' I ain't smart like the two er you an' I'm feared sumfin sick ob what's ter become ob us if Mayme don' come back. Yer real smart, Miz Katie, an' yer so good ter me, but I ain't gwine be much help like you need."

"You've been a big help, Emma," said Katie. "And you're learning to do more things all the time. And you're taking fine care of William."

"Oh, Miz Katie, yer jes' always so nice, but I knows dat I ain't got da brains in my head dat you gots in one hand. So I'm jes' sayin dat we gots ter do sumfin'. Cause dis is all my fault, an' poor Miz Mayme wouldn't be in dis fix 'cept fer me bein' such a c.o.c.ked loon wiff dat bad egg."

"It's not your fault, Emma. Sometimes bad things just happen."

"Miz Mayme wouldn't be in dis fix 'cept fer me, an' if I know what she's doin' right now, it's dat she's not tellin 'em where I's at. She's in danger on account er me. So it's my fault, Miz Katie, an' we gotter do sumfin 'cause if dey git riled enough dey's bound ter string her up. I seen what whites kin do when dey git riled. I member where I was at afore when dey strung up an ole uncle jes' 'cause a chicken was missin'. An' dat William McSimmons, he's a mean one when he wants ter be. So we gotter go help her. I's gotter try ter do sumfin."

Katie thought a minute.

"All right, then, Emma," she said. "I'll go back to the McSimmons place. I don't know what I will do, but you're right, I have to try to do something."

"Dat ain't what I said, Miz Katie. I said I's I's gotter try ter do sumfin. So if you's goin, den I'm goin' wiff you." gotter try ter do sumfin. So if you's goin, den I'm goin' wiff you."

"What about William?" asked Katie.

"I'll take care of him, Katie," Aleta now said eagerly.

"Can you stay here alone, Aleta?" Katie asked. "Without getting scared?"

"Yes, I promise. I've seen you feed him out of the bottle sometimes, and I know how to clean him if he makes a mess. And if someone comes, we'll hide in the cellar."

Katie turned again to Emma. "Aren't you afraid of being seen, Emma?" she asked.

"I reckon I am. But if dat's what's gotter be done fer Miz Mayme, den I reckon dat's what's gotter be done."

Katie drew in a deep breath of resolve, then stood up.

"Then I guess we'd better get ready," she said. "Why don't you fix a bottle or two of milk for Aleta and anything else she needs, and I'll go saddle two horses."

When Katie came back into the house ten minutes later, she was both scared and determined. She had been thinking about all Emma had said and realized she was right-they had to try to do something. If hard times took courage, then now was the time when she had to find out how much she had.

She walked into the house and saw a determined look on Emma's face too. She said it was like watching Emma grow up three years in just a few minutes. They looked at each other, and both knew it was time to do what they had to do.

"Will you be all right, Aleta?" said Katie.

"Yes, Katie."

"You know everything to do?"

Aleta nodded.

"Good girl," said Katie. She gave her a hug, kissed her on the cheek, then turned back to Emma.

"Well, are you ready?"

"I's ready, Miz Katie."

Then Emma picked up her little son. "You be good fo Miz Aleta," she said, then kissed him and handed him back to Aleta.

Katie glanced around the kitchen, then walked across the floor and picked up a small carving knife from the counter.

"What dat for, Miz Katie?" said Emma in alarm.

"I hope nothing, Emma-but if Mayme is tied up somewhere, I don't want to have to go ask Mrs. Mc-Simmons if we can borrow a knife."

Then another thought seemed to strike Katie. She turned and hurried toward the parlor. Emma followed, and when she came into the room she saw Katie standing in front of the open gun cabinet, removing one of her father's rifles.

Emma's eyes widened.

"What you doin', Miz Katie!"

"We don't know what we're going to find, Emma," she said. "But if that man is hurting Mayme ... well, I don't know what. But I'm going to take this with me. Mayme showed me how to use these guns once before, and maybe I'm going to have to use one again to rescue her."

She closed the cabinet and turned to go, then stopped. She turned back, took out another rifle, grabbed another handful of sh.e.l.ls and put them in her dress pocket, then led Emma from the room, back through the kitchen, and outside to the two waiting horses.

RESCUE P PARTY.

40.

KATIE AND EMMA RODE AS QUICKLY AS THEY could back toward the McSimmons plantation without galloping their horses. Emma'd only been on a horse a time or two in her life, and Katie almost had to teach her how to ride as they went and was afraid she might fall off if they went too fast. As they drew closer Katie realized that she still had no plan of what they would do once they got there. The two rifles sticking out of their saddles behind them wouldn't do much good against a whole plantation of men. could back toward the McSimmons plantation without galloping their horses. Emma'd only been on a horse a time or two in her life, and Katie almost had to teach her how to ride as they went and was afraid she might fall off if they went too fast. As they drew closer Katie realized that she still had no plan of what they would do once they got there. The two rifles sticking out of their saddles behind them wouldn't do much good against a whole plantation of men.

