Together is All We Need (21 page)

‘‘And they'd have to get to Charlotte early enough to ride back to Rosewood. It's a long ride.''

‘‘What did you do with the horses, Ward?'' asked my papa.

‘‘Put 'em up at a livery near the station. Kathleen knows where.''

‘‘I suppose they might make it in a day, then.''

‘‘I'll talk to Rob,'' said the sheriff.

S
URPRISE AT
R
OSEWOOD
35

W
HEN WE HEARD HORSES RIDING IN AFTER DARK
on the fifth day since Katie and Mr. Daniels had left Rosewood, of course we hoped it would be them. But we were sure unprepared for what we saw.

I was the first one out of the house. There was Katie all right, but she was reining in alongside a young man I'd never seen.

I could tell from Katie's face that she was exhausted. I looked back and forth between the two. I think the young man with her was as surprised to see me as I was him. I didn't know what he was expecting, or if he thought I was still a slave or something, or if they didn't have as many coloreds where he came from. I later learned that Katie had told him all about us, but he was obviously surprised to see the affection between us. Whatever Katie had told him on the train, this wasn't how he'd been told white and black folks treated each other in the South!

She climbed wearily down off her horse and practically fell into my arms.

‘‘Hi, Mayme,'' she said.

‘‘Hi, Katie,'' I said. ‘‘You look tired.''

‘‘I'm
so
tired. We've come all the way from Baltimore today. All I want to do is sleep!''

We stood apart and I glanced toward the stranger.

‘‘Mayme, this is Rob Paxton.—Rob, this is my cousin that I told you so much about, Mayme Daniels.''

‘‘Pleased to meet you, miss,'' he said, shaking my hand after he got down off his horse.

‘‘Thank you,'' I said.

‘‘Rob's the deputy sheriff,'' said Katie.

‘‘
Daniels
. . .'' he began. ‘‘I seem to know—right, that's the name of the man in jail.''

‘‘My uncle's Mayme's father,'' said Katie. ‘‘—Mayme,'' she said, turning again to me, ‘‘Mr. Paxton will be spending the night with us. He came down with me and we—''

Suddenly it dawned on me what Katie had said.

‘‘But what about Papa?'' I blurted out. ‘‘Did you find him?''

‘‘Yes,'' said Katie. ‘‘He's safe, and Uncle Ward stayed with him to make sure nothing will happen while I'm gone. We're trying to get him out. I'll tell you all about it. In the meantime, can you have Josepha fix up the sofa in the parlor . . . and is there anything to eat?''

‘‘Yes. I'll get started right away!'' I said, turning toward the house.

‘‘Mayme,'' said Katie behind me, ‘‘are Henry and Jeremiah still here?''

‘‘Yes,'' I said. ‘‘They just went to bed a little while ago. They're in the barn . . . oh, here comes Jeremiah,'' I added. Hearing the horses, Jeremiah was just now coming from the barn to see if everything was all right.

Katie turned. ‘‘Hi, Jeremiah,'' she said, ‘‘would you mind taking care of our horses?''

‘‘Sho' thing, Miz Katie.''

I hurried toward the house as Katie introduced Jeremiah to the deputy. I was greeted with a dozen curious questions from Emma and Josepha, who had been watching. But I doubt their curiosity was anything like Mr. Paxton's at riding into a great big Southern plantation full of black people. In all Katie's descriptions of Rosewood and all about the rest of us, and in telling him what she and I had done together, she had never thought to mention to him that we were all colored!

When he walked into the kitchen with Katie a few minutes later, and we saw the gun on his hip, Emma's eyes got real big, and I think she was scared for a minute or two. He and Katie sat down at the table, and as they began to eat, everybody began to get used to each other. Pretty soon Henry and Jeremiah came in too.

‘‘Da horses is put up, Miz Kathleen,'' said Henry. ‘‘We put yo bags on da porch. Anyfing mo we kin do fo' you?''

‘‘No, Henry,'' said Katie. ‘‘Would you like to sit down?— Thank you so much for being here while I was gone.''

‘‘Don' menshun it, Miz Kathleen.''

‘‘This is Deputy Paxton, Henry.—Rob, this is our good friend Henry, Jeremiah's father.''

