Let's go back in time, before the internet existed, before there were telephones. Yes, back before there were cars and the Golden Gate Bridge. Let's go back to the time when women were strictly homemakers and had to cook their food over a fireplace. It was a time where men worked hard from sunrise to sunset, when farmers were much more prevalent. And down South, plantation owners had slaves, dozens of dark-skinned men and women who did all the hard work for their owners. Despite what they wanted to do, they obeyed every command that they were given, for fear of being beaten or torn away from their loved ones. They could do no better than be a slave. No task that involved reading or math was given to them, for the plantation owners did not want them to get too smart and rebel. However, the slaves were street-smart. They had common sense and were quick-witted with practical knowledge, the kind of knowledge it takes to survive. Combine that with the intense desire to escape the tyranny of their owners and potential separation and the hope of being their own man, according to God and not men, and you have the recipe for the historic runs of slaves to the Ohio River. Cross that river, and you were free, or so the story went.
Annie was a young mother of two who lived in a snug log cabin two or so miles from the Ohio River. Her house was one of the last stops as part of the Underground Railroad. Annie assisted her husband with hiding slaves from their masters in any way that she could. As a God-fearing Christian, and a human being, she could not condone the actions of the slave owners. While she wasn't sure if blacks should be given their freedom (It wasn't a woman's business to be informed on political matters), she knew they deserved better treatment than they were getting now.
She wasn't afraid of them hurting her, or of the the irate slave owners that would come by the quadruples with dogs at their heels, pounding on her door at all hours of the night to see if she had seen any runaway slaves. Annie always gave a bright smile and patiently welcomed the men in for a warm cup of coffee or freshly baked slice of bread. She cheerfully answered any questions the men would ask her, and she would feign ignorance about seeing any signs of slaves about. Meanwhile, her husband would be already be on the trail riding the slaves to the next drop-off point, or five or six slaves would be hiding in her cellar. The children knew not to make a sound. Annie had a secret sound she'd make if they would be close to discovery, and the slaves would slip out a secret exit behind a cabinet if their owners insisted on searching the cellar. Annie's children learned hiding slaves was a fun game, and if they were asked any questions, they knew to keep their mouths closed about them.
The young mother always made sure her secret guests were well-fed and given clean clothes if needed. She didn't mind if she was without something for a few weeks until her husband could replace it. Often, she was required to wash wounds (gotten from slaves owners or the trip itself). Annie had to force herself to think of happy things when she was their nurse. Otherwise, she'd be sick from the cruelty she witnessed. This only inspired her to help them more.
One time, a teenager had arrived to them with typhus. He had run away on his own and had gotten sick on the journey. Annie insisted he stayed until he was better, but every day the boy stayed was more of a chance that they would be discovered by his angry owners. Annie's husband had been forced to stay overnight in town when the slave owners had come to look for the boy. They insisted on searching the whole house, and there wasn't much she could do to stop it. The boy was almost discovered under the bed, but thanks to Annie's daughter asking one of the men a question, he was able to slip out the window and hide in the woodshed until they left.
It was never a dull moment being a part of the Underground Railroad. Annie successfully help over 87 slaves. Singles, couples, and families. Young and old alike. Of course she had been tempted to quit a few times, for the sake of protecting her own family, but she received a thank-you letter once from a girl that had escaped with Annie's help four years earlier. She could write now, and she was happily living with her entire family. Annie pulled that letter out whenever she wanted to bale out. Then she took a deep breath and asked her husband what he needed her to do this time.
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