I Will Send You Some Coffee

Abstract

In 1843, Ben Major and his family host a meeting of the local colonization society in their small Illinois town. Ben reads aloud a letter written by Tolbert Major but signed by him and his brother, Austin Major. The letter bears sad news: both Tolbert’s son Washington and Austin’s son Thomas have died. Tolbert’s house has been burned down. In a voice thick with emotion, Ben reads Tolbert’s words: “My loss was great. . . . But I do not feel no ways discouraged at all, for as long as life lasts and my health is good, I do not feel discouraged.” In the letter, Tolbert promises to send coffee to Ben—a promise he keeps. Ben looks up from the letter to his guests who are balancing coffee cups and says, “Brethren, that coffee will drink sweet without any sugar.”