The St. Cloud journal., 1873-07-10
"Good Heavens, the woman ID dying
Who a she z" z

"Good Heavens, the woman il dying!
Who Is she ="
"she's Mass Kendalps own daughter,
Miss Beryl," answered the old woman,
solemnly. ashes your own flesh and
blood, ma'am, an she hasn't any better
place to lay her head than the cabin Of
an ole-nigger like me! p
"Mass KendaA's oun daughter !"
That Vas all I heard. The rest Of the
speech-full of serrowful indignation
though it was-passed like the sounds
in dream.
.s "Why it was not m hour ago We
spoke of her !" I cried out, stunned by
the coincidence as such condolences do
stun tfaud Ross said that she WAS
dead -
~ knowed she wasn't dead" said
Sylvy, grimly, Gan ole master knowed
it, too. Many's the letter he's had
from her, but he never tole nobody
about 'em but me. 'pve had another
letter from your chile he'd say to me,
sneekin'-like. She's anxious to be
took back, DOW that she's run through
all her mothers fortune but I swore,
when she lef', she should never have
dollar of mine-an' she never SHALL
He's hard one, is ole master; but I've
up an to]e bin fore. to-day " hat I
think Of him. He druv' my poor mis-
sis into leavln' him, an then he might
a. knowed that The chile was goin' to
follow her mother. 1 tried to keep her
from it, poor lamb but she would 60,
an Gle sylvy aiot the one to blame
her. I nursed her in these arms r
said the faithful creature, sitting down
and sobbing in her apron. II was the
first one that took her after she come
into this world of trouble, an now-O
Lord, Lord to think that she's come
back to ole Sylvy to die!"
said nothing. What could 1 sayl
a great horror seemed to come over
and benumb nae. I sat down on a
chest near by, and stared, FIRST at the
dying woman, and then at her sobbing
nurse.
"When did she come 7" I asked
presently, in an awe.stricken whisper.
"Not more'n three hours ago." "Sylvy
answered. 81 was a-sittin' in my door,
knittin', an thinkin' no more Of ssein'
Der than Of seein' the dead, when she
come a.toilin' up the hill, an stood
sfors me like ghost. NANNY she
says, don't you know me7 I'm your
chile Then, when I fotched her in
an made her lie down-fur she. was
white as a sheet-she tole me how she
was widow, an how she had bin so
sick she was afraid she would die an leave
her chile with nobody to purtect him
you see, he's her youngest, an all she's
got lef'-so she thought she'd come to
her father an see if he wouldn't prom
ise to betriend tho boy after she was
gone. But, though she come, she was
afraid to 60 up to the house, for fear
he'd shut the door in her face, as he
said he would so she come to ask me
what she better do, an, while shs was
a.talkin', she began to spit blood, an it
went on wuss an wuss, till it lef her
right where you see her now."
"And what are you going to do p.
asked after another pause, and in an.
other awe-str1cken whisper.
''That's what I don't know" she
answered, shaking her head. eff mas
ter was here, I'd go straight to him !;
but he amt, you know, an it's not
worth while to go to ole Mis- Kendall.
But I thought as how you-who's goin'
to have every thing, they say-might
take it upon yourself to have your own
cousin carried to die IN the house where
she was born"
"But I am not going to have every
thingW I said, Indignantly; "snd I
have no more right to give an order at
Kendall than you have. In fact, Un.
Gle Kendall would let you do it, before
he would let me :"
Can is everybody to say that my
mistis's chile died in nigger's cabin p
demanded she, vehemently.
Now it must be promised that, un-
der ordinary circumstances, Sylvy
would as soon thought of calling her:
self cannibal as q "nigger )" but at
present she had thrust herself so en-
tirely aside-her whole thoughts were
so full of the wrongs of her dying
t'chile" she did not hesitate to
use even this opprobrious term to ak
press her sense of these wrongs more
| strongly.
Ill don't know" said I. "It is
terrible-but what can I do? IF there
was only somebody to take the
responsibility" Then stopped, and
gave little cry. "There.is Ross |" I
said. Il might ask him, He would
know what to do, and he would not be
| afraid of Uncle Kendall either. Why
did not think Of that before? Twill
60 for Ross !"
I rose impulsively and started to-
ward the door, but as I reached it low