She had been kind to Queen because she was a kind woman and Queen needed
help, but her first loyalty was to Massa Cherry, for whom she had worked,
slave and free, all her life. She also thought that too much kindness might
not be the best thing for Queen.
"You listen to me, Missy,' I she said sharply. "If you gwine work here, you
gotta dress nice and look nice and be nice. You say you was raised proper
and got good manners-well, you start showing it. Massa Cherry don't want
some meantempered skivvy running round the house."
Queen turned away, sulking.
"If'n it'll make you feel better, I's takin' the cost of yo' new clothes
out of yo' wages."
She thought she had been stem enough for the moment, so she relaxed a
little.
"Coz you don't look so good in my hand-me-downs," she added, with a twinkle
in her eye and her voice.
Her warmth of tone and commanding personality reassured Queen, who needed
someone to tell her what to do.
"I's sorry," she whispered, and Dora laughed. She helped Queen into the bed
and tucked her in. As mammies do.
The crisp, clean sheets felt wonderful to Queen, and she snuggled Abner to
her, and thought she never wanted to wake up. Dora sat on the edge of the
bed, and stroked her hair.
"Don't have to worry no more," she said softly. "You safe now. I I
Queen could not accept that. She turned her head away, to look at the wall.
"Don't belong nowhere," she murmured.
Dora could only guess at what had happened to Queen to bring her to such
desolation, but she was beginning to understand something of the forces
driving her, and what she needed.
"Glory be, chile," she said. "Everybody belong somewhere. Jus' takes some
folk a while to work out where it is."
Still she stroked Queen's hair, and thought of her own children, married
now, with families of their own. She thanked God that she had never seen
any of her girls in a state as wretched as Queen's.
A WIFE AND MOTHER, LOVED 731
She began to hum a gentle lullaby, which slowly formed into soft,
loving words.
Queen drifted to sleep with Abner in her arms, while Dora sat with
her, and lulled her with childhood songs.
As mammies do.
85
====> 1~
When Alec got home that evening, it was to the usual domestic chaos. He
employed a girl, Little Bit, as part-time housekeeper, but she was a
foolish, dreaming girl, lazy and difficult, and far too young to be
surrogate mother to Alec's children. For although Minnie, his eldest girl,
was useful around the house, Freeland was too full of youthful energy to
be anything but a nuisance, and Julie was not old enough to help anyone.
George, who lived with them in the shed at the back of the shack, did his
best, but was young himself, and often tired from his long hours on the
farm. No matter how much love Alec tried to show his children, no matter
how many speeches of mutual cooperation he made, no matter how much
authority he gave Little Bit over the household, she was hardly older than
her charges, and there was constant bickering and general unhappiness.
Tonight, the dinner was late.
"Lord sakes, Little Bit," Alec said tetchily, "they should have et an
hour ago."
Little Bit thought she had worked hard, and resented his constant
griping.
"I cain't do everything," she complained as she always did. "I bin here
fo' hours cookin' an' cleanin', an' I's dog tired."
Although she wasn't too tired to look forward to her date that night with
her new boyfriend. Rather than argue with her, Alec gave in, for it had
been a long day.
"All right, Little Bit," he said. "You go on home. I'll see to
everything. "
732 ALEX HALEY'S QUEEN
Little Bit needed no second bidding, and grabbed her hat and coat.
"Time you had a new wife to slave for yo'," she sniffed as she walked out
of the door.
Alec's presence and Little Bit's departure calmed the children, and
Minnie organized everyone in helping with the dinner. She and Alec served
the meat and beans, and cooked the turnip greens, while Freeland and
Julie laid the table, and George did his best to tidy up, but he was tall
for his age and got in everyone's way. As they ate their dinner, the
youngsters complained of Little Bit, giggling that she was a little bit
worse than useless, until Alec told them to shush. They sat together as
a family for a while and told their father their stories of the day, and
then one by one, Alec dispatched them to bed. Minnie and Julie slept in
a small room at the back of the shack, and Freeland shared the shed with
George. Alec said prayers with the young ones, tucked them in, and kissed
them good night.
