CHAPTER X. - OLD PONTO

 

WHILE thus sitting in dreamy meditation, gazing out over the beautiful expanse of water, we observed a form approaching the gate, and, as it came nearer, I saw that it was a negro. He came up to the gate, and leaned his arms upon it.

 

"How do, Suly?" he said, rolling his great, black eyes toward her.

 

"Oh! is that you, Ponto?" exclaimed Ursula. "I am quite well, thank you. How are your master and mistress?"

 

"Oh—missus—she be takin' on, some'at but it'll all come right, bye-'n-bye!"

 

This negro was black as ebony, with hair as woolly as hair could be, great, rolling eyes, and thick, negro features. He wore a gracefully flowing robe of bright red, trimmed and faced with gold, tied about the waist with golden cord and tassels. In his ears were large hoops of gold, and nearly all his fingers were covered with gold rings. I had now ceased to be surprised at what I saw, and was becoming eager and curious to learn all that I could. My mind was actually hungering and thirsting for knowledge.

 

"Your master takes more kindly to this life than your mistress?" continued Ursula, addressing the negro.

 

"Yes 'm—yes 'm; for massa done fo' expected he go ter hell, Miss Suly, but missus she spected to stan' fo' der Lord ob Glory, 'mong de Angels in der golden streets, an' she am awfully disampinted. Massa an' dis nigga make berry nice house fo' missus, but she cry all de time an' say, she am los'—she am los'! She do'n want to lib here; she want to lib in Glory wif de Lord! Massa he say, '0 Katy! dis am berry nice house we make fo' yo'. O, Katy! look! It am yo' husban'! O Katy, darlin', look! it am Le'nard.' But she cry an' say, 'Go 'way-go 'way! I wan' to lib in glory wif de Lord.' Den massa say, Look, Katy, darlin'! dis am ole Ponto dat sarve yo' so long, ever sin' yo' were a little gal. See dem posies he brung yo'.' An' she strike at de posies, an' she say, 'Go 'way—go way! yo' big brack nigga!' an' den she wring her han's an' say, 'O—ho! O— ho! jus' ter tink, arter all my prayer, dat I shud hav' ter cum ter lib in der same place wif a big brack nigga—in der same place wif my slave! Am a missus no better den her slave, dat she go to der same worl' where he lib?' Den massa he say, 'Ponto jes stay here fo' love— he sarve us fo' love, an' I am yo'r husban', Le'nard. Say, Katy, darlin'! do'an yer know me?' Den she say, 'I hate yo', Le'nard! I always hated yo'! I wan' to lib in glory wif de Lord. It am all a lie—a lie! fo' I belonged to de church an' say my prayers reg'lar, an' did do all de Lord require me to do, an' now I am cas' off, now I am los'! Git out'n here, yo' big brack nigga! Yo' sarve me fo' love do yo'? I want none o' yer love! Aint yo' ashamed, Le'nard, ter talk about a brack nigga's love? If I wern't dead I'd hev him horsewhipped!' Dat am der way she go on, Miss Suly. Den I run ober here jes fo' ter look ar yo' pretty face an' de little gals. Who am dis lady, Suly?"

 

"This lady is the mother of those two little girls," replied Ursula. "She has been in this world but a few hours, still, I have not heard her say a word about the Lord of Glory."

 

"She do'n go on like my missus, den," and he doffed his bright cap, bowing low before me; "but missus, she 'll git ober it—she 'll git ober it, by-'n-bye!"

 

"Oh, yes," said Ursula, smiling brightly upon him; "she will get over it before long, and take to this life as kindly as any of us where are you going now, Ponto? you faithful old soul! I will warrant on some kind errand for that termagant who once owned you as her slave, and, I doubt not, had you whipped many a time."

 

"'Bout reg'Iar ebery week, 'cause, she sed, 'it war good fo' me.'"

 

"And then when you were feeble and old, your last whipping sent you here, did it not, Ponto?"

 

"Yes 'm; dat war de way ob it," he replied "but it war my las'whippin'; fo' de Lor' I'm glad, an' it am good to be here."

 

"You are a slave no longer, Ponto, and at present you are much happier than your mistress."

 

"Bress de Lor'! yes 'm. De Lord hab been berry good to ole Ponto. No mo' whippin'—no mo' tile in de rice fiel'—nobody order ole Ponto 'bout now. Dis am berry good lan', flowin' wif milk an' honey. Dis am de promise' lan' ole Ponto look fo' so long, an' 'spected he'd neber fin' it."

 

He threw up his hands, and commenced chanting a beautiful melody. One could not catch all the words, but it was about the goodly land flowing with milk and honey.

 

"Where are you going now?" asked Ursula.

 

"Down by de ole riber Jerden," he replied, showing his teeth as he broadly smiled, which like those of the rest of his race, were as white as ivory.

