I began this story on:
September 14, 2011, 9:00 PM
The Jewel Box ~ A Troubled Land Zoe had an odd dream and went down to the front veranda to ponder it. She dreamed that she was standing; looking across the fields of their land. A friend with her turned and looking at her; said, “There will be fighting in this land soon. You must put the jewel box in a safe place and when the time come’s, go to your Father’s.”
By Ora Lea Harrison
It was strange, in the dream she knew the person that she was with, he was a friend but awake, she couldn’t figure out who he was.
As she was considering the meaning of the dream, she realized that she was watching a light going up and down and sideways. From the corner of her eye, there was a light in another direction, doing the same thing.
Why, it looked like signals. She’d read enough to know about people communicating in ways other than the usual reading or talking.
She wanted to wake Charley up to see but knowing that he needed his sleep more than watching the neighborhood boys playing games in the middle of the night, she just enjoyed watching by herself.
Soon the signals, if that’s what they were, stopped and she began hearing sounds that were unfamiliar with the usual night sounds.
Not knowing what to expect and wanting no harm to come to herself and household, just in case the noise was coming from something dangerous, she stepped back into the house and made sure the doors and windows downstairs were secured.
Holding back the drapes enough to see the road, she saw a straggling, ragged band coming around the bend.
As near as she could tell, it was a group of dark skinned people.
She knew about dark people and had seen more slaves than she cared to but to have them right in front of her own house, in the middle of the night, without a master or anyone was frightening.
She changed her position at the windows to be able to see better as they passed the house and saw that they stood on the opposite side of the road, surveying the house nearest their’s, Michael and Mary Hemphill’s.
As she watched, they went onto the lawn of the house. She was horrified that her neighbors were about to be harmed while still in their beds.
She would definitely have to wake Charley about this. He awoke a little stupid but soon was wide awake as he understood what she was saying.
Going to the window overlooking his neighbor’s house, he could see movement in the lamplight in the window.
“Zoe,” he said, “I’m going to see if our neighbors are alright.”
“Oh, Charley, what if something happens to you?” she didn’t want him to go.
Knowing his duty to his fellowman, however, he told her softly that he would be careful, that she could watch from the window after he’d left.
Pulling on socks, boots and putting on his long overcoat over his night shirt, he took his pistol down; loaded it and put it in his overcoat pocket.
Going down the stairs quietly so as not to waken the children; he went out the front door.
In the moonlight, Zoe was able to watch Charley as he went down the road.
She watched as he approached the house; knocked on the door and spoke with Michael.
After a brief consultation, he turned and began his trek home.
Zoe went back downstairs and onto the porch to talk to him.
Walking up the steps, he began, “They’re alright, let’s go inside to talk, it’s chilly out here.”
After they were settled in bed once more, Charley said, “Zoe, we haven’t talked about the Underground Railroad, have we?”
Zoe had heard of it but didn’t remember having conversations with Charley about it. It sounded like a worthy organization but not one that she knew anything about.
“Zoe, the Hemphill’s are a part of it.”
Zoe put her hand to her mouth as she gave a little gasp.
“I know,” Charley went on, “but someone has to help these people. They are unable to do all of their own work in the process of getting to their freedom.”
“I know but poor Mary, involved in such a dangerous thing. How long have they been doing this and we not even knowing about it? It seems so strange, somehow; how does it actually work; what are Michael and Mary’s part in it?” Zoe had many questions in her worried state of mind.
“I don’t know how long they’ve been doing it. He’s leaving in a little while to take the people who’ve just come to the next station. They go from place to place as they’ve been given a map of sorts of where they can find compassionate people of means to help them.” He continued, “we didn’t have time to go into details, they may have been seen by more than just you so he has to work quickly to get them moving. Their safety is of the utmost importance.”
“Charley, you wouldn’t do something like that, would you?” Zoe asked in a small, worried voice.
“It’s so new to me, Zoe, it’s not something that you’d jump into, unprepared, for sure. There’re the children to think of, too.”
She gave a sigh of relief, she was afraid that Charley was about to put himself into harm’s way.
“We’d talk about it considerable before you’d do something like that, wouldn’t we?” She was still a little concerned, he could see.
Looking at her, he said, “Of course, Zoe, it wouldn’t just be me, you know, we’re a team, you and I. We don’t do life changing things without talking it out with the other first. We need to get to sleep, we have market tomorrow and the children will be up and rarin‘ to go before we know it.”
