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Show . . 1_ 1 i fe 0 f a S 1 ave G i r 1. Inctdents ln t le anted to keep rnyself pure; and, under by slasery · I w . ·t"lrce~ I trie<l hard to preserve ·t . 1 . r ·e tr lllll n ' . l the lllOS a.l \ I TTfl strn rro·lin o· alone lll tuc [ "t . but "\n~ ,_,c- b n1y sol -rc pee ' 1 ,, 0 11 1a very; and the nron~tcr f l gT't~l) of t lC ueln power u ( I • I felt as if 1 ·was for._·akcn d t stron rr for rnc. prove oo o . . f all DlY efforts must be fru s-b God and n1an' as l . ir y . ld I bccmnc reckless rn my de I a. . . traIt cl d' mt lcl you tl t Dr Flint's })Or ecutlons and lns Ht • · £ ' lav· e 1o y 1 l ·veil r·r· c to .·orne gos ·i p in the 1aC O"l ' Wl e s JCa ou. A b . other it chanced that a white io·hborhood. nrong ' 1 1 neb . 1 had outainCU SOlllC know ec go UlllU~UTlCd gent oman II 1 of the cr• rcun1s~. I, an cos in which I ·wa. placed. . _ c G. lOW my grandmotl 1 01. , an d ofLon spoke to rnc 1 n the sL.1.c ot. He became r. n t . t ,, for 1110 and asked qucstwns 01 cs ou ' . . about my rna t or., w hich I an ·wer<~d lll part.. 1 lie ex"d- pressed a g.1 .e a t u,, e al of ·· vlnl)aLhy and a WlS l to m J ' •• nle IIe COllSli<l-"~l l4li ly sou(l·ht OIJportlunttc: to soc n·l el, and wroLc to rne frequently. I was a poor slave gtr' only fifteen year old. . . o nnlCh attention frorn a snponor person w~.' of course, fiun.t tOl'l.JlOb'.' for hnn1all nature is the s, :1ll1C ll. l rar llJ. I also felt oTatcful for his sylnpaLhy, and cncou.ul.be by hi. kindb word . It semned to Inc a oTcat tlun~ to have sue1 1 a f n.o n d · By dcot:>T ecs ' a lnorc tcuc.1er fcehng crept into ll1Y heart. lie \VaS a n. cJucatCU U.llU clo-q ncnt gcnt1ernan; too cloq non t, n ln.s, for the p~or \.::nsc girl who t rnste<l in hin1. Of conr~c I sa'v wlnthcl all this was ton<ling. I knew ihc ilnpassablo gulf be~ ween us. but to ue an ohjcct of iuto rc~t to a Juan \Vho lS not ' . ,, 1 · t 1 . t) ·lc . 1· . t) marncd, anu w 10 1 no 10 1 rn,~s , L, oTcc·:tl>le to tho I <.lb (. • • pride anu feeling· of a slaYe, if her Iniscrahle SltuatlOll has left her any pride or sentin1ent. It scen1s less de· r ( A perilous Paffage jn the Slave Girl's Life. 85 grac1ing to give one' self, than to snl)Jnit to co1npulsion. There is sorucLhing akin to frecd01n in hn.\·ing a loYcr who has no control over you, except thaL which 1JC gnins by kiuclno··s and attaclnncnt. A nuvL r 1nay tr :tt you as rudely as he pleases, aH<l yon dare uot ~·p nk; nloroover, the ·wrong docs not r·cmu ~·o great ·with an unmarried 1nan, as \vith one who has a ·wi rc to be n1aclc unhappy. 'l'hc1· n1n.y be I ophj~·try in aU this; hnL the condition of a .·la.Yc confu.-c · all pri nc iplc~ of n1ornl i ty, and, in fact, ronclers the practi \o of thon1 iinpo~~iiJlc . \Vhen I found that n1y 1n a~tor had nctnally bco·un to build tho lone 1 y cottage, other fccli ngs 1ni xocl \vi th tho~e I have clcscrihocl. Rev ngo, UIH1 calenla tions of interest, \vorc ad fled to 11attcrocl vanity and sincere gratitude for kindness. I k nc\v noLh i ng ·would enrage Dr. Flint so 1nuch a · to kno·w that I fn.Yorcd another; and it was son1cthing to trinn1ph over rny tyrant c,~cn in that srnall way. I thought he ·would revenge !1i tn 'Olf by selling n1e, and I \vas sure n1y frion d, ~fr. ~an ds, would buy n1c. Ilo was a 1nan of 1norc genera ·i ty and feeling than n1y n1astor, and I thought n1y freedom could be ca~ily obtained fro1n hirn. 'rho cri ·is of n1y fate 110\V ca1nc so ncar that I was desperate. I shudclerod to think of being the 1nothcr of children that hould bo owned hy n1y old tyrant. I kucw that as ·oon as a new fancy took hi1n, his victi1ns were sold far off to get rid of th01n; c~pccially if they had chilclrcn. I had seen several \VOinen sold, with his babies at the breast. lie 1lCYcr allowc<l his offspring by 'laves to ro1nain long in ~ight of biznsclf and his wife. Of a n1an who 1vas not n1y nrastcr I could ask to have my children well supported ; anQ. in 8 |