 

"Oh, de riber—de beautiful riber Jerden! he chanted. "Down by the riber where de rushes grow, an' it am sparklin' wif silber an' gold! But de silber an' gold can stay dar; ole Ponto do'an need him no mo' Guess I'll gader some grapes fo'missus. She war powerful fond o' grapes fo' she come to dis worl'. 'Spec' she'll like um heah, an' when I come 'long back, little Katy she go wif me to see her mudder. Mabby when her mudder see her, she feel better contented to stay in dis worl' when she fin' her little Katy heah too."

 

"Yes," assented Ursula; "to find her child here will comfort her more than all else. Her mother love will be awakened, it will give her hope and courage, and help her to perceive the goodness and beauty of this life. This life to you, Ponto, is heaven; while to her, because she had expected something so different, it is, at present, hell."

 

Ponto doffed his cap to us once more, and went on singing and chanting to himself He was a very large, grand-looking negro, and he swayed his body gracefully in time to his melody. His full ebony features and bright flowing robe blended harmoniously with the beautiful scenery.

 

Ursula turned to me and asked if I would like to hear the story of the lady whom Ponto and herself had been talking of?

 

"Very much," was my reply.

 

"She is of a very old Southern family, who owned many slaves for years—an extremely proud, aristocratic woman—and as devout as she is proud. She was also noted for her cruelty to her slaves. She was very set in her opinions, and domineering to the last degree. It was said of her, that it was easier to bend the heavens than to change her mind, and she ruled her household with a rod of iron. She was a cold, unloving wife, treating her husband with disdain. She married him solely because their estates joined, and uniting them would greatly increase their value. Her husband, on the contrary, was a very mild, amiable gentleman, and loved his wife as much as was possible. Old Ponto has been in this world a number of years. He was an old slave, owned by her, and was beaten to death for not performing the usual amount of labor, which, on account of his age, he was unable to accomplish. Even the overseer of her plantation had interceded for him, but she was inexorable: if the heavens were to fall, her orders must be carried out. Well, as you now see, it was better for the old slave, but she, of course, knew it not. Her husband came to this life a few months ago. Her little daughter, Katy, died of yellow fever two or three weeks since, and yesterday she, also, came here, for the fever did not spare her, even, although her will was iron. Her former husband, and old Ponto have created for her a lovely home, where she may remain until her spirit shall accept wisdom enough to be content with life as it really is; but they are having a very hard time with her. She insists that there is just such a heaven as she always believed in when on the earth, and that she will go there, whether or no. She screams and cries continually, and upbraids her former husband, together with old Ponto, for keeping her from that heaven. She insists that her former slave, from hatred of her, is trying to drag her soul down into hell, but not being permitted to do this, he is holding her with the power which has been given him by satan, to keep her for a time out of heaven: but to heaven she is determined to go.

 

"And so she struggles, cries, and abuses them continually, telling her former husband that, on account of his weakness, satan and old Ponto have gotten the better of him, and between them they are holding her soul in bondage. She tries to beat them with her fists, but, of course, it does them no harm, as it would if they were in a mortal form. She declares that Ponto's bright robe is evidence enough that he is an emissary from the depths of hell, and she will not look about her to see whether there is any brightness in this life or not: because it does not agree with that which she believed when on the earth, she will have none of it. She will not accept or look at anything, and they cannot get her forth from the house, for, she insists, if she were to yield to their wishes, she would be for ever lost in hell. She calls Ponto an imp of the devil, and that out of revenge for his merited whippings, he and his rightful master are determined to drag her down to hell, for which reason she struggles and beats them off. How long this state of things will last it is impossible to say. Poor Ponto is doing all he can to enlighten her, and so is her former husband. Her father and mother are not yet in this life. She was not a person whom anyone loved, therefore, there are not many here to interest themselves particularly on her account. Her former husband is the nearest friend she has in this life, except little Katy. Katy is that little creature out in the garden, the child with the little kitten in her lap. She is not yet four years of age, and, of course, cannot teach her mother a great deal.

 

Ponto would have taken the child to her mother before this, but we all thought it would be useless, for she would be sure to say, that the old negro held the child, together with herself, in his awful power. You know, dear lady, that many of this kind of people are very superstitious."

 

Oh, what a story was this! Once more I raised my hands and eyes in my great desire, as I earnestly exclaimed:

 

"Oh, that the gulf betwixt heaven and earth might be spanned, and souls not remain in ignorance of this life to which they all must come

 

This unhappy woman expected, and had always been taught as I also had, that at death she would go to heaven or hell; that hell was a flaming pit presided over by satan and filled with lost souls; that heaven was a place where the streets were paved with gold, and God sat enthroned while the white-robed angels sang His praises for evermore.

