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Show 32 Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. throng1 1 .'nf .1 s . Flint's roorn ' their crea<lk ing grated harshly on her refined. nerves. She callc Ine to her, ,, ·I d hat I had about me that made such a anu a ce W 1 " T 1 horrid noise. I told. her it "\Vas lllJ ne"\v s toe . ~co t 1w rn OrI.Jr,. " sa·h, l .~ he ·' " (a. nd if yon put then1 on again, I'll throw thmn into the fire." I took thein oif, and. my stockings also. She then t a louo· distance, on an errand. As I went sen 1ne b . ~rl . 1 I through the snow, my bare feet tingled: . lUt nlg tt \Vas very 11 O u".I 'SC ,· and I went to Leu tlnnl~1ng Tt he next day would find 1110 .·iclc, perhaps dead. \-\ bat was 111y grief on waking to ftnd. 1nysclf qui~c "\VCll ! I had iiuagincd if l died, or \vas hud np for ·o1nc tirne that my mi. tro s would feel a twillgc of re1norso that 'she had so hated " the little i1np," a· she styled 1110. It was n1y ignorance of that 1ni trc::5s that gnxc rise to uch extravagant irnaginings. Dr. Flint occa:ionally hall high price offered for 1110; but heal ways said," 1he don't belong to n1e. She i · n1y daughter'· property, and I have no rjght to sell her." Good, honest 1nan ! ~1y young n1i. tress was still a child, and I could look for no protection from her. I loved her, and she rcturnccl n1y affection. I once heard her father allude to her attaclnnont to 1ne; and his wife pro1nptly rcplieu that it proceeded from fear. This put Ullplca. ant doubts into 1ny 1nind. Did the child feign what she did not feel '? or "\Yas her n1othcr jealous of the 1nito of love ·he bestowed on me? I concluclcd it n1ust be tho latter. I aid to myself, " Surely, liLLie children arc true." One afternoon I sat at my sewing, fooling unusual <lcvrc~t'.ion of spirits. l\fy n1istress ha<l l>cen accusiug The Slave who Dared to Feel like a Man. 33 me of an offence, of 'Which I as. urecl her I wa. · perfectly innocent; but I a\v, hy the conL01nptuous curl of her lip, that she Lclieved l ·was telling a lie. I wondered. for \vhat "\vi ·o purpo ·e God \\-ra. · loading me through such thorny path.·, and ·whether still darker <lays ·were in store for n1e. As I sat 1nusing thu ·,the door opened softly, a11d \Villian1 ca1ne in. " 'V ell, brother," said I, ""\vhat is the 1nattcr this ti1nc ? '' " 0 Linda, Ben and his n1astcr have had. a dreadful Lin1c ! " said he. l\fy ftrst thought "\Va.· that Renjmni n 'vas killed. "Don't Lo frigl1 ten eel, Linda," said. 'Villian1; "I will tell you all al>Ou t it." It appeared that Honja1nin's 1na 'tor hall ont for l1in1, and he did not inunodiaLely olJcy tho ·n1n1n01L . \Vhcn he d.id, his n1a: tcr "\\'as angry, and hco·an to whip hin1. lie l'C~i:to(l. nla:ter and .·lave fought, and finally the 1nastcr \Va thrown. Bcnja1nin had cause to tro1nhle; for he had. thrown to the ground his 1na~ter- one of the richest n1en in town. I anxiously a\raitcc1 the result. That night I stole to n1y granthnothor's house, and Donjan1in al ·o stole thither fron1 his 1na~tcr' . ~fy g-randn1othcr had gone to ·pond a day or t\VO "\rith an old friend living in ihe country. " I have co1ne," ·aiel Honjrunin, " to tell you good by. I an1 going a·way ." I iucruired "\\rhcre. "To the north," he replied. I looked at hin1 to soc "\Vhcthor he \vas in carne t. I saw it all in his finn, sot n1outh. I i1nplorcd hi1n not |