He looked at the shack and shook his head. The children were right,
Little Bit was a little bit worse than useless; the place looked like it
hadn't been properly cleaned in weeks. He thought sadly of Tennie, who
had kept the little house in such apple-pie order. He was too tired to
tackle the mess, and went outside to sit on the porch with George, as was
their evening ritual.
The rain had eased and it was a pleasant night. Alec sat in his old
rocking chair, and puffed on his pipe. George was comfortable on the
steps. There was another, empty rocker next to Alec, but no one ever sat
in that, for it had been Tennie's chair.
They talked for a while about George's day, and the prospect of a
plentiful crop that year, then lapsed into reflective silence.
"Dey's need a mammy," George said after a while, and Alec nodded.
"An' you need a wife," George said after another small silence.
Alec knew that was true, but wasn't quite ready to admit it yet.
"Watch yo' mouth," he told George, affectionately cross.
A WIFE AND MOTHER, LOVED 733
George grinned, Alec was more than his employer, his boss; he was like
a father to George, who had never known one.
"Y' cain't leave it fo'ever," he said, untroubled by Alec's admonition.
"You's gettin' old, an' one day you gwine wake up and be too old."
"Hush yo' mouth, I said," Alec told him again, for George had hit a raw
nerve. "Y'ain't so big I cain't whump you."
George grinned again, for he was already bigger than Alec. "Like to see
you try," he said. He got to his feet, said his good-nights to Alec, and
went to the shed.
Alec sat alone, puffing on his pipe and staring at the night. It was bad
enough that Dora was always telling him to find another wife, and Massa
Cherry, and most of his friends, but now even George was on about it.
The image of a tiny, frightened woman with a child on her hip came into
his mind, and he felt protective toward her, and intrigued by her, and
wanted to know more about her.
"Dadgummit," he said softly.
He saw her the following aftern
oon, back from a shopping expedition into
town with Dora, to buy new clothes, and he smiled and waved, but she
ignored him. Dora looked at him knowingly and shook her head. Alec
decided not to speak to Queen for a few days, until she was in better
temper, but he thought about her often when he was steering his ferryboat
across the river, and once was in such a reverie that he almost forgot
to slow down the boat and came close to smashing into the jetty. Only the
shouts of his passengers brought his attention back to the business at
hand.
Mr. Cherry returned from a business trip to Memphis, and was introduced
to his new housemaid. Usually his wife handled all the domestic matters,
but she was visiting relations in New York. Wearing a smart black dress
and white apron and cap, Queen looked lovely, fit and rested, but she was
still suspicious of kindness and generosity. Mr. Cherry bade her welcome
to his house, and hoped she would be happy with them. If she worked hard
and well, she could be with them for a long time.
"Oh, I ain't staying," Queen said, to Mr. Cherry's surprise.
No, sir, Massa. Soon as I's back on my feet, I's going North, to start a
flower shop."
734 ALEX HALEY'S QUEEN
It was the dream that she clung to, her defense against the world.
"I understood from Dora that it was to be a more permanent situation," Mr.
Cherry said, slightly offended by her manner.
" No, sir," Queen insisted. "I ain't planning to be a kitchen skivvy all my
life."
The edge to her manner was so sharp and dismissive, she managed to rile
even the tolerant Mr. Cherry. He nodded as if in approval of her ambition,
but sent her back to work.
"Be that as it may," he said, "I'm paying you as a maid, so perhaps you
should be about your business."
"Yes, suh!" Queen snapped impudently. "I's going now, suh! "
Mr. Cherry very seldom lost his temper, but he came close to it, briefly.
He went into his study and rang for Dora to find out if the new maid was
always so bad-tempered.
