The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-10-24

II
too late to do aught but wait, and hope, ana
pray. Miss Ennerby had teen recommended
bv a neiphbor, and Mr.. Larrantree had met
her once or twice at this neighbours house,
| but that was all He had not observed nei
sufficiently to form any clear impression o.
her character, and his mind was now IN Q
state of such depression that he accepted Q,
once the aid first offered, and had employed
Miss Ennerby in the confidence based upon
his neighbours judgment
| Unfortunately, as she feared, for the matrl-
monial designs with which Miss Enneroy
sntered on her duties, Mr.. Larrantree was
| called awav on business the day after her
arrival, and she had only time to ascertain
that he agreed with her fully on one pom
children should be taught to be self-relian'
and induced to develop their moral muscle
She had, therefore, no doubt OF his approDa-
tion when she commenced the hardening pro-
cess by commanding Nanny, after the
children were undressed, to put out the Lgnt
and leave them to go to sleep by themselves
To great many good-hearted and lnteiil-
gent people-people who honestly desire W
be kind and reasonable-it were vain to Por-
tray the agony of some children on being 1911
alone in the dark, the unreasoning, uncon-
trollable terror of that something which De
its very lack of form, its vagueness anu IN
definiteness becomes SO awful, 80 oreauiu',
so indefinitely horrible, that the anguish q
| substantial torture cannot be compared WIN
| il. The childs whole soul is pervaded Dy
terror which cannot be shaken OH by any
effort of the child's own will. Its entire being
| is the subiect of q terror which it has no pow
or 10 subdue. and its whole nervous system
lies at the mercy of this shapeless, shadowy
foe: il ia reeling and staggering and talntlpg'
and suffering q shock which will tell IN after
life as surely as shot in the eye or cut on
tn brow Oh, why is there no MIR. Bergh
who can prevent cruelty to children?
A great many excellent persons without
nerves fail to appreciate this state of feeling,
and Miss Ennerby was not only without
nerves, but by no means an excellent person
She was cold and hard and cruel, and full OF
vindictive feeling towards those above her'
which she could crafty only by grlnding
those whom Providence placed Temporarily
under her heel. Nanny, with unerring IN
stinct, at once discovered that MISS EnnefDy
was "poor white, that is, that she had not
had a crowd of negroes at her command, and
ridden about in her own carriage, and, with
the aristocratic tendency of her class, desplsed
her accordingly. The old woman knew her
place too we'll to make any Intentional display
Of contempt, but she conducted herself with
dignified formality more extensively suggestive
than the most elaborate impertinence, and
Miss Enn erby felt it with keenness she could
not disguise from herself.
The qualification of the latter could be
measured only by Mammy's dismay at the or:
der to leave the children alone; and indeed
so great was the panic created in the nursery
that even Miss Eanerby would have made
temporary compromise had it not involved
triumph for Nanny. AS 1t was, she pertlst-
ed in the enforcement Of her order, and It was
with grim satisf ,ction that after the t1rst TWO
nights she observed, the light having beer
extinguished and Nanny gone down stairs
that the children seemed to resign themselves
to their fate and quietly 60 to sleep. She did
not know that Nanny stole Immediately
back and was at her post, with her arm arouno
her bantlipgs, nor how, as Miss Ennerpy
step was heard, Nanny would throw herself
on the floor behind the bed, and the little
ones. taking their first lessons in deception
would shut their eyes and feign sleep till she
had retreated, satisfied with them and hel
"system."
But one night they failed to hear her com
| ing, and she stood q moment listening. Nam
my was saying, san Jack, he were in Tub VIC
de Kings dorter, an were always a-cassin
sleeps eyes at her; but de King, he dldn
want Jack to hab his dorter, SO he guy grea
/
bar The were greet friend nv jack de oil
bar, he say, 'Tm gwine ter roll in de ashes
JACK, an den I'll go in de ballroom an shake
mvse'f an make such dus' dat de King can
hardly see; an while his eyes is full O dus
you kin run away wild his dorter SO Oh
Mr.. Bar, he went an laid down in de chimbly
an got hisse'f full O ashes, an while dey wal
a-dancin' he went and shuk hissef, an"
"Aunt Maria !" Miss Ennerby opened tn
door.
''Grace"
"Ma'am ?" answered the child family.
| "Who was that talking?
No answer. They were truthful children
"Aunt Maria r' again called Miss Ennerby
"Marm?" said Nanny with an unstead!
voice.
| $50 down this moment"
Four little hands clutched Nanny silently
but convulsively, and she replied by conde
scending to beg humbly for permission to re
main, bnt it was of no avail; she was sen
down stairs, the door locked, and two littl,
motherless babies we're left to cling to eacl
other in an agony of terror. foolish and will
and groundle of course, but Sd real to then
/! and so inexpressibly horrible that few grown
persons ever have an experience approaching
it.
| The next DAY NANNY petteu anu CaAesso'
them even more than usual, and took then
out under the trees, and then she said t,
them, "Nebber mind, chillun. Don't you al
be skeered tonight, cos Nanny gwine t.
be right at de do Nanny gwine to 10.
down right close outside de do ct Miss Edne
locks it; an eff you all gifts fraid. you Jes
say Nanny = kind O. easy, an Nanny. sh
| gwine ter say Meow, meow! like 'tSere
cat meowin'."
"What you going to say meow for, Nam
my ~ asked Nelly.
Zoos kyarnt arnser no oder way, honey.
said Nanny "Ef was to talk human
course Miss Edner would cotch me. Gort
bless nv babies Now don't you all b.
skeered, COS dar amt muffin to be skeeret
bout, nohow; de good Lord is a-watchin' u
you night an day. an holdin' nv you in d
boiler NV His han; an Mammy's gwine to
roll yo' bed close side de do, an den sh'
gwine ter lay right down by it an stay dar tel
spang day"
i Sure enough, the door was again locked
and Nanny sent down stairs. PRESENT.!
there arose little soft hesitating, doubling
voices, Mummy Nanny