Chapter 5

Over the next few days Colleen was getting ready for the party along with everyone else. All the girls looked at each other’s dresses to see if there was something of theirs they liked. Along with this came Grandmother’s harsh and honest opinion. At first she didn’t like any of the girl’s choices. She did like Michelle and Colleen’s second choices and then Marie’s third choice which happened to be one of Colleen’s nice dresses. Grandmother didn’t like anything on Rachael.

“No,” she said as Rachael turned in her fifth choice, “Charlotte, have Dawn fetch me the lace dress from up stairs. She will know what I’m talking about.” Charlotte stood up and walked out of the room. All the girls started whispering to each other, “Lace dress?”

“Rachael,” Aunt Charlotte called from out in the hall way. Rachael left to try it on.

“Do you know what dress it is Michelle?” Marie asked.

“No, I don’t have any idea,” Michelle answered trying not to sound interested. Michelle was jealous of all the attention Rachael was getting but hid it as a weakness.

“Oh Rachael,” Aunt Caroline’s mouth was open wide with delight when Rachael came into the room The dress was form fitting at the top and less full in the bottom than most dresses of that era. The styling was a little out dated but fit her perfectly. The lacing covered the entire bodice intricately and covered her otherwise bare shoulders and arms. Rachael was glowing.

“Oh Grandmother I feel almost like a bride,” she said spinning around.

“It was your mother’s. We had it specially made for her,” Grandmother said showing no emotion except slight approval. Everyone else in the room was completely blown away. Colleen was slightly jealous that Rachael got their mother’s dress, but it did look good on her. It even seemed to bring out Julia’s features on Rachael’s face. Colleen sighed.

As Rachael left the room Aunt Caroline whispered to Colleen, “I remember that dress. Your mother was in it when she met your father.” Caroline leaned away from Colleen smiling.

Colleen’s jaw dropped; then she smiled and whispered back, “You were there?” Caroline nodded. “Won’t you please tell me about it?”

“Yes dear, once we go up stairs.” Afterwards they continued with their normal knitting and reading time. At nine thirty Colleen carried Juliet up to bed and tucked her in. Then she headed over to her and Rachael’s room where Aunt Caroline was waiting for her.

“You ready?” Caroline asked as Colleen sat down on the bed.

“Ready…”

“All right, well I had just married Marc in June of that year and we were at your Grandmother’s for the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. I remember when mother Rachael ordered that dress. It was the first week of December and she told the tailor it had to be ready by this party, which was the week of Christmas. Well this party came around and we were all excited about the dancing. Charlotte wasn’t married yet but was looking forward to seeing her beau, your uncle James there. Your uncles Stephen and Luke were also excited to see their girls. Julia was glowing. She told me she felt like a princess on the way there. We of course were giggling the whole time. We pulled up to the building and walked in under this big banner that read, “Charleston Christmas Ball 1841.” Julia couldn’t stop smiling. After being there for a while she turns to me and says, ‘Who is that handsome fellow over there in the corner.’ I looked over and said I didn’t know but agreed he was handsome. Marjorie Bradley, you remember Mrs. Bradley from the store? Well she was there and over heard our conversation. She came over and told us, ‘Why that’s Patrick McKinley. He’s in town visiting his Sweeney cousins with his Mother. He has hardly a cent to his name; works as the overseer on his father’s plantation which is in pretty bad shape.’ This of course was all a bunch of gossip.”

“Wait,” Colleen interrupted, “Grandmother McKinley was there?”

“Yes she was.”

“Wow…”

“After that Julia didn’t say much more about him. Several times later I noticed her looking at him. I also noticed him looking at her. Later while I was dancing I noticed that your father was beginning to make his way across the room towards Julia. A few moments later she was in his arms dancing about the room. For the rest of the night they didn’t leave each other’s sides. Patrick introduced Julia to your Grandmother and Julia introduced him to mother Rachael. Mother Rachael of course had very high standards for her daughter and had heard all the rumors and didn’t think much of them. After that night your mother and father saw each other just about everyday for two weeks before he left. Mother Rachael was very relieved, but not for long. About two weeks later Patrick came back declaring he could not live another day without your mother. Then they were married, as you know on February 2^nd.”

