Spake As a Dragon (51 page)

Chapter Sixty

THE SPECIAL DAY

It was like in the days of Noah;
however, he was gathering animals from near and far to populate the
ark for the re-birth of the world. The gathering, taking place at
Scarlett was not close to the scale of importance as the one in the
Biblical story of Noah, but it was momentous to those of the
Scarburg family.

From old Kentuck came the boys Sam and
William by way of Pennsylvania; from Gettysburg Matthew, Kim, Mark
and Kelly; from Tennessee came Elsa, Nate, Nate Junior and Luke.
Greeting this group of returnees was Malinda, Levi, Ora Lee, Sary,
Catherine, Isaac, Stephen, Thomas Henry, Mattie Ann and little
Elizabeth.

For the next couple of days, the
family spent exchanging hair-raising tales of their past
adventures. Finally, on Sunday the 2
^rd
of July Malinda
announces at breakfast that the 4
^th
will come on
Tuesday, two days hence. She said she knew the country has been
heatedly divided over the past four years between those of the
North and those of the South. The War is over, life must go on, the
Union had been spared the anguish of division and now we are all
once again the United States of America. As citizens, she thinks
the family should celebrate the 4
^th
of July. She also
notes that it was on the 4
^th
of July in the year 1852
that she and Robert left Scarlett with Alabama as their
destination. “Now,” she said, “thirteen years later we are back
where we started and we are going to have a party.”

“
Oh, Mizz Malinda,” said
Sary, “you no’s we don’t got nothin’ for a party, why, we’s barely
got enough for us to just get by on now!”

“
I don’t care,” said
Malinda, “we have all scrimped and saved every little morsel of
anything worth having for the past four and one-half years, we may
starve next week, but on Tuesday we’re going to have us a
4
^th
of July celebration!”

Ora Lee was next to speak, “Malinda,
girl you planning on a party here for us, just the
family?”

“
No,” she replied. “We are
going to have a community celebration. We are all going to
celebrate, of course, the 4
^th
, but more importantly this
community is going to celebrate our survival. We have undergone
some harrowing times and have come through victorious, maybe we
didn’t win the War, but we endured the hardships of the past and
will endure the suffering, persecution and oppression of the
future. For this, we cannot be thankful, but knowing God’s will is
mightier than the sword we will cope with whatever comes our
way.”

Malinda went on to explain that she
thought the open area under the old oak at Scarburg Mill would be
the perfect place to have this event. She said they should all get
ready and go to church and make an announcement in front of the
whole congregation of the plans for the activity on the
Fourth.

Before she finished, she had another
thing to talk about – Scarlett Plantation. She wants to rebuild it.
Not only rebuilt in it’s past glorious splendor, but she wishes it
to be bigger and better.

THE 4
^TH
OF JULY

Word spread throughout the valley
quickly that a festival was being planned at Scarburg Mill on
Tuesday the 4
^th
of July. People could not believe it! It
had been years since they had assembled together in a festive
atmosphere. They marveled in anticipation as a young child does the
night before Christmas. Women folk from all around began making
preparations for the event. It seems in the south every woman has a
specialty food. She prepares this special dish for those rare
occasions such as dinner on the ground at revival time at church,
or as happened before the War when the circuit-riding preacher came
through and it was their time to feed the Reverend Sunday
dinner.

Roberta Hunt killed the last Road
Island Red chicken they had and made a huge pot of her delicious
chicken and dumplings, Barbara Almond, somehow or other got the
fixings to make her four-layer dessert. Farah Harper made up the
biggest batch of fried apple pies that she had ever made. Diane
Brown was famous for her cornbread dressing. Two big pans wasn’t
enough for this day, she made three. This type of thing was
happening all across the hills and dales around Scarburg Mill. The
people had been miserable for so long they wanted a day to forget
and a chance to remember the good times.

