Leroy: The Continuing Series of the Antebellum Novel, "Jack."

Chapter 30

When we got across the river, we found Leroy – an escaped slave - a’sleepin’ in our tree house. That’s when I told Jack we could get in big trouble if we helped him out or hid him or found him a place to stay. But Jack liked this new challenge and he liked Leroy right off. Leroy had a big straw hat and he was big and muscular and very dark. Said he came up from Alabama and was separated from his family in Charleston two years earlier when he and his sister and mom were auctioned off to different masters right at the same slave market we were just at. When Leroy saw us he looked like a scared raccoon and he took a runnin’ leap and jumped off of the tree house but Jack said to hold on, that we wouldn’t hurt him. So he stopped and turned around and stared at us wide-eyed.

“Hey want an apple boy? What’s your name?” I said.

“I’m called Leroy and I am so hungry, thank you sah, thank you!”

Leroy gobbled down the apple and then Jack gave him his too.

“Where you goin’ in such a hurry boy?” Jack said.

“I is goin’ to Massachusetts so I can be a lawya and git ma famli bak sah. We waz all done solded heya in Charleston some time ago and I went with ma masta to Albama and I ain’t seen hide nor hair of ma sista or motha since. I can read and rite a little so I wants to be a lawya sah. How fur is Massachusetts anyhow sah?”

“You got a long, long, long way to go Leroy and you goin’ to be hunted down all the way-why don’t ya let us help ya get there.”

“No sah, I gotta go. If’n I stop I thinks I’ll neva get goin’ agin and I git caught and the dogs’ll git me.”

“But you’re safe here. No-one but us comes here. Stay here for a while,” I said, “until we can figure a plan. If anyone can help you out of this fix, we can. And Jack here is the best kniver in all of Charleston and I bet we can help ya find out where your sister and mother went off to.”

“You can? You ain’t tryin' to trick me now, is you?”

“When is the last time you ate anythin’?” said Jack.

“Well I been pickin' raspberries and findin' vegables and such in da gardens dat I seen on da way heya but I havn’t had no good dinna sah, not since I left dat plantation shanty five weeks now. I been travlin' nites and sleepin' and hidin' days. I just keep a’goin' up da rivers and hidin' in da swamps where I knows people probably won’t go in.”

“Well Leroy,” Jack said, “you just stay here and we’re a’goin’ to go fetch a big pile of food for ya. So don’t ya go anywhere! You safe here cuz this is our secret fort and no-one but me and Jeremy and one other boy knows it’s here. Stay here okay? I promise we’re not going to turn ya in but that we is goin’ to help ya escape. Okay?”

“Yes sir, I’ll stay. You seem like fine yunguns and I trust ya already.”

“Be back in a few hours then,” I said.

Extendin’ a Helpin’ Hand: The continued serialization of the antebellum novel, "Jack."

Chapter 29

Me and Jack were hangin’ out near the slave market on Saturday – a few hours before we were supposed to be at the church for punishment duty. I picked up a pamphlet that talked ‘bout the  Fugitive Slave Act passed by the United States Congress in the summer of 1850 which had caused so much stir and aggravation among the Northern abolitionists, many of whom refused to live by the law and who tried to convince anyone else who would listen to disobey it. It was one of the seeds sown in fertile soil that brought the Civil War a decade later.

A man with a chipped front tooth and a long white mustache, curled upwards on each end, said, “Here sonny, learn about what’s really going on in the world.” So I took it and began reading. On the front was a picture of a black man with whip in his hand and several white women a’pickin’ cotton in the fields like they was field hands. I showed Jack and he said not to believe everythin’ I read, that it was "pure bull".

I kept a’readin’ to Jack: The abolitionists insisted on helpin’ and a’keepin, the runways free while deprivin’ the owners or their “rightful property,” I read aloud. “The law was the law and darn abolitionists were makin’  trouble refusing to return them to their owners if they escaped which federal law required,” said the pamphlet. I didn’t know what to make of it but Jack had some strong opinions on the matter and I guess I believed the same thing once I heard him sayin’ it.

