Sarah's Roses, Book II: Roses of White

Chapter XI

Chapter XI

Becoming mistress of a household is never easy, having to deal with a war at the same time made it all the more difficult. I suddenly found myself with cares and burdens I was hardly prepared to handle. Apart from managing the maitenace of the house, I had to feed and clothe the more than seventy slaves on my uncle’s plantation. The blockade and inflation didn’t exactly help. What was more, the slaves all had a feeling of freedom coming nearer and nearer to them. The still went about their duties, but there was a light in their eyes that made me a little fearful. I had never fully supported slavery, and I could understand the hope they had, but the fear of what they might do to us, their masters, still haunted me and I couldn't shake it off. It was now more than ever I was glad Uncle Andrew had always been fair to the slaves, that sort of gave me some hope. To make matters even more difficult, a draft was issued and soon many of our overseers were sent off to the war. A war that was coming nearer and nearer to us. Hearing gunshots in the night was something I would began to expect, my heart would always start pounding when they would start and I would pray with all my might that they would not come to near the house. Honestly, I don’t believe I prayed that much in my life as I did during those long years of the war.

I can still remember the first visit we had from the Yanks. I was sitting in the parlor, writing out some household duties. Evelyn came running to me in tears, saying Arthur had ripped her favorite doll. Sure enough, there was a four inch tear in the rag doll. I sighed and told her to fetch my sewing kit. Just as she came running with it, Elsie entered the room, leading the guilty party by the ear.

“Here he is, Sarah, do you want me to deal with him?” She asked.

“No, Elsie, I think I can manage him,” I replied. I knew Arthur really wasn’t the sort of boy to go about teasing Evy and I wanted to get to the bottom of it, but that would never happen with Elsie around. She never had much patience with boys. It is a good thing she never got her hands on Jeff when he was young, or I don’t think Jeff would have survived childhood. Elsie snorted loudly, in her opinion I didn’t know how to handle boys and was too soft, but she didn't put up an argument and took the tearful Evy away so I could deal with Arthur.

“Alright, Arthur, what is this about?” I asked, looking him straight in the eyes.

He smiled and pulled out of his pocket a string of pearls.

“Arthur, where did you get that?” I gasped.

“We’s can’t hide all our eggs in one basket, Sarah,” Arthur explained, “so I took the liberty of sneaking this from an armload Lulu was carrying from the Missus room to the secret chamber. What if the house is to burn down? We would lose everything, but Evy keeps the doll with her at all times and the pearls will be safe there. Now you sew them in and I will go keep an eye out for the Yanks.” With a very satisfied grin Arthur ran out of the room. I shook my head in bewilderment and took to stuffing the pearls into the tear Arthur had made. Presently Elsie walked into the room.

“Well?”

“He made the rip so we could hide a string of pearls in Evy’s doll as a back up plan,” I softly explained.

“I wish I could even begin to understand how that boy's brain works,” Elsie spoke in annoyance mixed with disbelief.

“He’s very smart,” I defended Arthur.

“He’s trying to act like a grown up in the hopes that we will let him into all our secrets. Now, Sarah, don’t argue with e, I have my opinion and you have yours and I guess we’ll just each work in our own way and see what comes of it.”

I giggled softly as my fingers swiftly sewed up the rip. Just as I put the last stitch in, Evy came running in wide eyed.

“Arthur says they’s coming,” she spoke to me in a breathless voice, “he says they’s gonna be here any minute.”