Elijah of Buxton

One week later, Elijah, Pa, Cooter, and Old Flapjack are pulling stumps on Mrs. Holton’s property. Elijah sees two runaway slaves trying to hide at the tree line. He tells Pa, who sends Cooter to bring Emma Collins. Emma has an important job in Buxton: When fearful escaped slaves reach the town, they tend to calm down if the young girl is the first to reach out to them.

Emma arrives at the clearing holding her misshapen rag doll named Birdy, which to Elijah’s eyes is a “frightsome mess.” Trying to put the escaped slaves more at ease, Emma takes a zigzag, carefree path to the tree where Elijah saw the people. Emma speaks to a man hiding there, and he hesitantly leaves the woods to follow her toward Pa. His wife, son, and daughter follow. His wife holds a sleeping baby. The family members clutch one another, all weeping. The mother shows Pa her baby. She’s afraid that she gave the baby too much “sleep medicine” to keep the baby from crying on the trip north. Pa tells her the nurses in Buxton will help.

Pa speaks words of welcome reserved for those who make it to Buxton, telling them to notice how beautiful the day and the sky are, and that, “Today y’all’s truly set you’selves free! […] And y’all choosed the most beautifullest, most perfectest day for doing it!” (165).