I told Jack, “The abolitionists - they say it is simply wrong to return a black man or his family back to slavery after escapin’ from the cotton and sugar plantations when they finally made it up to a free state.” I told him what else I just read and told him many northern newspaper editors said people should disobey the law because it was against the constitution.

"But Master believes they’re wrong and they’re thieves," I said. "What do you think, Jack?”

“Well son, that good-for-nothin’ horse’s ass Whittemore is a dumb-ass ox. I don’t believe anythin’he says and I don’t think anyone else does neither, not after the stupid-ass trial he had goin’ on yesterday. You don’t have to go to his stupid-ass class and listen to that poor-excuse-for-a-teacher too long a’fore you know he’s rotten to the core. He’s a’gettinn’ the kids all messed up and you saw how he was manipulatin’ everythin’ at the trial and now they won’t believe anythin’ he says anymore. But they are just now seein’ his true colors. I saw them many moons ago kiddie.”

“But do you think master is right ‘bout the darkies?”

“Of course he’s not right son! What are you stupid? Master’s not right ‘bout anythin’. You’ve been havin’ so many of Whittemore’s lessons son your brain’s goin’ soft! Hey, they say down here in the south that the blacks aren’t real people but they all know it’s a lie. Course they’re real people. Just look at some of the freed slaves in Charleston – some a’runnin businesses and others makin’ a good livin’ making carriages or buildin’ houses. How are they different son? It’s just skin color and the fact that white people try to keep ‘em stupid. Some are as smart or smarter in my opinion than many white people. The reason that the darkies act stupid is cuz they can’t legally read or write cuz the white folk won’t let ‘em.  They won't let 'em because that'd give 'em too much power and they have to keep'em weak and ignorant if they're goin' make good slaves. They can whip ‘em to death for that, don’t ya know that? You see, that horse’s ass doesn’t tell you that in his puny little school house. That’s why they is stupid soundin’ sometimes. But you just talk to one of the ones that did learn some readin’ and writin’ and they're very educated and talk just like you and me. You know something sonny, I been thinkin’ a while now ‘bout goin’ back to school and lettin’ Master believe I’m a’goin to try hard for him, let him think I’m on his side – my idea is just beginnin’ to shine. But it ain’t that shiny yet. But what happened yesterday when all the kids stood on their benches even as Master threatened to punish them – well, it convinced me that I can turn them all against him if I come up with the right plan. I’ll need your help son.”

“Ah, no thanks. I’ll sit this one out,” I said.

“You can’t sit this one out moron! You don’t sit nothing out ‘less I say so and I say you don’t sit it out! That’s final. Now stop givin’ me lip or I’ll have to find a trash barrel for you.”

“Ya right. That’d be the day,” I said.

We decided to head on over the river to check on things as Jack said he thought somebody was using our tree house cuz he went by yesterday alone and heard noises. When he went up the rope ladder, there was a apple core on the little table we built and some spilled tobacco on the floor.

“I think it’s Mike,” Jack said, “cuz he was afraid to show his face when I said, “who is it? Come out here!” He’s such a coward. Let’s go now and see if it’s Mike or some other dimwit.” So that’s what we did.

The Verdict: The Continuing Series of the Antebellum Novel, "Jack."

Chapter 28

"Guilty, all of them,” said Wormwood.

“And the sentence?” asked Master Whittemore.

Wormwood read a note, “Expulsion from the altar boys with the permission of the good father, who has already agreed, and five days suspended from school with work instead on the grounds of the church.”

“A fair sentence to be sure Your Honor!” said Whittemore. “Have a nice afternoon now, sir, you may go. And thank you and thank the good father.”

Jack just smiled happily at the judge, then at Whittemore, knowing his triumph was the real one and that their’s was a comedy act. Master glowered at Jack and you could tell by his face that the punishment was not enough for his satisfaction. Jack had won. We had won. Whittemore knew it. Everyone in that room knew it.

