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Show Incidents in the Life of a Slave Gi r. 'vards Dr. Flint handed them both ov r to .a slay~ .. , trader. The guilty man put their v~luc 1nto Ins pocket, and had the satisfaction of knowing that they were ont of 1· g· 11t a11d l1earino·. When the mother \Vas G b . d el l.V ere d l. llt o tlle trader's hand·, sh. e s:ud, " y. on pronn.s ed t o treat me well · " To \vluch he rephed, 1 ,, " yon have let your tongue run too far; dalnn you . She had forgotten that it was a crime for a slave to tell who was the father of her child. Fro1n others than the n1aster persecution also comes in such cases. I once aw a young slave girl dying soon after the birth of a child nearly \vhite. In her agony she cried out, "0 Lord, co1nc and take 1ne! " Her mistress stood by, and mocked at her like an incarnate fiend. "You suffer, do yon ? " she exclaimed. " I a1n glad of it. You clescrYc it all, and more too." The. girl's 1nother said, "The baby is dead, thank God ; and I hope n1y poor child \Yill soon be in heaven, too." "Heaven!" retorted the 1nistress. "There is no such place for the like of her and her bastard." The poor n1other turned away, sobbing. Ilcr dying daughter called her, feebly, and as she bent over her, I heard her say, " Don't grieve so, mother ; God knows all about it; and IIE will have n1erey upon me." Her sufferings, afterwards, becan1e so in tense, that her 1nistress felt unable to stay; but ·when she left the room, the scornful s1nilc was still on her lips. Seven children called her n1othcr. The poor black \voman had but the one child, whose eyes she sa\v closing in death, while she thanked G·od for taking her away fro1n the greater bitterness of life. The Slaves' N C\V Year's Day. 2J III. Dn. FLTN'r ownca a fine r csic1oneo hl io·wn, SCYCral fanns, and about fifty slaves, besides hiring a nu1nbcr by the year. IIiring-day at the south takes place on the 1st of January. On the 2d, the f'laYcs arc expected to ;ro to their 110\V 1nastcrs. On a fann, th y \\'orJ~ uniil the corn and. cotton arc laid. 'rhoy then ha\·e two h olidays. 10lnc nut, tors gi vc th c1n a goocl d i uncr under tho trees. 'l'his oYer, they \ro1+ uniil CJhristlnas eve. lf no lteaYy charges arc 1neau tin1o l >rought against th01n, they arc gi \·en four or 11 \·c holiL1,1y.·, whichcYcr the nulstc·r or oYcr~·oer 1nny thi11k proper. Then con1cs Now Year's CYC; a1Hl they gather togC'ther their little ails or 1nore })l'OI)Crl)r Sl>t\akino· their little ' I t'' nothings, and ·wait an xi o usl y for the dawning of day. At the appointctl honr tho g rouncls arc thronged ·with men, \VOn1cn, and ch ilclren, \\"aiting, like cri1ninals, to hoar their doon1 pronolnlCC(l. Tho slaYo is sure to kno·w \Vho is the 1110 't lnunanc, or cruclinastcr, ·within forty 1nilc. of hin1. It is easy to find out, on that day, "~ho clothes and feeds his slaves \VOll; for he is s tuTou nd l~d by a crowd, bco·ging, "Please, nu"Lsf-'a, hire n1c this year. 1 ·will work vc r.IJ hanL 1n a~·~n. ." If a slaYe i.· un\rilling to go with his nr\\' n1nstcr, he is \vhippod , or loekc(t up in jail, until he couscnts to go, and pron1isos not to run a\vay during the year. 3 |