what happened in just one night of being owned by Riggs?
Feeling as though she could barely breathe, Libby remembered what she had said about slavery.
How could I be so stupid?
Though Jordan didn’t know what she had said, Libby wanted to tell him she was sorry. But she couldn’t get out the words.
“Don’t you hate Riggs?” she asked instead.
She wanted to close her eyes, to run away from the sight of Jordan’s back. Yet somehow Libby knew Caleb was testing her about something she didn’t understand. If she was going to pass that test, she had to stay.
Just the same, Libby walked around in front of Jordan where she couldn’t see his back. “Don’t you hate Riggs?” she asked again.
“I wants to be angry.” Jordan didn’t look at her.
His words reminded Libby of the one small flash of resentment she had seen at the auction.
“I wants to hate him with all my soul—” Jordan went on, “But if I hate him—”
Even sitting on the deck, Jordan looked tall. He held his hand about three feet above the boards. “When I was jist so high, my daddy say to me, ‘Jordan, you is goin’ to git lots of hurts in life. No matter what happens to you, don’t you hate.’”
“Don’t hate?” Libby blurted out. How could Jordan help but hate someone who had whipped him this way?
“‘Jordan,’ my daddy say, ‘hatin’ robs your bones of strength,makes you blind when you needs to fight. If you forgive, you be strong.’”
“Forgive? When someone treats you like that?” Without warning, tears welled up in Libby’s eyes.
She tried to speak, to say that she was sorry for what had happened to Jordan. Again, she couldn’t find the words.
But Caleb tried. “I don’t know if I could forgive that way.”
Turning, Jordan looked up at him. “You could, Massa Caleb. If you ain’t got no choice, you could.”
“But how?” Even to her own ears, Libby’s voice sounded faint with the impossibility of it.
“I tells myself I is goin’ to forgive,” Jordan answered. “With every lash of the whip I whisper to myself, ‘I forgives you, white man.’ Then I remember what my momma say long ago. ‘No one else is goin’ to suffer like this. Jordan, you is goin’ to take your people out of Egypt.’”
Egypt
. Where the people of Israel had suffered in slavery, even as Jordan had. When Libby looked up, she saw that Caleb was still watching her. She wondered if she had passed whatever test he was trying to give.
Then she no longer cared about Caleb. She only hurt for Jordan. From deep within she felt a great sorrow about what had happened to his people.
But Jordan seemed to have forgotten both her and Caleb. As if reaching back into a world of his own, he closed his eyes and started humming. Then he began to sing, quietly and softly, as if afraid of being heard. Libby leaned forward to catch the words.
“When Israel was in Egypt land—”
Jordan’s lips moved in a whisper.
“Let my people go!”
“Oppressed so hard they could not stand
—” Swaying back and forth, Jordan seemed to forget himself.
“Let my people go!”
Like a cry it came—a cry from deep within.
“Go down, Moses,
Way down in Egypt land—
Tell ole Pharaoh
Let my people go!”
In spite of the lashes laid across his back—or perhaps because of them—Jordan sang on. When at last he opened his eyes, Libby saw the glad light of hope.
CHAPTER 13
Riggs!
I t’s too dangerous for you to go there,” Caleb told Jordan as the
Christina
steamed toward Burlington. The two boys and Libby were sitting on the texas deck again, talking about the Quaker community of Salem. In southeastern Iowa, Salem was not far from the slave state of Missouri.
“If Momma found the people with the broad-brim hats, I kin find her,” Jordan answered without looking at Caleb.
“I’ll hunt up your mother for you,” Caleb promised. “Gran and I lived in Burlington for a while. I’ll ask questions there first. Then I’ll go to Salem.”
But
Feeling as though she could barely breathe, Libby remembered what she had said about slavery.
How could I be so stupid?
Though Jordan didn’t know what she had said, Libby wanted to tell him she was sorry. But she couldn’t get out the words.
“Don’t you hate Riggs?” she asked instead.
She wanted to close her eyes, to run away from the sight of Jordan’s back. Yet somehow Libby knew Caleb was testing her about something she didn’t understand. If she was going to pass that test, she had to stay.
Just the same, Libby walked around in front of Jordan where she couldn’t see his back. “Don’t you hate Riggs?” she asked again.
“I wants to be angry.” Jordan didn’t look at her.
His words reminded Libby of the one small flash of resentment she had seen at the auction.
“I wants to hate him with all my soul—” Jordan went on, “But if I hate him—”
Even sitting on the deck, Jordan looked tall. He held his hand about three feet above the boards. “When I was jist so high, my daddy say to me, ‘Jordan, you is goin’ to git lots of hurts in life. No matter what happens to you, don’t you hate.’”
“Don’t hate?” Libby blurted out. How could Jordan help but hate someone who had whipped him this way?
“‘Jordan,’ my daddy say, ‘hatin’ robs your bones of strength,makes you blind when you needs to fight. If you forgive, you be strong.’”
“Forgive? When someone treats you like that?” Without warning, tears welled up in Libby’s eyes.
She tried to speak, to say that she was sorry for what had happened to Jordan. Again, she couldn’t find the words.
But Caleb tried. “I don’t know if I could forgive that way.”
Turning, Jordan looked up at him. “You could, Massa Caleb. If you ain’t got no choice, you could.”
“But how?” Even to her own ears, Libby’s voice sounded faint with the impossibility of it.
“I tells myself I is goin’ to forgive,” Jordan answered. “With every lash of the whip I whisper to myself, ‘I forgives you, white man.’ Then I remember what my momma say long ago. ‘No one else is goin’ to suffer like this. Jordan, you is goin’ to take your people out of Egypt.’”
Egypt
. Where the people of Israel had suffered in slavery, even as Jordan had. When Libby looked up, she saw that Caleb was still watching her. She wondered if she had passed whatever test he was trying to give.
Then she no longer cared about Caleb. She only hurt for Jordan. From deep within she felt a great sorrow about what had happened to his people.
But Jordan seemed to have forgotten both her and Caleb. As if reaching back into a world of his own, he closed his eyes and started humming. Then he began to sing, quietly and softly, as if afraid of being heard. Libby leaned forward to catch the words.
“When Israel was in Egypt land—”
Jordan’s lips moved in a whisper.
“Let my people go!”
“Oppressed so hard they could not stand
—” Swaying back and forth, Jordan seemed to forget himself.
“Let my people go!”
Like a cry it came—a cry from deep within.
“Go down, Moses,
Way down in Egypt land—
Tell ole Pharaoh
Let my people go!”
In spite of the lashes laid across his back—or perhaps because of them—Jordan sang on. When at last he opened his eyes, Libby saw the glad light of hope.
CHAPTER 13
Riggs!
I t’s too dangerous for you to go there,” Caleb told Jordan as the
Christina
steamed toward Burlington. The two boys and Libby were sitting on the texas deck again, talking about the Quaker community of Salem. In southeastern Iowa, Salem was not far from the slave state of Missouri.
“If Momma found the people with the broad-brim hats, I kin find her,” Jordan answered without looking at Caleb.
“I’ll hunt up your mother for you,” Caleb promised. “Gran and I lived in Burlington for a while. I’ll ask questions there first. Then I’ll go to Salem.”
But
Similar Books