As we were made to walk out of the school to begin our sentence, the kids one at a time stood up on the benches until the whole class except for the Slineys were standing there kind of in salute to us for standing up to master who yelled at them and threatened them, but they stood there anyway until we left.

Jack Comes to the Rescue: The antebellum Charleston novel, "Jack," Continues

Chapter 27

                                         

                                                        "We Want Jack!"

        So when we got back from recess I went to the judge and asked if we could have a new lawyer cuz our lawyer wasn’t doin' nothin'. The judge said he didn’t know, that it was up to Mr. Whittemore.

       Whittemore was more than delighted with the request:

       “Oh and who is your choice-pick anyone you like? The evidence is so strong at this point that it really makes no difference to me, I assure you. Would you like the judge to play a dual role, that is, being your lawyer and the judge?”

      “No sir. We all talked about it and we all want Jack to be our lawyer," I said. Master’s smile deserted his face like it was the sun blotted out by a big black cloud.

        “You want to place your fates in the hands of that good-for-nothing boy who doesn’t know the first thing about lawyering!“

        “Yes sir. All of us do. We want Jack!”

        “So you want Mr. Stone to match his wits against mine in this trial even though he himself is on trial as he clearly is the accused at this point. So be it Mr. Foster! It’s your own neck in the noose! So be it! Your Honor! I humbly accept the challenge and I really look forward to learning how Mr. Jack Stone intends to slither his way out of this one!”

        “We rest our case Your Honor,” Whittemore said. “Go forth Mr. Stone to your downfall, I expect.”

        “Yes Your Honor, I call the Slineys back to the stand,” said Jack. The twins took the seats at the front and the entire class riveted their attention on Jack.

        “So, are either of you friends with Jeremy?”

        “Not really,” said Johnny.

        “What about your brother?”

        “No, you know I’m not.”

        “Friends with Mike?” Jack asked.

        “Nope.”

        “Nope,” said Randy.

        “Friends with Jimmy?”

        “Nope.”

        “You’re friends with Brooksy then?”

        “You’re kidding right?” said Randy.

        “Nope,”said Johnnie.

        “Why not? Why would I be kiddin'?”

        “Cuz.”

        “Cuz why, ain’t he good enough for you?”

        “It’s not that,” said Randy. “Brooksy’s not somebody we would nomally associate with.”

        “But why not?”

        “He’s too weird!”

        “You don’t like him do you?”

        “Can’t say as I do.”

       “Same here,” said Johnny.

       “Do you like me?”

       “No.”

       “Nope,”said Randy.

       “Why not?”

       “Because you’re a lousy student and you’re a bully-always pickin' on my brother and me.”

       “You recall what happened about two weeks ago right outside this school when your brother gave me some lip?”

       “Yeah,” said Randy. “You picked him up by the seat of his pants and dumped him into the trash barrel head first! It was unforgivable.”

       The class roared and Whittemore glared at them causing an immediate cessation of their fun, at least on the surface.

       “That’s right it was unforgivable wasn’t it? And didn’t you say I was goin' to pay?”

       “So what?”

       “So now you makin' me pay and worse than that you’re makin' my good friends pay who are no friends of yours?”

       “No.”

       “No? Did master want you to say somethin' against us?”

       “He just wanted us to say what we saw.”

       “Say what you saw or make it up?”

       “Say what we saw.”

       “He make any promises?”

       “No. Just said we were two of his best students which everyone knows we are and we probably were going to pass with high marks.”

       “Oh so he promised you both good grades if you talked against us, now I get it.”

       “I didn’t say that.”

       “What did ya say moron?”

       “Objection!” said master rising from his seat. “Mr. Stone is being abusive to the witness.”

       “Mr. Stone, please stop that behavior,” said the judge.

       “No problem. So Mr. Randy Sliney, you don’t like any of the accused boys including myself and you say master brought up the subject of good grades while you was talking to him about what you were going to tell the judge?”

       “We get good grades anyway and master was just saying it in passing.”