‘‘Pleezed ter make yer 'quaintance, Mr. Paxton,'' said Henry.

‘‘We're going to have to leave again, Henry,'' said Katie. ‘‘I hope you won't mind staying another few days?''

‘‘Not at all, Miz Kathleen.''

‘‘Has my uncle Burchard been around?''

‘‘He jus' came wiff two men da day after yo lef ' an' took anudder ob his wagons away, but dat's all. Ain't seen hide er hair ob him since dat.''

‘‘Did he say anything?''

‘‘No, Miz Kathleen, he jus' scowled at me an' den went about his bizness.''

Katie seemed relieved. As they ate, Katie explained to us what had happened. Before long the kitchen was filled with talk and questions and laughter.

When they were through, Katie and the deputy went back outside to get their things. As they left the kitchen I heard him whisper to her.

‘‘You didn't tell me they were all black,'' he said.

‘‘Didn't I?'' said Katie. ‘‘I guess I didn't think about it.''

‘‘How could you not think about it?''

‘‘I don't know. I don't think about them as black.''

‘‘And that's really . . . your
cousin
? When . . . telling me about her . . . thought she was white. How does she come—''

But then the door closed and I didn't hear anything else. He didn't sound upset at finding out Katie lived with black people, just surprised. According to the Northern newspapers, this wasn't the way it was on Southern plantations!

H
APPY
B
EDTIME
36

B
Y THE TIME
K
ATIE HAD EATEN AND CLEANED UP
and everybody was heading off to bed, and our new guest was in the parlor and Henry and Jeremiah were back outside in the barn, some of Katie's energy was coming back. We decided to sleep in the same room together like we used to.

I was full of questions! I could tell by the gleam in Katie's eyes that she wasn't ready to go to sleep yet either. A good meal and being home seemed to revive her a bit.

‘‘We stayed with Rob's family in Baltimore last night, Mayme,'' Katie told me as soon as the door closed behind us and we were alone in her room. ‘‘It was a big house—even bigger than this. They were so nice to me! Mr. Paxton's a famous minister.''

‘‘But what's
he
like?'' I said as we snuggled under the blankets after the lantern was down. ‘‘The one you came with called Rob. He's handsome.''

‘‘I know,'' giggled Katie. ‘‘When I saw him when Uncle Ward and I walked into the sheriff 's office, at first I couldn't keep my eyes off him. He was about the handsomest young man I had ever seen!''

‘‘And you called him by his given name!''

‘‘He wanted me to.''

‘‘How old is he?'' I asked.

‘‘I don't know,'' said Katie. ‘‘What do you think, Mayme?''

‘‘He's older than us.''

‘‘He'd have to be if he is a deputy.''

‘‘He must be twenty-one or twenty-two.''

‘‘That's a lot older,'' said Katie in a disappointed tone.

‘‘Not so much,'' I said. ‘‘Girls marry men that much older than them all the time.''

‘‘Marry!'' exclaimed Katie, laughing. ‘‘Who's talking about getting married?''

‘‘Nobody,'' I laughed. ‘‘I was just saying it, that's all.''

‘‘I hardly know him!''

‘‘I bet you got to know him pretty well riding all that way alone on the train.''

‘‘That was nice,'' said Katie dreamily. I could tell she was getting sleepy again. ‘‘He was so kind and polite. I've never talked to a boy like that, Mayme—do you think I should call him a boy or a man?''

‘‘I don't know—he sure looks like a man to me, wearing that gun and all. How can he be a minister's son?''

‘‘He told me all about it. Oh, Mayme, we talked and talked about everything. He told me all about his family and I told him about what had happened to mine and about you and me—''

‘‘But you didn't tell him I was colored?'' I laughed.

‘‘I forgot. When I think about you, Mayme, I don't think about the color of your skin. I don't think about color at all. You're just . . . Mayme. But I still want to know if he's a boy or a man. What are
we,
Mayme . . . are we girls or women?''

‘‘I reckon we're a little of both,'' I said.

‘‘How can that be?''

‘‘Because it takes a while to grow out of being a girl to grow into being a woman. So we have to be a little of both for a while.''

‘‘You're so smart.''

It was quiet a minute.

