The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-03-03

4
The house door was shut, for q wonder. Herman
looked for a bell, but, not seeing any, Knocked
with the handle Of his whip, once, twice. and
thrice, due Intervals without any answer until
at last sharp female voice was heard to ejacu-
late within, Can't ever get, q sleep in peace,
as feeble as / am You, Lie, how dar you set
thar sulkin? Are you deef? I'll give you
rousen cuff on. the ear, that'n wake you, i
| reckon, if you don't learn to mind the doorl"
A mutter was heard in repiy;Aapd the door
was presently opened by an OH negress whose
face struck Herman as the most spllenAhe had
ever beheld. His next idea was, that she was
trying 10 run away from her N istress !; for with
cry and Rpsh that nearly threw him back
wards down the steps, she rdsl,ed by him, and
then there was such q hurgjng and kissing
match, between her snd old Jake, las Herman
had never seen before in his LIE, bat once, when
Edward had gone Of withops leave to skate on
the Back Bay, stayed out klj dark, and came
safe BACK, after Clara had sp,bed ON the sofa
Evidently 9 LizefA ssSsBsn ID Ind. bad spied
Jake over iHerman's shoaH ,.rs that was all.
When she had done with him she. dropped on
her knees before Herman, biz sing and thank
ing him with torrents Of tears, and of cultural
and uninteligible eloquence. bile he vainly
ARCHAEOLOGICAL her and old bake, who Joined
her in full cry, and the noise Frought her mis-
tress to the Windows slatterr, Y, sallow woman
with a sour face and yellow ri bons-he heard
a step on the path, and, turn round, saw q
pale, lean man in rusty coaf cooking on with
much establishment. "Mr. .ardwell?" said
Herman, lifting his hat
The same, sir. Will you ak in? ?"
Herman did so, through az ty passage into
dirty parlor and briefly fuited whether
Betsy was for sale, saying that. sr former owner
| had a wish to buy her back afSan.
Take seat, sir. Do Y reside at the
SOUTH" Ef
"No; have been here byt !. short time"
~ inferred as much by , ur accent AT
the West?" 5. q a94i
q No, sir; the North" liz ,,a
"Ah, l inferred so from ,ur method of
speaking. Did understand " to say, sir, that
this girls former owner who ,shed to repur-
chase? One the issue Of the <te @. G. Aspen
wall, senior, presume. l un rstood that his
only only son was prematur y killed In the
| Mexican war;" -
"You are right, sir; but 4 left sister,"
said Herman, jumping up am bidding Jake,
through the open window, to mind the horse
and wagon. He did not sit t,pwn again, but
stood hat in hand, as gentle sminder to his
catechist that time was passing
+" Be seated, pray, sir"
Thank you, but am someL aatin a hurry"
Miss Asp0nwall resides at ae South, pre-
sumo" <
No, sir; she is at the Norts at present"
Was this favorite servant"
81 do not know Not that>- am aware Of"
"Ah! would have supposs hardly. Poor
larly well disposed. Did / uiS1erstand you to
say that Miss Aspenwall entesAined the idea
of emancipating all her slaves
"She would be glad to do SC f it was in her
power"
Indeed 1t is greatly to HI, credit You,
sir, are her man of business, I,txpect.'
"Yes-in this business =
"Ohl ah!" / now compr bend fully the
state of the case, and the notifies which actu-
ate you both and honor you a. ordingly" .
1t was no great proof of Pc etration to see
into the affair as far as Ms Nardwell did.
Poor boyish Herman's blooms It the moment
might have illuminated dulle-man.
"You are very kind but - really obliged
to beg that we may proceed business, ]
have a long journey still BET re me. What
should you think fair offer foe Betsey? You
will not object to parting with her, / suppose,
if she has not behaved herself alp"
"Far from it, sir in such ofuse as this.
consider that every good mar. and trne had
ought to be ready to give you his God-speed at
any sacrifice of personal convenience. would
it was in my power to enfranchise her myself
but the most as we'll as the least that can do,
is to facilitate you in doing so. experienced
religion five years ago the tenth of July next
and purposed from that time, as our heredi-
tary servant had just deceased, to employ free
help exclusively. But they were aspiring and
supercilious and Mrs. Nardwell, being a
Southern lady, and Injured to Southern ways,
couldn't progress with 'em harmoniousy and
they kept deserving her at the most inconve-
nient times, and in the most ungrateful man
ner. She is a most excellent woman, and a
church member; but malady affects her nerves,
which had always ought tp be considered
and as she is much too weakly to do her own
work, there was good deal of indignation
against me excited in her paternal house. In
fine, it ended in my fatherin- laws presenting
her with mulatto girl; 50 that manifestly,
there was nothing lest for me to say. Then
the girl, being anaided, Vas overworked ;
wherefore l was, out of comp sssion for her, in
a manner obligated to purchsEe another. You
recollect, sir, of what we rdsd in the sacred
volume, If any man provide, not for his own,
and specially for those of he own house, he
hath denied the faith and sSorse than an in
fiddle.
"Very true" replied Herm1A mentally, "but
it seems to me that have als~ read, somewhere
else, true saying, that tho devil can quote
Scripture to his purpose The worse for
you, poor, wellwishing, hSn-pecked, white
feathered bantam that you Look like. Some of
my brother Abolitionists, who crow so loudly
and triumphantly now over lou, and such as
II you, might have done no better if they and
their wives and mothers had lived where slaves
were to be had. Since you DO not make this
brand of yours your boast and glory, as so
many do, since You have had the sense to feel
it shame and curse, win not point a
scornful finger at it, even in thought God
pity and deliver you.''
:" hope Mrs. Nardwell will have no obiee-
ton to parting with Lie for reasonable con-
sideration," continued this lord of creation, ap-
prehensively, "though it must, l am fearful,
much incommode her for the time The girls
contrariness while under my roof, which ought
not, perhaps, to have uncharitably mentioned,
may, reckon, be partially accounted for by re-
greet at the separation from her husband of
which was not previously made aware, to be
easily remedied by a second marriage in this
N neighborhood, and need not therefore necessa-
rlly depreciate her market value"
g You bought her, am informed, for two
hundred and fifty dollars2' +
well, perhaps / did; but it was great
bargain. l reckon l could get handsome
J advance on it any time when negroes were
!, lively" ai-s F.
every good. will give you three hundred. ,,
Thank you, SIR and if, in addition to that,
you could offer six per cent. interest from the
!, time bought her . a
"Three hundred and fifteen, 43
/, "Cost of carriage"
} Three hundred and twenty"
"Thank you, sir very handsome, I'm sure
and If in addition, you could assign something
for board and clothing-for really she has con-
|