The Glory Field: April 1900

When the War Between the States had ended and the Yankees had helped parcel out the land to blacks who wanted to stay and farm the only land that most of them knew, the Lewis family had been given the eight acres that bordered Live Oaks.

Loote Epps had lost a leg to sugar, but he was out behind the church the family had built along with the others who had come to consecrate the burying ground.
"Lord, look down on us and help us to walk in Thy holy way. Amen."

Goldie pulled her skirts up in front of her, gave Elijah a look over her shoulder, and sashayed away.

There were collard greens seasoned with ham hocks, mustards, sweet potatoes, rice, fried chicken, bacon, hot bread, and several pies.

Grandma Saran took the tea towel off the hot rolls, broke one off, and pulled it carefully apart. The steam from the roll drifted up, and Grandma Saran watched it intently as Mr. Turner crossed the ground between the road and the shady spot under the oaks where the tables sat.

Elijah watched as Hamlin Turner shook his head, wiped at his neck with a dirty handkerchief, and started back toward his rig. Mr. Turner's rig wasn't fancy, but it was well made. He raised one foot to the small step on the side of the covered surrey and then pulled himself up to the seat with his arms.

When he turned back toward the picnic, he looked directly at Grandma Saran, nodded, and shifted the reins over the broad back of the dappled mare in front of him.

The wind was picking up more, and there were brief smatterings of rain.

The rain hitting the side of the drum came in short sporadic bursts as the gusting, spiraling wind drove it now toward the shore and now out to sea.

The Pele Queen was nearly flat-bottomed. It had a rounded prow that rose in a shallow arc from the water and rounded sides that took in too much water when it had a heavy load in high seas.

The rigging on the Pele Queen was cumbersome, but it was tight.

The short sail was useless in the squalling wind, and Abby had tied it firmly to the mast.

Over Abby's shoulder Sheriff Glover hunched over the tiller, his face dark as he worked out whatever thoughts he needed to be working out.

Beneath the roiling waters lay the sinister and treacherous sand banks. The water near the banks often changed direction abruptly, or produced a foam that suggested the danger that lay below.

Beneath the roiling waters lay the sinister and treacherous sand banks. The water near the banks often changed direction abruptly, or produced a foam that suggested the danger that lay below.

If there was a strong undercurrent, they would be in it once they went past the sand bank.

The other side was little more than a rocky projection that invited small boats to their demise.

The other side was little more than a rocky projection that invited small boats to their demise.

On the far side of the narrow island was a channel through which the ocean seemed to get faster, threatening to carry a vessel out to the cold, inhospitable sea.

Key Island was no more than an eighth of a mile across at its widest part. What could be seen of it was shaped like the large keys that opened parlor doors, but surrounding it and just below the water's surface was a rocky shelf that extended irregularly along the leeward side and with some regularity along the side of the island that faced the open sea.

He moved toward the center of the island, walking gingerly over the marshy footing.

"Who are you?" David lifted a tentative hand.

His face was flushed with the effort he had made to get Foster to the beach.

There were strong eddies just in front of James's Bank and Elijah thought the tide was going to start out.

Elijah thought that the worst that would happen would be that the boat capsized and they all had to swim for it or that they would drift upland.

The Gazette carried the story of the storm the next day, saying how much it had cost everybody and how much damage had been done.

He had felt her come in to him in the middle of the night, had felt the mutton tallow on his chest, and had fallen asleep with her rubbing in the remedy against colds and consumption.

He had felt her come in to him in the middle of the night, had felt the mutton tallow on his chest, and had fallen asleep with her rubbing in the remedy against colds and consumption.

Elijah reached into the boat, grabbed an oar, and whirled around to face Frank. "Come on!" he said, holding the oar with one hand and beckoning with the other.

Abby straddled a chair he had turned backwards.