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Show Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. long tho c hours scen1cc1, and h ow· ferYen tly I prnyed that God \Yould not forsake n1e in this hour of uttnost need 1 I wa.· about to risk every thing on the Lhrow of a die ; ancl if I failed, 0 \rhaL ·would Lecon1c of 1ne and lllJ poor children ? rrbcy ·woulu be llladc to suffer for n1y fault. At half pnst twelve I stole softly u.O\Vn stairs. I stopped ou the second floor, thinkii~P" I heard a noi e. I felt n1y ,v·ay d o "~u into the parlor, and looked out of the window. The 1dght was so intensely dark that I could sec nothing. I raised the \Vindo\v very softly and jtunpecl. out. Large drops of rain \vere falling, and the darkno ·s bcwilclcrcll 1110. I dropped on 111y knees, and breathed a ·hort pray r to Oo<..l for guidance and. protection. I groped n1y ·way to the road, and rushed towanl.· the town with ahnost lightning ~peed . I arriYe<l at n1y grauchnother,s hou ·e, but dared not sec h er. ~1 h e would say," Linda, you arc killing n1e; " and I knew that ·would unnerve n1e. I tapped softly at the window of a roo1n, occupied by a \YOn Htn , who had lived in the hou. e several year. . I know . ho was a faithful fri end, and could he tnt ted \vith n1y .·ocrot. I tapped several titnos before she h eard 1no. At la,t she raised tho windo1v, and I whispered," 1ally, I h aYe run away. Lot me in, quick.'' She opened the door softly, and said in low tones, "Por Gocl's sak e, don't. Your grandmother is trying to buy you and do chillorn. Mr. Sancls was here last week. IIo tole her he was going a\va~ on business, but ho \van Led h er to go ah otul about bnyulg yon and de chillern, aud ho ·would help her all he could. Don't run away, Linda. Your grandmother is all bowed down wid trouble no\v.'' 1"'he Flight. 147 I replied, '' Sally, they arc going to carry 1ny children to the plantation to-1uorTow; and they will neYer sell them to any body so long as they ha,·e 1no in t heir power. No\v, ·would you auvi ·c lUO to go back?,, " No, chilo., no," answered ·h e. " \ Vhen dey finds you is gone, dey won't ·want uo plngue ob de ch ill ern; but where is you goiug to hide ? Dey knows el>ery inch ob di · h ouse." I told h er I had a hi din o·-placo, and that 1vas all it was best for h er to kno·w. I ask d h er to go into 1ny roo1n as soon as it \\ras light, and take all n1y clothes out of 111J trunk, anu pack thmn in her ; for l knew Mr. Flint and tho co11 sta1Jlo would be there early to search n1y ro01n. l feared the si g;h t of 1ny children would be too 1nuch for 1ny full h ea rt; but I coul<l not go out iHLo the uncer tain futnre wiLhont one last look. I heui oYer tho bod \Vhoro lay n1y l itLlo Benny and lm1>y Ellen. P oor little one:! fatherl e-.:.' ancl n1uthorl e~.· ! ~Imn orio: of their father caJuo over n1e. lie wa,nted to Lo kincl to then1 ; b u t they ·were not all to h in1 , as they wore to tny ¥vo1nanly h eart. I knelt antl prayed for the inn ocent little sleepers. I ki · ·ou thcn1 lightly, ancl L urn e cl away. As l was al>out to open tho .treot door, Sally laid her hand on n1y t-h oulder , and said, " Linda, i · yon gwille an alone'? Let lllO all your uncle." '" K u, ~all y,'' l r cpli e< l, '' I w~u t no one to bo 1)rought into trouble 011 1ny account." I went forU~ i11Lo L1w darkno~s mHl rain. 1 ran on t ill I ca1ue to tbe lwn~;0 of the friu11J who was to conceal 1no. Early the next lUOrniug nir . .Flint was at lllY grand- |
