Sammy did his very best to steer clear of Marion's attention, along with that of the other new states. He was too crowded in that house, too cramped. His suit was itchy and hot, despite the cold air that seeped in through the cracks in the windows.
Too many people tried to talk to him, and he didn't know what to say back. All of the talk was of the surely approaching war, along with gathering supplies and fortifying borders. Sammy just wanted to get out of there. He had enough people screaming for war in his mind, so he didn't want to be surrounded by it if he could help it. Marion, however, had other plans for him.
He had nearly managed to slip out of the parlor and into the back hall when she called out to him.
"Samuel!"
Sammy cringed before slowly turning around to face her. Somehow he managed to plaster a sideways grin on his face. "Yes ma'am?"
"Come and meet these states, I don't think y'all have been introduced yet, have you?"
Sammy shook his head and made his way through the crowd to Marion's side. "No ma'am, I don't believe so."
Gesturing to each state, Marion rattled off a string of names, most of which Sammy couldn't quite catch. His mind was elsewhere, and Marion must have noticed, since Sammy caught a subtle elbow in the ribs for not paying attention closely enough.
A string of music began to pick up in the room across the hall, and Sammy jumped on the chance to get away from Marion for a little while, and also to make an impression on some of the new states. He turned to the two women who personified Louisiana and Mississippi, Lilian and Sadie Mae, and extended an arm.
"Ladies," he smiled sweetly, "Would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the ballroom? I have decided that I am in the mood for a dance, and would like to know if either of you lovely and beautiful ladies would care to join me?"
The two girls looked at each other, grinned, and then each took one of Sammy's arms. He then led them both out and into the ballroom, where the three of them struck up a conversation.
"So," Lilian said as she smoothed the front of her champagne-colored dress, "What's it like to be the most famous man in all of the country? Anyone who is anyone is talking about you." Sadie Mae nodded her head in agreement.
"Well," Sammy remarked, "It's quite a job. I don't get any time to relax and enjoy this turn of events. And if we're being honest here, I could do without all of this talk about war."
Lilian frowned for a moment, then reached out and laced her fingers between Sammy's own. When their eyes met, she asked, "We still on for that dance?"
Sammy smiled and led her out onto the floor. The music was a light melody, and easy to dance to, and for that, Sammy was grateful. He hadn't had too much of a chance to practice any dancing, but once they started, he soon realized that it came easily to him.
As they twirled around the floor, Sammy tried to make conversation.
"So, the other states… How do they feel about all of this?"
Lilian cocked her head to the side. "About all of what?"
"The secession, all the talk of war, you know."
Lilian threw her head back and laughed. "You don't know how to talk about anything else, do you?"
Sammy shrugged. "Give me a break, I'm pretty new at this. And Marion hardly ever lets me talk about anything else."
Lilian laughed again. "You need to lighten up, you're such a downer. But to answer your question," she added, "They're all pretty different. Take Florida." She pointed over Sammy's shoulder to a small man by the punch bowl. "He's pretty neutral, and I have a feeling he only succeeded so he wouldn't be isolated. Texas, on the other hand," Lilian nodded in the direction that they had come from, "is about as gung-ho as anybody. Same with Georgia and Alabama. All of them have gotten real stirred up and riled."
The song had ended, and everyone stopped to applaud the musicians in the back corner. As they exited the dance floor, Sammy asked, "What about you?"
"I'm glad that we can finally fight for the rights that we deserve to have. I'm just sorry that it's blown up to the degree that it has."
Sammy nodded in agreement. "You and me both."
Lilian furrowed her eyebrows and picked up a glass of tea that was sitting on a table nearby. "I just don't understand what those danged Yankees see in the negroes. All this talk about emancipating them and ending slavery…" She took a long sip from the glass. "Who do they think they are for saying such things? I am entitled to my own property just the same as they are."
Sammy hesitated, mulling over her words for a moment.
"Yes… I suppose you're right…"
-x-x-x-
Marion sat at her desk a couple nights later, poring over a stack of papers in the candlelight, but not thinking about them at all. She was thinking about Sammy, and his developing friendship with one of her slaves, Eli. Yes, that was his name. The big, burly one. She had been watching the two of them ever since they had met a little over two months or so ago, and she had finally decided that the two had become too close. Sammy was the personification of the Confederacy, and it was about time that he started acting like it.
The personification of the Confederate States of America could not be seen spending so much time with a negro.
It was inappropriate and unseemly, not to mention embarrassing.
She would have none of it.
Marion sifted through the stack of papers to unearth a folder of significant thickness. She then opened it, flipped through the pages in it for a moment, before finding the one that she was looking for.
Yes, this was his paperwork.
Marion smiled.
This situation would be easily rectified, through the sale of a couple of slaves, one of which went by the name of Eli Harris.
-x-x-x-
Sammy was up early, before the rising of the sun. He wanted to take a ride to town to pick up a couple of things that Marion needed, and he was hoping to be back sometime before noon. If he left now, he'd be able to beat the traffic surrounding the market, since tomorrow was due to be a slave trade day.
His horse was already tacked up and ready to go outside, and Sammy slipped back inside to get the list. While searching Marion's desk for it, he stumbled upon a folder that bore a title that nearly made his heart stop.
In the upper righthand corner, in the cursive and flowy script that was obviously Marion's hand, was written Market Sales, February 8, 1861.
Sammy's breath caught in his throat, but he forced himself to pick the folder up and open it. Inside, he found five sheets of paper, all listing different slaves. He dropped the folder in shock. The last paper had Eli's name written on it.
