“That’s all?”
Mitchell glanced at me, the wing in his hand. “She seem t’ think it was enough.”
Mitchell and I finished off only part of Maylene’s dinner, then set the rest aside for later. We figured we’d need it come nightfall. As we got back to our chopping, one of Jessup’s men came to make sure I was working. Another came up later, and at the day’s end the boss man himself showed up. “See ya done had some help,” he said, eyeing Mitchell. “Must be good t’ have friends.”
“Bell ain’t rung,” said Mitchell sullenly. “Is it quittin’ time?”
“It’s near dark, ain’t it?” the boss man replied. “Nobody rings a bell on Sunday.” Jessup then looked at all the timber we’d cut. “Reckon y’all can go on. Looks t’ me ya put in a good day’s work. Maybe I’ll have ya do it again come next Sunday.” He laughed, then paid me my money for my week’s work, but not for my Sunday.
Mitchell and I took up our axes without a word and left Jessup on the slope. As we walked away, he called after us. “’Spect y’all headed on back t’ that Miz Mary’s, huh, like all the rest? Well, y’all jus’ make sure ya get them axes back t’ that shed ’fore ya do. You leave them out t’ rust, and the cost of new ones comin’ outa your pay!”
Mitchell started to turn, and I figured him to vent his feelings about what the boss man could do with his axes, but I warned him off. “Let it be,” I said. Mitchell cut me a sour look and walked on.
“Enjoy Miz Mary’s!” hollered the boss man, and laughed. Those were the last words we heard Jessup speak. We put the axes in the tool shed, then left that camp. We made the three-mile walk up to Miz Mary’s and met Maylene out back. Maylene had a small leather bag hanging from her shoulder and I glanced from it to Mitchell. I hoped that she didn’t think she was going with us. She gave Mitchell a hug, then led us into the woods. “I got yo’ stuff hid,” she said.
We retrieved our gear and I thanked Maylene. “Hope your helping us won’t cause any problems for you.”
“Naw. Don’t ya worry none ’bout that. Nobody seen me.”
“Well, I do thank you.”
Maylene seemed to blush under her chocolate skin. “Got y’all some more food.”
She handed over the leather bag to Mitchell. “More fried chicken and corn bread.”
“What! No greens?” Mitchell teased as he took the bag.
“Ah, go on!” laughed Maylene, and playfully pushed at him.
I moved away with my gear. “I’ll say good-bye now. And thanks again, Miss Maylene.”
Maylene smiled and gave me a nod, then turned all her attention to Mitchell. As I gave them privacy for their farewells, I heard Maylene say, “I sho’ wish ya could stay here.” Then she began to cry. I didn’t hear what Mitchell said to console her.
“So where we headin’?” asked Mitchell when we were again on the road.
“Figure north toward Vicksburg.”
“There lumbering up there?”
“Heard about a camp south of Vicksburg. Thing is, though, Mitchell, I’m figuring I’m finished with lumber camps for a while.”
“What ya gonna do, then?”
“There’s a man Miz Crenshaw used to talk about who lives in Vicksburg, man name of Luke Sawyer. Runs a mercantile. Miz Crenshaw said he was a fair man, and I plan to see if maybe he and I can do some business.”
“What kind of business?”
“See if I can make some furniture for him to sell.”
“Well, if you doin’ the furniture makin’, what ya need him for?”
“I don’t have all the tools I need to make the better pieces, and I don’t figure to use my money buying more tools either. I figure maybe Luke Sawyer can make that investment.”
“Then what ya gonna do with your money? You sure ain’t hardly been spendin’ none of it.” Mitchell looked at me knowingly and his eyes smiled. He knew when it came to my money I was pretty closemouthed, even with him, and he sometimes laughed at me because of it. He knew I had saved most of my money and that I’d put that money away in a bank in New Orleans. He teased me, but he didn’t fault me, even though the way he saw things, there was only today, so whatever money he had, he might as well spend and enjoy it now, and he did.
“Got something else I want to spend it on,” I said defensively.
“What’s that?”
“Land.”
Mitchell laughed. “You back t’ that again, huh?”