Elijah of Buxton (21 page)

This was peculiar. I was supposed to help him again.

“Did he say how come?”

Eb said, “Uh-uh, you know Mr. Leroy, he never has much of anything to say. All he said was to tell you to come by the sawmill first.”

“Thank you, Eb. Tell your ma and pa I asked 'bout 'em.”

When I got to the sawmill, Mr. Leroy and Mr. Polite were sitting next to a fresh-cut hunk of wood 'bout four foot long and one foot wide.

Mr. Polite said, “Here he be. Evening, Eli.”

“Evening, Mr. Polite. Evening, Mr. Leroy.”

Mr. Leroy said, “Evening, Elijah. I wants you to look over this here writing 'fore I starts carving it. Mrs. Holton want it to go over her door, and I ain't carving nothing for no one 'less somebody what reads tells me it make sense.

“Folks ax you to carve something, then when you do it like they want and someone reads it to 'em and it ain't nothing but jibber-jabber, they say they ain't gunn pay and I done waste all that time. So see if this here's sensical.”

I could tell Mr. Leroy was mighty worked up 'bout this. That was a whole month's worth of talking for him. He handed me a piece of paper that had rough writing and lots of cross-outs on it. I read, “‘These words is done so no one won't never forget the loving memory of my husband John Holton what got whip to death and killed on May the seven 1859 just 'cause he want to see what his family look like if they free. He be resting calm knowing his family done got through. The body won't never endure but something inside all of us be so strong it always be flying.'”

I said to Mr. Leroy, “Sir, some of these things
do
need to get changed. How long you gonna let me ponder on this afore I gotta tell you?”

Mr. Polite said, “Ponder? Seem to me if you was really some good at reading and writing you wouldn't need no time to ponder nothing. Just change it up 'cause it ain't ringing right to my ear.”

He turned to Mr. Leroy, “I told you, Leroy, we should've got that little Collins gal. That's one bright child there. This boy ain't too far from being daft.”

Mr. Leroy said, “Hold on, Henry, the boy say he need some time, I'm-a let him take his time. Mrs. Holton already suffered a lot. She don't need to be suffering no more 'cause of some jibber-jabber what's carved over her door.”

I showed Ma and Pa the paper Mrs. Holton had writ and they told me it was a great honour to do this, that I had to do the best job I could.

Pa said, “You gunn have to help her take some the bite out them words, Elijah. Her pain too fresh to be locking it up so hot in writing.”

Ma told me, “Poor Mr. Leroy gunn be carving for years to get all that down. But look, baby, some of them words is mine!”

I thought on it for the rest of the week. I filled pages and pages in my notebook, working on just the right words for Mrs. Holton. I thought 'bout it when I was supposed to be studying and when I was supposed to be doing chores. It even creeped up on me and made my rock fishing go real unpleasant for both me and the fish. I only chunked four outta twenty. Worst, I sent two of 'em wobbling back into the water with their brains scrambled like eggs.

After 'bout a week Mr. Leroy's patience ran out and he said, “I'm starting to agree with Henry Polite. Don't seem like changing some words 'round gunn take all this time. Mrs. Holton been wondering where her sign's at. After your supper, come to the field and have them words ready so's I can get started. And write 'em down clear too.”

It killed my appetite but I finally got something writ down just after supper. Afore I gave it to Mr. Leroy, I ran over to Mr. Travis's home so he could see if there were any big mistakes. Mr. Travis changed two words, crossed out three, put in some better punctuating, then said, “Admirable job, Mr. Freeman, admirable job.”

Ma and Pa said it seemed pretty good to them, and when I told the words to Mr. Leroy he didn't do nothing but grunt, which was saying a whole lot for him.

It took him a while to carve all the letters in the wood and the day it was finished he showed it to me. It was beautiful!

He said, “She real partial to having things done fancy, don't want nothing plain, so I put some decorating on it.”

In the first three corners of her sign he'd carved a tree, a bird, and some waves. In the fourth corner he put the sun and the moon. He even carved a ribbon to go 'round all the words and you'd have swored it was real. Mr. Leroy let me carry it down to Mrs. Holton's so we could put it over her door.

