The Way of a Man | Page 4

will have, the time when my
father and I, riding through the muddy streets of Leesburg town
together, saw a farmer's wagon stuck midway of a crossing. "Come,
Jack," my father called me, "we must send Bill Yarnley home to his
family." Then we two dismounted, and stooping in the mud got our two
shoulders under the axle of the wagon, before we were done with it, our
blood getting up at the laughter of the townsfolk. When we heaved
together, out came Bill Yarnley's wagon from the mud, and the laughter
ended. It was like him--he would not stop when once he started. Why,
it was so he married my mother, that very sweet Quakeress from the
foot of old Catoctin. He told me she said him no many times, not liking
his wild ways, so contrary to the manner of the Society of Friends; and
she only consented after binding him to go with her once each week to
the little stone church at Wallingford village, near our farm, provided
he should be at home and able to attend. My mother I think during her
life had not missed a half dozen meetings at the little stone church.

Twice a week, and once each Sunday, and once each month, and four
times each year, and also annually, the Society of Friends met there at
Wallingford, and have done so for over one hundred and thirty-five
years. Thither went my mother, quiet, brown-haired, gentle, as good a
soul as ever lived, and with her my father, tall, strong as a tree, keeping
his promise until at length by sheer force of this kept promise, he
himself became half Quaker and all gentle, since he saw what it meant
to her.
As I have paused in my horsemanship to speak thus of my father, I
ought also to speak of my mother. It was she who in those troublous
times just before the Civil War was the first to raise the voice in the
Quaker Meeting which said that the Friends ought to free their slaves,
law or no law; and so started what was called later the Unionist
sentiment in that part of old Virginia. It was my mother did that. Then
she asked my father to manumit all his slaves; and he thought for an
hour, and then raised his head and said it should be done; after which
the servants lived on as before, and gave less in return, at which my
father made wry faces, but said nothing in regret. After us others also
set free their people, and presently this part of Virginia was a sort of
Mecca for escaped blacks. It was my mother did that; and I believe that
it was her influence which had much to do with the position of East
Virginia on the question of the war. And this also in time had much to
do with this strange story of mine, and much to do with the presence
thereabout of the man whom I was to meet that very morning; although
when I started to mount my horse Satan I did not know that such a man
as Gordon Orme existed in the world.
When I approached Satan he lunged at me, but I caught him by the
cheek strap of the bridle and swung his head close up, feeling for the
saddle front as he reached for me with open mouth. Then as he reared I
swung up with him into place, and so felt safe, for once I clamped a
horse fair there was an end of his throwing me. I laughed when Miss
Grace Sheraton called out in alarm, and so wheeled Satan around a few
times and rode on down the road, past the fields where the blacks were
busy as blacks ever are, and so on to our own red pillared-gates.

Then, since the morning was still young, and since the air seemed to
me like wine, and since I wanted something to subdue and Satan
offered, I spurred him back from the gate and rode him hard down
toward Wallingford. Of course he picked up a stone en route. Two of us
held his head while Billings the blacksmith fished out the stone and
tapped the shoe nails tight. After that I had time to look around.
As I did so I saw approaching a gentleman who was looking with
interest at my mount. He was one of the most striking men I have ever
seen, a stranger as I could see, for I knew each family on both sides the
Blue Ridge as far up the valley as White Sulphur.
"A grand animal you have there, sir," said he, accosting Me. "I did not
know his like existed in this country."
"As well in