The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-03-18

." don't sell dead niggers' said Legree, dog
gedy "You're welcome to bury him wheI
and where you like"
Boys" said George in an authoritative
tone to two or three negroes who were looking
at the body help me lift him up and carry
him to my wagon, and get me IA spade"
One Of the negroes ran for a spade, and two
others assisted George to carry the body to the
wagon.
George neither spoke to nor looked at BE.
gree y(t "a -. = ts--'o" I'd bis orders b%'
'sto6u Visiting. with an-aa u te.C4s b., -
sulkly followed them to whore the wagon stood
at the door George spread his cloak in the
wagon. had the body carefully disposed of in
IT, moving the seat so as to give it room
"Sdch a fuss for dead nigger' said Le-
gree.
The word was spark to a powder maya
zine Prudence was n ier cardinal virtue
Of the Kentucky boy George turned, and
with one indignant blow knocked Legrce
fiat upon his face aud as he stood over him,
blazing with wrath and defiance, he would
have formed no bad personfication of his great
namcsake, triumphing over the dragon.
1t was most imprudent thing, George; but
it is evident you do not care for that. You are
far beyond prudence just now.
Some men, however, are decidedly bettered
by being knocked down. If man lays them
fairly fiat in the dust they seem Immediately
to conceive respect for him; and, Legree. as
he rose and brushed the dust from his clothes,
eyed the slOwly-retreating wagon with some
evident consideration; nor did he open his
mouth till it was out of sight.
Beyond the boundaries of the plantation,
George had noted dry, sandy knoll, shaded
by few trees there they made the grave.
Shall we take off the cloak mass'r ~
mo. no bury it with him It's all can
give you now, poor Tom-and you shall have
They laid him in, and the men shoveled
away silently. They banked it up, and laid
green turf on it.
You may 50, boys! said George, slipping
quarter into the hand of each They lin
gered about. however.
" If young ma.s'r would please buy US, said
one
We'd sarye him 50 faithful" said the other
Hard times, here mass'r,' said the first
"do a enaS PG cam n ne aasia George with diff
Guilty, motoning them off :" It's impossible
The poor fellows looked detected, and walked
off in silence
Witness Eternal God!' said George
kneelng on the grave of his poor friend, " oh
witness that from this hour | will do what on
man can, to drive out this curse of slavery from
my land"
There is no monument to mark the last rest
ing-place of our friend. There needs none
His Lord knows where he lies, and will rails
him up immortal, when he shall appear in hi
glory Pity him not such life and death i
not for pity. Self-denying suffering is the chic
glory of the mighty God and blessed are tn
men whom he calls to fellowship with Him
bearing their cross after him in patience. o
such truly it is written, Blessed are they tina
mourn for they shall be comiorted ~
CHAPTER XLI-An authentic Ghost Story
For some remarkable reason ghostly legend
were uncOmmOnly rife about this time, amonj
the servants ON Legrec's place
1t was whisperingly asserted that footsteps
in the dead of night, had been heard descend
ing the garnet stairs, and patrolng the house
In vain the doors of the upper entry had been
locked the ghost either carried duplicate
key in its pocket, or availed itself of u ghost
immcmorial privilege Of coming through tn,
keyholc, and promenadcd rs before, with (
freedom that was alarming.
Authorities were somewhat divided ny to the
outward form Of the spirit, owing to custom
quite prevalent among negroes-and, for aught
we know, among whites, too-of invariably
shutting the eyes and covering up heads under
blankets. petticOats, or whatever else might
come in use for n shelter, on these occasions
\ IL. Al, !.
eyes are thus out of the lists, the spiritual eyes
are uncommonly vivacious and perspicuous
and therefore there were abundance of full
length portraits of the ghost, abundantly sworn
and testified to- which, as is often the case with
portrait agreed with each other in no partcu-
lar except the common family peculiarly of
the ghost tr.bc--thc wearing of a phHe sheet
The poor souls were not ycrsed in ancient his
tory. and did not know that Shakespeare had
authenticated this costume, by telling how
1.-THE hesicl dead
Did Iueak aud gbbcr in the streets of Rome"
And therefore their all hitting upon this il a
striking fact in pneumatology which we rec
ommend to the attention of spiritual media
generally
Be it as it may we have private reasons for
knowing that tall figure in white sheet did
walk, at the most approved ghosty hours
around the Legre, premises, pass out the doors
glide about the house, disappear ut intervals,
and, rcappearing, pass up the silent stairway,
into that fatal garnet and that in the morning
the entry doors were all found shut and locked
as firm a. ever
Lcgree could not hel Up overhearing this whis-
pering; and 1t was all the more exciting to
hun, from the pains that were taken to conceal
1t from linn. He drank more brandy than
usual; held up his head briskly, and swore
Louder than ever IN the daytime; but he had
bad dreams, and the visions of his head on his
bed were anything but agreeable The night
after Tom body had been carried away, he
rode to the next town for n carousc. and had a
high one; got home late and tired locked his
door, took ont the key, and went to bed
After all, let u man take what pains he NAV
TO hush it down, human soul is an awful
ghostly, unquiet possession for bad man tc
have. Who knows the metes and bounds O
it? Who knows all its awful perhapses-thos,
shudderings and tremblings which it can n,
more live down than il can outlye its own eter
nifty! What fool is he who locks his door /
keep out spirits who has in his own bosom
spirit he dares not meet alone-whoso vote,
smothercd far down, and piled over with mour
tains of carthliness, is yet like the forewarnin
trumpet Of doom
But Legree locked his door and set cha
against it he set night-lamp at the head (
his bed and he put his pistols there. lie e.
amined the catches and fastenings Of the vii
dows, and then swore he didn't care for tn
devil and all his angels" and went TO sleep.
Well, he slept for he was tired-slept sounC
Iy. But, finally, there came over his sleep
shadow, horror, an apprehension Of som'