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Show 180 Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. be shorn of its greatest attraction. They consist of con1pauics of f'la.vc fron1 the plantation ·, generally of the lower class. '1\vo athletic men, in calico \Vrappcr , have a net thro·wn oYer thc1n, covered \vith all nuulner of uri o·h t-c lorcd stripes. Cows' tails arc fa ·toned to their back , and their head are decorated with horns. A bo~~, covered with sheepskin, is called the gumbo box. A dozen beat on this, while other strike triangles and jawbone , to which bands of dancers keep time. For a 1nonth previous they arc con1p sing songs, ·which arc suncr on thi occa ion. 'l,hc ·c con1- panics, of a hunclrccl each, turn out early in the n1orning, and arc allowed to go round till twelve o'clock, begging for contributions. Not a door i. · left unvisited where there is the lea t chance of obtaining a penuy or a glass of r1un. They <lo not drink while they aro out, but carry the run1 bo1nc in jug·, to have a carou al. These Chrishnas donations frequently a1nount to twenty or thirty dollar . It is cldon1 that any white 1nan or child refuses to give thcn1 a trifle. lf' he doc·, they regale i1is ears ·with the following song : - " Poor massa, so dry • ay ; Down in de heel, so dey say; Got no money, so dry say; Not one shillin, so dey sny ; God A'mighty brcss you, so dey say." Christmas is a day of fca Ling, LoLh \Vith ·white nncl colored people. Slaves, who arc l ncky enough Lo have a few shillings, arc sure to spend Lhc1n for goocl eating; and many a turkey and pjg is captured, without saying, " By your leave, sir." Those ·who cannot obtain Clujftmas Feiti vi ties. these, cook a 'po. ·. ·1.nn, or a raccoon, fron1 which f'avory di bcs can be nuL<lc. ~Iy grandrnoth r raisetl ponlLl'y and pig · for sale; a.nu it \Yas h r cNta.l>lishcd cust0111 to haYc both a. turkey and a pig roa ·tell for Clni'Ltnas dinner. On this occa ion, I was \Yarncu to keep cxtrmncly quiet, because two guests had been invitccl. One was the town con tal>le, and the other was a free colored man, who tri ed to pass hitn ·elf ofT for ·white, and who was alway~ ready to do any 1nean work for the ·ake of currying fu.vor \vith \Vhi to people. ~fy granlln1otber had a 1notivo for inviting thctn. ,he 1nanaged to take them all over the house. All the rootns on the lower floor were thro-vvn open for thcn1 to pa s in and ont; and after dinner, they \Vere invited. up tair to look at a fino mocking bird n1y uncle had just brought h01no. There, too, the roo1ns \YOre all thrown open, that they might look in. \Vhcn I heard thcn1 talking on the piazza, 1ny heart ahno t tood still. I knew this colored man had spent many nights hunting for 1nc. Every body knew he bad the blood of a slave faLhor in his veins; but for the sake of passing hitnself off for ·white, he was ready to kiss the slaveholders' feet. Ilow I despised him! As for the con ·table, he wore no fal e colors. The duties of his office \Yore llc ·pical>le, but he was superior to his co1npanion, inastnuch as he clid not pretend to be what he was not. Any ·white man, who could raise money enough to buy a slave, would have considered hin1sclf degraded by bciug a constable; but the office cnalJlcd its po sessor to exercise authority. If he found any slave out after nine o'clock, he coulu 1G |