the difficulty of Crossing a field

by Ambrose Bierce

one morning in July, 1854, a planter named Williamson, living six miles from Selma, Alabama, was sitting with_his wife and a child on_the veranda of_his dwelling . immediately in front of_the house was a lawn, perhaps fifty yards in extent between_the house and public road, or, as it_was called, the " pike ." beyond this road lay a close-cropped pasture of some ten acres, level and without a tree, rock, or any natural or artificial object on its surface . at_the_time there_was not even a domestic animal in_the field . in another field, beyond the pasture, a dozen slaves were at work under an overseer .

Throwing away the stump of a cigar, the planter rose, saying: "I forgot to_tell Andrew about_those horses ." Andrew was_the overseer .

Williamson strolled leisurely down the gravel walk, plucking a flower as he went, passed across the road and into_the pasture, pausing a moment as he closed the gate leading into_it, to greet apassing neighbor, Armour wren, who lived on an adjoining plantation .Mr wren was in an open carriage with_his son James, alad of thirteen . when he had driven some two hundred yards from_the point of meeting, Mr wren said to_his son: "I forgot to_tell Mr Williamson about_those horses ."

Mr wren had sold to Mr Williamson some horses, which were to_have_been sent for_that day, but for some reason not now remembered it would_be inconvenient to deliver them until the morrow . the coachman was directed to drive back, and as_the vehicle turned Williamson was seen by all three, walking leisurely across the pasture . at_that moment one_of_the coach horses stumbled and came near falling . it had no more than fairly recovered itself when James wren cried: " why, father, what has become of Mr Williamson ? "

it_is_not the purpose of_this narrative to answer that question .

Mr wren's strange account of_the matter, given under oath in_the course of legal proceedings relating to_the Williamson estate, here follows:

" my son's exclamation caused me to look toward the spot where I had seen the deceased [sic] an instant before, but he_was not there, nor was he anywhere visible .I cannot_say that at_the moment i_was greatly startled, or realized the gravity of_the occurrence, though i_thought it singular . my son, however, was greatly astonished and kept repeating his question in different forms until we arrived at_the gate . my black boy Sam was similarly affected, even in a greater degree, but I reckon more by my son's manner than by anything he had himself observed .[ this sentence in_the testimony was stricken out .] as_we got out_of_the carriage at_the gate of_the field, and while Sam was hanging [sic] the team to_the fence, Mrs Williamson, with her child in her arms and followed by several servants, came running down the walk in great excitement, crying: ' he_is gone, he_is gone ! O god ! what an awful thing ! ' and many_other such exclamations, which I_do_not distinctly recollect .I got from_them the impression that_they related to something more-- than_the mere disappearance of her husband, even if_that had occurred before her eyes . her manner was wild, but not more so, i_think, than was natural under the circumstances . I_have no reason to_think she had at_that_time lost her mind . I_have never since seen nor heard of Mr Williamson ."

this testimony, as might_have_been expected, was corroborated in almost every particular by_the only other eye- witness ( if that_is a proper term)-- the lad James .Mrs Williamson had lost her reason and_the servants were, of_course, not competent to testify . the boy James wren had declared at first that he_saw the disappearance, but there_is nothing of_this in_his testimony given in court . none_of_the field hands working in_the field to_which Williamson was going had seen him at all, and_the most rigorous search of_the entire plantation and adjoining country failed to supply a clew . the most monstrous and grotesque fictions, originating with_the blacks, were current in_that part of_the state for many years, and probably are to_this day; but what_has_been here related is all that_is certainly known of_the matter . the courts decided that Williamson was dead, and_his estate was distributed according to law .