Longwood, A Love Story

Chapter 2

          I looked outside the carriage as we were going down a red clay dirt road while thinking about how much I wished I was back at Winter Quarters in Louisiana. I looked out at the sun setting slowly on this warm October day. I am leaving behind all of my friends and everything I know,  now that papa is moving  us to Natchez while he is building our new home. Longwood.

         Longwood is mama's dream house. Mama always had the dream in her heart to be close to her family while Lillie and I learned how to be proper ladies for our future husbands.  Mama grew up in Natchez at Ashburn but moved to Louisiana when she married papa . I haven't seen Longwood yet, but I know it must be grand from how much papa is spending on it. Lillie nudged my side and said excitedly.

   "I think we are almost there Julie!"

"Yes I think so too Lillie."

          I loved seeing the excitement in my younger sister's eyes. I am scared and excited about what Longwood will look like. I looked back at Lillie and smiled as I patted  hand gently,  then went back to looking outside the carriage window.

 At Longwood

The sun was rapidly setting and soon it was time to stop all work on the plantation house until morning. I looked around me at the endless rows of plain white canvas tents pitched to house all foreign skilled workers. Many campfires warmed countless men while cooking stews, grilled steaks, and boiling potatoes.

 To the East from our camp was where the slaves and the cajuns stayed. A wide strip of land covered with building materials stacked so high you couldn't tell anything was behind the supplies seperated the darker men from us. When we came here we didn't understand the separation of the men from us and when we asked we were told that we were paid to work , not to understand the way southerners live.

After that day nothing else was said about the men. The foreign labor just worked their appointed hours and accepted their pay wordlessly . Unlike the lighter skinned men I worked with, I still talked to the men like they were human beings unlike their masters. My best friend on this plantation is a colored slave that goes by the name of Big Tom. Tom hates that people call him Big Tom because of his size. He just wants to be normal so one day  I decided I would be one of the few people that just simply called him Tom. Tom is a huge strapping man of six foot seven inches and has skin the color of the darkest tree bark. Tom is the hardest working slave on Longwood land and is one of the most trusted people here. The owner , Mr. Nutt , likes Tom the most because Tom loves working for him . Mr. Nutt is kind to Tom and it's not just because of Tom's size. Tom has a kind heart  not cruel one like some of the slaves here that just hate white people in general.

  I walked to the nearest campfire and sat down next to Samuel Sloan. Samuel is the chief architect and I am his apprentice. When Samuel noticed me he started motioning for me to get closer to him.

 " Tonight Mr. Nutt's family will be arriving. Tomorrow night  we are to have supper with them.  Dress in something besides work clothes. We have to make a good impression with the entire family." I nodded in agreement.

 "Oh and Nicholas make sure the men stay away from his daughters. The last thing we need is trouble with the family or the men. If Nutt thinks one of our men is interested in one of his girls it will just cause obstacles in our part of the work.  Make sure all of the men know not to go around them."

  I looked into his slightly worn face, ravaged by sun and hard work , "Samuel, I don't think you have to worry about anyone going around any of his kids."

   The tension in his brow decreased slightly but not enough for my liking as he took in my words. "Thanks Nicholas. Now you need to eat. We have  much to finish on the morrow."

I accepted a bowl of stew and a hunk of meat that was offered to me and I ate in silence wondering what the morning would bring.

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         The next morning's sunrise blended the sky into wonderful pastels of color and too soon the sunrise led to the early hours of the morning. Silently the workers got ready for a day of hard labor as  many men had already started small fires to make coffee and biscuits. It didn't take long for me to pull on my work clothes and a pair of old sturdy boots.   Walking over to Samuel's tent I waited patiently for him to come out. Samuel appeared from between the large canvas flaps of the tent while mumbling to himself and I couldn't help but smile.

                         "Is it too early for you Samuel?"

    "What? Oh no Nicholas. I just have a lot on my mind. I am going to draw up plans and when I am finished we can go back and look at what may need to be changed. I need you to go oversee the columns of the veranda being put in correctly and the glass being stored correctly. Mr. Knutt will be very diassapointed if his glass is broken just because someone was being careless. Oh and if you wouldn't mind can you please go and make sure the base boards of the second and third floor are being laid right? Thank you."

         I barely had time to tell Samuel I would do the things he assigned me with for the day before he rushed off in a flurry with an armful of blueprints and tools. I walked to the big house and immediately started in on the work that had to be completed.  I saw one man putting the columns in completely wrong and I groaned. The columns in the main and second floor porches and verandas weren't just for beauty they were also there to help hold up the structure of the house. This was going to be a long day. 

        The hours passed by and the longer I worked,  the harder I worked. Around noon, I decided I was going to go down to the stream that I had discovered was on the south end of the estate. The stream was hidden deep in the trees behind the plantation but I didn't mind walking becuase it was one of the only peaceful places I could go and not be disturbed. I made my way through the trees and when I reached the small stream I stripped off my sweat soaked shirt and I cupped my hands to drink some of the cool water. I drank my fill then I walked over to a fallen tree and sat down. I heard movement and suddenly a young woman in a plain white calico dress appeared. The young woman was strikingly beautiful. I caught a glimpse of mohogany colored curls and skin the color of gardenia petals. Suddenly the young woman started looking around like she was looking for something and suddenly she spotted me. Her gaze captured mine and the warmth in her deep emerald colored eyes took my breath away and then I backed away slowly to go back to work. As I slipped the now dry linen shirt over my head, all I could think about were those deep emerald eyes. Part of my mind filled with warning while the other part wanted to know if she would ever let anyone know about our encounter.