The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-05-08
For the National Era.
THE OLD QUADROON ;
A National Version of The Virgin Marty

"Fine clothes and food they sent us then,
And babe lie not to fret;
My baby Rosey bloomed aud laughed,
But could neer forget.
My mistress said il wore her out,
To see my mopng face,
And kept young master dull besides;
And should leave the place
'Twould be the best for all. a change,
Perhaps, would do me good,
And teach, henceforth, when kindly used,
Content and gratitude.
She for me, from my childhood up,
Her very best had done
She was a widow, master he
Her petted only son.
To Master Charless plantation then,
Her uncleis was sent.
My grandsire in his cabin cried
But Rosey with me went,
Ny empiied hearts last drop Of blood,
nursed and watched her still.
They gave me little work to do,
l was 40 weak and i'll.
l could not bear 10 let her stray
An instant from my sight;
But hung about her ali day long,
And held her fast AT night.
Dear little hands, that ra,ting played
Around my neck so Oft;
never felt such tender things,
So tiny, warm, and soft.
Nor saw little look sweet
And gay as hers, nor heard
A little voice. II seemed by turns
Cooling singing bird
As did once, when good like her.
She doaied most Oil flowers;
And many a summer day for her,
In breezy wildwood bowers,
j wrought them into fragrant toys;
While smiling on my knees
She sate with rose crowned golden hair,
Mid butterflies and bees
"Then soon 10 her, in simplest words,
What tales | knew told,
Ofmarty RS, who, TO serve the Lord,
In lions dens were bold,
And saints who fought their way 10 Him
Through fire. in days of old.
Such tales she loved the beat, and begged
Sill DER and DER to hear,
As on her cheek paIeness stole,
That not all of fear;
And, though her tiny fingers cur,ed
In tighter rings round mine,
As seemed a wild beasts crouching tread
Each rustic of the pine
Would rear her fairy form, and plant
More firm her baby foot,
While from her deepening, rainy eye,
The heavenly lightning shot,
As royal as her father when,
A child, he would bestride,
In spite of prayers the fierce blood horse,
That scarce man dared ride,
And curb It's frothy mouth and chide
Its bounds with spur and rod;
But awed and sweet like spirits brave,
Not for themselves, for God.
"For me a pampered servants lot
Was all too good but she,
You know we so ignorant
But could never see
Why three parts of a white man must
In bondage ever be,
Lest one part of negro man
Escaping should go free.
The parson preached, and Christ seemed then
Quite on the masters side,
But different in my Bible, when
To spell his words / tried.
His mother ran away with him,
To save him from the sword,
That slew the other innocents,
Commanded by the Lord;
And when read his orders, If
They persecute you, flee
Into another city, half
thought them meant for me.
But long l fingered, doubling on,
In ever-growing fear
For soul-drvers for little Rose
Were watching far and near;
Until my grandsre came once more
To see her. She was sold,
And for this place next day TO start
He thought had been told.
My Master Charles's racing debts
Oflate had pressed him sore;
And glad was he, SO easily
Al once to clear the scorer
Twas night Mid The soughs of the whispering, pc
ing boughs,
We stole into the mountain-heaved wood.
,ch black shadow screened man or ien1,
That close for us in ambush stood.
he great moon shone, and down US upon
With eyes unwinking stared.
lch fiat pool sunken there, like torch's flare
In her evil light around us glared
4 night fast and fair, chased the Northern Star,
All nigh, till, an hour before the day,
70 the border was won, by the owls halloocd on,
We heard faint but ever-louder bay.
hen bark and bark. all the echoes woke to bark,
And drove us back from every way we'tried:
Dr. ring of hellish sound bemmed us in all around;
And to and fro we ran on every side.
ii with yells of wrath, claws that scratched the sin
path,
And lantern eyes of blood-red fame,
18th s,raining bounds, all the wild blood hounds
From the darkness broke below, and spied the gam
Take the child my grandsire said Ran. Rush
dead