OCR Text |
Show 126 Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. tr . 011 blo. She rrrow 1110re and n1oro excited as she b l;ll' t " . l 1 " t "I tell von ·what, Dr. _c 111 , a1<. .· 1e, you wen on. J • ' l l a1· n 't go t n1a.n y 111ore year to l!Yc, anl1 yon <. )Otter be l . . )raycr It will take 'cn1 a1l, and 1nore say1ng your I · · too to wash the dirt off yonr soul." ,~Do yon know wbon1 you arc talking to ? " he cx-cla1tned. She replied, " Y cs, I know very ·well \Yho I an1 talk- l.D g t O. " no left the house in a great rage. I looked at 1ny gru.nchnothcr. Our eyes 1nct. Their angry cxprc - sion had pa: ·eel a way, but he lookccl OlTO\V ful and weary- weary of incessant ,· trifo. ! .'~on~lcred that it did not lc .. scn h er loYc for 1110 ; bnt ri rt dul ·he never showed it. She was alway· kind, alway· ready to sy1npathizc with n1y trouble.·. rl'hcro 1night h~~·~ been peace and contcnttncnt in that lnun1Jlo · hon1e 11 1L had not been for the <lctnon l1. very. 1:'hc winter pa. sed uncli~turbcd by the doe tor. The beautiful .·pring catnc; and when N atnre rcsun10s her lovclinc , the lnnnan soul i apt to roYiYc abo. :Diy drooping hopes can1c to life again \Yith the ilo\rers. I was drca1ning of ii·cedo1n again; n1orc for 1ny chilclrcn's sake than n1y own. I planned and I planned. Obstacles hit against plan·. There scon1ecl no " ray of ovcrcon1ing them ; and yet I hopcu. Back can1o the wily doctor. I ·was not at hmno when he called. A friend had inYitcd n1c to a sn1all party, and to gratify her I \vent. ·rro n1y great consternation, a messenger ca1no in haste to say t hat Dr. Flint wa: at my granchnothcr's, and insi . .-ted on ~ coing 1nc. They diu not tell hin1 where I was, or he wouhl have con10 Continued Periecutions. 127 and rai. eel a cl isturbance in 1ny friend', h ouRe. They sent 1110 a dark wrapper; 1 threw it on and h u rricu ho1nc.. ~Iy ~peed (lid not saYc 1110; the doctor had gone away 111 anger. I dreaded tho n1orning, Lnt 1 coulu not delay it ; it catnc, \Var1n and bright. A.t an early hour the doctor carne and a. ·kcu Ine where I h acl been last night. I tolJ h in1. Ilc did not bclic,yc Inc, alHl sent to Iny friend's hou o to ascertain the fact:. IIc came in the afternoon to a·. nrc 1nc he \Va · aLi~ficd that . I had pokon the truth. lie sccn1cd to Lc in a facetious 1nood, and I expcc tccl ·on1o jeers were coining. "I upposo you n eed ·on1o recreation," sai<1 he, " but I a1n surpri ·eel at your being there, an1ong tho 0 negroes. It was not the place for you. .Arc you allowed to vi ·it such people ? " I unJer tood this covert fling ai the white gcntlcnutn who \Ya Iny friend ; but I n1crcly replied "I w·cnt to . . ' v1s1t n1y friend , and any con1pany they keep i good enough for n1c." lie wont on to say, "I have seen very little of you of late, but n1y in tore t in you i · u nchangcd. \ Vhon I aid I \vould have no n1orc 1ncrcy on you I wa8 ra ·h. I recall n1y word . Linda, you do ire frccdon1 for yourself and your children, and you can obtain it only through 1110. If you agree to \vhat I a1n about to propo c, you and they shall be free. There n1u.-t Lo no coininunication of any kind between yon au<l their fat_hcr. I will procure a cottage, whore you and the clul<lrcn can live together. Your labor shall he light, such a sewing for n1y fn,1nily. Think what i · offered ~on, Linda- a hon1c and frccdon1 ! L et the p:t:-;t. be forgo LLcu. lf I hu,ve been harsh wiLh yvu al Li111e , 1 |