The next day was Christmas, and every passenger on the train, except the sick lady and her husband, and the Captain, had an engagement for Christmas dinner somewhere a thousand miles away.
There had been an accident on the road.The train which was coming north had jumped the track at a trestle and torn a part of it away.
Two or three of the trainmen had been hurt.There was no chance of getting by for several hours more.It was a blue party that assembled in the dressing-room, and more than one cursed his luck.
One man was talking of suing the company.I was feeling pretty gloomy myself, when the Captain came in.`Well, gentlemen, `Christmas-gift';it's a fine morning, you must go out and taste it,' he said, in a cheery voice, which made me feel fresher and better at once, and which brought a response from every man in the dressing-room.
Someone asked promptly how long we should be there.`I can't tell you, sir, but some little time; several hours.' There was a groan.`You'll have time to go over the battle-field,' said the Captain, still cheerily.
`We are close to the field of one of the bitterest battles of the war.'
And then he proceeded to tell us about it briefly.He said, in answer to a question, that he had been in it.`On which side, Captain?' asked someone.
`Sir!' with some surprise in his voice.`On which side?' `On our side, sir, of course.' We decided to go over the field, and after breakfast we did.
"The Captain walked with us over the ground and showed us the lines of attack and defence; pointed out where the heaviest fighting was done, and gave a graphic account of the whole campaign.
It was the only battle-field I had ever been over, and I was so much interested that when I got home I read up the campaign, and that set me to reading up on the whole subject of the war.
We walked back over the hills, and I never enjoyed a walk more.
I felt as if I had got new strength from the cold air.
The old fellow stopped at a little house on our way back, and went in whilst we waited.When he came out he had a little bouquet of geranium leaves and lemon verbena which he had got.I had noticed them in the window as we went by, and when I saw the way the sick lady looked when he gave them to her, I wished I had brought them instead of him.
Some one intent on knowledge asked him how much he paid for them?
"He said, `Paid for them! Nothing.'
"`Did you know them before?' he asked.
"`No, sir.' That was all.
"A little while afterwards I saw him asleep in a seat, but when the train started he got up.
"The old Captain by this time owned the car.He was not only an official, he was a host, and he did the honors as if he were in his own house and we were his guests; all was done so quietly and unobtrusively, too;he pulled up a blind here, and drew one down there, just a few inches, `to give you a little more light on your book, sir'; -- `to shut out a little of the glare, madam -- reading on the cars is a little more trying to the eyes than one is apt to fancy.' He stopped to lean over and tell you that if you looked out of your window you would see what he thought one of the prettiest views in the world; or to mention the fact that on the right was one of the most celebrated old places in the State, a plantation which had once belonged to Colonel So-and-So, `one of the most remarkable men of his day, sir.'
"His porter, Nicholas, was his admirable second; not a porter at all, but a body-servant; as different from the ordinary Pullman-car porter as light from darkness.In fact, it turned out that he had been an old servant of the Captain's.I happened to speak of him to the Captain, and he said: `Yes, sir, he's a very good boy; I raised him, or rather, my father did; he comes of a good stock; plenty of sense and know their places.When I came on the road they gave me a mulatto fellow whom I couldn't stand, one of these young, new, "free-issue" some call them, sir, I believe; I couldn't stand him, I got rid of him.' I asked him what was the trouble.`Oh! no trouble at all, sir; he just didn't know his place, and I taught him.He could read and write a little --a negro is very apt to think, sir, that if he can write he is educated --he could write, and thought he was educated; he chewed a toothpick and thought he was a gentleman.I soon taught him better.
He was impertinent, and I put him off the train.After that I told them that I must have my own servant if I was to remain with them, and I got Nick.
He is an excellent boy (he was about fifty-five).The black is a capital servant, sir, when he has sense, far better than the mulatto.'
"I became very intimate with the old fellow.You could not help it.
He had a way about him that drew you out.I told him I was going to New Orleans to pay a visit to friends there.He said, `Got a sweetheart there?' I was rather taken aback; but I told him, `Yes.'
He said he knew it as soon as I spoke to him on the platform.
He asked me who she was, and I told him her name.He said to me, `Ah! you lucky dog.' I told him I did not know that I was not most unlucky, for I had no reason to think she was going to marry me.He said, `You tell her I say you'll be all right.' I felt better, especially when the old chap said, `I'll tell her so myself.' He knew her.
She always travelled with him when she came North, he said.
"I did not know at all that I was all right; in fact, I was rather low down just then about my chances, which was the only reason I was so anxious to go to New Orleans, and I wanted just that encouragement and it helped me mightily.I began to think Christmas on the cars wasn't quite so bad after all.He drew me on, and before I knew it I had told him all about myself.It was the queerest thing;I had no idea in the world of talking about my matters.
