Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-12-07

be examined. It was necessary to wake Au-
| gustus, who always kept the key and Angus
tus was very hard to wake that night. At last
! the key was produced the door opened, and
confirmation of my story at once appear
ed, for the silver, instead of being arranged
as usual, was all tossed wildly together, trays
on pitchers, tea-pots on top of spoons, sugar
bowls upset-every thing in state Of utter
| and reckless confusion.
This spectacle convinced everybody. Our
friends mounted guard over the house for the
rest Of the night In the morning the police
were called in. and the servants arrested.
! They played their parts perfectly. Nothing
! could be more innocent, or surprised or in
! jured than they were reatthsaccusation at brought
against them by missy Maun Classy took
the role of n nurse dealing with refractory
child. Now, missy, how can you say such n
| ting? Missy not well in her head, else she
neber tink such ting All to n man de-
MED every thing. The judge was fairly puz-
| zled for little while but he hit on the plan
| of separating the servants and examining them
apart from one another, and by-and-by the
| truth came out. Caesar first confessed and
then each in turn made clean breast of his
or her share 1t had been a regular conspira-
| cy, suggested in the first place by the villain
Gus French people whom had seen, and who
| had been hidden away in the servants quar-
/
opportunity. All the blacks in the ncighbor-
hood knew what was going on. and many of
| them We're sharers in the plot. Their plan
| was to pack up and remove all yaluables, and
fire the house. first locking MS into our rooms.
| To this end Maum Classy had drugged the
rice-cream and so efTectually that nothing but
the accident of my refusing to eat averted the
fate prepared for US by the hands of our at
| tached' slaves"
| Tnln Ill. I ~ i
Even now, after half a century. don't like
to think of it, she added
We had all dropped our work, absorbed in
the fascinating terror of the tale. After a
minute one and another resumed her needle.
! but no one was equal to sewing yet.
And what became of the slaves - asked
! Florry Freeman.
They We're in prison while" said mad
anne. Then We sold them to go to New Or
leans. 1t was almost the worst punishment
| slave could have in those days but no more
than they deserved, and none of us could
have borne to see them again. or to have them
in the same place. We hired our servants af-
ter that nothing would have induced us to
| own one
But surely there were exceptions. There
must have been good people among the slaves
like Uncle Tom. for instance"
mo doubt there were. have known them
III fact-eXcelent people, trustworthy, patient
| grateful. But there was always slavery un-
derneath, like volcano ready to break out at
a moments notice. and we who sat on the
crust could feel the throb of the hidden fires
Yes, indeed there were good people among
the blacks, but slavery was such deadly evil
that We never ventured to feel sure of any
| one"
She looked pale and excited, our dear Mad
anne Lally, and for while sat silently among
us. gazing at the fire with eyes which saw be-
yond it things which we could not see. Then
the sparkle crept back into her charming old
face, and the drollery to her voice.
You are very serious and impressed, mes
enJaHts. One should not tell bugaboo tales
to babies. Rosy. if you'll open the pantry
door, you'll see loaf of jelly-cake, and, Flor
ry. don't you want TO TO fetch the decanter of
currant wine and few glasses from the side
board Wen have some here by the fire, and
drink to the health of Freedom-Freedom ev-
cry where. Thank God, We are all free now,
blacks and whites alike! After all, the poor
wicked things were just what we made them.
We did not know it, and we did not mean it,
but nevertheless it is true.--Hdypers Bazar.