Twenty

“The harvest is almost finished.” Jeremiah looked over the fields with satisfaction. The white bolls of cotton had been picked, and most of them had been ginned to separate the seeds from the usable fibers. He strode to a nearby barn and pulled open the wide doors, waiting for Judah to catch up to him.

“It’s hard for me to believe all you’ve managed to get done.” Judah’s voice was full of appreciation. “And it’s something I can never repay.”

Jeremiah rolled his eyes and flung a hand out to indicate the stacks of tightly packed bales. “We haven’t turned all this into money yet.”

“Jeremiah, Master Judah.” Oren, the slave who had been so valuable to him for the past several weeks, walked over to them. “We’s about to start piling the cotton into wagons.”

“That’s good.” Jeremiah smiled at the man. “You’ve done a great job. I’ve been telling Judah how much help you’ve been.”

“Yes.” Judah leaned against the wall. “I am so pleased with all the work you’ve done.”

A wide smile split the man’s face. He bent the upper part of his body in a partial bow. “Thank you, sir. I was worried ’bout things for a while, but Jeremiah here, he got things working real smooth. He’s been good to all us slaves. We would do anything for him, and you and the missus, o’ course.”

“Thank you, Oren. It was a real pleasure to work with you and the others.” Jeremiah could feel Judah’s surprised gaze on him. He shrugged. He hadn’t done anything miraculous, just treated the slaves like men instead of property. He supposed he’d earned their respect because he’d worked right alongside them, refusing to quit until the work was done. It had been a backbreaking but rewarding exercise. A part of him wished it was not over.

The sound of a wagon trundling toward them made Jeremiah step back. “How many loads do you think it will take, Oren?”

Oren looked at the wagon and then at the stacks of bales. “I guess we can get about a hun’erd bales to a load. And there’s the two wagons.” He squeezed his face tightly as he considered. “Mebbe three or four trips to town will do ’er.”

Jeremiah nodded. “That’s what I was thinking. It will take us half a day for each load, so we won’t be done until tomorrow or maybe Wednesday.” He turned to Judah. “What do you think about using the storehouse in the back of my new shipping office? That way we won’t be forced to sell to the first captain who offers us a price.”

Judah nodded. “A sound suggestion. What are you going to charge for storing the bales?”

“Nothing at all.”

“Jeremiah, I cannot continue letting you shoulder all of my responsibility. You’ve done more than I ever dreamed. It’s time to let me start repaying my debt.”

“I’ve been thinking about that. . . .” Jeremiah let the words drift off.

“Don’t tell me.” Judah laughed so hard his shoulders shook. “You’ve got an idea.”

Jeremiah joined him. It felt good to laugh. To enjoy the bounty of this day.

Oren looked from one to the other of them, a tentative smile on his face.

It took a few moments, but the laughter finally came to an end. Jeremiah clapped his friend on the shoulder. “Yes, I do. But why don’t we let Oren get started working out here? I want to explain my idea to both you and Susannah at the same time.”

He gathered up the slaves who would load and transport the cotton, explaining what needed to be done before leaving Oren in charge. Then he and Judah walked back to the main house. “I cannot tell you how much I’ve enjoyed these days.”

“You are a different man from the one I knew in New Orleans.”

Jeremiah considered the statement as he helped Judah negotiate the steps to the front porch. “I feel different, too. It’s almost like being closer to God to bring the crops to maturity and harvest them.”

The two men went inside and found Susannah in the parlor, cutting out squares for a quilt. She glanced up as they entered. “What are the pair of you up to? You look as though you’ve been involved in some mischief.”

Judah sat next to her on the sofa and leaned his crutches against the wall. “We were out checking the cotton, but Jeremiah says he has something he wants to talk to us about.”

Jeremiah went to the fireplace and held his hands out toward the dancing flames. He closed his eyes and prayed for the right words to explain his hopes to these friends. If they agreed, he believed things would go more smoothly for all three of them, but he wanted more than anything to follow God’s will. Taking a deep breath, he turned to the couple. “First of all, I’d like to say how much I appreciate your letting me work on the cotton harvest these past weeks. It has always been a dream of mine to farm, and you’ve helped me realize that dream.”

Judah opened his mouth, but Jeremiah forestalled him with a shake of his head. “I don’t want to get bogged down in compliments and comparisons this morning, so please hear me out. You did an excellent job getting the new office ready for business, Judah. I couldn’t believe how much you accomplished in such a short time. The apartment upstairs still needs work, but I think it could be made livable, even for a couple.”

He glanced toward his friends and let a smile bend his mouth upward. “I also purchased several acres behind the office that are currently vacant. My idea is to build a home on that property, one large enough to house the owner and his family. That way, he will be close to his family even when he’s working. I don’t think it will take long to build the house as there seems to be an abundance of capable workers in town. I am hoping it will be finished and the owner can take up residence before next autumn.”

“I don’t understand, Jeremiah.” Susannah put down her mending and frowned at him. “You sound like you are not planning to stay here and run your shipping business.”

Jeremiah nodded. “That’s right. I have never enjoyed the business like my uncle does. I have already written to him telling him I didn’t relish the idea of returning to the shipping industry and asking if he would consider allowing a young couple I know to join his business.” Jeremiah reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded note. “He wrote back that he likes the idea of incorporating another family into LeGrand Shipping, and he is delighted to have a war hero for a business partner.” He waited for the meaning of his words to sink in.

Susannah looked at her husband. “It’s the answer to our prayers.”

Judah looked at each of them, clearly torn. “I don’t know. . . .”

A glance upward accompanied Jeremiah’s prayer for the right words. “I know this will be a big change for you, so I’d like for you to take your time and discuss it thoroughly. If you have any doubts at all, we can talk it over beforehand.”

It seemed to be the reassurance his friend needed. “I don’t think there’s any need for that.” Judah glanced toward his wife and received a nod. “Susannah and I would be foolish to reject your offer.” He picked up his crutches and pulled himself up. Leaning his weight against them, he held out his right hand.

Jeremiah crossed the distance to the sofa in two strides. He gripped Judah’s hand firmly. “You don’t know what this means to me.”

Susannah stood up next to them. “You don’t know what it means to us, either. I don’t know why we didn’t think of it ourselves. It makes so much sense. Your talent in running a plantation is obvious from the work you’ve managed to accomplish. And living in town is the perfect answer for me and Judah.” She leaned up and placed a kiss on Jeremiah’s cheek. “Sometimes I think you are an angel sent from God.”

“Maybe not an angel.” Judah put an arm around his wife. “But he does remind me of Abraham, who walked without question the path God set out before him.”

While Jeremiah felt uncomfortable with their lavish praise, he did feel God’s hand at work and could only praise Him for His loving guidance on all their lives.