Hidden in the Trees (Bellingwood Stotries #1) by Diane Greenwood Muir

Author:Diane Greenwood Muir [Muir, Diane Greenwood]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Goodreads: 18953873
Publisher: Nammynools Publications
Published: 2013-09-22T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIVE

Covering his mouth so no one could hear him cough, Andrew hovered over the hole in the floor where the ladder went down into the main room. Sylvie had finally sent him to bed, but he knew they were going to talk about interesting things downstairs and wanted to hear it all.

Daniel and Nelly had taken their little boy out to the root cellar in order to get some much needed sleep. Andrew watched Nelly yawn throughout the evening. Daniel told Ellis that they had been traveling for several days, but never slept because they were afraid of being caught. Andrew couldn't imagine staying awake for days. He tried to stay awake one night to watch the shooting stars, but his mother found him asleep in the yard curled around their dog and sent him to bed.

Sylvie gave them an oil lamp and some matches, reminding Nelly to set it on a shelf rather than the floor with all of the dry hay in there. Ellis had closed the door to the cellar only partway, with assurances that if anyone came looking for them, he would close it up tightly until it was safe again.

It was surprising that the little boy was so quiet. Most four year olds were busy and noisy. He hoped little Jonah was healthy. Maybe he was just tired. Nelly kept touching him and even when he was playing with the men while she had washed dishes, she continually turned to make sure that he was still there. He had played and laughed, but he wasn't a bad little boy at all. Andrew remembered getting into a great deal of trouble when he was little. One day his mother had put him outside of the front door and shut it because she was so angry with him. She had swatted his behind, but he hadn't cared. When she shut the door on him and her eyes had been full of tears, he remembered feeling awful and begged her to forgive him.

Later that evening, she had told him how disappointed she was in his behavior and she cried again. He knew he would never again make her that angry if he could help it.

Jason, Ellis and Sylvie sat around the table after everyone else had left. Andrew stayed quiet above the ladder so he could listen to them.

"I know some people down by Des Moines who are involved in the Underground Railroad," Ellis said to Sylvie. "If Daniel continues to travel on his own, he is going to be caught. Those slave catchers are everywhere and a Negro isn't safe in this state without papers showing that he is free."

"He and his family can stay here as long as they need to," Sylvie declared. "I will not allow them to be taken back to that life. It is no way for a child to be raised."

"It is no way for a man to live," Ellis agreed.

Andrew had an itch on his nose and when he reached up to scratch it, dislodged a bit of dust.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.