Zoe had hardly drifted off to sleep when she awoke with a feeling of alarm. Reaching for Charley and finding him not there, she got up and went downstairs to see why he was up so early.
The kitchen door was closed and she could hear low murmurings from behind the door.
Opening the door, she saw Charley and Michael talking.
When she walked in, they both looked at her with concerned expressions on their faces.
“Michael, I’ll see you in a little bit,” Charley said. He then turned to Zoe who was standing there with a worried look on her face.
“Zoe, I’m going to have to help Michael, he’s run into a problem and needs me. I know that we said that we’d discuss this beforehand but people’s lives are in danger and the longer we wait, the more that can happen. Do you understand?”
“No! I don’t understand, here we’ve just heard about all of this and now we’re going to be knee deep in it. What about me and the kids, won’t we be put in harm’s way, as well?”
“Zoe, I’m going to do this and I want you to stand by me. Your part for now is to stay with the children and explain why we can’t go to the market today. You can’t let them know the real reason though. I don’t know where we’re going or how long it will take. I don’t know if I’ll ever have to participate again but I have to do what I’m able right now.”
He got his coat and leaned over to kiss her bye but she just backed up. Taking her chin, he said, “I love you, you know that. We can’t let other’s suffer because of our love, you know that too. We need to take care of the little time that we’re given to be together, life is too short to hurt each other.”
“Oh Charley, I’m sorry, I just have to have time to understand all of this. Here, we’ve not even known any slaves before nor about the Underground Railroad and now you’re leaving with both of them. You’re my life, you should know that. I’ll do what I can and the children will be fine, we’ll have a good Saturday regardless. Be careful; please come home to us safe.” She kissed and hugged him and locked the door behind him.
It was still dark when Charley left so she went back to her bedroom and watched the neighbor’s home from her upstairs view.
Shortly, she saw what looked like a wagon with high sides being pulled by horses out the back fields.
They must be taking the back road to where ever they’re going, she thought.
She knew that she’d have to keep a hold of herself and that only prayer could help her do that. She knew that she could put her husband and his fellow travelers in God’s hands and that they would be alright.
Serena didn’t come on weekends so around mid-morning, after the kitchen was cleaned and the children had finished cleaning up their rooms, she let them go outside to play for awhile. She admonished them to not go far from the house and to stay where she could see them.
They didn’t complain, they knew that it could be worse; she could put them to work doing something else.
Hearing a knock at the back door, Zoe went to the door and greeted Mary, her neighbor.
“Zoe would it be alright if I stay with you for awhile? I get fretful when he‘s out like this.”
“Of course!” Zoe put the kettle on for tea and asked Mary would she like to stay in the kitchen with her while she baked bread and got dinner for the children.
Mary stayed and had the noon meal with Zoe and the children; then decided that she’d better be going home to work on her own supper so Michael would have something ready when he came home. After she’d left and the children had settled in their rooms reading; Zoe reflected on the things that Mary had revealed to her.
She said that they’d been involved in this for over two years now and yes, sometimes she, herself, had to do more than just take care of the people while they were in her home.
It could be dangerous and often was yet when you realized that one by one, they were bringing these people to their own freedom, it was worth it.
Zoe sat down with her Bible and read about how the Egyptians had deprived the Israelites of their own freedom and Moses had been used to deliver them over a period of forty years.
If Charley is going to be involved in this, I’ll have to be, as well, or there’ll eventually be a rift between us. If I do this, she continued her line of thought, it’ll be in just a small way and I’ll never put myself nor my family in any sort of danger.
Charley did arrive home late that evening, safe though tired and saddened by what he had witnessed.
The following days passed without anything further happening then one night the unthinkable happened.
There was a knock at the door after the children had gone to bed.
Charley looked out the window and saw that Mary was standing at the back door.
“What’s wrong, Mary?” Charley asked her.
“It’s Michael,” she said frantically. “He’s hurt bad, the slaves are still with us and the patrol that hunts them isn’t far away. They’ll find us and kill all of us, sure as anything!”
Charley grabbed his overcoat and taking Mary’s arm, said “Come and show me!”
Even from this distance, Charley could see lamps on in the house.
“Mary, go into the house and put out the lamps; lock the doors and hurry back to stay with Zoe.”
He found Michael lying on the wagon seat where he had fallen after being wounded.