       “What exactly did he say?”

       “He said what I said, we were good students and probably would get good grades.”

       “How ‘bout you Johnny Sliney? What did master say ‘bout your grades?”

       “Said the same thing. I’d get good final grades because I was a responsible student.”

       “Didn't you think that he was a'tryin' to bribe you or something with grades if you’d say bad things at the court today?”

       “No.”

       “What did you think?”

       “I think he thought it was the responsible thing to do.”

       “What was?”

       “Tell what happened”

       “Or what didn’t happen?”

       “No.”

       “You lied for good grades?”

       “Objection judge!” yelled Whittemore.

       “You lied because myself, Jeremy, Brooksy, Mike and Jimmy all say we never did any of those things.”

       “Not true. You did ’em.”

       “Your brother convinced you to lie cuz I dumped you in a barrel and he said he was goin to get revenge! Isn’t that what really is a'happenin' here Hiney’s brother?”

       “Objection!” yelled Whittemore.

       “You lied didn’t you?”

       “No way!”

       Jack then turned to the class and said during a stream of noisy objections from Whittemore, “Stand up and say the Hineys are lyin' if you think they is and that we are innocent!?”

       At that the whole class stood and yelled “Innocent! Innocent!” and “the Hineys are liars!”

Mike and Jimmy and me stood on our benches and yelled at the top of our voices, “Masters a cheat! Masters a cheat!”

Then the whole class except the Slineys chanted:

      “Master’s a cheat! Master’s a cheat! The Hiney’s are liars! The Hiney’s are liars! Liars and cheats! Liars and cheats!”

      “Shut up! Shut up!” Whittemore screamed. He finally asked the judge what was the verdict.

Tattling Twins: The Continued Serialization of the Antebellum novel, "Jack"

Chapter 26

   

      “So Johnny and Randy, how long have you been altar boys?” Master asked when they were seated up front of the class near the judge.

      “Three years,” snapped Johnny Sliney. “Two years,” said Randy Sliney.

      “Well boys, which is it?”

      The twins looked at one another and then, at the same, time Johnny Sliney said two years but this time Randy Sliney said three. Some students snickered causing master to turn around sharply with a scowl and they all went perfectly still and silent.

      “Well, skip it!” said master. “What did you see Johnny on Saturday.”

      “Well sir, I don’t like to tattle but I saw Jack Stone lifting up the Monstrance and standing behind the altar like he was the priest or something.”

      “Yes I saw the same thing sir, and I don’t like to tattle either. But it was Jack Stone behind that altar alright and he was getting everyone except Johnny and me to play tag around the altar. They were all running around, everyone-Jack Stone, and Jeremy, and Jimmy and Mike and all of them drank some of the wine from the bottle in the sacristy but I didn’t and my brother didn’t. We were behaving ourselves because we respect the church and they were just having a good old time. I just didn’t think they should be doing that so we told my mother and she told my father and he said you have got to tell Master Whittemore and the pastor. So that’s why we came to your house, sir, on Saturday afternoon, as soon as we could, to let you know that there was some wicked things going on at the church earlier that day. But Jack was the one getting everyone to do the bad things.”

      “Well there you have it, Your Honor. And what about Mr. Brooks?

     “Mr. Brooks was running around like everyone else-I mean like the others, not my brother or me. Brooksy was having a good ole time too and I didn’t think he had a headache,” said Johnny Sliney.

      “Nor did I sir. He was having much too good a time.”

      “I see,” said master with a big grin on his face. “I see.”

      “And you say Jack Stone was behind the whole thing?”

      “Yes sir, it was obvious to me. And Jeremy too.”

      “Really? Why Jeremy too?”

      “Because he just kept not listening to me and my brother calling us Hiney and Hiney’s brother because that’s what Jack liked to call us, and then all of them would call us the Hiney twins and another word I would not like to repeat, sir.”

      “Oh but this is a trial and you must repeat that word, Mr. Hiney, I mean Mr. Sliney, “ said Whittemore. The students roared at master’s name slip and master screamed again to shut their faces.