No, there's got to be some mistake, Sammy thought as he hastily gathered the papers up with shaking hands. I'm not reading this right, there's… There's no way…
He knew he was reading it right. He couldn't believe it. How could Marion do such a thing? How could she sell Eli? She can't do that…
But she could, and Sammy knew it.
That's when Sammy got an idea.
She can't very well sell a slave that she can't find, can she?
-x-x-x-
The plan was made. Eli was hesitant at first, but when Sammy reassured him that he wouldn't get caught, and even on the off chance that he did, he would have papers on him that secured his safety, then Eli was on board. Eli wanted his wife to come with him, but Sammy told him that it would be too risky.
"Two people are easier to find than just one, I don't want to make it riskier than it already is."
"Sam, I ain't goin nowheres wit'out her."
"But Eli-"
"Sammy, no. One o' these days y'll und'stand why."
Sammy sighed before caving, and the three of them slipped off of the plantation just before sunrise, with Sammy's horse laden with blankets and some food. They were headed to a small barn on a far corner of the property, where Eli and his wife could hunker down until morning, when Sammy would then sneak them away.
They were at the barn within an hour and a half, and Sammy pried the door open as Eli and his wife watched.
The barn was filled with cobwebs and hay, along with some old farm equipment that was covered in a thick layer of dust.
"Sorry it's not anything better, but this is all I can offer."
"Son," Eli said, "This be mor' than I c'n ask ya for. How do I thank ya?"
Sammy shook his head. "You say thank you, that's how."
Eli smiled. "Th'n thank ya."
Sammy smiled back. "Now get in there before Marion notices I'm gone and gets suspicious."
Sammy took the blankets inside and settled Eli and his wife in for the day following night. As he stood by the door, he took one last look in before saying, "I'll be back soon."
With that, he drew the doors closed and lowered a wooden board, effectively securing the doors. He sighed shakily, ran his fingers through his hair, and withdrew a cigarette and matchbook from his pocket. He lit it shakily, then took a long drag. The smoke filled his lungs, and he held his breath for a few seconds before slowly blowing a stream of smoke from his lips. He inhaled sharply through his nose before raising the cigarette to his lips again.
Am I sure this is the right thing to do? Am I making this worse by doing this? What happens if I get caught? If they get caught? What will people say if they find out? What do I say? How do I keep this under wraps? Marion has got to know that this was me, it has my name written all over it, I mean, who else would do this?
He flicked the ash from the end of his cigarette with a finger, then raised it to his lips again. With the quiet, the voices of his people came back into his mind. More talk of the new states, growing anger with the North, and as always, cries for war. He had come to the conclusion that he would never be able to escape these voices for as long as he was a nation, and he then decided to listen to them, at least for the moment.
Their requests aren't all that unreasonable, he decided, I mean, all they want is to be able to live their lives the way that they want, right? How is that so bad?
Someone yelled something, and the voice carried over the trees to where Sammy was standing. The voice dragged him out of his own thoughts, and he cursed at the closeness of it. He stomped out his cigarette and ran to his horse, mounted it, and then galloped away from the barn toward the main house.
He would be back after sundown to check on Eli. All that was left to do now was to act as naturally as possible until then, which he knew would be easier said than done.
-x-x-x-
Sammy managed to make it through the day without incident, but he tried to steer as clear away from Marion as he could without raising suspicion. That actually was quite simple, seeing that Marion was busy writing her sister Olivia, who was the personification of North Carolina, in an attempt to convince her to join the Confederacy. Sammy was silently grateful that she was away from him all day, and that made his job much easier.
He busied himself with writing letters of his own, to each of the states already in the Confederacy, mostly introducing himself and clearing an avenue for discussion for the future. If there was going to be war, Sammy figured he might as well start getting ready for it now, and if there wasn't going to be one, then he would be well known by his states anyway. He left the letters downstairs later in the afternoon, then busied himself with listening to the voices of his people and writing down their main ideas and complaints. So far, he had the same things written down that he had heard earlier, but he decided that it was still good to write them down. That way he could have something to show the other states when he met with them later on, that clearly outlined the thoughts and needs of people outside of their own borders.
Supper time came earlier than Sammy expected, and he was not looking forward to another awkwardly silent meal with Marion, but he put his leather-bound notebook away in a drawer anyway and clambered down the steps, his footfalls echoing through the stairwell and hall.
It was a few minutes into the meal of greens, pork chops, and beans when Marion spoke.
"So what do you think of the new states?"
"They're lovely, Marion."
"I agree. That Lilian girl sure is a character, isn't she?"
"Yes Marion."
Silence fell once again. Sammy broke it a few minutes later.
"How's Olivia doing?"
"Oh she's doing fine, Samuel. She's still hesitant about seceding, but that's completely understandable."
"Are any other states considering joining?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. Besides North Carolina, there's Arkansas, Tennessee, and Virginia."
"Do they sound serious?"
"I believe so, but they're still reserved about the whole deal. Again, completely understandable."
"Yes, it is."
Silence again. It wasn't broken until the plates had been taken up, and Sammy had already excused himself from the table.
Marion called out to Sammy from where she was still sitting. "Oh, Samuel, I nearly forgot to mention this to you."
Sammy stopped in the doorway of the dining room and turned to face Marion. "What is it?"
"I meant to bring it to your attention earlier, but time got away from me. One of the old abandoned barns in the west corner of the property managed to burn down this morning, you might want to look into it and make sure that it wasn't the work of some careless kids."
The color left Sammy's face.
He put out a hand to steady himself against the doorframe.
He tried to swallow the rock that had formed in his throat.
His voice wavered.
"I… I'll be sure to look into it."
Marion smiled. "Good boy. Now go and tell someone to put more wood in the stove in the sitting room, it's freezing in there."
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