Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1868-11-18
Aunt Rachel---A Touching story.

Aunt Rachel---A Touching Story.
There have been few more beautiful or al
iecting stories written than the followin
which we take from Oliver Dyers recent lee
turc in Cooper Institute New York
Aunt Rachel was negrcss. She had bcei
a slave. The war had set her free. Sh
didn't know how old she was. Her hair wa
sprinkled with gray, and her face was furrow
ed with wrinkles but her eye was brigh
and her voice musical She lived in Fisl
Alley. Up in an attic came upon her ac
neutrality-suspicious. ! should say proyidenti
ally was looking for one Of my mission
Bible class scholars, and had mistaken tn,
house ; and, as | fnmbled along the darl
passage way | heard voice say. Whoi
dar, honey"
Standing in the door, which found open
l asked who spake. The voice said IT..
me, marster, Aunt Rachel, as dey call me.
/ struck a match and held it up toward tn,
voice aud there diuly saw Aunt Rache
lying on bed in floor in one corner. | shall
never forget that vision of earthly want and
suffering, Of sanity trust aud resignation
that miserable, catered bed that pinched
and wrinkled face, those calm, appealing
eyes
| wouldn't detain you to state the CONVEX.
sation- Suffice it to say, Aunt Rachel hac
had no supper, no dinner, no breakfast thai
day. 1t was a bitter evening in February
She had no fuel, no fire, no light She had
nothing but rheumatism and faith in Cod
II was not long, however, before fire was
burning in her rickety old stove, and light.
and food had been brought from the Howard
Mission, not far away. A physician had
been sent for, and lady from the mission
made Aunt Rachel cup of tea and plate
Of toast and was ministering to the poor old
helpless child of the Savior with that sweet
christian sympathy and benignant winsome-
ness, which only Gods elect seem to have the
gift of showing, From that time my visits
10 Aunt Rachel were not unirequent. She
was removed to more comfortable quarters, in
James street. | loved the dear old saint
from the start don't know whether nv
visits ever did her any good but they did
me great deal Of good.
Aunt Rachel was fond of telling about her
plantation life, and 50 | learned her story by
heart She had lived in Virginia--she could
not tell exactly where but it must have been
within fifteen or twenty miles of Suffolk be
cause when Gen. Peck was in command of
our forces down there, in 1868, she had walk
ed from her masters plantation to the Union
lines in one afternoon She never would tell
her masters name. She seemed to have some
queer notion that, if she did, some terrible
calamity would come upon her She used ia
say 4" Ole marster was bery good, and SO
was ole mistress but de young folks was
jes' like debils" She said " My family
was al'us sot by by ole marster, cause they
We're kind Of nected by ties of blood
tl4aughter) She used to say d" You's nc
idee, honey, how blood gets mixed up down
dar, nor how fast black folks get white, OIL
white folks get black dunno which, anC
faint none @ my business--de Lords owl
will be done" But the time came, she said
when ole marster could not help them an,
more.
neyyy Of ole marster come to our HON,
one day, who'd done gone and run'd ava,
from his PARENTS house, ease his lader want
ed him to marry one-legged gal down OF
the coast, dat owned power Of niggers Isl,
hundred Of 'em, as was said,) the young MAJ
sayin' as how he'd sooner marry a gal wi,
WV we anu Ho ilHItlS Ai uti-ut which
mus say was sensible Dis nevyy," as sh
used to say, " got disputing wild my edes
boy, de which his name was Jim and m
boy, bein' high sperited, he talked back. An
at last the nevvy slaps jim; at which jim
les' knocks the newly clean down the steps
Honey chile, you can hab no idee what awfu
time dat made. De white folks can knocl
the black folkses brains out, and nobody
scarf but when black man touches
white man, it pears as how the worl's comm
to an end. The people was gwine to bur
Jim alive an to save his life ole marste
sold him to q trader to go to the gulf, d
which he'd sooner died dan gone down dai
got down on my knees and begged ole mars
ter not to send my boy. TO dat awful place
but twas no use honey.
And so, de night before Jim was to be took
ened away, he broke loose and run'd away
An dey hunted him wild de houns, and COM
up wild him IN de woods and dcrc he iout'r
till he was shot down dead by ole marster
newly, as he'd knocked down de steps. An
dey left his body lynn in the woods for til
beasts TO devour. An when | begged oil
marster to let me go and get by my boy
dead corpse, he said If you don't hush up
will sell you and your other son to tn
Gulf An did hush up my voice; but
cried out in my heart, 90, my Savior mn.
desc rings be p
My udder son, de which his name wa
Reuben, was den jes' bout nineteen years ole
An he came to me in de night and said
Mudder Use gwine to run away. sAa
Kill somebody if Istay here
An | say 10 him, " Go !" An he went
an | lay down wild my face to de grass, al
prayed al. dat night dat my boy might get b,
You'd the reach OF de bloodhouns afore d
morning light. An he did bress the Lor
for his goodness, de did In dc mornin
when dey missed him, de newly and de res
OBJ de young folks was wild to 60 for hin
An old marster purtended to be awful mac
But he would hab de horses shoed aiore he,
start An SO Reuben got such good star
as dat dey never cotched him by which
hnowed as how my prayers was answered
Ii pears TO me as twas bout yea
arter dat time dat the war broke out. Oh
you can I imagine what time dat was.
jes' 'peared as ef de Day OBJ Judgment wa
comm right top OBJ US. De chariot, d
chariot, its wheels rolled in fire = Ole mars
ter's house was burnt TO de groun', an d
folks all ruined away to Richmond, an u
darkies was running round wild like. An
so | went over to the camp at Suffolk to sc
ef could got up dis way, as | hoped eff
could might find my boy, de which | toll
you his name vas Reuben. We been her
mos four years now, and 'ye nebber hear
word Of Reub. An dc cold an de dam
has gin me dc rheumatic 50 bad / haint be