The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-03-13
Il II r B r O Il III E r S
CHAPTER vi.
BY z. d. X. n. sOUTHwORTH.

CHATTER VI
Belle the negro's powers; in headong will
Christian! thy brother thou shalt find him STILL
Belle his virtue since his wrongs began,
His passions and his crimes have marked him man."
Montgomery.
Spring in the South is a season of the most
enchanting beauty. Forests of odoriferous,
hlossoming trees, thickets of sweetscented
shrubs, and fields of fragrant wild flowers, fill
the atmosphere with their delicious perfume |;
climbing vines Irvine around the trees, and
overgrow the fences, transforming them into
arbors and to hedges of Towering plants of
matchless bloom and fragrance; while myriads
of bright-winged birds enliven all the sunny air
with their glad melody. 1t is a season and a
scene no lover of nature could look upon with
out rapture.
But the summer, with its advanced luxuri-
ance of beauty, too often brings malaria, pesti-
lence and death.
The promise Of the spring to one in Valen-
tines condition had been too fair to last for
any length of time Clouds began to gather
oyer his head. First, as Mr.. Waring went no
longer to town to spend his evenings, it fol-
lowed as matter of course that he frequently
required Valentines services at that hour at
home. On inquiring for his servant upon
these occasions, and receiving the answer that
Valentine had gone to town to see his wife,
he would grow angry, and exclaim, With an
oath
~ haze never had any good of that boy
since his foolish marriage. in town every
night This thing is getting to be insufferable,
l.
And one morning, when Valentine returned,
Mr.. Waring told him that he was not to take
himself of to see his wife every evening; but
that in future he must ask permission to do so.
Now, anger was Valentines easily-besetting
sin, the one dangerous internal foe he had
conGtantly to combat. Now, indignation rose
and swelled in his bosom. And not from fear
or from policy, but from Christian principle, he
strove to quell its ragings. He answered only
with bow, and left the room for that silent,
solitary struggle with himself that no eye but
the Fathers ever witnessed. He obeyed the
mandate; it was CALLING, but he obeyed it; and
each evening presented himself to his master
with something like this style of request, which,
as a compromise between asking permission
and intimating purpose, was not so difficult
to make
~ have got through all my business here
for to-day, SIR, and am ready to go to town if
you don't want me-"
every well take yourself off; only be sure
to come back early in the morning, to be ready
when ! RISE" would be the frequent answer.
" The proud rascal believe he would almost
as lief die as ask leave to do anything but it
is my own fault; l have treated that boy like
brother, until he is so spoiled as to be quite
above his condition." Mr.. Waring would add,
half testing, half in earnest.
But sometimes, when Valentine asked, leave
would not be granted him; and this occasioned
an irregularity in his nightly attendance at the
shop, that finally obliged Monsieur Leroux to
say to him
"valentine, my man, unless you can attend
better, l shall have to discharge you altogether,
and get full clerk, which would be better any
way, as he could be here all the time"
Full of trouble at this prospect, Valentine
the next day mentioned this to his master, who,
happening to be in an i'll humor, answered
"what the fiend is all that to me, sir? Old
Leroux is liable to prosecution for hiring your
services at all, without permit"
"But it was in over-hours-in my own time,"
demonstrated Valentine.
"Your own timei Pray, sir, what time is
that / have yet to learn that you Aace any
time of your own!"
Valentine suppressed his Indignation, but
that was as much as he could do. He dared
not trust himself to reply.
"Leave the rooml The sight of you initiates
me. And be very thankful that do not pros
ecute your friend, old Leroux, with his mulatto
clerks and shop girls These beasts of French.
men have not the slightest idea of the distinc-
tions of race"
Silently, Valentine left the room, to retire.
and have another wrestle with his pride and
anger.
That evening he was not permitted to 20 to
see Fannie; and, from that time, the permits.
sion to visit her was less and still less frequent
ly granted.
Finally, old Leroux, who had long DELAYED
the step for poor Fannie's sake, hired clerk,
and Valentine lost his over-hour situation, and
with it many fair though humble hopes and
prospects. He was very much depressed; but
Fannie babe him do right, trust in God, and
cheer up; and said that she would probably
get her own salary raised, and that they would
get on very we'll.
NOW, whether his marriage had changed his
,eenngs towards Valentine, or whether it was
Valentines marriage that in time and effect
grew displeasing to him, or whether both these
causes combined to produce an enlargement
between the master and the man, know not;
put certainly their mutual relations were chang
ing Ior the worse, The master grew less con-
exacting towards his poor servant ]: and tha,
servant had daily struggle With his own in.