In the long, hot Kentucky summer of 1821, Hoagie Gilligan JR, the son of a slave owner, met the daughter of a couple of his family's slaves. Her name was Abigail. After a few weeks, he started to gain feelings for the young, black girl. An action he would soon find to be a mistake.
"Abigail, meet me tonight under the old apple tree," he whispered as she nodded in agreement.
That night after everyone was asleep, the two slipped into the night and met under the apple tree a few hundred yards behind the slave houses. "Hoagie, your commands?"
"Kiss me," he joked.
After they shared a kiss, she cut to the point, "Now why'd you really get me out here?"
"I've been thinking. You love me and I love you, let's run away together."
"Where?"
"Up north, I hear there's no slaves, you'd be free and we can get married."
"Yeah, but if I run away, Hoagie, I could get caught and brought right back, if we don't make it across the border."
"Well, you belong to my Daddy. I could buy you from him; then there's nothing stopping us."
"If you say so." she replyed.
"I'll meet you back here tomorrow night."
The next night, Hoagie left a sack of gold pieces on his father's desk with a note: "I'm leaving and taking Abigail. Hope this will suffice as payment." Hearing someone in the hall, he snuck out the other entrance of the office and ran. Only when he reached Abigail did he slow down. "Ready?"
"Yes, sir."
"You don't have to call me 'sir.'"
"Okay, Hoagie."
"Which way's north?"
"I heard the older men say to follow the brightest star in the sky. Momma said she heard your Daddy and his friends talk about towns that they say are up north like Louisville."
"I know where that is. So go in that direction until we reach a town in a northern state?"
"I suppose." Hoagie started walking to Louisville. "Uh, why don't we take a wagon, or at least a horse?"
"That would make since," he said walking back to the barn. "But I think we should hurry, I thought I heard someone walkin' around when I left."
They hurried to the barn, and Hoagie prepared his horse. As they rode off, they heard a commosion behind them. They turned around in the saddle to see what looked like Hoagie's father beginning to run after them, soon stopping, and his mother worrying on the porch. "Are you sure about this?"
"Yes." Hoagie said just speeding up.
They rode for days, pulling over of a night to sleep. Once they reached Louisville, Hoagie bought food, and supplies, including a map. "Okay. We're here at Louisville." Hoagie said, pointing at Louisville on the map. "If we follow this road right there, we should be able to go all the way to Canada if we want to ."
"If you think so. As long as we have enough money to buy supplies on the way. I'd hate if we had to stop half way so that you could get a job, just to buy supplies."
"Food, we can hunt and gather, though."
"If you bought materials, mama taught me to make shirts and pants."
"We'd be set until you run out of materials and I ran out of ammo."
"I suppose."
Meanwhile
Hoagie Senior sat in his office, just rereading the note over and over. "I can't believe he would do somethin' this stupid." he mumbled. He wrote a short letter and called for Abagail's mother, Harriet. "Harriet, I trust that you're aware of your daughter's 'quick get away' with my son."
"Yes, sir." she replyed.
"I will not punish you for your daughter's bad decision, but I will say that further misbehavior will result in her meeting the whip. Am I understood?"
"Yes sir." After a short pause, she spoke again. "If I may, sir, why are you being so generous towards her now that she's actually ran?"
"You and your 'family' are my best and most trusted slaves. Unlike others, you don't speak of freedom, which we all know is nonexistent for you enslaved negroes. And as a reward for your loyalty, I provide genorosity. I have this letter for a group of gentlemen in town, do see to it that they receive it."
"Yes sir"
"Oh and Harriet, you might want to be a bit extra careful around them. You see, they're slave catchers."
Hoagie Junior and Abigail were just waking close to the border of Kentucky and Indiana. Hoagie yawned as he began repacking to get back on the road. He had just finished packing when they heard a steady thumping. Th-th-thump. Th-th-thump. Th-th-thump. They started looking around, they spotted a darkly dressed figure on the back of a black horse. The figure soon pulled out a pistol and, once close enough, threw a net over Abigail, and jumped from his horse to deliver a sharp blow that knocked out Hoagie.
"Where's my payment?" the man demanded. He had rode full speed for days looking for a slave and a slave owner's son, he wanted his money.
"Allow me to see the captured and you will recieve your payment."
"Their in the courtyard."
Hoagie Senior looked out the window overlooking the courtyard, Abigail and Hoagie Junior in shackles. "Very well," he set a sack of gold pieces on the desk,"your payment."
The man left and Hoagie Senior went down to the courtyard. "Hoagie, would you mind telling me what the Hell was going through your head?"
"I was thinking of a love like no other before. Between a slave and a slave owner's son. Free and slave. White and black." His father slapped him hard across the face.
"You should know by now that that would never happen, so why even attempt?"
"Because, Father, I believe in a future. A better and brighter future. A future where whites and negroes can stand as equals and can be together without it being a big deal."
"Well then I'll have to call you stupid because that's not about to happen. And you, Abigail. You really surprized me. You're one of my most loyal slaves."
"I'm like any other slave, sir. Dreams of freedom. Hoagie presented the oppertunity." Abigail replied.
"Any further misbehavior will result in your meeting the whip. Both of you. Am I understood?" Silence. "Am I understood?!"
"Yes sir." Abigail grumbled while Hoagie remained silent.
"Neither of you are going anywhere until you reply Hoagie. Am I understood?"
"I refuse to reply until you remove the shackles from both of our wrists and ankles." His shackles were removed while her's had remained. "Her's too." After many looks were exchanged, Abigail's shackles were finally removed.
"Am I understood?" Hoagie Senior proceeded to ask once more, slow and sternly.
"Yes sir."