The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-11-06
WHOLE NO. 1854

| III SURE uOn KNOW l never saw sucn q
child as this
Such children are very common among US,
and such men and women too. How are they
TO he governed ?" said St Clare.
am sure it's more than | can saw said
Miss 0phelia
."0r | either" said St Clare the horrid
cruelties and outragcs that once and a while
find their way into the papers-such cases az
PrueS for example-what do they come from
In many cases it is a gradual hardening pro-
cess on both sides-the owner growing more
and more cruel, as the servant more and more
callous. Whipping and abuse are like lauda-
| mum you have to double the dose as the SEN
sihilitice decline. | saw this very early when
became an owner. aud resolved never 70 be-
gin, because | did not know when should
stop; and resolved at least to protect my own
moral nature, The consequence is. that my
servants act Ike spoiled children but | think
that better than for us both to be brutalized
together You have talked a great deal about
our responsibilities in educating cousin | really
wanted you to try with one child, who is a
specimen of thousands among us
1t is your system makes such children
said Miss Ophelia
81 know it but they are mdde-they exist
and what IS TO be done with them ;"
|
pertinent. But then, as it appears TO be duty
| shall persevere and try and do the best
can" said Miss Ophela; and Miss Ophelia,
after this did labor with commendable de-
gree of zeal and energy on her new subject
She instituted regular hours and employments
for her and undertook TO teach her to read and
to sew.
In the former act the child was quick enough
SSaitIss,sheai nel Sotteis ~ IS by nlagic and was
very soon able'o read plain reading but the
'si'',S5 s@ lo15 Sias1,4,,ii .~T ,''
ture was as 1.-the as a cat and as active as n
monkey, and the confinement of sewing was
her abomination 40 she broke her needles
threw them slyly out of windows, or down in
chinks of the walls she tangled, broke, and dir
) tied her thread, or, with sly movement would
throw spool sway altogether Her motions
| were almost as quick as those of practiced
conjurer, and her command of her face quite
as great and though Miss Ophelia could not
help feeling that 30 many accidents could not
possibly happen in succession yet she could
not, without watchfulness which would leave
her no time for anything else, detect her.
| Topsy was soon "a noted character in the es-
tablshment. Her talent for every species of
drolery, grimace, and mimickry-for dancing,
tumblng climbing singing whstling, imita-
|
exhaustible In her play hours, she invariably
had every child in the establishment at her
heels, open-mouthed with admiration and won
der not excepting Miss Eva, who appeared to
he fascinated by her wild diablerie as dove is
sometimes charmed by glittering serpent.
Miss Ophelia was uneasy that Eva should fan
cy Topsy's society 80 much, and implored st.
Clare to forbid it,
"Poh, let the child alone" said st, Clare (;
"Topsy will do her good"
But SO depraved achild-are you not afraid
she will teach her some mischief
"She can't teach her mischief she might
teach it to SOME children but evil rolls of Eva 4
, mind like dew of cabbage leaf-not drop
I sinks in"
"Don't be too sure" said Miss Ophelia. az
l. know I'd never let child of mine play with
o Topsy"
n "Well, your children needn't said St Clare,
" "but mine may if Eva could have been spoil
ed, it would have been done years ago.
10 Topsy was at first despised and condemned
1t by the upper servants. They soon found rea-
,e son to alter their opinion. 1t was very soon
discovered that whoever cast an indgnity on
Z Topsy was sure to meet with some announcement
D. accident shortly after - either n pair Of ear
rings or some cherished trinket would be miss
" ing or an article of dress would be suddenly
found utterly ruined or the person would Stun
F" BILE accidentally into n pail of hot water, or n
n libaton Of dirty slop would unaccountably
deluge them from above when in full gala
n dress--and on all these occasions, when inves-
i tigaton was made, there was nobody found to
p stand sponsor for the indignty Topsy was
r cited aud had up before all the domestic judi
catories time and again, but always sustained
Il her examinations with most edfying innocence
t and gravity of appearance. Nobody in the
I world ever doubted who did the things but not
a scrap OF any direct evidence could be found
I 10 establish the suppositions, and Miss Ophelia
was too just to feel at liberty 10 proceed to any
| lengths without it,
The nischiefs done were always 80 nicely
timed, also, MS farther TO shelter the aggressor
, Thus the times for revenge on Rosa and Jane,
the two chambermaids, were always chosen in
those seasons when las not unfrequently hap
pened) they were in disgrace with their mis-
tress-when any complaint from them would
, Of course meet with no sympathy. In short,
Topsy soon made the household understand the
propriety of letting her alone, and she was let
! alone accordingly.
Topsy was smart and energetic in all manual
operations, learning everything that was taught
, her with surprising quickness. With a few
|
Miss Ophelia's chamber, in way with which
even that particular lady could find no fault.
Mortal hands could not lay spread smoother,
adjust pillows more accurately, sweep and dust
and arrange more perfectly than Topsy when
she chose-but she didn't very often choose If
Miss Opheia, after three or four days Of careful
and patient supervision, was 40 sanguine as to
suppose that Topsy had ut last fallen into her
way, could do without overlooking, and so go
of and busy herself about something else,
Topsy would hold perfect carnival of confu-
sion for some one or two hours. Instead Of
making the bed, she would amuse herself with
pulling off the pillow cases, putting her woolly
head among the pillows, till il would sometimes
, be grotesquely ornamented with feathers stick
ing out in various directons--she would climb
the posts and hang head downward from the
tops-nourish the sheets and spreads all over
, the Observation-Disclosures the bolster up in Miss
, Ophelia's night clothes and enact various
scenic performances with that-singing and
! whistlng and making grimaces at herself in
the looking glass-in short as Miss Ophelia
pbrased it, "raising Cain generally.
T On one occasion, Miss Ophelia found Topsy
with her very best scarlet India Canton Grape
shawl wound round her head for turbHn,
going ON with her rehearsals before the glass in
great style-Miss 0phelia having with careless
ncss most unheard-of in her, left the key for
once in her drawer.
"Topsy!" she would say, when at the end OF
all patience, "what does make you act so1p
"Dunno, missis-Ispects cause I'sso wicked y
g don't know anything what shall do with
you Topsy."
claw, missis, you must whip me; my old
misss alters whipped me. amt used to workin
unless gets whipped"
why, ToPsy, don't want to whip you you
can do well IL you've mind 20 what is the
reason you won'tlp
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