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Show ) Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. XXXIX. TIIE CONFE ION. Fou two years 1uy daughter ancl I supported oursci vcs co1nfortably in Bo ·ton. At the end of that tin1c, n1y brother "\Villian1 offered. to send Ellen to' a boaruino· chool. It required a great effort for 1nc to consent to part ·with her, for I hau fc\v ncar tic , and it 'va her pre once that n1ac.lc 1ny two little roo1n somu hon1c-likc. Bnt n1y jndcrn1cnt prevailed over n1y . elfish fcclinrrs. I 1nadc preparations for her departure. During the two years we had lived together I had often rc olYccl to tell her sou1cthing about her falhor; but I had ncYcr been able to n1n tor nfficicnt courage. I had a shrinking dread of dirnini hing 1ny chilll's love. I knew she 1nnst haYc curio ·ity on the nhjoct, but she had never asked a que tion. She was always very carcfllll)Ot to say any thing to rcn1ind 1110 of n1y troubles. Now that she was goino· fr0111 1110 I thouo·ht 0 ' b if I should die before she returned she 1nio·ht hoar ' b t my ·tory fron1 ·o1nc one who did not nnd rstand tho palliating circtunstanccs ; and that if he were cntirc1y ignorant on the suuj cct, her scnsiti vc nature 1night rcceiYc a rude shock. \Vhcn \YO r etired for the njght, she said, "1\fothor, it is very hard to leave you o,lonc. I a1n alrnost sorry I an1 going, though I do \vant to irnprovc Jnyf:lolf. Bnt yon will write to n1c often; " 'on't yon, 1nother ?" 1lljd uoL lhrow n1y anns round Ite r. I diLl nut an~ [ The Confeffion. swor her. Tint in a cal1n sol01nn way ~ , 't . . r·r ' - I . " . ' (, ' 01 1 co. L l11C gt .c at c 101 t, saH.l, Ltslon to n1c ' P:.;l lc11 ,• 111 aYO .'01110- t]ung to tell you ! " I r ecount d n1y oa '1 r·r · . ll Y . u tCl'lncrs 111 slavery, and tol<l her how nc"t·ly t11oy 1 1 1 h lu lat Cl'll.' lOU 1nc. 1 began to t ll her how tl1cy had ~1r1· tro · l • l \. l ll 1110 lll 0 a great sin , \vhcn she clnst>od n1c in h t' ar111 l • l • , :llll CX-clannccJ., " 0, don't, n1othcr I Pleat;o '1o11't tell more." · '- u 1110 any I . ·aid, "But, my child., I want you to know about your fai1hcr." " I know all about it, n1othor," .-he replied ; "I an1 nothing to n1y father, and. he i: nothi,1g to 1110. 1 \ll 1ny loYc i for yon. I was wilh hitn fiyo 1nonths in Washington, and he novo t· cared for 1no. lie noYor spoke to 1110 as he did to his liLtle Fanny. I knovv- all the ti tnc he "ra 1ny father, for Fanny's nur.-o told 1ue so ; 1nt . ·he said I Inust ll OVOl' toll any body, anu I no Yet· diu. 1 used to wibh 110 woul<l take 1110 in his arnl,' a11d kis,· 1nc, as he did Panny; or that he '\\'Ott1u Otnctiu1es blllilc at rne, a.- he diLl at her. 1 LhoucrltL if he w~1~ n1y own father, he ought to loYc 1110. I was a. li ttle girl then, and didn't know any hotter. B11t now I nc\·cr think any Lhing about my f'atilc r. 1\ ll n1y lo\·c is for yon." She lluggul 1110 el os!'l' as slw ~poke, an<l T Lhanke<l Goll that Lho ktu)\rlc<lgc l h:ul so 1nneh ' drc~H kJ to jn1part hatl11ot di1ninish ocl the alfL'etion of n1y ehi1d. 1 ]uul not the f'lighlust idea she knew that porti< n of n1y history. l(' I had , I ~houl(l haYc spokr.n to l10r long bof'orc ; for my pent-up fculin n·s l1<1.ll often long <1 to pout· i.lwn1sch· ·s out io f.iOnlc one I conla tnr ~ L. DttL I ]o,·cd Ill (~ dt'<ll' girl hcli t' l' for the dl'lie( wy ~lH~ h ~ 1d lllttllii'e:-> tcd towar!l.· Iter uufortuuatc 1uutb •r. |