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Show 128 Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. your wilfulne .· droYe n1c t? it. You know. I exact obcuicnec froln 1uy own cluldrcn, and 1 con ·Hler you as yet a child." . lie paused for an an wcr, but I rc1ntuncu ·ilcnt. "\Vhy clon' L you speak? '' said he. " \Vhat nwrc do yon wa1. t 1r or ?. " " Notl n.n g, .n ·. " "Then you accept n1y oiTcr ? '' " No, sir." Ilit> anger wa ready to break loose ; but h e u cccc:lcd in curbing it, ancl replied, " You have ans\vcred WlLhout thonghL. But I n1u ·t let you kuo\v there are Lwo sides to 1ny propo~ition ; if you r ej ect the bright ·ide, you will be ouligcd to take the dark One. . yOU lllH 't either accept n1y offer, or you and your cluldrcn ·hall be sent to your young 1na tcr' · plantation, there Lo rcn1ain till your young 1nistrc ·s i · 1narric<l ; aud your children hall fare like the rc t of the n egro children. I give you a week to con .. ·1·a cr o f h'I . " lie wa.s ·hrcwcl ; but I knew he ·was not to be trusted. I told hi1n I was r eady to give 1ny au.-wcr no\v. "I will not r eceive it now," he r eplied. " You act too 1nuch fro1n i1npulsc. Rcn1C1ubcr that you and your children c~n he free a week fro1n to-day if you choo:-;c.'' On what a 1nonstrons chance hung the clc.-tiny of n1y children! I knew that 1ny n1astcr's o1Ter was a snare, and that if I entered it e cape would be iinpossible. A.s for his protnise, I knew hi1n so \vcll that I was Enre if he gave 1nc free papers, they ·woulJ be so 1nanagccl as to haYc no legal value. The alternative wa. i ncYi Lrd>lc. I rc ·ol vcc.l to go to the plan ta Lion. But then 1 thought how COll11Jlctely 1 shoulu lJc in his r f Continued Perfccutions. power, and the prospect was a palling. E\·cn if I should kneel before hi1n, and i1nplore hi1n to spare 1nc, for the sake of rny children, 1 k11c\v he would :purn 1110 with hi foot, ancl n1y \Ycakucss \Youl cl Lo his t ritllnph . Before the ·week ex pired, I heanl that yonng ~fr. Flint was about to be n1arriccl to a lady of his own statnp. 1 fore aw tho position I ~houl cl occupy in his c ' taiJli ·lnncnt . 1 h ad once been ·cut to the plantation for pnni.-lnncn t, and fear of the son had indncccl the father to recall n1e Yery oon. ~fy 1nincl \va.- n1adc u p ; I wa ' rc ·olved that I would foil n1y 1na,'tcr aiHl . ave my chilurcn , or 1 \Vonlcl peri ·h in the atLcn1pt. I kept my plan · to 1ny~elf ; I knew that friends \Youl cl t ry to dissuade 1nc fron1 thon1, and I \Vould not \VOUlld their feelin g.· by r t'jec ting their ath ·jce. On the <loci ·i rc day t he <lo ·tor can1c, and . aid he hoped l had 1na<lc a 1vit'e choic \. "I an1 r eady to go to tho plantation , si r ,'' I rcpliccl. "IIavc you th o11ght ho'v i1nporLan t your deci ·ion is to your chilclrcn ? " said he. 1 tol<l hi1n 1 had. "V cry ·well. Go to the plantation, and my cnrse rro Wl' t]1 you, '' he r pli ed. " Your boy shall be pu t bt o work, anu he ~hall ·oon he sold; and your girl shall be rai ·cc1 for the pnrpo.-e of clling \Yell. G your own way·!" lie left the roo1n with curse , not to be repeated. A.· I ·Loocl rooted to the spot , n1y grandn1othcr c;u ne and said, '' Linda, child, \r hat di<l yon tell hi1n ? '' I an.-wcrecl that 1 was going Lo Lhc pht11tation. " 11Iust yon o·o '?" t)aid t)hc. " Can 't so1ncthiuo· bo done to slop it ? " b |
