by Ted Onulak

Created on: July 12, 2009

It was a sweltering day on the quiet Bucks County farm, which found Old Gabriel methodically raking the gravel in front of the solid red brick house. As he stopped to wipe the sweat from his wrinkled forehead, Gabriel saw the Master's great bay stallion approaching, followed by a low cloud of dust. He seemed in a powerful hurry, for such a hot day.

Young master William had seen him too and rushed out to greet his father.

As he saw his son, the Master dug his boot heels into his horse's flanks and waved a paper in his hand and shouted, 'Glorious news!'.

Master Wellston slowed his mount enough for Old Gabriel to grab the reins before the stout man leapt off his horse.

The young man and the older embraced and no longer able to contain himself, Master Wellston shouted, 'William, my boy, we have declared our independence from the Crown. We are free!'.

Old Gabriel was rather puzzled at all this talk. He thought that all white people were already free.

'It is done, William. Here it is!', as he handed the paper to his son. 'Go and tell all the neighbors that there will be a feast tonight! Gabriel, take my horse to the stable and tend to him. I must repair to the kitchen to ensure that everything is made ready.'

This sounded all right to Gabriel. He was Master Wellston's livery slave and loved the horses. They are just like us, he often mused, just treat them with a little kindness and they'll work all day and never complain. But sometimes, on misty spring mornings he would watch them toss their heads and gallop, just for the sheer joy of it. What that feeling must be like

A feast was always a welcome thing among the slaves. There would be lots of hocks, maw and other fine hog bits for the beans that night. The small contingent of slaves looked forward to a party as much as the white folk maybe even more.

After watering and feeding the Master's horse, Gabriel went to the kitchen to see what needed doing. The cook, Artemesia, was bustling around and shouting orders to two young men, her son Daniel and Gabriel's son, Joseph.

Get yourselves down to the barn and set up the big wooden tables in the garden. The Master got himself some kind of fool notion to eat outside today. I don't know why he'd want to eat out in this heat, with such a fine house and all' She handed Gabriel a hunk of hot cornbread and a dipper of water.

'Lord, Master is in a state today! It looks like he's gone to invite the whole

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