She was. She worked hard and well, but no one, except occasionally Dora,
could get a smile from her. She snapped at everyone else for imagined
slights, and spent her free time in her room with Abner. She kept him there
when she was working, and sat him on her knee when she was eating her meals
in the kitchen. Gradually, she began to trust Dora sufficiently to keep an
eye on the boy, but otherwise she would not let anyone near him. Especially
not Alec.
Alec found some pretext to call at the house almost every day, to discuss
business with Mr. Cherry, or gossip in the kitchen with Dora. He tried hard
to find some conversation with Queen but was always rebuffed.
" You lookin' better," he said to her, as he often did, for he could not
think of any other opening.
She would sniff and find something else to do, or walk away, and if Abner
was near she would pick him up and remove him from Alec's vicinity. Her
exclusion of them began to get on everyone's nerves.
But Abner excluded no one. A quiet and reserved child when he first
arrived, he blossomed into a happy, chubby boy, had a smile and a laugh for
everyone, and was especially fond of Alec.
He accepted his mother's absences at work, but was hap- A WIFE AND MOTHER, LOVED 735
piest when he was near her, or anyone. One warm day, he was sitting on a
rug in the garden, while Queen put carpets over the line and beat them,
to get the dust out of them. The sun was shining, the gardener was working
in the vegetable plot, and Abner was playing happily with a toy that Dora
had given him.
Only Queen was immune to the general goodwill, and thwacked the carpets
vigorously, as if she were beating everyone who had ever done her harm.
Alec had been working on his land, and was on his way home for the midday
meal. He had stopped in the kitchen to deliver some fresh beans to Dora,
and when he came out he saw Queen. He decided to vary his ritual
approach.
"Pretty day," he said, for it was the prettiest of days.
Queen didn't respond.
"How's the job?" Alec asked. Queen was fed up. It was a pretty day, but
she had to work, and didn't want to be reminded of it.
"If'n you're looking for me to say thanks fo' getting me the job, or
summat," she said, still hitting the carpet, "you can forget it. I'd have
managed, somehow."
"Sure you would," Alec agreed, but did not leave. He couldn't work out
why he felt so protective toward this wretched, ill-mannered woman. His
continued presence irritated Queen even more.
"Ain't you got a ferry to run?" she called as she beat.
"Saturday, George and my boy Freeland do it. I work the land," he told
her. "Ain't the biggest block of land, but with the ferry, we get by. "
"How well you do or how well you don't do, ain't nothin' to do with me,"
Queen snapped, refusing to be drawn by him. Because she wouldn't look at
him, she didn't see that Abner had toddled over to Alec, and was tugging
on his jacket for attention. Alec looked down at him.
"Well, now, young fella," he said, picking Abner up, what's your name?"
He knew Abner's name but had not been introduced, and wanted to make
contact with the boy.
Queen turned and saw her beloved son in Alec's arms, and she panicked.
She dropped the carpet beater and ran to Abner, grabbed him from Alec.
736 ALEX HALEY'S QUEEN
"You leave him be!" Queen shouted at Alec. "He's mine, and no one ever
going to take him away from me."
Alec was astonished by her ferocity, and Dora, who had come out to talk to
the gardener, looked on in amazement.
"Lord, woman, I was jus' askin' his name," Alec protested, but Queen hardly
heard him.
"He ain't no business of your'n," she cried, and took Abner into the house.
Alec was baffled and hurt by Queen's reaction, and looked at Dora.
"Abner," Dora said calmly. "The chile's called Abner."
Alec nodded, for he knew that. "Fine name fo' a boy," he said. "Biblical."
He walked home to his shack puzzling at the depth of Queen's unhappiness,
and while part of him wanted nothing more to do with her, part of him was
determined to discover the reason for her distress. He lost his temper with
Little Bit, who had taken it on herself to spank Julie for some trivial
naughtiness, and he sacked her.
Dora, who was as puzzled as Alec by Queen's behavior, took the gardener to
task for the scrawny carrots he had picked.
"Yes, m'm, Miss Dora, dey's the biggest I c'n find," the gardener said to
placate her. He was used to her.
