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By Root 1703 0

apparent resemblance between them. I didn’t have any idea what he was doing here, or if he knew of our plan. I put down my bag and said nothing, only waited. Moments later, Lorna appeared, carrying some small things wrapped in a cloth over her arm. She was hugely calm. She smiled at Ike, and he pushed back a large door, revealing the gray pony, hitched to Helen’s pony cart. Helen and I had taken it out twice in the last two weeks. Ike led the pony and the cart into the yard, and Lorna, with dignity, got up behind. Then they looked at me. I put my bag on the seat, got up myself, with a hand from Ike, and picked up the reins and the whip. No one said anything, and Ike stood there as I called "Get up!" to the pony and raised the whip. We trotted off. It was a very mysterious proceeding. At the road, I hesitated, and Lorna said, "You go lef’. We is takin’ de pony to Independence to pick up a present fo’ Massa Richard dat Missy Helen lef’ deah."

"What’s the present?"

"Mah goodness, I don’ know. Deah ain’ no present!"

The pony went along at a crisp trot, sometimes tossing his little head, but tireless and quick in his bright pony way. I glanced back at Lorna. She said, "Don’ look at me! Now, I kin tell you ain’ had no slaves befoah, so you got to be ceahful, ’cause you don’ know how to be wid a slave! You cain’ be lookin’ at me all de time! You be lookin’ wheah you wants to go, and I be lookin’ at you."

"You don’t treat Helen that way."

"Dat’s in de house. Out amongst folks, I is respectful, ’cause I’m tellin’ you, de way things are around heah dese days, you nevah know when someone is gone to tek it on hisself to teach some gal a lesson, and dey got all de weapons in de worl’ to teach it wid."

"Lorna, I’m sc—"

"Now, I ain’ gone let you go on about dat, ’cause I is sceahed myself, an’ I ain’ gone let you get me worked up, and me get you worked up an’ all. We is jus’ gone go ’long one bit at a time."

"All right," I said. A man passed us on a horse and tipped his hat. I was too scared to do anything, and as soon as he passed, Lorna took me up short. "Now," she said, "you got to show good mannahs to dese mens and ladies dat we pass, ’cause Lawd, do dey notice dat. You got to gi’ dem a big smile and nod you haid. You is havin’ a good time, heah! You is dressed up fine and got you bonnet on and gone out for a ride wid you gal, and you is proud to be seen! Dis is a fine pony cart indeed!" I had to laugh, and when the next man passed, I gave him such a look and flourished the whip in such a way that the pony tossed his head and began to canter, until I brought him back to a trot. I said to Lorna, "Tell me more of the plan."

But she shook her head.

I guess we must have left Day’s End Plantation about seven-thirty or eight, and we bowled along at a good pace. I can’t say that I recognized the way we went—that’s how far gone I had been on my walk. I had to take Lorna’s word for it that this was indeed the road to Independence. I said, "Lorna, I only have seven dollars!"

"I got me a bit o’ change."

"I thought slaves weren’t allowed to have money."

"What you is allowed to do and what you do ain’ always de same thang. I got me a husband, don’ I, an’ he goes out ta work at his trade of hoss breakin’, don’ he? An’ his massa done told him he could buy hisself free, so he been savin’ all he could, but he ain’ been keepin’ it all for hisself."

This seemed very simple. I said, "How does he get it to you?"

"Massa Richard don’ open any lettahs I gits—Missy Helen don’ let ’im—so deah I is. She give me de money and reads me ifn he write anything, but mostly he jes’ sends money. He ain’ good at writin’ nohow. Jes’ his mark, and a heart shape fo’ me. He a good worker, and he’ll git on any hoss deah is. He knows how ta gentle ’em right down. I been savin’ fo’ some five yeahs. Why you askin’ all dese questions?"

"Because I could be hanged for aiding in your escape, and I would like to know what the likelihood of that is."

That put an end to our conversation for the time. I wondered how much money she had, and let myself imagine a hundred