Dark Henry gently tapped on Mary’s cabin door. Hearing Ida softly call him in, Henry ducked in quietly, like a great dark cat. The other cabins were quiet, everyone was asleep, it was late and Ida sat at the small table cleaning her daughter’s face. The swelling very noticeable. Mary held a rag with fragrant herbs to her face, fear shining in her light honey eyes.
Dark Henry got down on his knees before Mary, telling her what he had done.
“I took his worthless carcass and put it in the road with his horse, made it look like he fell off. No one saw nothin’ and I think we’re safe.” He said softly, his large hand resting on her knee. Mary hugged Henry’s head to her breast and thanked him for saving her from Clark.
“Thank you, Henry, thank you for riskin’ everything to save me.” Her hand caressed the back of his large head. Ida laid a gentle hand on his broad shoulders and squeezed it.
“Go home Henry and get to bed. In the mornin’, I’ll send one of the children up to say Mary is feeling poorly, maybe somethin’ that the mistress has. We’ll keep her out of sight.”
Henry nodded and stood. He drew Ida’s slender form to him and hugged her. He left as quietly as he came and Ida moved about the cabin quietly. No one could know. Because no matter how hard you try to keep a secret, someone always told. In the morning she and Liza would apply special herbs to bring any residual swelling down. By the time Mary went back to work, her face should show no ill effects. They were lucky that Clark hadn’t broken any of Mary’s teeth.
All would be well, Henry had taken care of everything, they merely had to act normal and hope for the best. Around midnight, Mary’s face was looking better. It would only take a day or two for the swelling to be completely gone. Ida laid down beside Mary, saying prayers of thanks to the good Lord, for Henry’s intervention. The world would be a better place without the likes of Lester Clark.
The bell sounded near sunrise and the slaves made their way to the field. No one had noticed Clark’s absence yet, because he always came after daylight. Ida sent one of Nan’s boys, Lil Gabe, up to the main house to tell them Mary was down sick with the flux. Lil Gabe ran back to tell Mary that all was well. He crawled into bed with Mary and promptly went back to sleep.
Whispering started about an hour after sunrise, no Clark to be seen. Tall Tom grunted in annoyance and went to Clark’s cabin to look for him, then over to the large stables. The man was a useless sot and Tall Tom had taken more and more responsibility for the running of the farm for some years now. Noting that Clark’s horse was gone, Tall Tom went up to the main house to report that Mr. Clark was missing. He was angry, because the brunt of displeasure was sure to come down on him.
Master Anderson instructed Tall Tom to get several of the field hands and go out to look for the overseer. Within an hour, Tall Tom had collected five other slaves and they headed out. News of the missing overseer reached the blacksmith, Dark Henry acted curious, but not suspicious. Gabe was the same, he didn’t like Clark any better than anyone else, and hoped they wouldn’t find the bastard. They bent back to their tasks, their hammers beating out a rhythm known only to them. Sweat pouring off their muscular bodies as the men swung the hammers with mighty blows.
Mary sat at the small table with a damp rag placed on her face. The herbs that steeped in the pot had helped with the swelling and the pain. Her face was tender, but not as painful as the night before. Mary heard the men running around outside, and got up and went to bed, pulling the quilt over her head. Her mother had left several hours ago and Mary knew she wouldn’t see her mother until that evening. It was harvest time, and so all hands would be very busy. Cookie had sent a boy down with some soup and cornbread. A message from the mistress had also been sent. The mistress was feeling better and hoped Mary would be up to the house in a couple days. If Mary got worse, she was to send word.
Mary was grateful for the respite; she knew her face would show her guilt. She had never been a good liar, and Mary knew that should they have seen her face, they would have guessed. Henry told her to tell anyone, that he had hit her in an argument. Men often slapped their women if they were fussing. Mary didn’t like that, but knew he was right. Her respect for Henry grew. He was a good man and she knew it. Life was precarious among the whites.
Tall Tom found Lester Clark’s body and his horse, right where Henry had left it. The horse was old and lazy and merely stood by grazing on the bushes and grass. Tom felt Clark’s chest for life and found none. He and two other men gathered