Soon's he drove the first nail into the wood over her door, Mrs. Holton came out to see what the commotion was.

“Good afternoon, Leroy. Good afternoon, Elijah.”

Me and Mr. Leroy both said, “Afternoon, ma'am.”

Mr. Leroy told her, “I's sorry, Sister Emeline, I had the boy change them words 'round some. It was too long afore.”

She stepped outside, looked back up at the sign, and said, “Oh? What it say now?”

I read it to her and she smiled and said, “That's just what I wanted it to say, Elijah. Thank you kindly. And thank you kindly, Mr. Leroy, for doing such a good job. I like the way you put them things in the corners, make it look important!

“Pardon me for a minute.” Mrs. Holton went back inside her home. I figured she was getting some money to pay Mr. Leroy, but when she came back she was holding on to a fancy carved box.

She reached into the front of her apron and gave me a whole nickel! She gave me money for coming up with words on a piece a paper!

I squozed it tight in my hand and said, “Thank you, ma'am!”

But even afore I could slide it down in my pocket I could hear what Ma and Pa would say.

I opened my palm and reached the nickel back to Mrs. Holton. I said, “I ain't allowed to take no one's money, ma'am.”

She wrapped her hand 'round my fingers so the nickel was folded back up in my fist.

“Elijah, I insists. If you ain't gunn take it I'm-a throw it out in the yard. I'll tell your ma I made you.”

That was good enough for me! Ma and Pa would think throwing money away was worst than taking it for doing someone a favour, so I didn't have nothing to worry 'bout!

Then Mrs. Holton looked at Mr. Leroy and said, “Sir. This here's for you.”

She reached the wood box at him.

Mr. Leroy wrinkled his forehead for a bit then said, “Sister Emeline, I 'preciate you giving me this here box. It's some fine work. And in light of your loss I'm-a say we's even, but from now on I caint be dealing in nothing but money. Sorry if I'm seeming bold, ma'am, I ain't intending to, but I know with you having someone what was 'slaved down home, you understand.”

Mrs. Holton said, “I understand. Here. Open the box.”

Mr. Leroy took the box, pulled the lid off, and both him and me sucked in air like we got dunked in a barrel of cold water.

His hands commenced shaking, he busted out in a sweat and looked like his belly was aching him bad. He grabbed ahold of his left arm then whispered, “Mrs. Holton? What this?”

Mrs. Holton said, “It's twenty-two hundred dollars in gold, Mr. Leroy. It's what I was gunn buy John Holton with. You need it more'n me now.”

Mr. Leroy couldn't talk. His legs melted from under him and he ended up in a heap on Mrs. Holton's stoop. He said, “Mrs. Holton, this here'll be my wife and
both
my children. I … I … I caint turn this down
.…
”

“I ain't 'specting you would.”

She walked over to where he fell and he wrapped his arms 'round her legs like a drowning man holding on to a tree in a flood.

He kept on mumbling, “I caint turn it down, I caint turn it down
.…
”

It was something terrible to see. In two shakes of a lamb's tail, all the grownedness I'd been showing lately flewed off like ducks off of a pond and I was a fra-gile boy all over again. Seeing someone strong and tough as Mr. Leroy crying made me feel like everything was turned topsy-turvy.

Next thing you knowed, all three of us were bawling on Mrs. Holton's stoop. She pulled me in to her and we were a doggone pathetic sight.

Mr. Leroy said, “Sister Emeline, I done already save eleven hundred and ninety-two dollars and eighty-five cent. I ain't gunn need all this, but I swear I'm-a pay you back, I swear it. And you ain't never gunn have to worry 'bout no work being done on your land for the rest of your life.”

Mr. Leroy didn't even wipe the tears away. He was crying but started smiling at the same time. “You oughta see my oldest, 'Zekial! He was a big strapping boy when I last seen him four years ago and now he be fifteen and must be big as a oak! Me and him both gunn be at your beck and call, ma'am, I swear it! We gunn pay back every cent! Thank you, thank you
.…
”

Mrs. Holton said, “Mr. Leroy, I ain't got no doubt you gunn pay me back, but hearing that Liberty Bell toll when your wife and babies walk into Buxton gunn be near payment enough itself.”

