The Land(86)
“Suit yourself,” he said. I thanked him, but Filmore Granger had no more words for me as he and Harlan headed back up the trail.
So I stayed that night on the first piece of land I figured to own. I walked it, studied it, and checked out the density of the trees and the underbrush. The next morning at dawn I met again with Filmore Granger, and he and I, along with the boy Harlan and the colored workman, walked off the land and marked the tree line for cutting. When that was done, Filmore Granger handed me a paper with all the terms we’d stated. It was already signed. “You keep it,” he said snidely, “so you can remember the terms and your mind don’t get ‘muddled.’ As for me, I keep the terms and every specific about them right here.” He thumped the side of his head with his forefinger, gave me a hard look, and left with his son and the workman.
When they were gone, I again walked the forty acres. This was to be my start, but this piece of land gave me no real pleasure. One day I figured to own the land I really wanted, land like J. T. Hollenbeck’s meadow. But for now I’d go back to Luke Sawyer’s store, finish up my work there, and buy what I needed to work this place. When I returned, I was counting on Mitchell being with me.
Once I was back in Vicksburg, I let Luke Sawyer know I had struck a deal with Filmore Granger and that I would be leaving at the end of the month. “Well, you know I’m sure sorry to lose you, Paul,” he said, “but I’m figuring you to still do what orders you can for me.”
“I was figuring on that too,” I said. “I can always use the cash money, especially since I’ll be looking to buy a couple of mule teams, supplies, and such.”
“Well, you want yourself some good animals, you best go see Sam Perry. He’s the best man I know for getting you what you want and at a good price.”
“I’ll do that,” I said, and when I had just about finished all the orders for Luke Sawyer, I headed out for the Perry place. I told Mister Sam Perry what I was planning, and he took me straightaway to a white farmer who had mules he figured the farmer would be willing to sell. The two of them haggled over the cost for some while, longer than I wanted to take, but Sam Perry won out in the end. It seemed he’d helped the farmer in the birthing of his mares, and he made the farmer feel so guilty about the price he wanted to charge that the farmer finally relented. When we left, we had the mules. Same thing happened when we went looking to buy another pair of mules and a wagon—the same long haggling with the same results.
“I thank you, Mister Perry, for all your help,” I said when we were back on his place. “I’ll pay you for your services.”
“No need for pay. Was glad t’ help ya. But I am gonna ask somethin’ of ya I been thinkin’ on. Now, you ain’t gotta agree t’ this, ’cause I woulda helped you out in any case. That’s jus’ what one man’ll do for another.”
“Well, I appreciate that . . . but just what are you thinking on?”
“Ya gonna need help workin’ that land of yours?”
“I figure I will. But I don’t figure to hire on anybody.”
“Can understand that. What I’m askin’ ’bout is if you’d be willin’ t’ take on my boy Nathan t’ help ya. Nathan’s only twelve, but he’s big for his age, strong too, and he could be of some mighty real help t’ ya in exchange for you teachin’ him yo’ craft.”
“Woodworking?” I said.
“That’s right. The boy taken quite a shine t’ both you and yo’ work, and I figure it t’ be a good craft for him t’ learn. He get t’ be good as you, he could make hisself a good livin’.”
I studied on the prospect and on this man Sam Perry. More and more I was seeing my daddy in him. “Well, to tell you the truth, Mister Perry, I hadn’t thought to be responsible for anybody, let alone a twelve-year-old boy.”
Sam Perry whittled at a stick and said, “Let me tell ya somethin’, Mister Logan. ’Fore I learned ya was gonna have yo’ own place, I done give a lotta thought t’ yo’ takin’ on Nathan and teachin’ him. I don’t know much ’bout ya, and you ain’t been in these parts but for ’bout a year, but I got me a good feel for knowin’ folks, and one thing I got me a feelin’ ’bout is who you is. Now, I done talked t’ Mister Luke Sawyer and some other folks who been seein’ ya regular, and I know ya t’ be a hard-workin’ man who mostly keeps t’ hisself. Heard ya live quiet like and ya keeps ya word. Now, that ain’t all t’ a man, and I ain’t fool enough t’ think it is. All my children, each and every one of them eleven, they precious t’ me and I takes what happens t’ each one serious. You take my boy with ya, I be entrustin’ him t’ ya care and I be expectin’ ya t’ treat him right and not be leadin’ him into no ungodly ways. I done prayed on this long and hard ’bout askin’ you t’ teach my boy your craft and the good Lord, He done put in my mind this here’s the right thing for Nathan, you willin’ t’ do it. Comin’ t’ this woulda been a whole lot easier on me if you was gonna be stayin’ in Vicksburg, not way off past Strawberry, but I still feel it’s the right thing for my boy, you willin’ t’ take him on.”