The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-02-14

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said Valentine, taking both her hands. and
looking gently and fondly on her. But she
snatched her hands away, and covered her face
and was silent for while-then she spoke:
Il know 1t hurts you. / know it goes to
your heart like knife; but it is true true as
as that might have been tempted to take your
life and my own, had l seen how this was To
end!'
i am very glad you did not, mother, am
sure"
Will you always say so 2"
AS hope to be saved, yes, mother" replied
the youth, half smiling, to raise her spirits.
"Ah, you think SO now. Win YOU think so
in the future?"
Yes, mother l will pledge you my word
to think no other way forever if that will satisfy
you"
Yet oh, Valley! that Spanish womans dy-
ing curse! 1t haunts me now upon this day
oil the TALL OF all my hopes for you it haunts
me, it hangs over me, like funeral palll 1t
Expresses and darkens all my SOUL"
My dear mother, don't be superstitious if
you do inherit a tendency in that direction
from both sides of your ancestry. Forget that
violent woman's curse and whatever YOU do.
don't make it fulfil itself, by believing in II.
And believe that if any evil befall us. it will
not have come Of that angry woman's maledic-
ton. Why, if thought that the imprecatons
OF the angry and malignant could bring down
curses from Heaven upon the heads of the in
nocent, | should turn Pagan, and worship
beasts. Besides, as | said before, it was not
heT but y0u, who was injured. And if any one
could have had the right to utter maledictions.
1t was you; yet you never did it."
No, Heaven forbid | took things as a
matter OF course; and though my heart was
almost broken, made no complaint, far less
yentured on any reproach; for | am sure |
thought master would do no great wrong; and
L thought he acted much better than his neigh
bors, when he promised that you should be
free, and should go to France, and learn pro-
tession. But he broke that promise Oh, he
broke his pledged word and honor, and the wo
mans curse is surely falling"
Think no more of that, mother; she had
no power to curse you"
81 never did her harm, in deed, or word. or
thought. l never deserved it from her, what
ever | deserved from Heaven 1t was the old
Bible story of Abraham and Sarah and Haoar
acted over again on this plantation, only this
was great deal worse, as l look upon it now.
though then | thought it was all right hard.
hard as 1T was to bear. | had been keeping
house for master four years, and you were near
! ly year old, when one winter he went to New
Orleans, to spend month or two. He STAYED
the whole winter did not know that he mar
RED there, for he never wrote to tell me, and
l never read newspaper How should either
happen, when | could not read nor write.
Well, IN the spring, instead of coming home.
he sent message with some directions to the
overseer, but no word about his being married.
only that he was going abroad for a while.
Well, he went, and he stayed away for wear.
And then he came home by way of New Or
leans, where he stopped to buy furniture, that
he sent up before him, in charge of an up
holsterer, who was to fix it all up. But still
no word OF his marriage. ] might have guess
ed something, from the re-furnishing of the
house; but l did not, because nv heart was SO
taken up with the thought that master was
coming home and how nice everything should
be for him when he should come | afterwards
knew that my master had written to Mr.. Hewitt,
TO come over and tell me to prepare to meet
my new mistress but Mr.. Hewitt, for the sake
of what he called the joke, left me in ignorance.
so that madam might find me and YOU when
she should come. Well, / don't want to talk
any more about this. The afternoon that mas
ter was expected to arrive, | was on the watch.
was standing on the portico holding you by
the hand, when | saw the carriage approach.
1t came up very rapidly, and my heart beat thick
ana last, as II 1t would sutfocate me. | could
not help it, Valley When the carriage stop-
out lady, end led her up the stairs. And
while the whole scene was swimming before
me, he said to the lady, "This is your maid,
madam; and to me- "Ph@dra, attend your
| mistress" L had no business to faint | know.
because l was not fine lady, with fine feel.
ings; was only masters poor housekeeper.
and might have expected this thing that had
happened; but it came so suddenly, SO unex-
Pectedly, and my heart had been beating SO
high only the minute before, that | could not
help it, One single glimpse of her great,
black, naughty eyes, aud the sight left mine,
and l fell, like a tree. You see this scar upon
my forehead; it was where my head struck the
sharp edge OF the stone step, when fell down.
When | came to myself l was in old Dinahs
cabin. You were there too. / was very stupid
from the blow | had received in falling. and
could not more than half understand old Di-
nahs mumbled consultations And | was al
most as stupid the next morning, when my
master paid me visit, and stood there, and
advised me not to be a fool, and asked me
what | had expected-and told me that | had
behaved very badly, very badly indeed that he
had hoped had had more sense, and more re-
gard for his comfort; but that | had acted
aoomlnably-I had spoiled his domestic peace
Tor he did not know how long. That had
given madam such shock on her first arrival.
too, that he did not believe she could ever en-,
dure to look upon my face again that she was
In strong Mysteries now that | ought to have
mad more consideration for him than to have
brought him into so much trouble. But that
women are great curse, any how, with their
abomnable selfishness and JEALOUSY
stop, stop, mother!" gasped the boy, q
shall go mad, if you tell me more"
She raised her eyes, and looked at him, and
grew frightened at his looks. His face was
gray, and his features haggard, with the strug-
gle in his bosom. His hand clutched his
breast, as if to grapple with some rising demon
there.
After a while, Ph@dra resumed, softly and
quietly
"Hush! he was not naturally cruel. / never
knew him to do cruel thing wantonly or know
ingly. But many people do not understand or
make allowance for others who have naturally |
more tender hearts than theirs He did not |
know how i felt"-
Mother mother for Heavens sake !"
"Dear Valley, let me go on and tell this |
story for the first and last time felt that | |
had to tell it some day the day is come let
me fnish-inish for my own justification, for |
1 would be justified to you. Well, never en-
tered the lady's presence again, of course, and,
from that day to this, ,cas only my masters
faithful seroant, and no more. AS soon as
was able to travel, my master sent me with you
into the town to hire out. / found a good
place, where we lived several years. l never
even saw my masters face in all that time, but
strange reports went around, notwithstanding.
People said that Colonel Waring and his lady
lived very unhappily together; that they quar-
relied often; that she was mad with jealousy of
the Mestizza; that every time the Colonel came
in town, there would be dreadful scene upon
his return home. AT last it is certain that nv