The Columbia Democrat. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1837-1850, 1845-09-13

her face frightened as she answered, 'Oh.
yes, ma'am,t often get il Of & on again all
alone
AS she left me sat down to think over
the events of the day and plan for the fu-
ture, but in all my ihoughIs. the sad swee'
face of the lille girl Inruded. Can II BE-
possible. though l,lhal in This ia nlly, where
there is abundaLce of the comforts and lux
ures of life, ,& where the inmates have been
bred among the freedom loving noble heart
ed people Of Vermont, there should be one
member overlasked and oppressed9'
1t was easy to divine her s.ua,iou.-
She was WhaI we term bound girl. Th,
oil worn slave in South Carolina, the hat
starved English operative, and the degraded
Russian seH, all have lhIir deienders-vea
more, thousands are expended, tears ar
he'd, and lives of good men aro devoted
- the holy task OF enlighlenng the opfreS
s1r and raising the poor and tic
the oppressed. But think i, is no exagera
ton to state that the condition o. abow
named classes is not so trying and oppres
slve as that VI "A helpless child bound to
cruel mistress. True there is a limit to
heir hard service. Eighteen and twenty.
me are the year Of jubilee, the long looked
tor time when they go forth into The world,
freed from their bitter thradon, il is true,
but W thout fathers gift or mothers bless
ing, and in many instances the mind had
been 50 ieueted, and the spirits so crushed
by depreciation, that The task Of making
ones way in the world becomes doubly
i fiicuIi. have now an instance in my
mind Of girl met when she was but eight
years of age, bright, strong and heally.
She was bound to haid hearted, imper
,ious woman, whose pretty acts of crue',
including hard blows upon the head and
ncessanl labor, so affected her, lha. when
! saw her again al the end OF ten years
when she would have been 4 woman, an
intellect aud physical streng,h-she was as
lmbeciie as a child, stupid in her move
nenl and so careless and destitute Of ambi
on, that her services were scarcely worth
her board. There are others, | am aware,
)uoyancv Of spirits can never be depresse d
and to whom God himself has given pa
tent Of nobility which will never be yielded
but with life. believed and hoped thal
that .his was 10 some measure the case with
Jane, There was graceful agile little form
10 those rude garments, and her
GouneEancs was indicative Of far more intel
lee, than the daughters Of her mistress Blu,
he child found little leisure to cultivate her
natural gifts Mrs Wilson was one Of those
busy country housewives who pride them
selves upon doing grea, deal Of work,
She had no help in the kitchen excepting
Jane, and there the child was kept from
me first tablet clothed in the cast off gar
nenls of the daughters, allowed no prvi
Ieges, except that Of going TO Sunday
SCnOOl anu Onb Hhll Ol tsCU SHHudy, ltI
church, and these 10 tel, wer6 privileges
indeed The white muslin dress, OF the
daughter had fallen TO her, logeth
er with an old cottage straw bonnet the
latter she had conlrived to whilen and press
with her own hands, and Tor some service
which she had done me had given her
yard or two Of blue ribbon. With ihes,
articles she made her toilet, she needed no
mad done The rest AnCI
W hen she took her seat in the Sundry
Sonool room on Sunday morning, with 'ht
village children, not swesteT face or 4
more gentle, teachable scholar could h'
found. And she looked so happy for sh'
had kind teacher, and who loved the poo
orphan. But when Sunday evening came
she must 90 up TO her lntle attic, lay aside
her white dress, so becoming to her iorn
and complexion, and don The old factory
glngham aud apron, for fire must be made
in the kilshen and tea prepared.
arGse one morning somewhat later lhAh
usual, and thinking there was not time for a
morning walk, thought would remain ~
nv room unuI breakfast | opened my
window 10 nhale the fresh air, and the perl
fume Of the rose and honey suckle, when
heard loud talking IN the 0pc. listened i