‘‘I don't feel like a woman, Mayme,'' said Katie. ‘‘I feel like a girl.''

‘‘You don't look like one, Katie.''

‘‘Right now I feel like a little girl with my mama here beside me to take care of me.''

‘‘We're
friends,
Katie—I'm sure not your mama! Besides,
you
take care of things around here, not me. You're the mistress of Rosewood. Emma treats you like you're
her
mama.''

‘‘She does, doesn't she?'' said Katie. ‘‘She's a dear. I guess Josepha's like all of our mamas . . . well, not mine—I'm too white, but you know what I mean. But I still feel like a little girl.''

‘‘You almost look like a grown woman. You are so beautiful, Katie.''

‘‘Mayme, stop it!''

‘‘But you are. And shapely too. I bet he's down there right now in the parlor, Mr. Paxton I mean, thinking about you too, because of how pretty you are.''

‘‘
Mayme!''

We lay in contented quiet a few minutes. I could hear Katie's breathing getting deeper and deeper. I thought she was asleep and was surprised when she spoke again.

‘‘What about Jeremiah?'' she said in a soft voice. ‘‘Did you and he talk or do anything when I was gone?''

‘‘We talked a couple of times,'' I said. ‘‘But mostly he went into town every day to tend the livery so Henry could stay out here.''

‘‘Are you . . . I mean—do you think you and he will get married, Mayme?'' Katie asked. The question was so blunt it surprised me.

‘‘I . . . I don't know,'' I answered. ‘‘Sometimes I think so.'' Again it was quiet.

‘‘I think he loves you,'' Katie went on. ‘‘I can see it when he looks at you.''

I felt my cheeks and neck flush with heat. I guess down inside I knew Katie was right. I'd seen that look on Jeremiah's face too.

‘‘Do you love him, Mayme?'' she asked.

‘‘I don't know,'' I answered. ‘‘Sometimes I think I do, then sometimes I don't know. When we're alone and he takes my hand, that's when I'm sure I love him. But then when I think about getting married, I get afraid and I don't know. Sometimes I get so confused I don't know if I even know what love means. I don't know if I would know what love felt like if I
was
in love. Do you know what I mean?''

‘‘I think so,'' said Katie. Her voice was so soft I could barely hear it. ‘‘But I've never been in love, so I don't know. I'm just a girl, Mayme, remember? I'm too young to be in love. . . .''

‘‘I don't think you're too young anymore, Katie,'' I said.

But I could tell by the change in her breathing that she had fallen asleep.

W
ARD
P
LEADS
T
EMPLETON' S
C
ASE
37

T
HE NEXT MORNING IT ALMOST FELT LIKE NORMAL
again. Katie's uncle Burchard was gone and that was a relief. Well, normal except for Deputy Paxton and Henry and Jeremiah all being there!

As soon as breakfast was over, Katie got Emma and Josepha and me together and sat us down to talk to us.

‘‘I'm sorry to have to do this,'' she began, looking around at us almost like she was nervous, ‘‘but Uncle Templeton is in jail because he swindled a man out of some money.''

‘‘How'd he do dat, Miz Katie?'' asked Emma.

‘‘I'm not sure exactly. I think he sold a man some land for more than it was worth.''

‘‘Way I hear it, folks is always doin' dat, effen dey kin git away wiff it,'' said Josepha.

‘‘I don't know,'' said Katie. ‘‘I think he might have lied about it too. He went back there to try to come clean about it. Whatever he did, it was against the law because they put him in jail for it. And if we're going to get him out, we have to try to pay the man back as much of the money as we can.''

Katie hesitated. ‘‘I know it doesn't seem right of me to ask,'' she went on, ‘‘but . . . that money I gave you the day Uncle Burchard and Mr. Sneed—''

Josepha didn't even wait for her to finish.

‘‘Laws, chil','' she said, getting up out of her chair, ‘‘I jes' been waitin' ter gib it back! I ain't got no use fer no money like dat.'' She walked toward the pantry. ‘‘Speshully since it ain't mine nohow. Made me as jumpy as a flea on a houn' dog just thinkin' 'bout dat money. I jes' been hidin' it here. . . .''

She paused and we heard her rummaging through some boxes and cans. She came out a minute later holding the money Katie had given her.