AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Three
“Come out of there…” a voice yelled from a white hooded man on a horse.
Hattie sent Lily to hide with Joe as she came out on the porch. She wore men’s pants and shirt, and a flop hat. She had a rifle on her arm, but seeing the odds, she lowered it quickly. She stood looking out over the fifty head or so of men. Fear skidded down her back but she knew better than to show it. She knew they were here to scare her again, and they were doing a dandy job of it, but she’d die before she let them see her fear.
They all seemed to stare for a few minutes as the horses stirred against each other.
Hattie shivered, sweat trickled between her breasts. She was way outnumbered.
Silence sliced the air for tense filled moments, as horses stirred and neighed.
“What do you want?” she asked, her voice low and husky with fear.
“We warned you once to git, but you didn’t listen. This is your second warning, don’t let there be a third. Because next time we come after you. We don’t need your kind here. Ain’t no squatter gonna ever own land here, and ain’t gonna start now,” the man said. “We done told you that, girl. We aim to run you out and you might as well understand it. We don’t stand for people come in tryin’ to take over the land that don’t belong. You don’t seem to know your place girl, and we gotta show you. Negroes don’t own land here.”
“I done told you Gloria Newcomb signed over the deed to me, and the judge here in your town done said it was legal and binding.”
“That don’t matter, we can change that real quick. Besides, we don’t believe you…lady. This land belonged to the Nelsons. For years now. Not no Negro. Why, even Ole Joe knows his place around here and he’s been around longer than anyone but the Nelsons.”
“But, Gloria signed those papers over to me. Now I own the land, ‘cause Mr. Lee and Mr. Dil are dead. I have the right to live here. The judge agreed. Are you goin’ against the judge?” she quipped with a slight show of temper.
“Don’t matter what the judge said. Don’t matter at all. We are our own judges and jury. In case you ain’t noticed. Like as not, he ain’t put the fear of God in you lady, but we can. You ain’t welcome in the state of Alabama and you are gonna know it before this is over. You need to get back to Arkansas or where ever you came from, where you belong. You and them kids of yours, too.” The man in the tallest hood nodded to one of his men. The man threw a torch on the shed. “We done told you, squatters ain’t welcome. And the way we see it, you ain’t nothin’ but a squatter. You ain’t got no man, you cain’t run this farm. You cain’t pay the taxes. Now woman, take note of it. You pack up your belongings and git out of here, or we’ll run you out. We don’t want to see those little girls hurt, and I’m sure you don’t either. So get to packin’.”
Hattie raised her head and stared at them as she came closer. Every limb in her body shook with raw nerves. “I’m not a squatter. I own this land fair and square. I know what you want, and had you asked decent like, I’d have given you water rights, but you came in here with guns and tried to force me out of my own place before you even knew the facts.” She fisted her mouth to keep from screaming. “I’m not a squatter and you know it. I got rights, and you know it. Now, get out…” she shouted when her courage returned. “Get away from my home.”
“Remember, the next time it’ll be the house--and maybe you in it!” And then they rode off as fast as they rode in.
r /> When they were gone, Hattie ran to the shed to try to save it, but Joe pushed her away. “Leave it be, Missy, leave it be…”
The tears rolled down her cheeks as Joe took her in his arms.
“Why can’t they leave me alone, I’m not bothering them…” she cried. “I ask nothing of anyone.”
Joe shook his head. “Take the younguns to the house…I’ll take care of this.”
She gathered Lily, Violet and Daisy and went back inside, her shoulders drooping as she walked. Violet limped slowly by her side.
“Don’t cry Mama, it’ll be alright.” Violet cried right along with her.
***
As soon as she was gone, Joe searched for Lee. He peeked inside the shed to see if he was there, when Lee called from the edge of the trees.
“I’m over here, Joe,” Lee called as he came out of the woods and looked up at the house.
“How’d you know they were out there?” Joe asked as he tried to shovel dirt on the flames.
“I heard them ride up. There were too many to be very quiet about it,” Lee answered, joining him. The shed was gone and there was nothing to do but let it burn itself out. They dug a small ditch around it, so it wouldn’t spread then they both flopped down to the ground.
“Guess I better git back up to the house, she’ll be worried about me.” Joe smiled. “Damn fool pack of heathens. When’s it gonna stop?”
“How long has this been goin’ on?” Lee asked. “How long they been terrorizing her?”
“Too long. We had some dogs, but they got them first. They poisoned them.”
“Killed your dogs?”
“Yep, one of them bit them and they shot it. The others they poisoned. They tried to set fire to the house last time. She was able to put it out before it done too much damage.”
