The Haunted Homestead Part 23

"Elisha, I must hurry; I must fly! Turn back, and walk a little way with me, while you tell me more; but if you see any one coming or going on the road, whistle, to warn me, for I have no permit," said Valentine, dropping behind the causeway, and plunging along through the water toward the city.

They could no longer see each other, and their conway.

"How you gwine cross bridge widout 'mit, Brudder Walley?"

"I don't know; I must try. Tell me more about Fannie."

"Well, you know, 'out my tellin' you, how I tuk up de chile offen de flure, an' wash it, an' dress it, and git milk, and feed it. An' how I go for water, and wash her face, and give her drink, an' fan de flies offen her, till she come to her min', like; an' how I'd stay 'long o'

her till dis time, ony when she come to herself, she put her two hans togedder, so she did, de chile, and begged an' prayed me to come arter you, her 'dear Walley,' to come an' see her once more 'fore she died, an' take de poor baby home long o' you. An' so, dough I done travel dis yer yode once afore to-day, I takes my staff in my han' an' I sets off; an', franks be to de Lor', dey can't sturve me from trav'lin' de highway, dough I daren't now-a-day put my fut offin it, or onto one o'

der plantashunes. So, now, bress de Lor', here I is; an' long as I wur so hoped up as to fall in 'long o' you, all I got to do now is, to 'company of you back to de city."

In a few earnest, fervent words, Valentine thanked his friend, and then, saving all his breath, and concentrating all his energies, in silence he toiled on, knee-deep in water and ankle-deep in mud, through the cypress swamp toward the city.

Old Daddy Elisha took up the burden of his hymn, and sang or intoned various portions of that weird melody as he walked.

Valentine, behind the causeway, in the shadow and the silence, pa.s.sed unquestioned; but Elisha was frequently hailed by some vigilant member of the voluntary police. If personally known to the questioner, he was allowed to pa.s.s; if not, he was required to show his papers; a light had to be struck to examine them, and all this took up so much time, that although Elisha had the high road to walk upon, and Valentine the swamp to wade through, the latter far outstripped the former, and arrived first at the bridge over the A---- River.

To cross this bridge was the only means from this direction of reaching the city; but the bridge was guarded at both ends by the patrol, or voluntary police; to elude their vigilance was the only desperate part of Valentine's undertaking.

The river was broad, deep and strong in current; no one had ever dreamed of the feat of swimming across it. It was bordered on this side by a marsh so deep that, in the attempt to pa.s.s it, a man of moderate size and strength must have been swallowed up.

The bridge was a continuation of the road and causeway, flanked by parapets extending across the river, and joining the road on the opposite side.

Valentine never thought of the impossible feat of wading the marsh and swimming the river, neither did he dream of attempting to cross the bridge in the very face of the patrol guard that twice before had arrested him; but he projected a scheme almost equally wild and hopeless. This plan was to cross the river by clambering along the water side of this parapet--a plan involving less risk of discovery by the patrol, certainly--but undertaken at the most imminent peril of death, by losing hold and dropping into the river below.

Valentine waded on through the cypress swamp, until the trees grew more spa.r.s.ely, and the mud under the water became deeper and more treacherous as it merged into the marsh nearest the river.

The poor fellow then clambered along, now on the broken causeway, his eyes all on fire with vigilance, and now dropping down into the swamp, and so in more peril and difficulty he went on, until he reached the place where the marsh merged into the river, and the road and causeway into the bridge and parapet.

Here he heard the patrol guard in their little guard-house laughing and talking over their drink, for they, too, had to keep the pestilence at bay with alcohol.

Here he attempted to gain the parapet, and in doing so, set in motion some alarm bell, at whose first peals he found himself suddenly surrounded, and in the hands of the patrol.

"My good fellow, that feat has been tried once before, so we prepared for the second, you understand," said one of his captors.

They all knew Valentine; with most of them he was a great favorite, though to others he was, for the sole reason of his natural superiority, very obnoxious.

While Valentine stood overwhelmed with despair, he discerned Major Hewitt among the party; and gathering some hope from the presence of that gentleman, he clasped his hands and appealing to him, said:

"Oh, Major Hewitt, you know me, sir! You have known me from childhood!

Your dear lady knew me, too, and was very kind to the poor quadroon boy, when he was a child. And you know my poor little Fannie, too! Sir, my heart is breaking--that is nothing, but she is dying! Sir, my wife is dying, alone--not of the fever only, but of starvation, of thirst, of neglect, of bereavement of all aid; and she sends to me, sir--sends to pray me to come and see her poor face for the last time, and take her orphan baby from her dead arms, lest it die, too! You are powerful, Major Hewitt! Speak the word, and these gentlemen will let me pa.s.s!"

