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Show 86 Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. . 1 f 1 r. lent I f'houlc.l ol> trtin the Loon. I tlns cas , e t contlt . T· , . L . . q at they would l>c nuule free. '\ 1 Ll1 also iulL tlHl e · nte " 1< • • ' 1 ·I t. 1.e\·ol Yino· in 1ny nuncl, n.ntl ~ectng all the.·c L 10ug l · · o f . ..... 1 )ino· the uoon1 1 ·o 1nuch dreaded, ro Lher way o e C<" b I l nut.<.l c a 11 e<, tcl l Oll<or lJlnn<or c. Pi ty 1nc, au. d pa. rd.o n n1e, 0 v.n tuous 1,c a.l1 o r. 1· You never knew -vvhaL 1t 1~ to be a -!aYe; to be entirely unprotected by la\V o~· .cu st01n; to have tl 10 1a' ,\\r s l'ec]ucc you to. the conchtlOll of a 1 1 t .. ly st1biect to the w1ll of another. You C Ul.tte , en ll e .J • • • • • • l nc\·er ex tan . 1" e d yotlr inrrmnnty 111 avo1d1ng the snate , o anu,l e1 u c1 1· ng· 1l1e l)OWel' of a. bated tyrant ; you never L shuddered u,t the f-;Ound of his foot: top·,. and. trelnblcd 'tllin hearinrr of his voice. l know I ch<l ·wrong. No Wl . b rl'l . f 1 one can f ee l l. t 111or·e sen i\Jly than I do. 10 pmn. u and lnuuiliating 1neu1ory will haunt n1c to n1y dyu1g day. Still, in looking back, caln1ly, on the event. of n1y life I feel that the .·luse woman ought not to be JUdged by 't he ame standaru as others. The 111onth pa:sed on. I had 1nany unhappy hours. I secretly n1oun1ed over the sorrow I \vas bringing on my grandn1other, who had so tried to shield me from harm. I knew that I was the greatest co1nfort of her old age, and that it was a source of pride to her that I had not degradeu 1ny elf, like 1no t of the slaves. I wanted to confess to her that I \vas no longer \Vorthy of her love; but I could not utter the dreaded "\vords. As for Dr. :Flint, I had a feeling of satisfaction and tritunph in the thought of telling hi1n. From ti1ue to ti1ne he told me of his intended arrangc1nents, and I was silent. .A.t last, he came and told me the cottage was completed, and ordered me to go to it. I told him I would never enter it. He said, " I have heard A perilous Pa£fagc in the S1ave Girl's Life. 87 enough of such talk as that. You shall go, if you aro carried by force; and you shall re1uain there." I replied, "l will never go there. In a few· months I shall be a 1nother." lie stood and looked at 1ne in dumb :unaze1nent, and left the house ·without a \vor<l. I thought I should be happy in n1y tritnnph over hi1n. Hut no,.v that the truth was out, and. 1ny relative · \'tron1d hear of it, I felt wretched. IItunLle a · ·were their circunL'tances, they had pride in n1y good character. No\v, ho\v could I look the1n in the face? l\Iy self-re~p ct was gone! 1 had resolved thaL I \V ulcl oe virtuous, though l \vas a slave. I had said, " Let tho stonn Leat ! I \viii bravo it till I die." A.n<luow, how lnuniliatc<.ll felt ! I went to my grand1nother. 1Iy lip · n1ored to 1nakc confc. ·ion, out the \VOrds stuck in lllY throat. I ·at down in the shade of a tree at her uoor and began to sew. I think she 'a\v something 1u1u ·nal was the matter with 1110. The 1nother of ·laves is very watch~ ful. She knows there i~ uo security for her chilurcn. After they have entered their tocu · she lives in daily expectation of trouble. 'l"his lead.~ to 1nany que tions. If the girl is of a sen itive nature, ti1nidity keeps her from answering truthfully, and this wcll-1neant course has a tendency to drive her fro1n n1atcrnal counsels. Presently, in came my 1nistress, like a 1nad wotnan, and accused 1ne concerning her h us 'band. ~Iy gra.ndnlother, whose suspicions had boon prcvion 'ly a.wakel. lCd, believed \vhat :he said. '1 he cxclain1ed, "0 Lmda! has it emne to this ? I had ru,thcr sec you dead than to sec you a: you no\v arc. You arc a disgrace to your dead n1other.'' She tore fro1n 1ny fin· |