OCR Text |
Show • 268 Incidents in the Life of a S1a ve Girl. r.I:'IIE II.l1IRBREADTII JDSC.APJD. .ilF'l'I~R \Ye returned to N cw york' r took the earliest opportunity to go and sec Ellen. 1 a.·kcd to have her called down . ·tnirs ; for I sn ppo~o<l ?\f rs. HobO. ·'1-3 ·outhern brother 1ni o·h t still Lc thoro, an< l l \\'a. desirous to avoid , ccing hin1, if po. ·iblc. But .l\Ir:. IIobLs came to the kituhcn, and i.nsi ted on 1ny going up stairs. "~Iy brother ·wants to sec you,'' .·aiel she, " and he is sorry you scc1n to shun him. lie kno\vs you arc living in Now York. IIc told 1nc to say to you that he owes thanks to good old aunt ~fartha for too n1any li ttlc acts of kindnc ·: for hi1n to be l>a c enough to betray her grandchild." This ~fr. 'rhornc had bccon1c poor and rccklc ·: long before he left the south, and such per ·ons had nuwh rather go to one of the faithful old slaYcs to bon·o,v a dollar, or get a good dinner, than to rro to one \vhom they con~idcr an equal. It \Va such acts of kindness a· thr.·c for \vh ich he profu: eel to 1cul gra tcful to n1y granchnothcr. I wi ·h od he had kept at a lli:ta.nco, l>nt as he \ras h r , a.nu knew where I \ras, I con ·lndcd there \Vas nothing to Lc gained Ly tryjno· to a,·oicllti1n; on tho contrary, it n1ight be the n1eaus of exciting his ill will. I followed hi· . ·ister up 'tair . Ilc 1nct 1110 in a very friendly n1annor, congratulated 1nc on n1y escape fron1 lavery, ancl hoped I had a goo<l place, where I felt happy. r I The Hairbreadth Efcapc. 26g I continued to vi:.; it El1 cn as often a· I con1(1. , 1hc good thoughtful child, never forgot rny hiiZan.lons . it~ uation, but al \Yay· kept a Yi gi.lant lookout for 1ny .·afcty. ·he never 1nade any con) pla1nt al)out h r own inconvenience.' an a troubles ; bu L a lnothcr's ohscrYin 0' 0 'C easily pcrccivea Lhat she was not happy. On the ~ccasion of one of my vi .·its 1 founcl her uu1L·unlly scrion. . 'Vhcn I a. ·keel her whaL wa. · the nw.ttcr, she said nothiug ·was tho n1attcr. Hut I in 'i. ·ted upon knowing ·what 1nadc her look o Ycry grnso. } 1inal1y, I ascertained that she felt troul>lcJ about the tli -~ipation that was continually n·oing on in tho hort c. Nho was cnt to the store very often for nun and brandy, and she felt a ·h atncd to ask for it so often; and l\Ir. Ilol>Ls ancl :Nir. Thorne drn,nk a great deal, and their hands trcn1blcd so that they hacl to call her to pour out tho liquor for thcn1. "J3ut for all that,'' . aid she," ~Ir. llobus is good to 1ne, and I can't help likinrr hi1n. I feel sorry for hin1." I tried to cmnfort her, by telling her that I had hdcl up a lnmdrcl1 uolla.rs, and that before long I hopc<l to be able to giYc her and Hcl\jalnin a h o1nc, and ·end thon1 to school. She was always de. ·irous not Lo aLltl to n1y troubles 1norc than sl10 could help, an<l I <lid not discO\'Cr till years afterwards that ~Ir. Thorne's into1npcranco wa..· not the on1y annoy ancc she suffered fron1 hin1. 'l'hough he professcll too much gratitude to n1y gran clnwther to iuj nrc any of her descendants, he had poured vile language into tho cars of h er innocent great-grand child. I u su ally \vent to Brooklyn to spend Sunday afternoon. One Sttndny, 1 founfl JD1lcn anxion::;ly waiting for n1e ncar Uw house. '• 0, 1nothcr," said she, "I've .., 'l .~: ;._•j |