Chapter Thirteenth.
"Humble love,And not proud reason, keeps the door of heaven;Love finds admission, where proud science fails."--Young
Elsie was on the veranda looking for her husband's return to breakfast;for it was already past the usual hour.
"All alone, little wife?" he asked as he dismounted and came up thesteps.
"Not now," she answered, putting her arms about his neck and looking upat him with her own fond, beautiful smile. "But your face is sad, myhusband! What news?"
"Sad enough, my little friend; poor old Uncle Mose has been sobarbarously handled that he cannot live through the day, Dr. Bartonsays: and two of the others are suffering very much."
Elsie's eyes were full. "Does Uncle Mose know it?" she asked.
"Yes, I told him, as tenderly as I could, and asked if he was ready togo. 'Yes, Mars Edard,' he said, with a triumphant smile, 'for I'segot fast hold ob Jesus.'"
Elsie's head was laid on her husband's shoulder, the bright drops werecoming fast down her cheeks.
"I have sent word to Mr. Wood," he went on, "the poor old fellow isanxious to see him; and you also."
"Yes, yes, I will go down directly after prayers," she said.
Then he told her of the coffin laid at the door of Fairview, and thethreatening words on its lid.
She heard it with a shudder and a sigh. "Oh poor Mr. Leland! Edward,don't you think it would be wise in him to leave for the present?"
"Perhaps so. I fear they will really attempt his life if he stays; butall his means being invested in Fairview makes it very hard. Where areour children?"
"They went to deck the corpse of Baby Ben with flowers. Ah, here theycome, the darlings!" as little feet came pattering through the hall.
They hastened to their father for their usual morning kiss, and hungabout him with tender loving caresses; but their manner was subdued, andVi and Harold told with a sort of wondering awe of the poor little deadbaby so still and cold.
"Are you going out, mamma?" asked little Elsie an hour later, as Mrs.Travilla appeared, dressed in walking costume, in the midst of thegroup of children and nurses gathered under a tree on the shady side ofthe house.
"Yes, daughter, I am going down to the quarter to see poor old UncleMose who is very ill; and I want you to be mother to the little oneswhile I am away."
"O mamma, mayn't we go with you?" cried Eddie and Vi in a breath, Haroldchiming in, "And me too, mamma, me too!"
"No, dears, not to-day, but some other time you shall," the motheranswered, giving each a good-bye kiss.
"Mamma, stay wis us; I'se 'f'aid de Kluxes get 'oo!" said Haroldcoaxingly, clinging about her neck with his chubby arms, while the bigtears gathered in his great dark eyes.
"No, dear, they don't come in the day-time. And God will take care of me.Papa is down at the quarter, too; and Uncle Joe and mammy will go withme;" and with another tender caress, she gently released herself fromhis hold and turned away.
The children gazed wistfully after her graceful figure as it disappearedamong the trees, Uncle Joe holding a great umbrella over her to shieldher from the sun, while mammy and Aunt Sally followed, each with abasket on her arm.
Uncle Mose was rapidly nearing that bourne whence no traveler returns.As his mistress laid her soft white hand on his, she felt that thechill of death was there.
"You are almost home, Uncle Mose," she said, bending over him, her sweetface full of tender sympathy.
"Yes, my dear young Missus, I'se in de valley," he answered, speakingslowly and with difficulty, "but bress de Lord, it's not dark!"
"Jesus is with you?"
"Yes, Missus, he is my strength and my song: de riber's deep, but he'llneber let me sink. De pain in dis ole body's dreffle, but I'll neber habno mo', bress de Lord!"
"Do your good works give you this comfortable assurance that you aregoing to heaven, Uncle Mose?"
"Bress yo' heart, honey, I ain't neber done none; but de bressed LordJesus covers me all ober wid his goodness, and God de Fader 'cepts mefor his sake."
"Yes, that is it, 'He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin;that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.' 'There is noneother name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved;' and'he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.'"
"Yes, honey, dose de words ob de good book. Now will you please sing detwenty-third Psalm, an' den ask de Lord Jesus keep fas' hold dis oleniggah, till Jordan am past, an' de gate into de city."
The request was granted; the sweet voice that had thrilled the heartsof many of the rich and noble of earth, freely poured forth its richeststrains to soothe the dying throes of agony of a poor old negro.
Then kneeling by the humble couch, in a few simple, touching words shecommended the departing spirit to the almighty love and care of Him whohad shed His blood to redeem it, earnestly pleading that the dying onemight be enabled to cast himself wholly on Jesus, and in doing so begranted a speedy and abundant entrance into His kingdom and glory.
The fervent "Amen!" of Uncle Mose joined in with hers; then low andfeebly he added, "De good--Lord--bress you--my dear--young--Missus."
