Iola Leroy - Shadows Uplifted | Page 9

rag off de bush. Gundover
had jis' brought her from de up-country. She war putty as a picture!" he
exclaimed, looking fondly at his wife, who still bore traces of great
beauty. "She had putty hair, putty eyes, putty mouth. She war putty all
over; an' she know'd how to put on style."
"O, Daniel," said Aunt Katie, half chidingly, "how you do talk."
"Why, it's true. I 'member when you war de puttiest gal in dese diggins;
when nobody could top your cotton."
"I don't," said Aunt Katie.
"Well, I do. Now, let me go on wid my story. De fust time I seed her, I
sez to myself, 'Dat's de gal for me, an' I means to hab her ef I kin git
her.' So I scraped 'quaintance wid her, and axed her ef she would hab
me ef our marsters would let us. I warn't 'fraid 'bout Marse Robert, but I
warn't quite shore 'bout Gundover. So when Marse Robert com'd home,
I axed him, an' he larf'd an' said, 'All right,' an' dat he would speak to
ole Gundover 'bout it. He didn't relish it bery much, but he didn't like to
'fuse Marse Robert. He wouldn't sell her, for she tended his dairy, an'
war mighty handy 'bout de house. He said, I mought marry her an'
come to see her wheneber Marse Robert would gib me a pass. I wanted
him to sell her, but he wouldn't hear to it, so I had to put up wid what I
could git. Marse Robert war mighty good to me, but ole Gundover's
wife war de meanest woman dat I eber did see. She used to go out on
de plantation an' boss things like a man. Arter I war married, I had a
baby. It war de dearest, cutest little thing you eber did see; but, pore
thing, it got sick and died. It died 'bout three o'clock; and in de mornin',
Katie, habbin her cows to milk, lef her dead baby in de cabin. When
she com'd back from milkin' her thirty cows, an' went to look for her
pore little baby, some one had been to her cabin an' took'd de pore chile
away an' put it in de groun'. Pore Katie, she didn't eben hab a chance to
kiss her baby 'fore it war buried. Ole Gundover's wife has been dead
thirty years, an' she didn't die a day too soon. An' my little baby has
gone to glory, an' is wingin' wid the angels an' a lookin' out for us. One
ob de las' things ole Gundover's wife did 'fore she died war to order a

woman whipped 'cause she com'd to de field a little late when her
husband war sick, an' she had stopped to tend him. Dat mornin' she war
taken sick wid de fever, an' in a few days she war gone out like de snuff
ob a candle. She lef' several sons, an' I specs she would almos' turn
ober in her grave ef she know'd she had ten culled granchillen
somewhar down in de lower kentry."
"Isn't it funny," said Robert, "how these white folks look down on
colored people, an' then mix up with them?"
"Marster war away when Miss 'Liza treated my Katie so mean, an'
when I tole him 'bout it, he war tearin' mad, an' went ober an' saw ole
Gundover, an' foun' out he war hard up for money, an' he bought Katie
and brought her home to lib wid me, and we's been a libin in clover
eber sence. Marster Robert has been mighty good to me. He stood by
me in my troubles, an' now his trouble's come, I'm a gwine to stan' by
him. I used to think Gundover's wife war jealous ob my Katie. She war
so much puttier. Gundover's wife couldn't tech my Katie wid a ten foot
pole."
"But, Aunt Katie, you have had your trials," said Robert, now that
Daniel had finished his story; "don't you feel bitter towards these
people who are fighting to keep you in slavery?"
Aunt Katie turned her face towards the speaker. It was a thoughtful,
intelligent face, saintly and calm. A face which expressed the idea of a
soul which had been fearfully tempest tossed, but had passed through
suffering into peace. Very touching was the look of resignation and
hope which overspread her features as she replied, with the simple
child-like faith which she had learned in the darkest hour, "The Lord
says, we must forgive." And with her that thought, as coming from the
lips of Divine Love, was enough to settle the whole question of
forgiveness of injuries and love to enemies.
"Well," said Thomas Anderson, turning to Uncle Daniel, "we can't
count on yer