University of Virginia Library

7. VII.
GINGERFORD.

And now the Judge rides home in the dusk of the
December day. It is still light enough, however, for him
to see that Frisbie's vacant lot has been made an Ararat
of; and he could hear the Noachian noises, were it never
so dark. The awful jest bursts upon him; he hears the
screaming of the bomb-shell, then the explosion. But the
mind of this man is (so to speak) casemated. It is a
shock, — but he never once loses his self-possession. His

quick perception detects Friend Frisbie behind the gun;
and he smiles with his intelligent, fine-cut face. Shall
malice have the pleasure of knowing that the shot has told?
Our orator is too sagacious for that. There is never any
use in being angry; that is one of his maxims. Therefore,
if he feels any chagrin, he will smother it. If there is a
storm within, the world shall see only the rainbow, that
radiant smile of his. Cool is Gingerford! He has seized
the subject instantly, and calculated all its bearings. He
is a man to make the best of it; and even the bitterness
which is in it shall, if possible, brew him some wholesome
drink. To school his mind to patience, to practise daily
the philanthropy he teaches, — this will be much; and
already his heart is humbled and warmed. And who
knows, — for with all his sincerity and aspiration he has
an eye to temporal uses, — who knows but this stumbling-block
an enemy has placed in his way may prove the stepping-stone
of his ambition?

“What is all this, James?” he inquires of his son, who
comes out to the gate to meet him.

“Frisbie's meanness!” says the young man, almost
choking. “And the whole town is laughing at us!”

“Laughing at us? What have we done?” mildly answers
the parent. “I tell you what, James, they sha' n't
laugh at us long. We can live so as to compel them to
reverence us; and if there is any ridicule attached to the
affair, it will soon rest where it belongs.”

“Such a sty stuck right down under our noses!” mutters
the mortified James.

“We will make of it an ornament,” retorts the Judge,
with mounting spirits. “Come with me,” — taking the
youth's arm. “My son, call no human habitation a sty.
These people are our brothers, and we will show them the
kindness of brethren.”

A servant receives the horse, and Gingerford and his
son cross the street.

“Good evening, Friend Williams! So you have concluded
to come and live neighbor to us, have you?”

Friend Williams was at the end of the house, occupied
in improvising a cow-shed under an old apple-tree. Piggy
was already tied to the trunk of the tree, and the hens
and turkeys were noisily selecting their roosts in the
boughs. At sight of the Judge, whose displeasure he
feared, the negro was embarrassed, and hardly knew what
to say. But the pleasant greeting of the silver-toned voice
reassured him, and he stopped his work to frame his candid,
respectful answer.

“It was Mr. Frisbie that concluded. All I had to do
was to go with the house wherever he chose to move it.”

“Well, he might have done much worse by you. You
have a nice landlord, a nice landlord, Mr. Williams. Mr.
Frisbie is a very fine man.”

It was Gingerford's practice to speak well of everybody
with whom he had any personal relations, and especially
well of his enemies; because, as he used to say to his son,
evil words commonly do more harm to him who utters
them than to those they are designed to injure, while fair
and good words are easily spoken, and are the praise of
their author, if of nobody else; for, if the subject of them
is a bad man, they will not be accepted as literally true
by any one that knows him, but, on the contrary, they
will be set down to the credit of your good-nature, — or
who knows but they may become coals of fire upon the
head of your enemy, and convert him into a friend?

James had now an opportunity to test the truth of these
observations. Was Mr. Williams convinced that Frisbie
was a nice landlord and a fine man? By no means. But
that Judge Gingerford was a fine man, and a charitable,

he believed more firmly than ever. Then there was Stephen
standing by, — having, no doubt, been sent by his
master to observe the chagrin of the Gingerfords, and to
bring back the report thereof; who, when he heard the
Judge's words, looked surprised and abashed, and presently
stole away, himself discomfited.

“I pray the Lord,” said Mr. Williams, humbly and
heartily, “you won't consider us troublesome neighbors.”

“I hope not,” replied the Judge; “and why should I?
You have a good, honest reputation, Friend Williams;
and I hear that you are a peaceable and industrious family.
We ought to be able to serve each other in many ways.
What can I do for you, to begin with? Would n't you
like to turn your cow and calf into my yard?”

“Thank you a thousand times, if I can just as well as
not,” said the grateful negro. “We had to tear down the
shed and pig-pen when we moved the house, and I ha'n't
had time to set 'em up again.”

“And I imagine you have had enough to do, for one
day. Let your children drive the creatures through the
gate yonder; my man will show them the shed. Are you
a good gardener, Mr. Williams?”

“I 've done consid'able at that sort of work, sir.”

“I 'm glad of that. I have to hire a good deal of gardening
done. I see we are going to be very much
obliged to your landlord for bringing us so near together.
And this is your father?”

“My grandfather, sir,” said Mr. Williams.

“Your grandfather? I must shake hands with him.”

“Sarvant, sah,” said the old man, cap off, bowing and
smiling there in the December twilight.

“He 's deaf as can be,” said Mr. Williams; “you 'll
have to talk loud, to make him hear. He 's more 'n a
hundred years old.”

“You astonish me!” exclaimed the Judge. “A very
remarkable old person! I should delight to converse with
him, — to know what his thoughts are in these new times,
and what his memories are of the past, which, I suppose,
is even now more familiar to his mind than the objects of
to-day. God bless you, my venerable friend!” shaking
hands a second time with the ancient black, and speaking
in a loud voice.

“Tankee, sah, — very kind!” smiled the flattered old
man. “Sarvant, sah.”

“'T is you who are kind, to take notice of young fellows
like me,” pleasantly replied the Judge. “Well, good
evening, friends. I shall always be glad to know if there
is anything I can do for you. Ha! what is this?”

It was the cow and calf coming back again, followed by
Joe and Fessenden's.

“Gorry!” cried Joe, “wa'n't that man mad? Thought
he 'd bite th' ole cow's tail off!”

“What man? My man? Dorson?”

“Yes,” said honest Fessenden's; “he said he 'd be
damned if he 'd have a nigger's critters along with
hisn?”

“Then we 'll afford him an early opportunity to be
damned,” observed the Judge. “Drive them back again.
I 'll go with you. By the way, Mr. Williams,” — Gingerford
saw Dorson approaching, and spoke loud enough for
him to hear and understand, — “are you accustomed to
taking care of horses? I may find it necessary to employ
some one before long.”

“Wal, yes, sir; I 'm tol'able handy about a stable,”
replied the negro.

“Hollo, there!” called the man, somewhat sullenly,
“drive that cow back here! Why did n't you tell me
't was the boss's orders?”

“Did tell him so; and he said as how I lied,” said Joe,
— driving the animals back triumphantly.

The Judge departed with his son, — a thoughtful and
aspiring youth, who pondered deeply what he had seen
and heard, as he walked by his father's side. And Mr.
Williams, greatly relieved and gratified by the interview,
hastened to relate to his family the good news. And the
praises of Gingerford were on all their tongues, and in
their prayers that night he was not forgotten.

Three days after, the Judge's man was dismissed from
his place, in consequence of difficulties originating in the
affair of the cow. The Judge had sought an early opportunity
to converse with him on the subject.

“A negro's cow, Mr. Dorson,” said he, “is as good as
anybody's cow; and I consider Mr. Williams as good a
man as you are.”

The white coachman could not stand that; and the
result was that Gingerford had a black coachman in a
few days. The situation was offered to Mr. Williams, and
very glad he was to accept it.