Noonday passed, and the winter afternoon drew to a close, and Berry now became sure that they would never see Lily again. She thought of the friendless negro girl again wandering about without food or shelter, and trembling at every noise, and earnestly wished she had not driven her away.
Just at nightfall the outer door was cautiously pushed open, and Lily, her arms filled with wood, appeared on the threshold. Without a word, or87 a look toward the astonished Mrs. Arnold and the surprised Berry, she quietly filled the wood-box, and taking the milking-pail from its accustomed place started toward the door. Before she could reach it Berry called “Lily!” and started toward her.
“I knows yo’ don’ wan’ me h’ar, Missie, an’ soon’s I do de chores fer yo’ Ma I’ll get my ole dress an’ go,” the girl said humbly2, not raising her eyes to look at the little girl who had promised to be her friend, and who had then ordered her never to return to the cabin.
“Berry does not want you to go, Lily. Whatever made you think that?” questioned Mrs. Arnold. “We have all been troubled and anxious about you.”
At the sound of Mrs. Arnold’s friendly voice Lily looked up, and her eyes sought Berry’s questioningly.
“Don’t go away, Lily,” exclaimed the little girl. “I don’t want you to go.”
A broad smile crept over Lily’s face as she glanced from Berry to Mrs. Arnold. “Den I ain’ ever gwine away,” she declared, and started off with the milk pail toward the barn.
“Lily seemed to think you did not want her88 here. Poor girl. I wonder what will become of her,” said Mrs. Arnold thoughtfully.
“Oh, Mother! You talk as if you did not mean for her to stay here!” Berry reproachfully responded. “And I told her to go and never come back!” she added quickly; and then Berry told the story of Lily following her to the highway.
“She kept out of sight all the way, Mother. But so near that I could hear her in the underbrush. And then, after I found the Braggs were gone, and started for home, and heard someone ready to follow me again, and found it was Lily,—and she acted so foolish and frightened, I told her I never wanted to see her again.”
Mrs. Arnold busied herself with some work at the kitchen table, and for a moment made no response. It was Berry who was the first to speak.
“Of course I did not mean it, Mother. I want her to stay. I was only angry.”
“I expect Lily is used to people being angry with her; perhaps that is why she ran away. It may be the reason that she would rather suffer cold and hunger, and flee in terror from every noise, rather than live with people who were easily angered,” Mrs. Arnold responded quietly;89 “angry people are usually cruel people,” she added, and before Berry could speak her mother continued: “The only reason that troubles me in regard to Lily staying with us is that your father and I might be accused of sheltering a runaway3 slave, and if she is found in our house it might involve us in serious trouble. You know, Berry, this is a slaveholding state.”
“But no one knows she is here. And if anyone comes they will think Lily belongs to us,” Berry responded eagerly. “And, Mother!” she added soberly, “I did not mean to be angry. I just couldn’t help it.”
Mrs. Arnold shook her head. “That’s what everyone thinks, my dear. But even if you were angry it was no excuse. Lily followed you because she loved you: if any accident had befallen you on the way Lily would have been close at hand to help or protect you. I am sure that was her reason for following you. You see, Berry, you were the first one to help Lily, and she trusted you.”
“Oh, dear!” sniffed4 Berry, ready to cry as she remembered that Lily had not tasted food since early morning, and had believed herself deserted5 by her new friend.
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“And she came back to do your chores,” she whimpered. “I’ll make it up to her, so she will know I didn’t mean it,” the little girl declared, and when Lily brought in the milk it was Berry who ran to meet her and declared:
“Oh, Lily! We couldn’t manage without you,” smiling up at the wistful-eyed negro girl, who beamed with happiness at the unexpected kindness.
“I jes’ follered yo’, Missie, ’cos I was feared fer yo’,” she whispered. “I didn’ mean no harm!”
Berry nodded. She did not want Lily to see her cry, and so she ran off to the sitting-room6 to tell her father the good news of Lily’s return.
As the days passed and no one appeared in pursuit of a runaway negro girl, the little household in the hillside cabin became sure that, at least for a time, Lily was safe, and Mrs. Arnold came to feel that Berry might be right in thinking that chance visitors to the cabin would believe Lily belonged there, and, as a week went by before Mr. Arnold could venture very far from the cabin, Lily became Berry’s companion when the little girl journeyed down to the mail-box on the Corinth road, and in her walks along the mountain91 paths. And as the two girls wandered about together Lily told her new friend something of her pitiful story.
