Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1861-08-22

and by'm.bye | look TO see; find A, and /
look at him till | know him berry well. Den
ask my young masSa, What you call dat ?
He say dat is b. So | find him on my paper,
and look at him till know him berry well.
Den l ask my young massa what G A II
spellf lie tell me cat. Dan, after great long
time, can read de newspaper. And what do
you tink find dere? read British going to
land! Den l tell all de boys British going to
lands and | say what you do 'spose British
land When | stand behind massa's chair l
hear him talk, and tell all de boys what he
say. Den Bob say must hab Methodist meet
ing, and tell massa Tom going to preach in
de woods. But what you tink | did toder
day. You know Jim, massa Gubernor's boy?
Well, l want mighty bad to let Jim know
British going to land. But lie lib ten mile off
and old boss no let me go. Well, massa Cub
ernor he come dine my massa's house, and
bring he horse to de gate and / make my
bow aud say, massa Gubernor, how jim do {?
He tell me jim berry well. Den | AK him be
Jim good boy? He say yes. Den | tell him
Jim and | leetle boy togeder, and / want
mighty bad to send Jim something He tell
me Jim hab enough OF cherry thing. Oh yes,
massa Guhernor, know you berry good massa,
and Jim hab eberytng he want; but when
leetle boy togeder dere is always something
here (laying his hand on his hearty l want to
send Ieele backy to Jim. / know he hqb
much backy he want, but Jim and leetle boy
togeder and | want to send Jim something.
Massa GubernOr say, berry vel, Jack. So l
give him de backy done up in de berry bit o.
newspaper dat tell British going to land And
massa Gubernor himself carry it And massa
Gubernor hmsclf carry it!r'
He clapped his hands, kicked up his heels,
and turned somersets like a harlequin. These
demonstrations were received with loud shouts
OF merrlment and it was some time before
sufficient order was restored to proceed with
the question under discussion.
After various scenes of fiery indignation,
gentle expostulation, and boisterous mirth, il
was finally decided, by considerable majority
that in case the British landed, they would
take their freedom ocithoW numbering their
masters; not few, however, went away in
wrathul mood, muttering curses deep.
With thaukfuluess to heaven, Mr.. Duncan
again found himself in the open field alone
with the stars. Their glorious beauty seemed
TO him, that night, clothed in new and awful
power. Groups of shrubbery took to them
selves startling forms; and the sound of the
wind among the trees was like the unsheath
ing of swords. Again he required TO Saxon
history, and remembered how he had thought
that troubled must be the sleep of those who
rule conquered people. A new significance
seemed given to Wat Tyler's address to the
insurgent laborers of has day; an emphatic
and most unwelcome application of his indig-
nant question why sers should toll unpaid in
wind and sun, that lords might. sleep on down
and embrolder their garments with pearl.
"And these Robin Hoods and Wat Tylers
were my Saxon ancestors, thought he. "Who
shall so balance effects and causes as to decide
what portion of my present freedom sprang
from their seemingly defeated efforts Was
the place l saw to night, in such wild and
fearful beauty, like the haunts of the Saxon
Robin Hoods Was not the spirit that CLEAN.
ed forth as brave as theirs And who shall
calculate what even such hopeless endeavors
may do for the future freedom of this down
trodden race O.
These cogitations did not, so far as / have
heard, lead to the emancipation of his bonds
men, but they did prevent his revealing Sc
cret which would have brought hundreds to an
immediate and violent death. After painful
conflict between contending feelings and duties
t,e e9ntte9teh tmse with advising the magis-
the eolored people until the war was ended.
He visited Boston several years after, and
told the story to a gentleman who often re-
pcated it in the circle of his friends. In brief
outline it reached my ears. l have told it
truly, with some filling up by imagination,
some additional garniturn of language, and the
adoption of fictitious names, because | have
forgotten the real ones.