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Show 138 UNCLE TOM'S CAUTN : OR, " Are you the man that will shelter a. poor woman and child from slave-catchers 1" said the senator, cxpJjcitly. "I rather think I am," said honest John, \Yith some con~ sidcra.blc emphasis. "I thought so," said the senator. "If there's anybody comes," said tho good man, stretching his tall, muscula.r form upward, " why here I 'm ready for him: and I've got seven sons, each six foot high, and they ' ll be ready for 'em. Give our respects to 'em/ ' said John; "tcH 'em. it 's no matter how soon they call, - make no kinder difference to us," said John, running his fingers through tho shook of hair that thatched his head, anil bursting out into a great laugh. Weary, jaded, and spiritless, Eliza dragged herself up to the door, "·ith her child lying in a heavy sleep on her arm. ~rho rough man held tho candle to her face, and uttering a kind of compassionntc grunt, opened the door of a small bedroom adjoining to the large kitchen where they were standing, and motioned her to go in. He took down a candle, and lighting it, set it upon the table, and then addressed himself to Eliza. "Now, I say, gal, you needn' t be a bit nfeard, let who will come here. I'm up to all that sort o' thing," said he, })Ointing to two or three goodly rifles over the mantel-piece; "and most people that know me know that 't wouldn't be healthy to try to get anybody out o' my house when I 'm agin it. So now you jist go to sleep now, as quiet as if ycr mother was a rockin' yo," said he, n.s he shut the door. '' 'Vhy, this is an uncommon hamlsomc un," he said to the senator. "Ah, well; handsome uns has the greatest cause to run, sometimes, if they has any kind o' fOclin, such as decent women should. I know all about that." LIFE A~10NO TllE LOWLY. 130 The senator, in a few words, briefly explained Eliza's history. " 0 ! ou! aw ! now, I want to know? " said the good man, pitifully; '' sho! now sho! ~l_lhat 's lUttur now, poor crittur! hunted down now like a deer,- hunted down, jest for havin' natural fee] in's, and doin' what no kind o' mother could help a doin' ! I tell ye what, these ycr things make me come tho nighest to swearin' , now, o' most anything, " said honest J ohn, as he wiped his eyes with tho back of a great, freckled, yellow hand. " I tcU ycr what, stranger, it was years and years before I 'd jine the church, 'cuuso tho ministers round in our parts used to preach that tho Bible went in for these ere cuttings up,- and I couldn't be up to 'em with their Greek and Hebrew, and so I took up agin 'em, Bible and all. I never jincd tho church till I founJ a minister that was up to 'em all in Greek and all that, and he sa.id right the contrary ; and then I took right hold, and jincd the church,- I did now, fitct," said John, who had been nJl this time uncorking some very frisky bottled cider, which at this juncture he presented. " Ye 'd better jest put up here, now, till d:tylight," said he, heartily, "and I ' 11 call up the old woman, and have a. bed got ready for you in no time." "Thank you, my good friend," said the senator, "I must be along, to take the night stage for Columbus." "Ah ! well, then, if you must, I '11 go a piece with you, and show you a cross road that will take you there better than the road you came on. That road's mighty bad." John equipped himself, and, with n. lantern in hand, was soon seen guiding the sena.tor's carriage towards a road that ran down in a hollow, back of his dwelling. When tl10y partl:,•d, the senator put into his h:md a ten-dollar bill. |