Charley jumped upon the wagon seat and put the horses on a run to his own barn, a large outbuilding a little piece from his home.
Pulling the doors closed, he told the slaves to get into the loft and to not make a sound or move about, regardless.
Zoe had been watching from the house and ran out to help him with Michael. Mary wasn’t far behind.
Between them, they got him to the house and into the guest bedroom.
They were able to see by the small fires in the fireplaces that had been kept alive to ward off the chill from the house.
Zoe hurriedly locked the doors and windows in the downstairs and made sure that the heavy drapes were all tightly closed, upstairs and down.
It wasn’t long before they heard the loud rattling of a wagon coming down the highway.
Mary knelt beside her husbands bed; praying for their and the slaves protection. Charley and Zoe knelt beside her and joined her prayers.
The wagon slowed down as it came around the bend and then picked up speed and continued down the highway.
The little group breathed a sigh of relief and thanked God for His goodness and mercy and Mary began to take care of Michael‘s wounds. Charley looked at Mary, “Mary, do you know if Michael was taking the slaves to the same place that we went before?”
Mary looked at Charley, “I’m pretty sure, Charley, are you planning to do this alone?” she looked gravely at Charley, knowing of his lack of experience. “This isn’t the time to be a hero, you know, there are all sorts of dangers involved in these situations.”
Zoe looked at Mary, “Then, you go with him, I can watch Michael and take care of him when he wakes up.”
Mary and Charley both looked at Zoe, “You wouldn’t mind?” Charley asked.
“What has to be done, has to be done, and there’s no time for talking. Mary, tell me what you’ll need that we may have and I’ll get it for you.”
Mary and Charley left by the back road while Zoe watched from the window.
It was a school day so the children didn’t have time to find out about the company in the guest room.
When Serena came, she busied her with the laundry out in the wash house out back. That and the hanging out clothes kept her busy for most of the day.
By that time the children had come home and she sent Serena home early. Since she did this sometimes, Serena didn’t seem to be suspicious, not that she couldn’t be trusted. Zoe just felt that it was better not to take any chances.
Zoe was pensive all day; getting lunch for Michael; hoping everything was going well for Mary and Charley; not wanting to cause suspicions was working on Zoe.
When she finally heard the wagon come up, she hurried out to see about them and to tell Mary that they would get Michael home after the children had gone to bed so they wouldn’t know that he’d spent the day there.
Mary understood and went into her house to get ready for Michael to go home.
Charley was extremely tired and was quiet during supper after which he went to bed. Zoe followed him upstairs to tell him that she’d have to awaken him to help her get Michael home later.
As it turned out, Mary showed up right after she’d come downstairs like it was an evening social call. The children didn’t think anything about it and were off to bed soon after.
Mary was extremely tired after the grueling day and shared a little of it with Zoe.
Driving back with the produce that the farmer gave them to put in their wagon wasn’t so bad but the going to his place was especially hard, not knowing what was ahead or behind. These people used the fastest horses and were quick with their pistols.
Zoe left Mary to tuck the children in and then she and Mary got Michael between them and helped him to their house. He wasn’t a big man but they were glad that he was able to walk.
Not long afterward, Michael let Charley know that he’d passed his place in the Railroad to another man not too far away whom he knew had been wanting to be involved.
Neither Charley nor Zoe complained about not being able to help any longer.
Remembering the dream that had disturbed her previous to the Underground Railroad coming into their lives, Zoe talked to Charley about it and asked him did he know of a good place to hide the jewel box if they were ever under duress of some sort.
She thought that Charley looked at her in a funny way but he only said, “I’ll give it some thought, we’re going to be alright, you know.”
Zoe went over to her dresser; picked up the jewel box and wound the little key on the bottom and together they watched it open and play the little song, ‘The Eriskay Love Lilt’.
Charley looked at Zoe; winked and said, “I was named for him, you know, the ‘Bonnie Prince Charley’.”
“Rightly so, too, you are our ‘Bonnie Prince’." Zoe gave her bonnie prince a warm smile.
The End
Finished writing:
September 19, 2011 7:00 PM
These are some of the routes that were taken by the slaves to freedom
on the Underground Railroad.
I believe that there were many white people in the South who helped the slaves to escape.
The background music is 'Eriskay Love Lilt, a pretty melody.
I'd love your feedback on my stories. You can email me at ora.lea @ gmail.com Thank You
These stories have been written by me, Ora Lea Harrison.
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