“Wow, I had never heard that story,” Colleen said still taking it all in.

“I know it is amazing isn’t it,” Caroline sighed, “Practically love at first sight, well good night dear.”

“Good night Auntie,” Colleen said. Then Rachael came in and they went to bed. It took Colleen a while to fall asleep. The next day she planned to start teaching James to read and she was very excited.

The next morning it was bright and the birds were chirping as Colleen made her way over to the slave shanties.

“Morning,” she nodded to the little boy sitting outside on the ground. “Do you know where James is?” she asked leaning over holding her books to her chest. The boy just starred up at her. “No you don’t?” The boy just continued to stare.

“You lookin foe James?” a woman came out of the near by shack.

“Yes,” Colleen straightened up.

“Whatz a white girl be wanten wid James at dis hour a de day?” the woman whipped her hands with her apron.

“I told him I would show him something,” Colleen said not wanting to reveal her true mission. The stout black woman looked at her funny for a moment.

“Be up at da barn,” she pointed over towards the other side of the house where the barn sat.

“Thank you,” Colleen said smiling. The woman just nodded and Colleen walked back across the backyard. In the back of the house was the Logan family cemetery. All the head stones were large and ornate, unlike the simple ones back in the McKinley cemetery. The Harris cemetery was on the old Harris plantation which was about 10 miles north of there but still fairly close to Charleston. Colleen had only been there once that she could remember. It was when her Grandfather Samuel Harris died. It was February 9^th, 1855 the day they had the funeral. Colleen was to be 11 in 8 days. She remembered it was very cold and snowing. All the family was there, all the Harris and Fontaine cousins, and Grandmother and Grandfather McKinley also came. She didn’t remember much about Grandfather Harris. She knew he fought in the Spanish American war, had a limp when he walked and had trouble breathing some because of a war injury. Her mother had always said he was a fun, happy man to be around, and had his set opinions about things.

Looking at the Logan grave yard made Colleen want to go home to her own, to see her mother. She then shook her head and moved on to the barn. It was a good sized barn, held about 10 horses with all the riding carriages and work horses. She walked through the big open door way taking a whiff of the horse smell. She wrinkled her nose.

“Mizz Colleen…” James noticed her, “This is no place for you ma’am. What you doing here?”

“You ready for your reading lesson?” Colleen said. James looked slightly embarrassed.

“Why ma’am I wasn’t quite ready for ya but I should be ready in a few minutes if you don’t mind waitin?”

“I don’t,” Colleen said making her way over to a hay bail and sitting down on it placing her skirts about her.

“I’ll be done soon,” James said starting back up to work again. Colleen sat there for a while taking in all the sights and sounds. The horses were nickering at each other. It almost sounded like laughing. A few minutes later James was finished.

“Mizz Colleen you know you don’t have to teach me,” he said walking over to her as he pulled off his gloves.

“My his hands look so strong,” Colleen thought. “It’s no problem James really. I would love to be a teacher if I ever needed the money,” she stood up, “Why don’t we go someplace with less distractions?”

“Yes um,” so they began to make their way back towards the cemetery. Colleen sat down on a bench near the back of the cemetery.

“You ready?” she asked pulling some books and papers out of her stack.

“Yes ma’am”

“You going to set down?” James took a seat on the ground. “Alright first things first, do you know the alphabet?”

“Yes ma’am”

“Really James, please don’t be so formal, now recite it for me please.”

“A,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,I,j,k,l,m,n,o,p,q,r,s,t,u,v,w,x,y,z…”

“Very good, now do you know what they each look like?” Colleen began pulling out paper.

