We could see no interest which could be
served by his deceiving us, and therefore we believed him, striving
to make ourselves as comfortable as we could in the meantime in our
present wretched abode. But matters are never so bad but that they
may be worse. One day when we were at dinner, a waggon drove up to
the door, and Mr. - - alighted, accompanied by a fine-looking,
middle-aged man, who proved to be Captain S - -, who had just arrived
from Demarara with his wife and family. Mr. - -, who had purchased
the farm of Old Satan, had brought Captain S - - over to inspect the
land, as he wished to buy a farm, and settle in that neighbourhood.
With some difficulty I contrived to accommodate the visitors with
seats, and provide them with a tolerable dinner. Fortunately, Moodie
had brought in a brace of fine fat partridges that morning; these
the servant transferred to a pot of boiling water, in which
she immersed them for the space of a minute - a novel but very
expeditious way of removing the feathers, which then come off
at the least touch. In less than ten minutes they were stuffed,
trussed, and in the bake-kettle; and before the gentlemen returned
from walking over the farm, the dinner was on the table.
To our utter consternation, Captain S - - agreed to purchase, and
asked if we could give him possession in a week!
"Good heavens!" cried I, glancing reproachfully at Mr. - -, who was
discussing his partridge with stoical indifference. "What will
become of us? Where are we to go?"
"Oh, make yourself easy; I will force that old witch, Joe's mother,
to clear out."
"But 'tis impossible to stow ourselves into that pig-sty."
"It will only be for a week or two, at farthest. This is October;
Joe will be sure to be off by the first of sleighing."
"But if she refuses to give up the place?"
"Oh, leave her to me. I'll talk her over," said the knowing land
speculator. "Let it come to the worst," he said, turning to my
husband, "she will go out for the sake of a few dollars. By-the-by,
she refused to bar the dower when I bought the place; we must cajole
her out of that. It is a fine afternoon; suppose we walk over the
hill, and try our luck with the old nigger?"
I felt so anxious about the result of the negotiation, that,
throwing my cloak over my shoulders, and tying on my bonnet without
the assistance of a glass, I took my husband's arm, and we walked
forth.
It was a bright, clear afternoon, the first week in October, and the
fading woods, not yet denuded of their gorgeous foliage, glowed in a
mellow, golden light. A soft purple haze rested on the bold outline
of the Haldimand hills, and in the rugged beauty of the wild
landscape I soon forgot the purport of our visit to the old woman's
log hut.
On reaching the ridge of the hill, the lovely valley in which our
future home lay smiled peacefully upoon us from amidst its fruitful
orchards, still loaded with their rich, ripe fruit.
"What a pretty place it is!" thought I, for the first time feeling
something like a local interest in the spot, springing up in my
heart. "How I wish those odious people would give us possession of
the home which for some time has been our own."
The log hut that we were approaching, and in which the old woman,
R - -, resided by herself - having quarrelled years ago with her son's
wife - was of the smallest dimensions, only containing one room,
which served the old dame for kitchen, and bed-room, and all. The
open door, and a few glazed panes, supplied it with light and air;
while a huge hearth, on which crackled two enormous logs - which are
technically termed a front and a back stick - took up nearly half the
domicile; and the old woman's bed, which was covered with an
unexceptionally clean patched quilt, nearly the other half, leaving
just room for a small home-made deal table, of the rudest
workmanship, two basswood-bottomed chairs, stained red, one of which
was a rocking-chair, appropiated solely to the old woman's use, and
a spinning wheel. Amidst this muddle of things - for small as was the
quantum of furniture, it was all crowded into such a tiny space that
you had to squeeze your way through it in the best manner you
could - we found the old woman, with a red cotton handkerchief tied
over her grey locks, hood-fashion, shelling white bush-beans into a
wooden bowl. Without rising from her seat, she pointed to the only
remaining chair. "I guess, miss, you can sit there; and if the
others can't stand, they can make a seat of my bed."
The gentlemen assured her that they were not tired, and could
dispense with seats. Mr. - - then went up to the old woman, and
proffering his hand, asked after her health in his blandest manner.
"I'm none the better for seeing you, or the like of you," was the
ungracious reply. "You have cheated my poor boy out of his good
farm; and I hope it may prove a bad bargain to you and yours."
"Mrs. R - -," returned the land speculator, nothing ruffled by her
unceremonious greeting, "I could not help your son giving way to
drink, and getting into my debt. If people will be so imprudent,
they cannot be so stupid as to imagine that others can suffer for
their folly."
"Suffer!" repeated the old woman, flashing her small, keen black
eyes upon him with a glance of withering scorn. "You suffer! I
wonder what the widows and orphans you have cheated would say to
that?