Malinda got with Jethro, Rubin and Dan
and arranged for them to spruce up the old Mill and the surrounding
grounds. And she asked if they would build a few wooden eating
tables and benches for serving dinner to a large crowd expected to
attend. She also wanted a gallows rope tied and placed over the old
wooden bench underneath the oak tree. As the highlight of the day’s
activities, she was going to reenact the hanging of John Scarburg
during the Revolutionary War. The people had not much to be proud
of during these past few years, but they had always been proud of
Scarburg Mill and John Scarburg’s family and their heroic actions
on that fateful day back on the 15
^th
of April 1781. She
even had the local stonecutter who made tombstones engrave a
stone.

The plan was to have a band, which
only consisted of a fife, bugle and drum to play a tune. She was
unsure which one exactly, since she did not know what they could
play. Regardless, after the tune and the reenactment of John
Scarburg’s hanging, a cloth covering the stone would be removed and
the old cannon that sat in front of the Masonic Lodge Number One
would be fired. Thirty cannonballs were stacked in a neat pyramid
beside it; however, hopefully the plan was to fire it with only a
powder charge and no ball.

Tuesday morning the old rooster at the
barn announced the arrival of daybreak; however, Malinda, Sary,
Catherine and Ora Lee have been up much earlier for today is going
to be special and they wanted to get an early start. At this early
hour, no one living in the guesthouse at Scarlett could realize
just what a special day this 4
^th
of July was to
become!

DEDICATION

“
Come on young’uns,”
yelled Sary to the household of young folks and old alike for that
matter, “Y’alls git a move on...we’s burning daylight.” Although
none in the household realized it at the time, Sary was as excited
as the children. She had never been to a real party in her whole
life, especially one like Mizz Malinda had planned. Oh, there had
been occasions when she was younger she would go to the house of a
friend and carry food to the family for someone that had departed,
or enjoy dinner on the grounds at a local church from time to time,
but never to an honest to goodness, undeniable, actual
party.

The front of the Mill looked festive
and wonderful. Jethro, Rubin and Dan along with the other Mill
workers had tables set up around the Mill grounds. Red, white and
blue bunting streamers hung along the entire front of the building.
A large American flag was fluttering from a tall post the men had
put up; a thick hemp noose and rope draped across a limb was
hanging limply above the bench under the oak. As the Scarburg bunch
arrived Malinda could see the stone marker sitting off to one side
beneath the massive oak, it was covered with a white bed sheet.
They were the first to arrive, but within minutes people from the
surrounding countryside begin to filter in. None wanted to miss a
minute of this wonderful day. Within a couple of hours, the area
around the Mill was filled with people, up and down the road and on
the sides of the Mill were wagons, buggies and horses left by their
owners hurrying to the festive atmosphere in front of Scarburg
Mill.

A wagon had been positioned in front
of the Mill and the mayor of Scarlettsville had stepped up into the
bed and was beginning to speak. “Folks,” He said holding his hand
in the air, “Folks, my good friends and neighbors of
Scarlettsville, may I take this opportunity to welcome you to this
our first celebration of our Founding Fathers Day and the Fourth of
July Celebration...” This goes on for a least an hour, Malinda
makes a mental note to remember next year to tell the Mayor to
limit his speech to the day’s activities only.
Oh well
, she
thought,
what did she expect getting a politician to speak!
Finally, he was getting to the end of his politicking, “Now
friends, after the Reverend Plunkett says grace we will partake of
this wonderful meal, ummm... I can taste Sister Roberta’s dumplings
already,” he said licking his lips, “Then we will listen to the
band play a couple of tunes and as the grand finality these fine
folks will reenact the events that took place here in 1781.” With
this, he stopped and stepped down from the wagon with a thunderous
roar of applause, thinking it for his excellent deliverance;
however, they clapped because he finally finished
talking.