"Valentine, my poor boy, if your sorrow had not crazed you, you would understand at once that I cannot do so! But I tell you what I can do for you; I can persuade these gentlemen from detaining you in the guard-house, and I can write a note of intercession to your master.

Return to him, Valentine--take my horse! There he stands; go to Mr.

Waring; tell him what you have told me! Give him my note; he will not refuse you the permit, and when you have it, ride back hither as fast as you please," said the major.

He scribbled a note in haste. Valentine mounted the horse, received the missive, and, thanking the major from the depths of his heart, rode off.

He met and hailed Elisha, told him in a few words what had pa.s.sed, and added:

"Go on to the city, Elisha! Go to my dear Fannie! Tell her, if she can still hear your words, that I shall be with her in two hours, or die in the effort. No! do not tell her a word to alarm her! Say I will certainly be with her in two hours! For I will! despite of earth and h--ll, I will!"

Valentine galloped swiftly toward home, reached the lawn gate, sprang from his horse, secured the bridle, and hastened up to the house. There was no one in front; he entered the hall, looked into the dining-room; it was empty; he ran in, poured out a gla.s.s of brandy, drank it at a draught, and pa.s.sed through the house to the back piazza, where he found his master, pacing up and down the floor. Mr. Waring had grown heated and angry between the frequent potations and the irritations of the day.

"Well, sir!" he said, turning abruptly to Valentine, "what now? How dare you enter my presence again, after your insolent conduct of this afternoon?"

"Master Oswald, I am very sorry if, in my great trouble, I was surprised into saying anything wrong. Will you read this note, sir?" said Valentine, trying, for Fannie's dear sake, to quell the raging storm in his bosom.

Oswald Waring took the note with a jerk, tore it open impatiently, and, casting his eyes over it with a scornful curl of his lip, tossed it away, exclaiming:

"Tus.h.!.+ Major Hewitt is a fool! Where did you get that, sir?"

Valentine hesitated.

"I ask you where you got that note, sir?"

"From Major Hewitt's own hand, Master Oswald," replied Valentine, at last.

"By ----! don't prevaricate with me, sir! Where did you see Major Hewitt, then? That is the question!"

Again Valentine was silent.

"What the demon do you mean, sir, by treating my questions with this contemptuous silence?" demanded Mr. Waring, angrily.

"Master Oswald!" began Valentine, seriously, impressively; "I will answer your question truly; but, first, let me beg you, let me pray you, by all your hopes of salvation, to listen to me favorably; for I swear to you by all my faith in Heaven, that it is the very last time I will make the appeal!"

"I am glad to hear it, you troublesome, confoundedly spoiled rascal! For it is the very last minute that I will bear to be trifled with!"

"I met Major Hewitt on the bridge----"

"On the bridge! On the bridge! Why, you insolent scoundrel; do you dare to stand there and tell me to my face that, in direct violation of my command, you attempted to go to town?"

"Sir! sir! listen to me! my worst fears are confirmed! My poor Fannie is dying, as I feared she might die--alone! deserted! dying not only of pestilence, but of famine and thirst, and every extremity of wretchedness! She sent a faithful messenger, praying me to come and see her once more, but once more, to close her eyes and receive the orphan child. Oh! could I disregard such an appeal as that? would not any man, or, I was about to say, any beast, risk life, and more than life, if possible, to obey such a sacred call? I would have periled my soul! Can you blame me?"

"They turned you back! They did right! Thank Heaven that I am disposed to consider that sufficient punishment under the circ.u.mstances and am ready to forget your fault. Go, leave me, sir--stop! into the house! not out of it! you're not to be trusted, sir."

A volcano seemed burning and raging in the young man's breast; nevertheless, he controlled himself with wonderful strength, while he still pleaded his cause.

"Major Hewitt felt my position, sir! He had compa.s.sion on me, and wrote that note. Give heed to it, sir! The time may come when, on your own deathbed, or by the sickbed of one you love, and fear to lose, and pray for, it may console and bless you to remember the mercy you may now show me; the Good Being has said, 'Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.' Give me the permit, sir! let me go and comfort my dying Fannie! Oh! I do beseech you!"

"Will you have done worrying me? Major Hewitt is an old dotard! The mercy you selfishly crave for yourself would be cruelty to all the other negroes! Once more, and for the last time, I tell you, and I swear it by all the demons, I will not give you the permit!"

"Then, by the justice of Heaven, I will go without it!"

"What?"

"I will go without it! If I cannot pa.s.s the bridge, I will swim the river! Aye, if it were a river of fire!" exclaimed Valentine, losing all self-control, and breaking into fury.

"Why, you audacious villain! You shall not stir from this house!"