OCR Text |
Show 138 Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. parents, in the hnryin~·-gronnrl. of the fllavcs. "Th rc the \rick d cca~ fn.nn t rouultno·, and there the \\~cary be at rc. t. There the prisoner: rc.t to~·ethor; ihC'y hear not the \To icc of the opprc .. ·or ; the scn ·n,n L is free fron1 h1s 1n<L ter.'' I knelt by the graves of 1ny pa.ren ts, a.ntl than ked. God, as I had oftc n done he Core, thaL they had not liYcd to ·wiLnctis n1y t rials, or to 1nourn over 1uy sins. I had rccoivctl 1ny 1nothor's blo ... ·ing when ·he died; and in1nany an hour of t ribulation I had s en1 d to hear her voice, ·on1etin1es chiuing n10, smnctitne. ·whispering loving \VOrd · into ll1Y WOUJHle(l heart. I have I heel lnany and uitter tear , to think that ·when I an1 gone fron1 1ny children they cannot ron101nbcr 1no with such entire satisfaction as I rmnen1horcd n1y 1nothor. Tho oTaYcyard ·was in tho ·wooJs, and twilight \vas co1ning on. Nothing broke the death-like stillnc s except the oc asiona1 twitter of a bird. ~fy ~ pirii was overawed uy the ·olmnuity of the .·cone. Por ll10l'C than ten years I had froqnontod thi · spot, Lni never had it .:o01nc<l to 1110 so sacred as now. 1'1. black ~tu1np, at tho head of n1y n1oihor's grave, '\vas all that remained of a tree 1ny father had plan ted. IIi.· graYe wa n1arkod by a tnall " rood on board, b nri ng his n~:unc , the letters of which ·were nearly aLliterated. I knelt down and ki. sod thmn, ancl ponreu forth n, prayer to God for guidance ancl support in the perilous stop I \Vas ahont to take. .A ,· I pa~:so d tho '\Yrcek of the old n1coting house, where, l)c•!'orc Nat Turner's tin1o, tho .·lave· had. been allowed to n1 \et for ·worship, I scen1c<l to hear 1ny fath r's Yoico conLe fro1n it, bidding 1no not to tarry till I roac:heJ frceJo1u or the Scenes at the Plantation. 139 grave. I rushed on \vith renovated hopes. ~fy tru 't in God had Leon strengthened. by that prayer a1nong the graves. ~fy plan was to conceal my elf at the hou 0 of a friend, and rcn1ain th re a few weeks till tho .-oarch was over. ~fy hope wn · thaL tho doctor '\vonld geL discouraged, and., for fear of losing 1ny Yaluo, and also of sub ·cqnonily finding n1y chihlren a1nong the 1ni ·sing, he ·would con ·ont t .·ell us; and I kno\v fiOln body woulu bny u s. I had done all in 1ny power to 1nakc my children cotnfortahle during tho tin1o I expected to Lc soparatc<l fro1n the1n. I \Vas packing n1y t hi11g. , when grandn1othcr CQlllO into tho l'OOln, anu a~kcd what I was doing. " I a1n putting 1ny things in order," I replied. I tried to look and .·peak cheerfully; lJut her wat<..;hful eye detected smncthing beneath the surface. She lrew n1c to\varcl · her, and asked n1o to ·it down. She lookeu earn \sLly at n1o, aud said, " Li11 da, do yon \van t to k ill yo ttr old gnuHhnot h r ? Do you u10an to leave your little, h \llJ!es · ch ildren? l an1 old now, and cannot do for your hal) ie · a · 1 oucc did for you.'' I replied, that if I \YOni away, pcrlwp.· their father wonld be al.Jl to t;CCnro their fruedotn. '' .Ah, 1ny child,' ' sai(l sh , '"don't t ru~; L too n1.nch to him. SLatH.l l>y your O\\"ll children, <lllll ~u !T' r with th 1n till death. Nouody ro pe<..;t.· a n1other who fo r~ Hkcs her children; a ncl if yon leaYc thmn, yon 'rill lle\'Ol' haYe a happy lHOlllOtl i. l(' yon o·o, you \rill n1akc 1nc lnif'orab1e til ~.; hort ti rno l haYe Lo live. ·Yon Wottld he t (ll\\\11 n:Hl brought [,:wk, <lii(l yollr sul'turi11g · would ue J.reaJful. lt01ue1u ber poor Deuja1ui11. Do |