Mark is to play the part of John
Scarburg, Stephen and Thomas Henry are to be the sons William and
Isaac. All three are dressed in the style of the revolutionary day
- breeches, white shirts, coats and stockings. Cravats tied around
their necks and three-cornered hats complete the outfits. The
breeches are closely fitted and end at the knee. White stockings
extend from the knees to the highly shined shoes with large
buckles.

Malinda did not want anyone left out,
so she assigned Nate Junior the part of the British Colonel David
Wilcox. They had no real British uniforms that would fit him, but
Sary fashioned him one with a red jacket and white breeches, pinned
three sides of a wide brimmed hat into a tricorne and applied balls
of cotton resembling a white wig. At his side he carried a borrowed
a long cavalry saber, which dragged the ground, but no one
noticed.

Malinda had enlisted a number of
townspeople to be the British attacking the Mill and others played
the part of the Patriots defending. All were firing blank charges
from their muskets. The spectators stood afar and have a marvelous
time witnessing the fighting; clapping and yelling as each of the
British actors are ‘killed’. After the ‘battle’ it was time for the
hanging. All the participants are given time to reassemble on the
grounds in front of the Mill, the ‘band’ plays a tune or two and
the fife and bugle cease playing. The drummer begins his
‘Rat-a-tat-tat, rat-a-tat-tat’
...

From the door of the Mill three
‘prisoners’ are ushered across the open courtyard to the bench and
the awaiting gallows. Mark playing the part of John Scarburg
already has a black hood covering his head; the other two wear
their hats. Their hands are not tied. They walk solemnly and slowly
across to the oak tree. ‘John’ is guided upon the bench; sons
‘William’ and ‘Isaac’ are positioned next to him. ‘Colonel Wilcox’
strolls across the yard, dragging his sword on the ground as the
spectators try to muffle their laughter. Up to the bench he strolls
and in as loud a voice as he can muster says, “Dost any request a
last word?”

He walks up close to John Scarburg and
they talk quietly, the ‘Colonel’ turns to the crowd, “Mister
Scarburg requests a word with his youngest daughter
Margaret.”

Luke standing closest to Malinda,
“Mother, this is not the way we rehearsed – Pappy is supposed to
ask to speak to our grandfather Thomas his youngest son, what is
happening?”

Malinda looks at Isaac who was to play
the part of John’s youngest son Thomas and shrugs her shoulders and
shakes her head as tho’ bewildered. Steven and Thomas Henry,
playing the parts of William and Isaac stand on the bench next to
the hooded Mark with looks of amazement too. “Okay, Lizzie, I don’t
know what Mark is up to, but walk on over there to the bench. We
will just have to see what is going on.”

Lizzie is hesitant at first to go, but
with prodding she leaves the crowd and walks across to the bench.
She nervously glances from side to side. She is very apprehensive
because she was not told she had a part in today’s spectacle. She
was worried since she had no lines to speak and does not know what
to do. Arriving at the bench she knew from yesterday’s practice
Isaac, playing the part of little Thomas, steps upon the bench and
he and his father whispered to each other. She supposes she will do
the same.

She climbs upon the bench and moves
closer to Mark. Close enough to clutch his pant leg. When she
grasped his leg. he reaches down and swoops her up into his arms
while removing his hood.

At first Lizzie cannot believe what
she is seeing – it is not Mark Holmes at all – it is her...her...
father...Robert! She is speechless, and scared, she can just barely
remember what her father looked like. This man resembles him, but
she wasn’t quite sure.

At first a murmur spread around the
crowd, now there is complete silence. Malinda sees Robert, but she
like Lizzie is not quite sure who this man is, for certain it is
not Mark Holmes. She takes a step or two toward the bench as Robert
and Lizzie get down. The whole place is stunned – is this Robert
Scarburg?

It was! Everyone finally realized who
was standing in their midst – the father of all these children,
Malinda’s husband and their long thought dead neighbor. For
minutes, they all could do nothing but hug and kiss. Neighbors
coming by slapping him on his back and wishing him well, others
telling him how glad they were to see him back from the
War.