She sniffed into the 'kerchief she was holding and said, “Elijah, read what them words is to me one more time.”

I'd toiled on 'em so long I didn't even have to look at the sign above Mrs. Holton's door. I swallowed down some of the looseness in my nose and said what was on the sign:

 

FOR THE LOVE OF MY HUSBAND,
JOHN HOLTON,
WHO PASSED ON MAY 7TH, 1859,
BUT STILL LIVES. THE BODY IS NOT
MADE TO ENDURE.
THERE'S SOMETHING INSIDE SO STRONG
IT FLIES FOREVER.

 

She said, “That's it, Elijah. Son, you done told the truth.”

I think all three of us figured the other two waren't gonna quit bawling till we busted up one from the 'nother. Mrs. Holton was the first to untangle herself from the crying party when her two children saw what was going on and commenced bawling too. She kissed me and Mr. Leroy on our heads then closed her door kind of gentle.

I was next to leave. It was getting late and I didn't want no trouble from Ma, so I left Mr. Leroy sitting on one of the steps with his face pressed down on that box.

I ran all the way home to tell Ma and Pa the good news!

The next morning there was a knock on our front door. I heard Pa invite Mr. Leroy in so I went to give him my regards.

“Morning, Pa. Morning, Mr. Leroy.”

Both of them said, “Morning, Elijah.”

Mr. Leroy was holding his hat in his hand and looking like he'd got dragged through four rat holes. He said to Pa, “Spencer, I got some business I need to talk with you.”

Pa said, “'Lijah, 'scuse you'self.”

Mr. Leroy said, “No, Spencer, me and 'Lijah's working partners. The boy handles hisself like he's growned so I hope you don't mind if he stay.”

If I lived to be fifty I was gonna remember this, the first time I got called growned! I waren't expecting this to happen for six or seven months yet!

Pa said, “Suit you'self, Leroy.” He sat in the rocker and pointed at the soft chair for me.

Mr. Leroy said, “I don't know if Elijah told y'all what happened?”

Pa didn't let him know one way or the 'nother. He rocked the chair gentle and said, “What's that, Leroy?”

I sure was proud of Pa right then. It waren't until Mr. Leroy asked him that question that my mind told me in a flash that maybe I shouldn't've told Ma and Pa what happened. Maybe Mr. Leroy would've been 'shamed if I was telling folks he took Mrs. Holton's gold. But Pa didn't let on that I'd run my mouth.

Mr. Leroy said, “Wouldn't 've been no worry to me if he did tell, Spencer. Y'all raised him proper and I know the boy like to talk, but he ain't no gossip. I know there's things what children has to tell their folks.”

This being growned was a lot harder than it looked. I couldn't make heads nor tails out of how Pa knowed not to say nothing 'bout me telling and how Mr. Leroy knowed that that was what I was worrying 'bout!

Mr. Leroy said, “Mrs. Holton done lent me 'nough money to buy my wife and children, Spencer.”

Pa said, “Leroy, that sure is powerful good news.”

Then Mr. Leroy went and ruined all this growned-up talk for me, he said, “Yes, Spencer, I don't know how I can ever … how I'm gunn ever …” and he commenced bawling again. He covered his face with his hat and sobbed. And I'll be blanged if that didn't set me off.

Pa looked at me and tipped his head toward my bedroom. I left the room and stayed outta sight, but I was still close enough for listening. After all, Mr. Leroy did say I handle myself like I was growned, and I know growned folks don't like nothing better than doing a little eavesdropping.

Pa didn't say a word. I heard the rocking chair squeaking on the floor at the same rhythm it was afore Mr. Leroy commenced crying. Pa just waited till Mr. Leroy got back in his right mind.

After 'while, Mr. Leroy said, “I 'pologize for that, Spencer. I ain't got no sleep all night, seems my mind running five different ways at once. Now that I know my family coming, seems like my mind trying to plague me with every horrible thing what might happen.”