| OCR Text |
Show 184 UNCLE TOM'S CADIN : OR, trader returning, with an alert step, in company with a colored woman, bco.ring in her arms a young cllild. She was chessed quite respectably, and a colored man followed her, bringing along a small trunk. The woman came cheerfully onward, talking, ns she came, with the man who bore her trunk, and so passed up the plank into the beat. 'L'he bell rung, the steamer whizzed, the engine groaned and coughed, and away swept the beat down the river. The woman walked forward nmong the hexes am! bales of the lower deck, and, sitting down, busied herself with chirruping to her baby. Haley made a turn or two abcut the beat, and then, coming up, seated himself near her, and began saying something to her in an indifferent undertone. Tom soon noticed a heavy cloud passing over the woman's brow; and that she answered rapidly, and with great vehemence. " I don't believe it,-I won't believe it! " he heard her say. ''You ' rc jist a foolin with me.'' ' ' If you won't believe it, look here! " au.id the man, drawing out a paper ; "this yer 's the bill of sale, and there's your master's name to it; and I paid down good solid cash for it, too, I can tell you,- so, now ! '' "I don't believe Mas'r would cheat me so; it can't be true ! " said the woman, with increasing agitation. "You can ask any of these men here, that can read writing. Here!" he said, to a man that was passing by, " jist read this yer, won't you ! This ycr gal won' t believe me, when I tell her what 't is." " Why, it 's a bill of sale, signed by John Fosdick," said tho man, " making over to you tho girl Lucy and her child. It 's all straight enough, for aught I seo." LU'E AMO~G TUE LOWLY. 18f) The woman's passionate exclamations collected a crowd around her, anll the trader briefly explained to them the cause of the ngitation. "Ile told me that I was going down to Louisville, to hil'O out a.~ cook to the same tavern where my husband works, - that 's what Mas'r told me, hjs own self; and I can't believe he'd lie to me," sajd the woman. " But he has sold you, my poor woman, there's no doubt about it," s:::~id a. good-natured looking man, who had been examining the papers ; " he has done it, and no mistake." " Then it's no account talking," said the woman, suddenly growing quite calm ; and, clasping her child tighter in her arms, she sat down on her })ox, turned her back round, and gazed listlessly into the river. " Going to take it easy, after all! " said the trader. " Gal 's got grit, I sec." 1'he woman looked calm, a.s the boat went on; and a beautiful soft summer breeze passcU Jjkc a compassionate spirit over her hca<l, - the gentle breeze, that never inquires whether tho brow is dusky or fair tlutt it fims. And she S:l.W sunshine sparkling on the water, in golden ripples, and heard g~LY voices, full of case and pleasure, talking around her eYcrywhcrc; but her heart lay as if :t great stone had fallen on it. Her baby raised himself up against her, and stroked her checks ·with his little hands i and, spr inging up and down, crowing and chatting. seemed determined to arouse her. She stmined him suddenly and tightly in her arms, and slowly one tear after another fell on his wondering, unconscious f..1co i ami grauually she scemcu, and little by little, to grow calmer, and busied herself with tcndjng and nursing him. ~rhe e],ild, a boy of ten months, was uncommonly large and strong of his ago, and very vigorous in hi8 ]jmbs. Never, for 16* |
