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Show 12 Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. of merchandise, trnsted to them for safe keeping, and liable to be den1anded of then1 at any lUOinent. I had one brother, "\Villia1n, who wa two years younger than 1nysclf- a bright, affectionate child. I had al·o a great treasure in n1y 1naternal grandn1other, ·who was a re1narkable wo1nan in 1nany respects. She was the daughter of a planter in South Carolina, ·who, at his death, left her n1other and his three children free, with money to go to St. Augustine, ·where they had relatives. It was during the Revolutionary War; and they ·were captured on their passage, carried back, and sold to different purchasers. Such was the story 1ny grandmother used to tell me ; but I do not reme1nber all the particulars. She was a little girl ·when she \Vas captured and sold to the keeper of a large hotel. I have often heard ·her tell how hard she fared during childhood. But as she gre·w older she evinced so much intelligence, an<l was so faithful, that her nutster and 1nistress could not help seeing it ·was for their interest to take care of such a valuable piece of property. She becan1c an indisponcable personage in tho household, officiating in all capacities, fron1 cook an<l wet nurse to sean1 ·tress. She vvas n1uch prai c<l for her cooking ; and her nice crackers became so famous in the neighborhood that 1nany people 1vere do ·irous of obtaining them. In consequence of nun1erous requests of this kind, she asked pennission of her mistress to bake crackers at night, after all the hou ·oholu work was dono; and she obtainoJ loaYc to do it, provided she would clothe herself and her children fro1n tho profits. Upon those terms, after working hard all day for her mistress, she began her 1niduight bakings, • Childhood. 13 assisted by her two oldest children. 'rhe business pro.vod profitable; and each year she laid by a little, wh1ch \Vas 'avecl for a fund to purchase her children. I l or n1a ter died, and tho property was di vidod ~unon cr hi· l10in;. The widow had her do·wor in the hotel' which she continued to keep open. ~fy grand1noLho1 : rcn1ainod in her service as a slave ; but her children 1vore divided an1ong her 111a ·tor's chj}Jrcn. .As she had fi ,~e, Bcnjainiu, the younge t one, \va sold, in order that eaeh heir 1night haYc an eqnal portion of dollars and cents. There wa . o little difference in our ages that he seen1od n1orc like 1ny brother than 1ny. uncle. lie. ·was . a bl'ight, handf)Oinc lad, nearly wh1to ; for he 1nhcntecl tho co1nplcxion 1uy grandmother had dcri Ycd fron1 .Auglo-~axo n ance tor .. 'rhough only ton year old, scYen hundred and twenty dollars \vere paid for hi 111. 1 {is :sale \vas a terrible blow to lllY g randn10thor; UUt she \Vas llUturally hopofnl, anJ he ·went to \York with renewed energy, tru. ting in ti1ue to be aLlc to purcha~c son1e of her children. She had laid up three hundretl dollars, which her 1nistress one day bogged as a loan, pron1ising to pay her soon. The reader probably knows that no pro1ni o or writing given to a slave is legally binding; for, according to outhern laws, a slave, being property, can !told no property. When n1y granchnother lent her hard earnings to her 111i ·tro: , she tru ·ted solely to her honor. 'l'he honor of a laveholdcr to a slave ! To this good grandn1other I was indebted for many comforts. My brother "\Villie and I often received portions of the crackers, cakes, and preserYes, she made to sell ; an<l after we cea. eel to Le children we 2 • |