      “Well sir, Jeremy called me a horse’s ass and said my brother was a donkey’s ass and that was totally inappropriate especially inside such a sacred place.” Many students held their hands over their mouths but could not prevent wind escaping violently through their mouths in great peals of laughter causing Master Whittemore to scream, “Shut your godforsaken mouths you idiots before I take a cane to each one of you!”

      “Now! Why did Jeremy say such a mean thing to you and your brother, Mr. Hiney, I mean Sliney sir?” said Whittemore whose face turned beat red as more snickers were heard. Jack was trying to get the class to laugh from his bench up the back of the class and Mike started throwing little pebbles at Jack and other kids. Then Jack winked at Brooksy who winked back and Jack spit a spitball at Mike hitting him in the face.

      Then master asked Mr. Philips, the defense lawyer, if he had any questions and Mr. Philips told the judge and master, “No sir, it seems pretty clear to me who the culprits are here and I don’t wish to waste the master’s time. I have no questions.”

      Then master said it was recess and that’s when Jack told me and Brooksy that we have to ask the court for a new lawyer cuz the one we have isn’t helping us at all and he asked no questions, and to say that we want Jack to be our lawyer. So that’s what we did.

Indictment: The Continuing Serialization of the Novel, "Jack:"

                                                     Chapter 24

                         The Indictment

Charleston, S.C., Charleston Harbor in Background.
Civil War Era Lithograph from Harper's Weekly.

     “Our Father. Who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done. On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, Amen.”

     “Mr. Brooks!” Master yelled right after we recited the Lord’s prayer as school began Monday morning. Two men from the church were seated in the room. “It has come to my attention, Mr. Brooks, that certain students in this classroom on Saturday defiled the Lord’s sacred altar at the Church while supposedly getting ready to practice their altar boy routines in preparation for Sunday masses upcoming. It has come to my attention Mr. Brooks that certain individuals were playing tag in the church and committed a most grievous outrage to the sanctity of that house of God by even playing tag on the altar and even jumping over the altar rail. And Mr. Brooks, it has come to my attention that one or more of these bad apples who parade their alleged goodness in sacred robes each and every Sunday before the congregation even jumped over the altar rail while another boy or boys was or were trying to catch them or him. 

      And Mr. Brooks, the devil definitely showed himself in one of these boys in the most horrific of ways and Mr. Brooks I will make it my personal mission to find out conclusively, Mr. Brooks, the exact identity of that malevolent boy who, disregarding and in fact having total contempt for our most sacred ceremonies and sacred articles, he being an altar boy on the surface but a friend of the devil beneath, I will see to it, Mr. Brooks, that this boy’s identity and bad acts are made perfectly visible to all and that he will be righteously punished if found guilty by our court today.

"Blood Brothers and Pirates": The Continuing Serialization of the Novel, "Jack"

                                                    Chapter 21

                   The Midnight Raiders

Charleston, S.C., with Charleston Harbor in the Background.
Civil War Era Lithograph

    “Hey! Where did you get this thing?” I asked Jack, staring wide-eyed at the wooden canoe that was covered by thick bushes just a’settin' there in the little backwater that was an offshoot of the river. It was covered with vines and reeds and you really had to be looking right at it to see it if you happened to be goin' by that way. But nobody except for some fishermen now and then would have much reason to drift off the river into that swamp. So Jack knew what he was doing when he hid the boat in that particular place.        

      “Is this that ole Indian’s canoe you said you took one day ‘cross the river and then lost again Jack?” I said.

      “No, no! This here is my daddy’s canoe,” said Brooksy, “the same one that Master Whittemore tole the class yesterday that Jack done stole it from my daddy for a handful of cheap marbles.”

      “Well that darn fool’s goin' ahead and blabbin' off his mouth again. We traded fair and square, didn’t we?” Jack asked Brooksy. “And beside that was supposed to be a secret bargain that no-one was supposed to know so how did master learn it?”