Shadow Wood - Chapter 5

VISITORS AT SHADOW WOOD

We head to Shadow Wood with Hank and his gang in tow. Hammer is walking with Kenny’s boys and joking with them. No one knows what to think of this man who did not talk to anyone and now is acting like a kid.

Janelle is in the carriage with a big smile on her face and dressed in her best to meet Ms. Maggie. When she found out that she was staying at the plantation she ran to take a bath putting on her best dress and perfume. She looks like a lady sitting on the carriage seat.

Hank, Kenny and I ride through the fields to show Hank the plantation. Hammer tells us he will take the boys back to the house. Hank has not seen the plantation since we cleared the last 10,000 acres or the new lake we built to water the fields. I built the lake higher than the fields and built a canal so the water will run to the fields and then we use pipes to water the rows of cotton.

This is the first time that anyone has watered crops this way. This is something I brought with me from the Twentieth Century. Even though I have only been here for two weeks it is as if I have been here all my life. Things that would take me years to do, I get done in hours or when I think of something, it has been done and has been working for years.

As we enter the fields we see the slaves bringing in the last of the cotton. Hank starts telling us about hearing of the South pulling out of the Union. “Jefferson Davis was in New Orleans last month and he used my boat for a meeting place to talk with people from all over the South. There were over 200 people there to hear him talk about what the North wanted to do with us. He told us that the North was going to put more taxes on the South and they were going to free ours slaves. Then we would pay wages to them for working our fields as they have done for years without wages. Davis said that he believes that the North will not go to war over this, but will find a neutral ground that we both can live with if we stand our ground”, Hank says.

I look over the fields at the slaves that I have working in them. They all know if they want to leave I would not stop them. They know if they have family on another plantation I will try to buy them so they all would live together. I have always had slaves as far back as I can remember. Most of the ones on my plantation grew up with me on mine or Maggie’s fathers’ plantations. We were friends that played and fished together. I learned with them in my father’s fields. Our slaves live on our plantations until they die, then we bury them. Everyone on the three plantations takes off to go to the burial.

As we continue on, we come upon the lake and I show Hank the watering system and how it works. He has never seen a system like this. I tell him, ”This is how I make over two bales of cotton an acre and I am working on a system to run water into the house and make indoor plumbing”. Hank looks puzzled. He has never heard of indoor plumbing and wants to know more about it. As we head to the house to wait for Jenny to prepare dinner, I explain how it will work. We travel down the canal to the creek that runs by the house.

When Janelle arrives at Shadow Wood she stands up in the carriage and takes a long look around saying, “this is the most beautiful place on earth”. The driver helps her down. She looks up at the house saying “I am going to stay in that house”. Climbing the steps she stands there for a minute then knocks on the door. Jenny opens the door asking “may I help you?” Janelle tells her, “Mr. Warner told me that I was to stay here until the King of the Mississippi is repaired.” Maggie asks, “Who is at the door, Jenny.” Jenny answers, “It’s some woman that Mr. Tommy has said can stay here”. “Well let her in”, Maggie says. Jenny looks her up and down as she enters the door. Janelle puts her hand out to Maggie telling her, “I am Janelle from Captain Hank’s river boat. Mr. Warner told Hammer and I that we were welcome to stay here until the boat is ready”. Maggie replied, telling her, “that sounds just like him. What is it you do on the boat?” Maggie is hoping that she is not one of the women that takes care of the men. Janelle tells her, “I am the fortune teller. I read cards, palms and sometimes tea leaves. I want you to know how happy you and Mr. Tommy have made me by letting me stay in your home.”

As we get to the back of the house Jenny is standing on the porch yelling at us, “that crazy fat bald man is out there with them boys and they will not do their chores. So if you want something to eat you better go tell him to leave them boys alone”. Kenny goes off to get them to come back to work. He finds them in the hay loft and yells at them, “Boys if you do not get down from there and get to work I am going to let Jenny take it out on your bottom”.

Hammer come out of the hay telling Kenny, “we were just having a little fun” and he heads for the house. Kenny tells the boys, “If you can not do your chores then you can not play and stay away from that man”. Kenny knows that there is something not right about Hammer but he does not know what it is yet.

When we get into the house Maggie and Janelle are in the living room. Maggie is having her palm read. Janelle tells her, “The baby is going to be a girl with big blue eyes and a smile that could stop the world. She will be the apple of her daddy’s eyes”. I walk in saying, “it will be a boy and he will be as strong as a horse and his name will be Thomas M. Warner Jr.”. Everyone looks at me as if I am crazy. Janelle starts to say she is sorry when Maggie tells her, “Do not listen to him. He just wants a son, but if it is a girl he will love her anyway”. I smile at her and say, “she’s right as long as it’s a boy”.

Hank and I head to the study to drink a little more and wait for Jenny to prepare our dinner. I think to myself, “I hope that woman is wrong about the baby being a girl”.

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