“Not really,” James replied picking at some grass.

“That’s alright here,” Colleen pulled out a card with a big A and a little a on it. “This is an ‘A’” James nodded. “Here…” Colleen set her things down on the bench, pulled on her skirt, and sat down on the ground next to him. “I think this will work better. Now back to ‘a’…” They continued on through-out the alphabet with Colleen giving a new word beginning with each latter.

“Now for the last letter James… this is ‘Z’,” she held up the card.

“What word starts with ‘Z’ Mizz Colleen?”

“Hmmm…” she thought, “Oh I know, Zero.”

“Zero…”

“Yes its spelled z.e.r.o…” Colleen said slowly. “Now to read a verse.” Colleen reached up on the bench for a black book.

“Mizz Colleen I really don’t think I’m ready to be reading anything like that,” James said grabbing the book before she could reach it and looked at the front.

Colleen smiled, “Do you know what it says?”

“No ma’am,” James said looking at her.

“Holy Bible…” James smiled at that.

“You mean I’m going to be reading the Bible?”

“Yes sir,” Colleen giggled slightly.

James straightened his face, “Please ma’am don’t be calling me that. It could be trouble.”

“Only if you quit with the ma’ams,” Colleen gave him a little swat on the knee as she slid the book from his hand.

“Alright,” he said now smiling back a bit looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

“His skin is such a beautiful shade… almost like chocolate,” she gazed at him for the moment he wasn’t looking, but soon got a hold of herself.

“You ready?”

“Yes…”

“Alright, repeat after me as you look at it ok?” James nodded in understanding.

“In the beginning…”

“In… the… beginning…” he followed Colleen’s delivate finger as it followed the words.

“God created…”

“God… created…”

“the heavens and the earth,” she finished.

“The heavens… and… the earth…” James looked up as he finished looking straight into Colleen’s eyes. There was a moment of eye locked silence.

“So green…” he breathed the word.

“What?” Colleen said catching her own breath.

“Green, what does that start with?” James diverted his eyes.

Colleen blinked, “Oh…. The letter ‘G’.”

“We done then Mizz Colleen, cause this is about the time I get Mr. Logan’s horse for im to make his rounds,” James stood.

“Oh, yes we are done. We will read the Bible verse at the end,” she said picking up her things and beginning to stand. James took her hand to help her up.

“Thank you,” Colleen said all of a sudden feeling flushed.

“It is me who should be thanking you Mizz Colleen,” James said letting go of her hand.

“Oh really I enjoy teaching so it’s my pleasure,” she said straightening her skirt.

“I’ll walk you to the house,” James said putting his arm out as if to lead the way. Colleen smiled shyly and followed him.

“You like the Bible James?” Colleen asked.

“Yes I do, my Grandmother could read and used to read to us before she died.”

“Why didn’t she teach you?”

“She was old by the time I was born, died when I was fairly young. She never taught my mother because she never had time. Gramma Nattie was Mr. Logan’s mother’s hand maid. She kept her busy but after Mrs. Lucy Logan died, Mr. Logan retired Gramma. By that point I was two years old. She started reading to all of us Grankids.”

“Oh…” Colleen said, “Do you have lots of family here?”

“My Ma does the cookin at the house. My sister Ruth cleans the house, feeds the chicks and works in the garden.”

“What about Dawn?” Colleen said as they had reached the house.

“Dawn came with Mrs. Charlotte,” James said peering at the barn out of the corner of his eye.

“I’m sorry to have kept you James.”

“That’s alright Mizz Colleen. I don’t have many people to talk to,” James shifted his weight clasping his hand behind his back.

“One more question?” Colleen inquired.

“One,” James grinned kicking some dust with his foot.

“What about your father?”

“My Pa…” James paused, “My Pa is on the Bradley plantation…”

“Oh,” Colleen looked down, “I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No ma’am, really…” James head popped up, “It’s alright. I don’t mind talking about it honest.”