A Man Called Moses by Bill Gallaher

Author:Bill Gallaher
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-926971-47-6
Publisher: Touchwood Editions
Published: 2011-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

Moses did not feel hungry any more, nor did he want to go to the saloon, so he hurried home, reluctant to open the letter before he got there. He was afraid that it contained the worst of news. He avoided Yates Street so he would not have to pass Gibbs’ store without stopping in or waving hello. He did not want to see anybody. Whatever was in that letter had to be important and he did not want it revealed to him until he was alone so that he could prepare himself to deal with it publicly. He tapped his jacket pocket a dozen times before he got home, to make sure it had not fallen out on the street.

In his parlour he poured himself a brandy and noticed there was a slight tremor in his hand. He took a long draught, sat down at the table and tore away the wax seal on the envelope. Inside was a sheaf of papers fronted by a brief letter from Sarah’s father in Baltimore.

“My Dear Mr. Moses,” it began, in shaky handwriting that was difficult to read, “it is with great sorrow that I tell you of our dear Sarah’s passing. Though she was under the watchful eye of a doctor she managed, nevertheless, to take her own life. I will not upset you with the details.

“From what we were able to ascertain from your letter, you had no inkling of the circumstances which led to the tragic turn in her life. However, Mrs. Douglas and I feel it is something you ought to know lest you think ill of our daughter. To that end I have enclosed her account of her last trip as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, after which she was never the Sarah we had known and loved. She wrote it down soon after her escape, but would never speak of it afterward.

“Once again, I am so sorry to be the bearer of such bad news. Please visit us if you are ever in the Baltimore area. This war must end some time.

“Yours respectfully, John T. Douglas.”

Moses closed his eyes. Tears should have come, but they did not. Instead, he felt a great weight bearing down on his heart, as if it were about to sink into his abdomen. He put the papers down, went to the sideboard and topped off his glass with more brandy. At least, he thought, if her condition was not curable she had found peace with God and there was some solace in that. With great apprehension, he picked up the papers and turned to the first page. He recognized Sarah’s handwriting but the syntax was awkward and difficult to read. Nevertheless, Moses was able to follow it.

• • •

Apparently, Sarah had been making her third trip when she ran into problems. It was in late October, under a full moon, and she was leading some passengers, a family of three, north to freedom (1).

Usually, runaway slaves from the west side of Chesapeake Bay were channelled by their conductors through Baltimore.

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