But Abner cried, and Queen could not comfort him. Abner didn't understand
why his mammy had dragged him away from the nice man. But then Abner was
luckier than Queen. Abner knew he was home.
"She been hurt bad," Dora told Alec. They were sitting in the kitchen,
shelling peas. "She got a bellyful of anger against the
world. 7'
Alec nodded, popping more peas into his mouth than into the pan.
"But Massa Cherry like a happy house," Dora cautioned. "She carry on like
this, she won't have a job."
She slapped Alec's hand, for eating too many of the peas.
It came to a head at a formal dinner party that Mr. Cherry gave. A
gregarious and hospitable host, he kept a fine table, and enjoyed good
conversation. Because of his position in the county, his guests were of some
standing, though not necessarily of good manners.
A WIFE AND MOTHER, LOVED 737
Queen was serving, and a female guest snapped her fingers and demanded
water. Perhaps it was the finger snap that grated on Queen, or perhaps
she was tired, but when she poured the water, a little of it spilled on
the woman's dress.
The woman shouted at Queen impatiently, demanding cloths to clean up the
mess, and turned to the other guests.
"These nigras!" she said disparagingly. "Nothing's been the same since
the war."
The thoughtless comment made Mr. Cherry angry, and he was about to chide
his guest, but Queen got there first.
"I ain't a nigra!" she exclaimed. "My pappy was white, and his pappy
afore him, all the way back to Ireland."
Her explosion caused a startled silence at the dinner table, and in the
silence Queen felt her frustration rising. It was true that she had as
much Irish blood in her as black blood; she didn't feel Irish, and she
wasn't treated as Irish, but why was she considered more black than
Irish? She knew she'd said too much already, but she couldn't stop
herself from saying more.
" Just because I got an itty bit of black blood in me, you think you can
snap yo' fingers at me like a dog and have me dancing to yo' beck and
call." She was shouting now, unstoppable.
- Well, if you take yo' family tree, you'll mebbe find you've got an
itty-bitty little bit of black blood in you," she told the amazed woman.
"And even if you ain't, that don't give you the right to call people
names."
- Queen, that will do!" Mr. Cherry told her sharply. "Since you cannot
control yourself, go to the kitchen, and send Dora to serve, -
It was a hard, sharp order, and Queen stared at him for a moment, still
angry and unapologetic for what she done, but understanding that she had
gone too far. Although she would admit it to no one, she had come to
respect and admire Mr. Cherry, and was furious at herself for having
embarrassed him. Pride would not let her apologize, and she did as she
was told.
Dora was as angry with Queen, and would have sacked her if she had not
needed the help. She went into the dining room, where Queen's outburst
was the main topic of conversation, and the insulted guest was demanding
Queen's dismissal. Mr.
738 ALEX HALEY'S QUEEN
Cherry promised that he would have strong words with Queen, and looked at
Dora, but another guest managed to calm things down.
"She could be right though, Daphne, old girl," he said happily to the
victim of Queen's wrath. "You never know what your father or grandfather
might have got up to with those slave girls."
A few others chuckled, and the atmosphere calmed down a little, but Daphne
was doubly insulted now, for it was true. Her grandfather had got up to
some nonsense with a slave girl. It was the shame of her family.
"Don't be vulgar, Charles," she said.
After his guests had gone, Mr. Cherry called Queen to him, and gave her a
stem lecture.
"She insulted me," Queen said sullenly.
"Be that as it may, it is not your place to berate my guests, no matter how
they behave," Mr. Cherry insisted. "Unless you can keep your temper under
control in future, I shall have to make other arrangements.' I
Which is what Queen had thought would happen from the moment she got the
job. It had happened to her so many times before, and she was ready for the
inevitable.
"That suits mejus' fine," she said, and left the room.
Dora was ready to go after her and give her a piece of her mind, for she
could not tolerate ingratitude, but Mr. Cherry stopped her. As always, his