grandpapa and I looks at this man and wonders bout his children. How come they aint bury him. Maybe they far away. Maybe Doc stole a dead man.
Whole room warm and moist with the steam from the sheets. I falls asleep sitting on a stool with my pipe still in my mouth. Close to morning when the spirit come. I feels it touch my arm. When I opens my eyes the old man looking at me.
Make me shiver all over. But I looks back to see if he breathing. Then I gets up and shuts his eyes.
I aint goes back to Doc Renard. I goes home to Clear Creek instead. I tells Mas my story and he dont make me go back. When I gets home Lizbeth walking. She dont know me.
Jims eyes big with tears when he see me. We aint says nothing to each other. Not that morning or that night. He wash me with soapweed to bury the smell of the dead.
Thats a hard season. Everything dark round Clear Creek. Rain falling steady and leaves hanging low. Body turn up in Bird Slough. Body of Nerium Todd. Jim know him from the waterfront. He gone missing close to Christmas. They find him in the water all cut up.
Jim say us niggers gots hard times coming but he aint say when. Just maybe spring a good time to make a move. Baby still small enough to sleep on my back. Mas aint got the money to hire no dogs to come after us.
So we makes our plans. We gonna run to the Stone School. Theys a church that meet there. Jim say they got a hole under the pulpit. A hole for hiding niggers. They gonna help us get to the dentist in Quincy. And then we goes to Canaan.
I worries whether the whites at Stone School aint like the Murrell gang that take away Jims father. And if Jim aint like his father believing in things that white folks tell him. Things that aint true.
Spring come and I cant keeps nothing down. My bleeding never come. I finds some chicory by the side of the road and uses it to settle me down. I aint breathes a word to Jim. This baby gonna be born in Canaan. Aint never gonna be a slave. This baby I gonna keep.
We waits for the night we leaving. Saturday night. All day long we watches and waits. We planning to be halfway to Quincy by Sunday night fore anyone know we gone. That morning I helps Cora with the washing. I wants to hold her close and ask her to come with us. But I cant for fear she say no. She the first one Mas gonna talk to when he realize we aint there.
The clouds getting dark when Miss Watson call for us. She going to Bear Creek to get religion. She want Jim to drive her and she want me to come long to tend a Baptist girl. I looks at Jim and he sweating. But he hitch up the buggy and we gets in. I sits cross from Miss Watson but we aint says anything to each other.
When we gets to Bear Creek Miss Watson tell us to go on in. Dont be scared she say. Niggers come to service before.
Jim got his hat on so he take it off. We listens to the white preacher talk bout hell and the devil in our hearts. We stiff as logs me and Jim. Outside its starting to storm.
After the service Jim drive us over to the house of the Baptist girl. She big with child. All swole up and red. While I rubs her with columbine salve white folks talk bout some slaves trying to sue for they freedom. Any nigger try to take me to court aint gonna live to tell bout it. Thats what they saying.
Miss Watson say Sadie you go tell Jim to put the horse in the stable with the others. We aint gonna make it home tonight. He can sleep in the stable. You go bed down behind the stove.
In the morning trees down from the storm so we goes a different way home. Sun shining bright through the leaves. Air clean of winter smoke. Miss Watson talk to me bout God. I listens and says yes maam. Inside I all tore up. I knows Jim feel the same.
When we gets home Cora standing with the baby. Say Lizbeth been looking for us. Show your mama and daddy how you can wave your hand she say. Lizbeth open and close her little fingers. Jim take her and hold her to him. He kiss Cora on both cheeks.
Our plans ruin for now. Sunday pass
Whole room warm and moist with the steam from the sheets. I falls asleep sitting on a stool with my pipe still in my mouth. Close to morning when the spirit come. I feels it touch my arm. When I opens my eyes the old man looking at me.
Make me shiver all over. But I looks back to see if he breathing. Then I gets up and shuts his eyes.
I aint goes back to Doc Renard. I goes home to Clear Creek instead. I tells Mas my story and he dont make me go back. When I gets home Lizbeth walking. She dont know me.
Jims eyes big with tears when he see me. We aint says nothing to each other. Not that morning or that night. He wash me with soapweed to bury the smell of the dead.
Thats a hard season. Everything dark round Clear Creek. Rain falling steady and leaves hanging low. Body turn up in Bird Slough. Body of Nerium Todd. Jim know him from the waterfront. He gone missing close to Christmas. They find him in the water all cut up.
Jim say us niggers gots hard times coming but he aint say when. Just maybe spring a good time to make a move. Baby still small enough to sleep on my back. Mas aint got the money to hire no dogs to come after us.
So we makes our plans. We gonna run to the Stone School. Theys a church that meet there. Jim say they got a hole under the pulpit. A hole for hiding niggers. They gonna help us get to the dentist in Quincy. And then we goes to Canaan.
I worries whether the whites at Stone School aint like the Murrell gang that take away Jims father. And if Jim aint like his father believing in things that white folks tell him. Things that aint true.
Spring come and I cant keeps nothing down. My bleeding never come. I finds some chicory by the side of the road and uses it to settle me down. I aint breathes a word to Jim. This baby gonna be born in Canaan. Aint never gonna be a slave. This baby I gonna keep.
We waits for the night we leaving. Saturday night. All day long we watches and waits. We planning to be halfway to Quincy by Sunday night fore anyone know we gone. That morning I helps Cora with the washing. I wants to hold her close and ask her to come with us. But I cant for fear she say no. She the first one Mas gonna talk to when he realize we aint there.
The clouds getting dark when Miss Watson call for us. She going to Bear Creek to get religion. She want Jim to drive her and she want me to come long to tend a Baptist girl. I looks at Jim and he sweating. But he hitch up the buggy and we gets in. I sits cross from Miss Watson but we aint says anything to each other.
When we gets to Bear Creek Miss Watson tell us to go on in. Dont be scared she say. Niggers come to service before.
Jim got his hat on so he take it off. We listens to the white preacher talk bout hell and the devil in our hearts. We stiff as logs me and Jim. Outside its starting to storm.
After the service Jim drive us over to the house of the Baptist girl. She big with child. All swole up and red. While I rubs her with columbine salve white folks talk bout some slaves trying to sue for they freedom. Any nigger try to take me to court aint gonna live to tell bout it. Thats what they saying.
Miss Watson say Sadie you go tell Jim to put the horse in the stable with the others. We aint gonna make it home tonight. He can sleep in the stable. You go bed down behind the stove.
In the morning trees down from the storm so we goes a different way home. Sun shining bright through the leaves. Air clean of winter smoke. Miss Watson talk to me bout God. I listens and says yes maam. Inside I all tore up. I knows Jim feel the same.
When we gets home Cora standing with the baby. Say Lizbeth been looking for us. Show your mama and daddy how you can wave your hand she say. Lizbeth open and close her little fingers. Jim take her and hold her to him. He kiss Cora on both cheeks.
Our plans ruin for now. Sunday pass
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