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Show 238 UNCLE TOM'S CABIN : OH, hcrul ache," said the mother, after she had languidly kissed her. St. Claro came in, embraced his wife in true, orthodox, husbandly f:1shion, and then presented to her his cousin. 1Hn.rie }jftcd her l:trgc eyes on her cousin with an air of some curiosity, and received her with languid politeness. A crowd of servants now pressed to the entry door, and among them a middle-aged mulatto woman, of very rcspectn.blc appearance, stood forcmosf, in n. tremor of expectation and joy, at the door. "0, there 'a :Mammy ! " said Evn, as she flew across the room; and, throwing herself into her nrms, she kissed her repeatedly. This woman did not tell her that she made her head ache, but, on the contrary, she hugged her, and laughed, and cried, till her sanity was a thing to be doubted of; aud when released from her, Eva. flew from one to another, shaking hands and kissing, in a way that Miss Ophelia afterwards declared fairly turned her stomach. "Well ! " said J\Iiss Ophelia, "you southern children can do something that I couldn't." '''Vhat, now, pray?'' said St. Cln.re. .. " Well, I want to be kind to everybody, and I wouldn't have anything hurt; but as to kissing-'' 11 Niggers," said St. Clare, "that you 'rc not up to,hey?" "Yes, that's it. How can she?" St. Clare laughed, as he went into the passage. " Halloa, here, what 's to pay out here? Here, you all- Mammy, Jimmy, Polly, Sukey- glad to see Mas'r?" he said, as he went shaking hands from one to another. " Look out for tho babies ! " he added, as he stumbled over a sooty little urchin, L!l!'E AMO'XG THE LOWJ,Y. 239 who was crawling upen all fours. "If I step upon anybody, let 'em mention it." There was an abundance of laughing and blessing Mas'r, as St. Claro distributed small pieces of change among them. "Come, now, take yourseh•es off, like good boys and girls," he said; and the whole assemblage, dark and light, disappeared through a door into a large verandah, followed by Eva, who carried a large satchel, which she had been filling with apples, nuts, candy, 1·ibbons, laces, and toys of every description, during her whole homeward journey. As St. Clare turned to go back, his cyo fell upon Tom, who was standing uneasily, shifting from one foot to the other, while Adolph stood negligently leaning against the banisters, examining Tom through :m opera-glass, with an air that would have done credit to any dandy living. "Puh! you puppy," said his master, striking down the opera glass ; " is that the way you treat your company 1 Seems to me, Dolph," he added, laying his finger on the elegant £gurcd satin vest that Adolph was sporting, "seems to me that 's my vest." "0 ! Master, this vest all stained with wine; of course, a gentleman in :Master's standing never wears a vest like this. I understood I was to take it. It does for a poor nigger-fellow, like me." And Adolph tossed his head, and passed his £ngers through his scented luLir, with a grace. "So, that's it, is it?" said St. Clare, ca.reless1y. "Well, here, I 'm going to show this Tom to his mistress, and then you take him to the kitchen; and mind you don't put on any of your airs to him. He 's worth two such puppies as you." |