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Show 246 Incidents in the Jjfe of a Slave Girl. tion, for I had a drea<l of 1neeting ·lavchol<lers, and son1e dread also of railroads. I had never entered a railroad car in n1y life, and it scclncd to n1e qnitc an important cYcnt. That night I sought 1ny pillow \vith feelings I had never carried to it before. I verily believed 1ny.·clf to be a free won1a11. I ·was wakeful for a long tin1c, and I had no sooner fallen a ·loop, than I ·was rou ~ eel by fire-bells. I ju1npccl up, and hurried on my clothes. Where I c:11no f.ro1u, every body ha 'toned to dress them olYc on uch occa ·ions. The white people thought a. great fire n1ight be used as a good opportunity for insurrection, and that it " ras best to Lc in readiness ; and the colored people \YOre ordered out to labor in extinguishing the fla1ne s. There \vas but one engine in our town, and colored 1vomeu and children wore often required to drag it to the river's edge and fill it. ~Irs. Durham's daughter slept in tho san1o rootn ·with 1nc, and. seeing that she slept through all tho din, I thought it was 1ny duty to wake her. "\Vhat's tho 1nattcr ? " said she, rubbing her eyes. " 'rhcy're scrca1ning fire in the streets, and the Lolls are ringing," I replied. " \Vhat of that? " sai<l she, drowsily. " \V e arc u sed to it. W c never get up, \Vithout tho fire is very ncar. \Vhat good would it do 't" I \Vas quito surpri ·cd that it \Vas not necessary for us to go and help fill the engine. I \vas an ignorant child, just beginning to learn how things went on in great cities. At daylight, I heard 'von1en crying fro h fish, berries, radishes, and various oth ·r things. .All this was f Incidents in Philadelphia. now to 1nc.. I urcsscd n1ysclf at an early hour, and sat. at tho :v1udow· to watch that unknown tide of life. Plnladolplua somncd to n1c a wonderfully o-1 , 0 t . a a p1a ce. At the. Lrcakfa. t table, n1y Hlca of going out to dra()' the engtno \Va laughed. OYer, and I joined in tho lnirtl~ I wont to sec Panny, and found her ·o \roll contented a1nong her nc\v ii·icnd · that she was in 110 haste to leave. I \vas a.l.-o very happy wiLh my kind ho ·L ss. She ha<l 1~acl ad ~an tagcs for education, aud wa Ya. ·Lly my supcnor. ]:;very <lay, ahno:L crcry hour I wa. adding to 1ny li tLle . ·tock of know ledge. he t~ok n1c out to ·cc the city a · n1uch as she dccrncd. prudent. One day she took 1110 to an arti ·t' · romn, and ·howccl n1c the portraits of son1o of her children. I had. never seen any paintings of colored people before, and they scctncd to 1110 Lcautiful. At tho end of fiyc days, one of ~ft" . Dnrhatn' · friends offcro<l to aeco tnpany us to X cw York the following n1ornino·. A. · 1 held tho hand. of 1ny g0ocl ho ·to · in a parting cl a~p, I longed to know wheth "r her husband had repeated to h r what I haLl told hin1. I ~ttppo:ccl he had , but ~he lle\·cr 1nndc any allusion to it. I prcsunw it \Y a.- the clelicatc ~itOllCC of womattly sympathy. \VItcn l\Ir. I>nrh run handed us ou r tickets, he :ai(l, "I an1 nfraicl you will haYe a disngrccahlc ri(lc; lrut I could not procure ti<.:kct.· for the flrf't da . .-s cn.r.·." • 1 uppo ~in:r 1 hacl not giY 'n hitn 1non "Y cnongh, I ofTereJ n1ore. " 0, no," .:aid he, "they conlcl not IJc had for any 1uoncy. 'rh y don't allow colorcu people to go in the ftr.t-class car ·." This was the flrst. cl1ill to 1ny e 11 tl ln ~in s 1n about the Free :Stu.Lus. Uulu reLi people \\'ere allowed Lu riJe in a • |
