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Show ) Incidents in the Life of n. SLt ve Girl. 111 .·.age conv ,'cd to 1ny fri nd Detty. Unwilling to aln.nn her Ini:-;LrCti. , TictLy r csol ved LO di :-;pose of 1110 h or~elf. ~~he ean10 to 1ne, and tol<l 1nc to ri(':e aud dress qniddy. \Ve hurried down ·tairs, and across the yard, into Lhe kitchen. 'he locked the door, and lifteJ. up a plank in the floor. A buffalo :-;kin and a Lit of carpet wore spread for 1110 to lie on, and a q uilt thrown o\·cr n1e. " Stay dar," said she, " till I S(~es if dey know 'bout you. Dey say dey Yil put thar haus on you afore t-welve o'clock. lf dey did know whar you are, dey won't know no'w. Dey'll Lc d.i ·apintcd dis tinle. nat's all I got to say. l f dey COlllCS l'Ulllnuvrin ' n1ong m.tJ tiugs, clcy'll get one Lrcsscd sar:-; ·in frotn dis 'oro nigger.'' In 1ny shallow bod I had bnt just roon1 enough to bring n1y hands to n1y face to k eep tho dn:t out of n1y eyes; for Betty ·walked over 1nc twenty titncs in an hour, pa. · ·ing fron1 the drc.· or to the fireplace. \\ hen she was alone, I could hoar her pronouncing anathcnuts over Dr. Flint and all his tribe, CYery now and then saying, \vith a chuckling lauo·h "l)is nin·o·er's too cute for 'e1n dis time " b ' bb • \Vhcn tho housc1naids ·wore about, she had sly ways of drawing thctn out, that I n1ight hoar what they would say. She \Vould repeat stories she had board about n1y being in thi , or that, or the other place. To which they would. answer, that I was not fool enough to be staying round thoro; that I \Yas in Philadelphia or Now York before this· ti1nc. "\Vhen all were abed and asleep, Betty raised tho plank, and said, " Corne out, chile ; cotnc out. Dey don't lo1o"'iv nottin 'bou t you. 'Twas only white folks' lies, to skcer do niggcrs.'' Son1c days after this ad von ture 1 hacl a nntch worse • Months of Peril. 159 frio·ht. 1\. · I sat Yery still in rny retreat above stair · b ' cheerful Yi. ·ion · floated. through n1y n1ind. I thou o·ht Dr. Flint ·would soon got discouraged, and ·woulu be willing to ·ell rny children, ·when he lost all hopes of n1aking thcn1 tho n1cans of 1ny discoYcry. 1 knew who was ready to buy thorn. \LC.ldenly 1 heard a voice that chilled n1y blood. 'rho soun<l \Vas too fmnili ar to n1e, it had boon too dreadful, for 1110 not to r ccoQ·nizc 1.... at once rny olcl n1aster. IIe "\vas in tho h ouse, and I at once concluded. he had con1e to scjzc rnc. llooke<l round in terror. T here "\vas no "\vay of e ·capo. 'l'he voice receded. I supposed tho con~tabl e was ·with hin1, and they were searching tho house. In rny alann I • did 110t forget the trouble I "\vas l>riugiu cr on n1y goner-on bcnci~tetrcss. I t sccn1ed as if I were burn to lJring sorrow on all who befriended 1nc, and that wa · the bittcrc t drop in the bi ttcr cup of n1y li Co. 1\.ftcr a while I heard approaching footsteps; tho key "~as turned in rny door. I braced rny. ·elf again t tho wall to keep frorn falling. I vcutnrc<l to look up, and there stood rny kind. benefactress alone. I \vas too ruuch overcome to speak, and suuk down upon the floor. "I thought you \Vould hen,r your ruastcr' · voice," she said; " and knowing you "\Vould be torrified, I ctunc to toll you there is nothing to fear. Y ou n1ay oven indulge in a laugh at tho old gon tlen1an's expense. fie is so sure yon arc in K ow York, that he catnc to borrow· five hundred dollars to go in pursuit of you. ~fy si tor had son1c n1oncy to loan on interest. lie ha obtained it, and propo 'OS to 'tart for Now York to-night. So, for tho present, you ·co you arc safe. 'rhe doctor will n1erely l ighten his pocket hunting after the bird he ha · left. Lehiud ." |