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Show 202 Incid nt in the Life of a Slave Girl. autun1n, ac o1npanied by a bride. Still no letters from \Villian1 . I felL altnosi sure I sh ould never ·co hi1u again on ... outhcrn soil ; but had he no \Yonl of co1nfort to ·end to his friend at h on1c ? to tho poor captive in her duugeon? ~ry thoughts ·wandered. through tho dark past, and over the u11certain futuro. Alone in my cell, wh rc no eye l>ut God'r could. .·co 1nc, I \vcpi Litter tears. IIo\v earnestly I prayed. to hiu1 to rc:iore 111c to 1ny chilt1 rcn, and enable me to be a useful wotnan and a o·ood 1noiber! At la t the day arrived for the return of the travellers. Gran(hnot.hcr had nHtdc loYing preparations to \vclco1ne h er abs ut Loy hack to the old hearth tone. "\Vhcn the dinner tahlc wa. laiu, \Villi:.uu's plate occupied its olJ p1acc. The stage coach \Vent by cn1pty. l\Iy grauulnothcr ·waiLed. dinner. She thought perhaps h was n c ~:-;arily clctaincd by hi· n1n, ·tor. ln n1y prison I listened anxiously, expecting every lnOnlcnt to hear 1ny dear uroihcr's voice and step. In the course of the afternoon a lad \Ya,' ent by ~fr. Ha.uclR to tell gralHhnoLhcr that \\ illi:un <.lid not return \ViLh hin1; that the al1olitioui~ t, had decoyed hj1n awn,y. But he begged her not to feel tronl>lctl about it, for he felt confiJenL she would. soc \Villia1u in a few· days. As soon a,· he had titno to reflect he would. co1nc back, for he could ncrer expect to tc so \Yell off at the north as he had l>ccn with him. If you had seen the tear s, anu b oard the oh:-;, you would have thought the n1es cugcr had brough t ti,lings of death in,·tcad of frecc1onL Poor olJ. grandtuot l1cr felt that f'hc ,·honld neYer ·co her darling Loy again. And I \vas selfish. I thought 1norc of ·what I haJ lost, Important Era in 1ny Brother's Life. 203 than of wl1aL n1y brother l1acl ~rained . A new anxiety began to trouLlc 1ne. 1lr. Nand~ hall expended a good deal of 1noncy, and \VOtLld naturally fool in·i La ted by the lo · · he bad incurred. 1 greatly foar ecl this might injure the pro ·poets of 1ny children, \vho were now bcco1niug valuable property. I lon(rcd to have their 01nanci pa tion 1nadc ccrLain. The n1orc . · , hecan e their Jnastcr and. father was now 1narriccl. 1 was too fa1niliar \Vith slavery not to know thai pro1ni. ·cs n1auc to slaves, though with kind intentions, and ·incere at the tin1c, depend upon nutny coutingcncic · for their fulfihncnt. ~Inch as I \vishccl "'\Villia1n to be free, tl1c, top he luul taken 1nadc rne sad and anxiou~. 'l'hc followino· ~ab-b bath was cahn and. clear ; so Lcn,niiful thaL iL scenwd like a Sabbath in the eternal \Vorhl. ~Iy grandtnothcr brought the children out on the piazza, that l1ni u·ltt a hear their voices. ,he thought it would cmnfori lllO in my dcsponJency; and. it did. They chatted 1111 rrily, as only children can . Benny said, "G rantlllH>t h<'l', do you think uncle "\Vill has gone lin· good ? \roil 'L he over cornc back again ? l\Iay Le he '11 ilntl n1oiiH1 l'. If he docs, 1oon' t ·he be glaJ to sec hitn ! \V hy don't you and uncle Phillip, and all of u:, go mHllin~ whore mother i ·? I should like it; wouldn't you, Ellen ? " " Y c ·, I ·hould like it," replied Ellen ; " tnt how could \YO ftnd her ? Do you kno'v the place, g ran <lnlothcr ? I don't rcn101nber how 1noihcr lool' .. c<..l- do yon, Benny ? " Benny \va. j n.'t beginning to d .-cribo n1e \vhcn they were interrupted by an old slave \VOlnan, a ncar neigh- |