A Woman Rice Planter

by Elizabeth W. Allston Pringle

When I had got through my ministrations to her and came out of the stable and started toward the house I was scared almost out of my wits by a tall man standing at the gate. It took all my courage to force myself forward instead of retreating rapidly to the shelter of Pocahontas's stable. However, I went forward with a bold air to find a variation of Don Quixote's windmill. I had been picking up walnuts as my first amusement and got so warm that I took off my white flannel coat and hung it on a tall post near the gate as I went out to see after the cow, and had entirely forgotten it.

I laughed at myself, but feebly, for I have not had such a fright for a long time. There is no human being within three-quarters of a mile of me, and I have had trouble with a very bad man whose hog was in my corn and peas, for a week before we found it out. I had Jim catch it and shut it up and send word to the man that he must pay me $2 before he could get it. That was not nearly the value of what he had destroyed, but I thought it was all I could ask. He sent word he would not pay it, that I could keep the hog and send him a dollar. It is a complete razor back and I don't want it, but Jim seemed to think he would like it and told me he would pay the dollar and take the hog.

I said, "Then where is my pay for the damage to the crop?" It seemed very hard for him to see the justice of this.

In the meantime I am feeding the creature on my precious corn and the owner is very angry.

I put up the walnuts I had picked, four dozen. The squirrels steal them as well as people, so they have to be put in a close place to keep them.

When I went out first the sunset was wonderful. Exquisite rose-colored clouds, layers upon layers of them, filled the heavens and the pure, cold crescent moon emerged from their billowy depths with its bow of hope. I stood and watched with much delight until, oh, sadness! the rose-colored clouds turned to ashes of roses and I felt with a pang that night was near.

When I came into the house at last it was quite dark and I had forgotten to put the matches on the table near the door, so I had rather an eventful progress, falling over chairs and stools to find them. I do not like the dark and cannot walk straight in it. At last, however, I got the matches and lighted the lamp and took my tea, which had been made early but kept hot under a cosey.

After getting through to my surprise I found myself nervous. I do hope my nerve is not going to fail me. It is the first time I have been quite alone in the house and yard without MacDuff, my stanch little watch-dog, and it makes a great difference. He used to sit right by me and follow my every motion, and when he barked it meant something. Don barks because he is chained and Prince barks because he is afraid of the young moonlight, it is so mysterious. Their continual barking worries me, for Chloe left both chicken coops unlocked and I cannot discriminate between the bark that means something and the other.

I tried to read but did not succeed, so I took to the piano and worked hard at Chopin's études. The "Revolutionary" étude requires plenty of work and effort and concentration. Now it is 10 o'clock and I had to stop for very weariness and am writing.

After going out into the yard several times to see if Prince was barking at any reality, I brought him into the pantry, and in order to compose his nerves I left the "Revolutionary" étude, which is so tempestuous, and played the next, which is almost a lullaby, so soft and soothing is it, and to my relief it had its effect, and Prince went to sleep.