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Show 210 Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. ternative. Ellen \Ya Ina<le ready for the journey. 0, how it tried n1y heart to send her a\\ray, so youn o·, alone, an1ong t rangers! "\Vithout a n1oLher' · love to shelLer her frOlll tl10 ~tonns of life; ahnost \Vi thout lllelllOl'Y of a 1nother! I doubted \vhethor she and Benny "\\"Oulcl have for 1110 the natural affection that children feel for a par nt. I thonght to 1ny ·elf that I 1uight perhaps never sec n1y daugh tor again, and. I hacl a great desire thai she should look upon n1c, before she \vent, that she 111ight take 111y itnngc \rith her in her n1Cn1ory. It scclnccl to 1110 cruel to bave her brought to n1y dungeon. It \vas orrow enough for her young heart to know that her 1nothcr \vas a victin1 of ·lavery, ·without seeing the wretched hiding-placo to \vhich it had drirou her. I bogged pern1ission to pass the la.-t njght in one of the open chmnl>crs, \vith 1ny little girl. They thought I wa. crazy to think of tru ting such a young child ·with n1y porilou secret. I tohl thc1n I had 'vatchod her character, and I felt ·uro she wonhl not bctt"<-y lnc; that I \Va dctcrlnincdto have an interview, and if they \Youlu not facilitate it, I \\Tould take my own \vay to oLtain it. 'rhoy ro1non.tratod agaiu 't the ra hnc.· of such a proceeding ; but finding they could not change 1ny purpose, they yioldoc.l. I sl i ppod through the trap-door into the . tororoo1n, and. 1ny uucle kept \vatch at tho gate, while I pa sod. in to tho piazza u.nc.l \V nt 11 p stair·, to the room I u ·eel to occupy. It was 111oro than fi \-o years since I had svon it ; and how the n10n1orio crowded on 1110 ! There I hacl Lakon shelLer when 111y 1ni.·trc~s dro\·e 1110 fro1n her house; thoro can1c 1ny old tyrant, to n1ock , in ·ult, and curse me ; there n1y children ·were first laid in n1y anus ; . ( l ) ( I New Defl:ination for the Children. 211 there I bad watched over tho1u, each day with a deeper and ·acl<.lcr love; there I had kn elt to Go<l, in angui ·h of hoa.rt, t forgive the \vrong I had clone. IIow vividly it all ca1no Lack ! 1\..nd after this long, gloomy interval, I .'L od there such a ·wreck ! In tho 1ui<lst of th e~c IHC(litations, I heard foot·tcps on tho stairs. 'l'hc door opened, and n1y uncle Phillip cmnc in, leading Bllen by the hand. I put 1uy arms round her, an<l said, "JDllen, 1ny dear child, I a1u your n1othor.'' She drc\v hack a 1 i ttlc, autl looked at 1ne · ' then, with . \V ct confidence, she laid her check ngainst 1ninc, antl I folded her to the heart that had been· so lou o· desolated. She ·was the first to speak. I~ai ·ing her hoacl, she ·aiel, inC]_uiriugly, "You really arc 1uy 1nothcr '? " I told her I 1\;ally was ; that <luring all the long ti 1nc she had not so en 1nc, I ha.J loved. her n1ost LcnJcrly; and. that now .·he \VU · o· ino· away I b 0 ' wanted to . e her and talk \ViLh her, that he 1night 1'01ll0 lllh .-1' lll . \\Tith a sob in h0r Yoice, ~he ·aitl, "l'tn gLHl you\·c co1nc to sec 1ue; bttt -why <li<ln' t yon C\-cr co1no before ? Benny and I haYe w:ln te(l so n1uch to see you! lio rc1ne n1b rs yon, an(l so1netin1c · he tolls 111 a bon t yon. "'\ Vh y <1 i d n' t you con1c homo when Dr. Flint wont to brinn· you·~ '' I answero(l, "I couldn,t co1ne 1> 'fore, d ar. But now that 1 a1n w·ith you, tell 1110 \rh nthcr yon like to go away." "I don't know," said ::;he, crying. "Granclnlothcr sayrs I ouo·ht not to cry · that I atn o·oino· to a 0 ' 0 b good place, \Vhcro I crtn learn to rca<l and wriLe, and thn t by and by I can ·wrj to her a lot tet·. But I f'han 't h<tYC n t~l1 1lY or grandnlother, or lll H~l o Phillip, Ol' any body to lon' 111 :.~. . Cau't you g'> \-Vi Lh 1uc t 0, do go, uuar tuuLitur! '' |