As they reached the fork where the road to the Mc-Simmons plantation split off, suddenly Katie had an idea. I reckon you could say it was an idea that would change our fortunes in a lot of ways. But right now she wasn't thinking that far ahead.

"Emma," she said, "I'm going to ride into town as fast as I can. You need to hide here till I get back."

"What you doin' dat for, Miz Katie? I don' want you ter leab me alone. What about Mayme?"

"That's why I'm going to town-I'm going to try to get some help."

Katie led Emma down off the road and amongst the trees, quickly dismounted and tied Emma's horse so it wouldn't wander off, then helped Emma down.

"You stay right here, Emma, until I come back. I won't be more than fifteen or twenty minutes, I promise."

Without waiting for Emma to protest further, she mounted again, urged her horse back onto the road, and galloped away toward town as fast as she could. By now she wasn't worried if anyone saw her. She was desperate and didn't care. She wasn't even thinking about being found out or what Mrs. Hammond or Henry or anyone else might think.

Six or seven minutes later she was galloping past the church and into town, past Mrs. Hammond's store and down the street, still as fast as she could go. The sound of the hooves pounding down the middle of the street past the bank made everyone stop and stare as she flew by, wondering what was going on. But Katie wasn't paying them any attention and didn't slow down until she came to the livery stable, where she reined her horse to a dusty stop. Even Henry's looks and questions weren't enough to make her lose her determination now.

"Where's Jeremiah?" she asked as she ran toward him, out of breath.

"Back dere cleanin' out da livery," began Henry. "But what's you in sech an all-fired-"

Already Katie was past him and running inside the building. She would have to figure out how to answer the questions later.

"Jeremiah ... Jeremiah!" she called out as she hurried into the dim light. "Jeremiah-it's Katie Clairborne ... please, I need your help. Mayme's in trouble."

Jeremiah dropped the pitchfork in his hand and strode toward her.

"Some men have got Mayme," said Katie frantically. "White men ... and I'm worried and afraid and we're going to go try to help her, but I'd feel a lot better if you were with us."

"Jes' lead da way, Miz Clairborne," said Jeremiah, "an I'll do what I can-"

Katie turned and ran back outside as Jeremiah, still more than a little confused, hurried to catch up.

"-but I ain't got no horse er my own."

"You can ride with me!" said Katie, running to her horse and jumping up onto its back. "Just climb up and sit behind the saddle," she called down, not even thinking of the impropriety of such a thing.

Less than a minute later, Katie was flapping the reins and galloping back through town the way she had come, leaving a bewildered Henry watching them go, along with a wake of townspeople, shocked, no doubt, to see a white girl and a colored boy flying down the street on the back of the same horse.

Katie caught a glimpse of Mrs. Hammond standing in front of her store, watching the scandalous scene with her mouth half open. "Well, I never-" she began, but the drumming hooves drowned out whatever else she was about to utter.

Jeremiah asked no questions, and Katie did not even try to explain until they slowed down and she led the way off the road.

"I'm going to say the same thing to you," she said, glancing behind her, "that Mayme said to you before. Please ... don't tell what you see or who you see or anything. I can't make you promise because there's no time to worry about it, and we've got to try to rescue Mayme. But I hope you'll keep quiet, as I'm sure you've been doing, since n.o.body's come around asking us questions-well, except for one man, which is why Mayme's in trouble."

Before Jeremiah could reply, Katie had stopped the horse and was dismounting.

"Who dat?" asked Emma, looking up at the young man who was just as surprised to see her as she was him.

"Never mind who it is," said Katie. "He's the boy who came out to the house one time and he's going to help us.-Jeremiah," she said, turning back to him, "would you ride behind her on the other horse? She's not too secure in the saddle."

Jeremiah jumped down and obeyed.

"Get up," Katie said to Emma. "It will be all right-he won't let you fall."

In another minute they were on their way again, more slowly now the closer they approached the McSimmons place. As they went, the horses side by side, Katie briefly tried to explain the situation to Jeremiah.

"These are mean people, Jeremiah," she said, "and if they see too many more black faces, there is no telling what they might do. For reasons I can't tell you about, if they catch so much as a glimpse of Em-I mean, if they see her," she added, still not sure how much it was safe to divulge and nodding toward Emma as she said it, "they're likely to kill her. So we've got to stay out of sight. And I don't want you to be in danger either. So if anything bad happens, you get away and take her with you. Get as far away as you can and take her back to my house until I get back."