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Show DB UNCLE TOM'S CAIH.N : OH, your flowers, you good-for-nothjng nigger! Get along off with you!" In a moment, Eva. was off from her lounge, and in tho verandah. " 0, don't, mother! I should like the flowers; do giyo them to me ; I want them ! " 11 'Vhy, Eva, your room is full now." "I can't have too many," said Era. "Topsy, do bring them here.'' Topsy, who had stood sullenly, holding down her head, now came up and offered her flowers. She did it with a look of hesitation and bashfulness, quite unlike tbe eldrich boldness nnd brightness which was usual with her. " It 's a beautiful bouquet!" said Eva, looking at it. It was rather a singular ono,-a brilliant scarlet geranium, and one single white joponica, with its glossy leaves. It was tied up with an evident eye to the contrast of color, and the arrangement of every leaf had carefully been studied. Topsy looked pleased, as Eva said,-" Topsy, you arrange flowers very prettily. Here," she said, "is this vase I haven't any flowers for. I wish you 'd n.rrangc something every day for it." "Well, that's odd!. , said Mario. " What in the world do you want that for? " "Never mind, mamma.; you 'd as lief as not Topsy should do it,- had you not? '' ''Of course, anything you please, dear! ~ropsy, you hear your young mistress ; - see that you mind." Topsy made a short courtesy, and looked down; and, as she turned away, Eva SMV a tear roll down her dark check. ''You see, mamma, I knew poor Topsy wnnted to tlo some~ thing for me," said Ev:l to her mother. LlF.E AMONG TilE 1-'0WLY. D9 " 0, nonsense! it 's only because she likes to do mischief. She knows she mustn't pick flowers,- so she does it ; that 's all there is to it. l3ut, if you J;mcy to have her pluck them, so be it. q ' 1 .Mamma, I think ~f.lopsy is different from what she used to be ; she's trying to be a good 'girl." " She 'II have to try a good while before site gets to be good," said :Marie, with a careless laugh. "'Vc11, you know, mamma, poor ~[lopsy! everything bus always been against her." "Not since she 's been here, I 'm sure. If she hasn't been talked to, and preached to, and every earthly thing done that anybody could do;- and sho 's just so ugly, and always will be; you can1t make anything of the creature! " "But, mamma, it's so diflCront to be brought up as I've been, with so many friends, so many things to make me good and happy; and to be brought up as she's been, all the time, till she came here ! " ''~lost likely,'' said ~ia.rio, yawning,- '' dear me, how hot it is!" "Mamma, you believe, don't you, that Topsy could becomo an angel, as well os any of us, if she were a Christian?" " Topsy ! wlmt a ridiculous idea ! Nobody but you would over think of it. I suppose she could, though." "But, mamma, isn't God her father, as much as ours? Isn't Jesus her Saviour?" "Well, that may be. I suppose God made everybody," said Mario. "Where is my smelling-bottle?" "It's such a pity,-oh! suclt a pity!" said Eva, looking out on the distant Jake, aml speaking half to herself. "What 's a pity?" said Marie. |