The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-02-24

|
he's out, | just slip into the library, and put
back the book I've had, and take another. he
don't say anything about it. Because my hands
are as clean as his, and he knows it, Then l
sit up in big pine in the. wood, and read
about 'em all, and Howard ir.fhe prisons, too,
and Washington, and Captain Cook, and feel
as if had all sorts oflves te.choose between,
and all sorts of countries; shd then, when it
gets dark, and / have to shut up the book and
come down, there's nothing round but sthe old
plantation, year in and year out; and Master
Temple viii go to College, and Miss Rose to
school at the North, and then to see foreign
parts and here shall | be till I'm dead--noth-
ing but slave tied to one place. like poor
stupid Watchdog to a kennedy
Of course, this was not hard at all for Rafe
did not pretend to deny that he-like any dog
who happened for the time ito have a kind
master-had plenty to eat, aud was not whip
ped. But Herman was very Agoted and fnat
ical, as we have seen all along and so he
thought that it was.
"You must not imagine for:an instant, said
he, that do not feel for YOU. 1 see how hard
it must be-"
The boy clapped his ham5s together, ex
claiming, "Oh, DR.. Arden, ie you do, then
know you can't help taking gme along with
you. Won't you, sr?"
tell you something more. Do you happen to
remember how the young lover, who has been
your husband for more happy years than one
would readily believe seeing YOUR gentle beau
ty still so fair and fresh, lookes, when he asked
you for your hand? Or do y9u recolleet how
your son, the eminent lawyer, who is carrying
all before him now, in coure and Congress-
| looked fewer years ago. whefY he was coaxing
you to coax his father TO let him go to college,
4 1~f.. a
| have never looked upon tn face of either
me-that in your eyes at thSt time it was a
very handsome, or at least very interesting and
expressive face; and yet knew this also, that
it was not much handsomer; nor at all more
expressive, than the face of poss RATE, when he
thought he saw dawning Of hspe for him.
| 81 wish, with all my heart. said Herman,
that | could do it but see how the case
stands. There are many thousands Of our fell
low countrymen in the same SITUATION as your
self in some respects, and in all other respects
in much worse situation. J wish, with all
my heart, that l could free item all ; but /
have only few thousands of dollars
| The niggers Oh, but sit, how different
that is It's a shame to treat them i'll, / know;
but what are they good for bus slaves? What
could they do with liberty, if they had it?"
What they pleased" was tie answer which
rose to Hermans lips; "purspe their own OBJ
jects in their own way, which is all that | or
you could do with it, how different soever our
objects may be- :
He had no chance to say it, however, for the
poor boy hurried on. flushed With degree of
modification and distress, whicd, it was painful
to witness. :" Surely, sir! oh, | hope, DIR. Arden,
you wouldn't call me niggef Why, ant
colored hardly at all and mai.imy says, when
1 I hohv 4 Ha,
ry." He held up of his clessS smooth hands,
and stroked the blood down talt of it. "See,
sir, it's little tanned, may be but you wouldn't
know there single droit of black blood
there, hardly; would you, sir? And here, if you'd
please to excuse me- He tursed up his coat
sleeve, and showed an arm, of whose Wilderness
e RT n With x s tb h9pf Ssd ga
and the situation of a slave '.'And then, sir, |
hoped could convince you-bat all the while,
perhaps, I've only been showing you how vain
and foolish | was that | vast as stupid as
those Geld-niggers are, such as Sou We been buy
ing. Oh, Dr. Arden surely, ST, you see there
some difference between them rnd me
"Indeed do, Rafe There is the greatest
difference. You not stupic. You are not
ignorant Unless your face and manners belly
you very much you are not vicious. You can
. forget the great hardship of yoer lot for time
1 al least, III EeAulllp, anu otuul
ing yourself for better days. Tell me, now
frankly, would you, for the sale of being freet
like them, change places in otser respects wltl
= one of those degraded creatures?"
well why-wel no, sir; ldon't know as
would do that
"Nor would 7, in your place because tn
o better part of freedom is yours already. Hol'
Il fast by that, and the rest will come by and by
). | hope, ifyou are true to YOURSELF
=, RATE looked up, wistful apd puzzled ="
y wouldn't like to run away, if had ever so goo
d a chance; because I'm trusted. and everybody
;. good to me. that's worth mindi:g, except some
J. times the Mistress and Master, Harry, when
o come in their way, and they darent NEEDLE wit
me when the Colonels by. | wouldn't do any
> thing shabby"
g But couldn't you work anl save here an
r, buy YOURSELF"
a mo, / couldn't, master, any way see In
. Colonels very generous TO me he lets me hav
y all the clothes the young masters have don
T with, and sometimes, at Christmas, he'll eve
V let the tailor send me down S new suit wit
m theirs; but he hardly ever gives me cent /
20 money, and couldnt ask him sort. He'd thin
n was ungrateful. He isn't xlnan to take Iii
"a critics WITH and hasn't ever said sharp word I
IN n,e vet, and don't mean ever to give him caus
al He chooses to have me about here always, whe
40 he's at home at his beck and Call, and tells tf
:. tutor other times to see ] mine my books an
wear after next, he means to make me his ste'
a. ard and engineer here, | believe. | don't st
to my way clear ever to get any Eages.
eff "Then, Rafe, / must try to 90 something ft
10 you, see, though | can't-bsaeve me, wis
l. could-do it at once. First Of all, | must ca
Nv though the business have sirhand, and tai
y care of some poor men and women, who are no
fear, half so well treated or so able to bel
lie themselves as you are but afterwards will Sc
III whot co., - l--.-~, hAHIs-alAsat naEsans
VI the North. about advancing ting money Tor 20
he and write to Colonel Rochensaurice about
ir- Herman did so as soon as ks could, bnt wi
he not SURPRISED to receive an anacver In sort
:. kicking and butting hand, sigSed by Henry
:" Rochemaurice, Harry, to the sflect that " Vol
Oh mel Rochemaurice was not much In the mai
ed, of selling his servants, but th.st when he h;
as any more to dispose of he N9uld inform t
es Anti Slavery Society" and THAT became
=. poor RATE, Herman never head. In the me-
=" time, my dear boy, be true p yourself, 20
ar neighbor, and your God, as be.f you may pr;
toll and trust; and here is lttle keepsake
ia remind you of my advice and M" de took fro
-, his trunk spare copy of the New Iestame
sn' an incendiary document, WI eh, as we ha
rea- seen, he was somewhat addici n to clrcnlah'
ling adding, "Rafe, do you RENE rber Essex
e it Queen Elizabeth's ring y
ou- I" Yes, sir" &
EN- "Very well. Let this be Token somew
:, OF ike that between us, If you eall. de WI
ID his address on the Ay-leaf. sEow, if you
ring into any bad trouble hereafte thht You can
colt. pet Yourself out of, send this back TO me,
cent I.,,or between the leaves lling me VIII
GU YOU are, and what the matte IS 4 and, II
II o,,d nor H.