 

Now in one sense this is all true, and the woman at this time was in hell, but the hell was within herself, caused by ignorance of the real truth which she, owing to a stubborn nature and wrong teaching, could or would not see; wisdom coupled with love would have made for her a heaven-bright, shining and glorious.

 

"Ursula, you speak of this woman's husband, as her former husband. What can you possibly mean by that? Is he not her husband, and with her at the present time?"

 

"He was her husband in the earth-life; he probably thinks he is her husband now, and she thinks so without a doubt; yet they are both mistaken, as I have good reason to think."

 

"Mistaken!" I exclaimed in surprise. "What can you mean?"

 

"I mean," she replied, "that it is very doubtful whether their souls are one. He is not at all like her, but is a mild, rather weak gentleman, easily satisfied, and very glad that this life is as beautiful as he finds it; his soul is not one that will progress very rapidly, and he will, possibly, remain very much as he now is for some time to come. He has been here often to see little Katy, but has not cared to take her away; he thought that I could do better by her than he could. He preferred to live with Ponto, for being weak of mind and purposeless, lie has not been able to erect a home for himself. The poor old slave is really more progressive than either the master or mistress; his earthlife being one of suffering and bondage, it spurred his soul into greater activity, and, finding now that he can have things by earnestly desiring them, he erected for himself a very lovely house, and you saw how nicely and appropriately he was clothed. Ponto really loved his master, and on that gentleman's arrival here, was one of the first to greet him, and offer a home in his own beautiful abode. The master's former slave now attended him for love. Really, their positions are reversed. The weak-minded master is not yet capable of erecting a home, and the slave, from the riches of his soul, gives to the master most bounteously. Thus the former slave has taken both master and mistress into his own home, where they will probably remain until they become wiser, and he is doing all he can to teach them. How long she may remain in her present state it is hard to say."

 

"And will not this man and his wife remain man and wife for ever?

 

"I think not," replied Ursula. "They do not appear to me to be the right halves which form a whole or perfect soul—a completed angel."

 

"What can you mean, my dear young lady?" I asked in surprise.

 

She smiled as she said:

 

"We all have much to learn, and eternity stretches before us that we may have plenty of time in which to increase our wisdom. There need be no hurry. Your own soul is not yet ready to comprehend a great truth, but the hint which I have given you will expand your mind somewhat: really, my friend, do you think, after what you have heard of these two people, that they are at all alike—one mild and weak, the other stubborn, despotic, and possessed of a cruel, indomitable will?

 

"Surely not," I replied.

 

"Do you suppose two natures, so entirely unlike, can blend into one harmonious whole, equally balancing each half the other?

 

"Why, really not!" I answered.

 

"Then you think, as I do, that they are not now husband and wife, although on earth, they held that relationship to each other."

 

"But is not such a relationship perpetuated here?

 

If it is the true one which forms the angel, it remains for ever, but not otherwise. You heard Ponto repeat what she said about hating her husband, and that she had always disliked him. I do not doubt it in the least. She did not marry him for love, or because they were adapted to each other, but their estates joined, and she would become more rich and powerful if they were united; now, her soul is so poverty-stricken, that the slave, whom she caused to be whipped until he died, is the only one to take her in, give her a home, and feed her soul until she gets wiser and stronger. I fear it will take a nature like hers many days, to say the least."

 

"But could not a very bright and wise angel teach her better, and would she not be more willing to be taught, by such an one than by the negro?"

 

"Her former husband took her soul at first, and he on earth would be considered her nearest of kin: but, we will suppose that bright and shining angels went to her, saying, as Ponto and her husband have said: 'There is no such heaven as you have been taught to believe in and there is no hell except the hell of ignorance and error'; and she were to cry out, as she has to them: 'I do not believe it! You are frauds and liars! Take me to heaven, instantly! that I may see God and his beautiful Christ. If you do not, you are arch-fiends, in the guise of angels, sent by satan to decoy my soul into hell!' If these beautiful angels were to tell her that wisdom and love had made them bright and shining, and she could not be like them until she had obtained sufficient love and wisdom to make her so; that it would take a great deal of experience and time; that God was, in part, her own soul, the wiser and more loving she became, the nearer she would approach unto God: do you think, in her present state, all this would do any good? Her stubborn will insists that heaven is a small locality where she will see God, in the form of a man, sitting as a judge or potentate, with Christ at his right hand, and a few select, holy angels clothed in white, walking golden streets and singing praises to God forever. She firmly believes herself to be one of these chosen few, kept from going there by the emissaries of satan, in the persons of Ponto and her former husband whom she hated. She could not even understand a holy angel until she became a holy angel herself: but, when Ponto returns, we are going to see what her love for her child will do for her. The mother love is a powerful lever to move the soul, and it now rests with little Katy to subdue her mother's stubborn will."