St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1868-10-23

ing to kill the boy, drew off and struck
him, and happenad to hit him in just
such a way that he broke his neck in
stantly, and there the boy lay. This is
what comes of bucket-shops.
| will mention another incident, it be
ing about Aunt Rachel, person of the
same color that Uncle Zeke wore. Aunt
Rachel was negress. She had been a
slave. The war had set her free. She
didn't know how old she was. Her hair
was sprinkled with gray. and her face
was turrowed with wrinkles; but her
eyes was bright and her voice musical.
She lived in the Fish Alley that l told
you about at the opening. She is the
one that my friend Packard had some
doubts about. Up III an attic | came
upon her accidentally-perhaps | should
say providentially. | WAS looking for
one OF my mission bible class scholars,
and had mistaken the house and, as |
tumb!ed along the dark passage way,
heard voice asking, "Who's dar,
honey !'
Standing in the door, which | found
open, asked who spoke. The voice
said: Its me, marster-Aunt Rachel.
as dey calls me-" | struck match and
held it up toward the voice; and there |
dimIy saw Aunt Rachel, lying on Il bed
on the floor i'll one corner. l never ehall
forget that vision OF earthly want and
suffering, of sanity trust and resignation
that miserable, tattercd bed, that pinch
ed and rinkled face those calm, APP
peaing eyes.
| won't detain you TO state the conyer-
=ation. Suffice it TO SAY, Aunt Rachel
had had no supper. no dinner, no break
last that day. 1t was Il bitter evening
in February. She had no tuel,no fire, or
light. She had nothing but rheumatism,
and faith in God. 1t was not long. how
ever, before fire was burning in he:
rickcty old stove and lights and food had
been bro't from the Howard Mission, not
tar away. \ physician had been sent
for, and lady from the Mission had
nah tuat R,cinl cun Of t"e and u
plate OF toast. and was minisIerlng 20
thr poor oil Ecl ple7s child OF the Saviour
with that sweet Christian sympathy and
5eni-aaut wiusomeness which only God :
eject seem 20 have the gift OF showing.
From that time my visits TO Aunt Rachel
were not unlrequent. She was removed
to more comfortable quarters i'll James
street. | loved the poor old saint from
the start. don't know whether my
visits ever did her any good; but they
did ME n great deal Of good.
Aunt Rachel was fond of telling about
her piAutation-litt, and SO | learned her
story 10y heart She had lived in Nir,
| gnit-Shc could not tell exactly where
but 1t must have been within fifteen uI
twenty miles of Suffolk, because, when
Gcn Peek Was i'll command of our forces
down there in 1868. she had walked from
her masters plantation 10 the Union lines
in one afternoon. She never would tell
/ Aer masters name. Sne seemed 10 have
some queer no.ion that, il she did, some
terrible calamity would come upon her.
GOOD, and 50 was ole m>t'c,s but dt
younL folks was ic>' like dcblls." Sh,
said: My family was aluS sot by by
ole marster, cause they were kind o
'nectcd hy ties of blood" She used tC
say: "lou's no idce, honey, how blooc
/ getS mixed up down dar, nor how lAs
black folks get white, or white folks ge
black dunno winch. and tam none o
my bu-iuc-s-ir Lords will bc done
! BUT the time come, She said, when ole
master could not help them any more.
"A ncyVy OF ole Iuastcr come TO oul
house one dav. who'd done gone an,
run'd away from his PARENTS house
'c;l>c his todcr wanted him to marry I
Sle-lcg9ed gIl down on the coast, da
owned power OF miggcrS (Si> hundred
ct EN-, as twas said, dc Young man say
in rs how he'd sooner marry gal wi,
two leg, ami no nig@ers at ail-dc whicl
| mus say was sensible Dis ncvvy," a
she used to say, got disputing wild N,
eldest boy, de which his name was jim
and my boy, bein' high spirited, he talk
ed back. And at last the nevvy slap
Jim at which Jim jes' knocks the new,
clean down the steps. Honey chile, yol
can hab no idec what awful time di
made DE white folks can knock tn
black tO.--css brains out. and nobody
scarf but, when black man touches
white man, it pears a. how de wori'
comm to an end. The people wn
gwinr to burn jim alive an, to save hi
llic. ole marster sold him TO trader I
90 TO lie Gulf lie which he'd sooner die
dan gone down dar. l got down on m
knees and begged ole marster not TO sem
my boy TO dat awful place; but 'twan'
no use, honey. And SO de night ator
, Jim WAS to be tookencd away, he brok
loose and rumd away. An dsy hunte
him wild dc houn's, and com'd up wi
INN in de woods; and ucre lie tout l
till he was shot down dead by ole MAJ
ster's nevvy, as he'd knocked down d
steps. An dey left his body lynn i
: de woods for the beasts to devour. An
when L begged ole marster to let me g
and get my boys dead corpse, he said
, Ii you don't hush up, will sell you an
, your other son to the Gulf An L di
, hush my voice; but cried out in m
: heart, - my Saviour, mus desc ting
be 2
''My udder son, de which his nam
e was Reuben, was den jcs' bout nlnetee
: year old. An he come TO me in q
+ night, and said: 'Mudder, Use gwine /
run away. l shall kill some one et' / StC
here.'
3, ''An' / said to him Go y An
: went an l lay down wild my face in {
t grass, an prayed all dat night dat m
K boy might get beyond lie reach ob {
: bleod houn's afore de mornin' ligh
u 4 N, hn id hres. de L ord for his 900,