A shadow had fallen on Elsie, and as she rose from her knees, she turnedher head to find her father standing at her side.
He drew her to him and pressed his lips tenderly to her forehead. "Youmust go now; the heat of the sun is already too great for you to be outwith safety."
The low quiet tone was one of authority as of old.
He only waited for her good-bye to Uncle Mose, and to speak a few kindlywords of farewell himself, then led her out and placed her in hiscarriage, which stood at the door.
Mr. Travilla rode up at that instant. "That's right," he said. "Littlewife, I am loth to have you exposed to the heat of this sultry day."
"And you, Edward? can you not come home now?" she asked.
"Not yet, wife; there are several matters I must attend to first, andI want to speak to Mr. Wood, who, I see, is just coming."
He kissed his hand to her with the gallantry of the days of theircourtship, and cantered off, while the carriage rolled on its way towardthe mansion.
"Daughter, if you must visit the quarter during this sultry weather, canyou not choose an earlier hour?" asked Mr. Dinsmore.
"I think I can after this, papa;" and she went on to explain how hertime had been taken up before breakfast that morning. "Do you know aboutMr. Leland?" she asked in conclusion.
"Yes; their next outrage will, I fear, be an attack upon him."
"Then upon you and Edward!" she said, her cheek growing very pale, andher eyes filling. "Papa I am becoming very anxious."
"'I would have you without carefulness,'" he answered taking her hand inhis. "They can have no power at all against us except it be given themfrom above. My child, God reigns, and if God be for us, who can beagainst us?"
"Yes, dear papa, and with David let us say, 'In the shadow of thy wingswill I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.'"
Mr. Dinsmore was still with his daughter when Mr. Travilla returned withthe news that Uncle Mose's sufferings were over, and it had beenarranged that he and Baby Ben should be buried that evening at dusk.
The children begged to be permitted to attend the double funeral; buttheir parents judged it best to deny them, fearing an onslaught by theKu Klux; of which there was certainly a possibility.
"I have been talking with Leland," Mr. Travilla remarked aside to hisfriend, "and he proposes that we accompany the procession as a mountedguard."
"Good!" said Mr. Dinsmore, "Horace and I will join you: and let us allgo armed to the teeth."
"Certainly, and I accept your offer with thanks. Some of the boysthemselves are pretty fair marksmen but they were all robbed of theirarms last night."
"Let us supply them again, Edward," exclaimed Elsie, with energy "andhave them practice shooting at a mark."
Her husband assented with a smile. "You are growing warlike in yourfeelings," he said.
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bsp; "Yes, I believe in the privilege and duty of self-defence."
Toward evening Mr. Dinsmore rode back to the Oaks, returning to Ion withhis son, shortly before the appointed hour for the obsequies.
Elsie saw them and her husband ride away in the direction of thequarter, not without some fluttering of the heart, and with a silentprayer for their safety, retired with her children, to the observatoryat the top of the house, from whence a full view might be obtained ofthe whole route from the cabin of Uncle Mose to the somewhat distantplace of sepulture; the spot chosen for that purpose in accommodation tothe superstitious feelings of the blacks, which led them to prefer tolay their dead at a distance from their own habitations.
The children watched with deep interest as the procession formed, eachman carrying a blazing pine-knot, passed down the one street of thequarter, and wound its slow way along the road that skirted two sides ofthe plantation, then half way up a little hill, where it gathered in acircle about the open grave.
Twilight was past, thick clouds hid the moon and the torches shone outlike stars in the darkness.
"Mamma, what dey doin' now?" asked Harold.
"Listen! perhaps you may hear something," she answered, and as theyalmost held their breath to hear, a wild, sweet negro melody camefloating upon the still night air.
"They're singing," whispered Vi, "singing Canaan, 'cause Uncle Mose, andlittle Baby Ben have got safe there."
No one spoke again till the strains had ceased with the ending of thehymn.
"Now Mr. Wood is talking, I suppose," remarked Eddie, in a subdued tone,"telling them we must all die, and which is the way to get to heaven."
"Else praying," said Vi.
"Mamma, what is die?" asked Harold leaning on her lap.
"If we love Jesus, darling, it is going home to be with him, and oh, sohappy."
"But Baby Ben die, and me saw him in Aunt Dicey's house."
"That was only his body, son; the soul--the part that thinks and feelsand loves--has gone away to heaven, and after a while God will take thebody there too."
For obvious reasons the services at the grave were made very short, andin another moment they could see the line of torches drawing rapidlynearer, till it reached the quarter and broke into fragments.
"We will go down now," Elsie said, rising and taking Harold's hand,"papa, grandpa and Uncle Horace will be here in a moment."
"Mamma," whispered her namesake daughter, "how good God was to keep themsafe from the Ku Klux!"
"Yes, dearest, let us thank him with all our hearts."