The Portland daily press., 1868-12-05
selected story,
CILLA'S THANKSGIVING,
BY MARY DALLAS,


England farmhouse plenty, and every one in
sight, from the trim mistress OF the house, to
the small boy who made himself useful foI
his board, were busy with preparations fol
g. Thanksgiving" but there was no thanksgiv-
ing in Cilla's tace-that strange tace-whch
would have boosted of Patrician beauty, but
for the dusky shadow of her mothers race
that brooded over it. She sat still and did
not sing her full lids had just tinge oil
purple at their edges; one caught no glimpse
of her white teeth. The kitten rushed fran
tically across the floor and pulled at her apron
string, and she never looked at it.
Her MISTRESS white baby crawled softly
In, ceoing and Growing, and climbed up at
her knee. She only put him down softly. and
once on her face the shadow crept darker and
darker, and the lids grew heavier, as though
unshed tears were under them.
"That amt much Of thanksgiving face
ella. You, that aught to be so thankful, too
"What for, Missus?" asked ella, looking
The Yankee woman stared at her.
Prhaps you don't realize that you're a
free woman, Ciila?" she said sharply.
"Yes, Mssus, / do" sand ella, with a sort
of moan. Pears can't forget it minute
It's so lonesome"
whats lonesome, the kitchen ?" asked her
mistress.
"Bein' free" said ella.
Is Alter all we've done tor you ?' gasped the
farmers wife. AFTER prayir', and workin'
and sendn' our best and dearest to shed tbeil
blood Tor you-yes, it was tor you-you black
folks. Twas so ordained. Nothin' but white
blood ever could have set you free, and here
you are to-day, with all your chains shook off
every one OF you, and you talk SO. ella, I'd
be ashamed OF you, only that you are a poor
ignorant critter, that amt capable ct knowing
good from bad, / reckon.
you has been mighty good to me, Mis-
sus," said ella, "but what Pm thinking of is
lack, Pears like l dunno much abont this
be n free, but to home there was the kitchen,
aud arter dark | kinder shined it up and
made pone and coffee, and lack, they let him
come. lack drove, you know, and Missus.
gave us wedding, and me white trock.
Mlssus, she was powerful good. Both of
EN- was old and remembered courtir' times.
Says she, we won't sell you apart, and when
we die you Will have your freedom; hadn t
no children, you know, to leave us to-"
Poor benighted critters, as if flesh and
blood was pigs, calculated Mrs. Baker, but
ella went on without hearing her.
"They hadn't any more people only US
ahl the times was good until war come; and
then there was the house afre, and Missus
and me runnin' of fur our lives, and Massa
only finding us jest to lay down and die, and
Missus dyin' after the last bit she eat. give to
her ike she was beggar; and then the min
ister gentleman, he bring me North. and 7
amt seen lack since. Never shil now: thew
have killed him, likely, some of them.5
The Rebels, you mean? ?" asked the mis-
tress. '--
"Some Of em-dont make no matter if
they was North or South so they killed
lack" said ella. mo, Missus, can't helm
tn
meant well, | reckon, but II all they did for
nae Was to kill Zack, how do you expect me
to keep Thanksgivin'?"
You poor benighted critter," said Mrs.
Baker, as she hurried away. 'It's not your
iauIt-lt's that of them that fetched you up
but see you don't so much as know what
has been done for YOU"
But there the bells began to ring. and away
hurried Mrs. Baker to pack her boys and girls
into the Eight wagon and Chamber af.er
them upon the seat beside her husband.
AT home, ella worked on in the kitchen,
doing all deity and briskly enough, but
heavy OF heart, nevertheless. Her heart was
In the past.
Kinder seems never told lack how
keered for him. said ella. Wonder if he
knowed?" and that remorseiul wonder
haunted her through the noon-tide dinner
serving, and made her gIoomier and sadder
still.
"Seems as if all our labor was thrown
away," said Mrs. Baker, sit many colored
folks don't realize their freedom more'n ella
Does"
There was family party at the Bakers
that evening-music and dancing and a sup
per. ella thought OF the Christmas dances
sway down South" OF how lack did the
double shuttle and cut the pigeon wing" She
had been told to 'come in and look on" and
she did it, but no lightness came into her
heart. Serving the coffee she heard the chat.
Old Mrs. Ruby talked with Deacon Baker
In a corner.
"Your'n came from down South ?" she ask
ed. $50 did mine. They're a shiftless lot
hard to teach, and gin to grumblin'.'
Don't realize their freedom" said the dea-
con-Cilla knowing of what they spoke,
though their voices were low-"but they1i
hallelujah after awhile"
"There was one to our house this mornin,n
said Mrs. kuby-"kinier cream-colored one
wanted vittes. | gin him some and
tract. He couldn't read it, but told him to
git somebody to do it for him. He didn't
realize things, neither. Said it seemed kind
O. mean not to belong to nobody faint
their fault; it's kind O. crushed out of 'em."
Hire him ?" asked the deacon.
mo-" said Mrs. Ruby; ''but he'll sleep in
the barn tonight. You wantin' hand?"
"Dunno but 1 might" said the deacon
They're trouble, though they're contra
bands. But reckon I'll try him. Just come
up, has he"
And then ella slipped in between them,
"Scuse me, missus," she said "but this
here niger"
"Colored man, you mean, Cilla," said the
deacon.
Eyes, sah-colored man. He didn't men,
ton nobody by the name of lack, did hep"
NO." said Mrs Ruby; talked about his
wife bit, but no one else"
"Missus is quite certain sure?" asked
ella. "YOu see he mought have knowed
lack"
Pm quite sure, Cilla," said the old lady,
And ella slipped away, and out of the
room. Down by the kitchen fire she crouch-
ed, and hid her eyes and wept.
"Oh. lack, lack! pears like nobody does
remember you but me-" she sobbed. ooh. if
| only could have oie word from you-ilIst
good bye! He'd have lett word for me,
know, whoever saw him de-"
And then there crept into her heart such
q longing to see this man, newly from
her old hose, perhaps-to ask him if he
knew Zack-to hear, "for suren-not
through white folks"-that she could restrain
herself no longer, but wrapped herself in a
great red sha vi, went out OF the house, and
across field and orchard, until, through the
ehinks OF farmer Ruby's barn, she saw the
iiSht oil candle, and going nearer, and peep
ing IN, saw man eating his supper from a
brown dlsh-a comfortable supper, though
he was but wandering beggar-for Mrs. Ru- |
oy was no niggard.
ella went in. She stood just beside the |
oarndoor, looking down and playing with her |
apron strings.
The man stood NTH IT,.
shadow. A '"ee' were iii
ella spoke first.
. "They told me you come from dovn
South" ioh "owh
THAT'S whar | come from.n
"Been a so dIer?'
Along the Union army-yes."
And the voice quivered, and the gaunt 40.
ure took step nearer, and the great ewes
tried to peer into those shaded by Cias great
shawl.
ella drew back a little.
u just come to ask" she said. "Kinder
seemed you might know-did you-a man
named Zack-kinder light, and kinder stout
my man-ef you knowed?,
And then, in her earnestness, ana in q SORT |
81 terror OF the mans sudden approach, She |
looked full at him, and the shawl fell harl,
and there came from the lips of each a low
ats Cilla!'
SITS lack, sure!"
And nothing more save sobs.
The Thanksgiving dance went on at Farmer
Boxers. awful late hours were kept that
night. There came but one Thanksgiving IN
all thu year.
: 1t was two O'Clock before the guests were
gone. Then Mrs. Baker, looking to the fas-
Jennings of door and uindn,,, 49, !. 1,.,, 20