“I reckons I had a mammy sometime, but I don’ ’member her. I was raised in Alabamy, Missie; an’ ev’buddy wus allers a-givin’ me a hit. Dey wus, show as yo’ lib! ’Twan’t de Massa and Missus, fer dey nebber seem ter see me; ’twere de niggers in de house dat batted me ’bout, an’ I jes’ made up ter run off. I hern de Yankee army wus a-comin’ right soon ter set all de slaves free. Am dat a fac’, Missie?” and the negro girl fixed7 her solemn eyes questioningly on the face of her little mistress.
Berry nodded. “My father says slavery must end,” she declared solemnly.
“I’se glad! I hopes ebery one ob dem high-handed niggers dat batted me ’bout’ll be set free an’ hab ter look arter theirselves. Dat’s wot I hopes. Wid no massa or missus ter feed an’ tak’ keer ob ’em!” said Lily, with a delighted chuckle8, as if she felt that her wrongs would be punished by the freedom of her fellow-servants.
Berry looked at her in astonishment9. “Didn’t you run away to be free, Lily?” she asked.
“Yas, Missie, course I did. Dose niggers92 ’bused me. I had ter run off ter get clear ob ’em.”
“Then you didn’t run away from a cruel master and mistress?” continued Berry, wonderingly.
Lily shook her head. “I don’ know much ’bout ole Massa; he go off las’ year ter help Massa Jeff’son Davis win de war, and Missus she jes’ went long wid him. I ain’ nuffin ’gainst dem,” Lily declared soberly. “’Twas dem stuck-up niggers dat batted me all de time, dat I runs off frum; an’ I jes’ hopes dey is gwine ter be set free,” and Lily again chuckled10, as if comforted by the possibility that her fellow-servants would soon be obliged to look after themselves.
As soon as they reached home Berry repeated the story of Lily’s escape from the Alabama plantation11. “She hid in swamps, and crept into barns to sleep, and ate corn, and frozen apples, and eggs. And it wasn’t her master she ran away from!” said Berry, and then told her mother what Lily had said.
“Then we can feel safe about her not being followed, or a reward offered for news of her!” said Mrs. Arnold with evident relief. “Very likely her master does not even know that she has93 run away.” And the little household was no longer troubled by anxious fears lest their kindness to the wandering slave girl might involve them in trouble, and Mrs. Arnold felt that Berry was much safer in her wanderings about the ravine with Lily for her companion.
And Berry soon discovered that the slave girl knew many interesting things about the little creatures of the forest. It was Lily who discovered the partridge eggs behind a fallen log not far from the cabin and cautioned Berry not to go near them or the partridge might desert the eggs. “Jes’ keep ’way from dar, Missie, an’ fus’ t’ing dar’ll be a flock of little partridges,” she said. And it was Lily who heard the first call of the wild geese flying north, one morning in early February. It was Lily who tamed the two tiny woodland mice that peered out from under an old stump12 one sunny morning when Berry and Lily were resting near by. The negro girl cautioned Berry to be quiet, and attracted the tiny creatures with little calls until they stopped and fixed their bright eyes upon her, and even ventured near enough to eat bits of bread from the girls’ luncheon13. For several days Berry and Lily made daily trips to the old log94 with food for their new friends, whom they named “Dot” and “Dash,” and the mice apparently14 were always on the watch for them.
When Mr. Arnold was again able to take his usual walks there were many hints of spring along the slopes of the ravine, and on one of his visits to the highway a traveler told him that the forts on the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers had been captured on February 16 by General Grant, assisted by the fleet of gunboats commanded by Commodore Foote. Fort Donelson had been taken, and General Buell was preparing to advance against the Confederate army at Nashville.
This was a great success for Northern forces, and the Arnolds earnestly hoped might help to bring the war to an end. But Mr. Arnold realized that it must bring the troops of both the Confederate and the union armies further south, and who could tell how near the little mountain cabin might stand to some future battlefield? But he did not mention this anxiety to Berry, but cautioned her not to go to the road leading to Corinth. And Berry was now counting the days when the sugar-maples could be tapped, and sugar-making begin, when another95 adventure befell her that might well have proven a dangerous one had it not been for Lily’s courage and faithfulness.
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1
ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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2
humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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3
runaway
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| n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的 | |
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sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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sitting-room
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| n.（BrE）客厅，起居室 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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8
chuckle
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| vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑 | |
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9
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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11
plantation
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| n.种植园，大农场 | |
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12
stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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13
luncheon
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| n.午宴，午餐，便宴 | |
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14
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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