Litchfield enquirer., 1878-03-28

vague grotesque aspirations and hopes that had come to them with their freedom gradually faded away. ''A blue-painted front do';" "a .black silk apron with red ribbons ;" Ito make minister of little Job;" and a real crock'ry pitcher" were wishes unspoken now. The thing was only how to live from day to day, and keep the patched clothes together. In the meanwhile, trashy fnery was sold at the new store, and the younger girls wore gilt ear rings.
 The master, toiling on at his vain task, was at his wits end 'eThey will not work, before long they must steal" he said. He brooded and thought, and at last one morning he came to decision. The same day in the afternoon he set out for Hildore Corners. He had thought of plan. As he was walking rapidly through the pine woods, Harnett Ammerton on horse back passed him. This time the Northerner had no questions to ask nay, he almost hung his head, so ashamed was he of the reputation that had attached itself to the field of his la bors But the planter refined in his horse when he saw who 1t was he was the questioner now.
 ''School-master, he began 'in the name of all the white families about here, really must ask if you can do nothing to keepin order those miserable, drinking, ruffanly negroes of yours over at Jubilee? Why,-we shall all be mur- dered in our beds before long Are you aware Oi IHc udnSeTOus SplTlG they nave uldHlleSGcu lately ?"
 'Only too well, Y" said David
 ''What are you going to do? How will it end ?"
 ''God knows"
 ''God knows. Is that all you have to say Of course He knows but the question is, do you know ?. You have brought the whole trouble down upon our heads by your con founded insurrectionary school Just as told you, your negroes, with the little smat- tering of knowledge you have given them, are now the most dangerous, riotous, thieving, murdering rascals in the district"
 'They are bad 1; but it is not the work of the school, hope"
 "Yes, it is, said the planter angrily.
 'They have been led astray lately, MT. Am- merton; person has come among them
 Another Northerner."
 "Yes," said Daivd a flush rising in his cheek; 'but not all Northerners are like this man, trust"
 Pretty much all we see are look at the State."
 'Yes, know it :; l suppose time alone can help matters, said the planter abruptly you at least are honest in your mistakes We are going to ferm an association for our own pro- lection; join with us You can teach my grandsons if you like, provided you do not put any of your-your fanaticism into them. :"
 This was an enormous concession for liar nett Ammerton to make; something in the school-master's worn face had drawn it out.
 ''Thank you," said David slowly it is kind ly meant, sir. But l cannot give up my work 1 came down to help the freedmen, and"
 ''rhen stay with them," said the planter, doubly angry for the very kindness of the mo- ment before. "I thought you were decent living white man, according to your fashion, but you see I was mistaken. Dark days are coming, and you turn your back upon those of your own color and side with the slaves Go and herd with your negroes, but, look you, sir, we are prepared. We will shoot down any one found upon our premises after dark shoot him down like dog. It has come to that, and, by Heaven we shall protect our selves"
 He rode on. David sat down on fallen log for a moment, and leaned his head upon his hand. Dark days were coming, the plant CT had said nay, were already there. Was he in any way responsible for them He tried to think. ''I know not, he said at last: ''but l must still go on and do the best I can. must carry out my plan" He rose and went forward to the Corners.
 A number of Jubilee men were lounging near the new store, and one of them was read ing aloud from a newspaper which the captain had given him he had been David's brightest scholar and he could read readily; but what he read was inflammable matter of the worst kind, a speech which had been written for just such purposes, and which was now being circulated through the district. Mephistopheles in the form of Harnett Ammerton seemed to whis- per in the school-master's ears, ''Do you take pride to yourself that you taught that man to read ?" -.e
 The reader stopped he had discovered the oIyHif f1,o 1cfo thnrr ho1 seen the master at the Corners before. They drew together and waited; he approached them, and paused moment then he began to speak.
 ''I have come, friends" he said, to make a proposition to you. You, on your side, have nothing laid up for the winter, and I, on my side, am anxious to have your work. have field, you know, a cotton-field what do you say to goingto work there, all of you, for month? will agree to pay you more than any man about here pays, and you shall have the cash every Monday morning regular ly. We will hold meeting over at Jubilee, and you shall choose your own overseer; for 1 am very ignorant about cottonfields 1 must trust to you. What do you say p
 The men looked at each other. but no one spoke.
 ''Think of your little children without clothes"
 Still silence
 'I have not succeeded among you," contin- ued the teacher, as well as hoped to succeed. You do not come to school any more, and 1 suppose it is because you do not like me-"
 Something like a nlurmur of dissent came from the group. The voice went on:
 'I have thought of something 1 can do, however 1 can write to the North for another teacher to take my place. and he shall be a man of your own race :; one who is educated, and if possible, also clergyman of your own faith. You can have little church, then, and Sabbath services. As soon as he comes I will yield my place to him; but in the meantime, will you not cultivate that field for me. I ask it as faver. It will be but for little while, for when the new teacher. comes, shall go, unless, indeed" he added, looking around with smile that was almost pathetic in it's appeal, '.you should wish me to stay"
 There was no answer. He had thrown out this little test question suddenly. It has fail ed
 '1 am sorry have not succeeded better at Jubilee," he said after a short pause, and his voice had altered in spite of his self-con- ol,-"but at least you will believe, I hope, that have tried"
 "Dat's SO ;" dat's de trouf," said one or two; the rest stood irresolute. But at this moment a new speaker came forward it was the captain, who had been listening in ann bush.
 '.All gammon, boys all gammon, he began, seating himself familiarly among them on the fence-rail "The season for plantings over, and your work would be thrown away in that field of his. He knows it, too he only wants to see you marching around to his whistling And he pays you double wages, does he Double wages for perfectly useless work Doesn't that show, clear as daylight, what he's up too If he hankers so after your future,- your next winter and all that,-why don't he give yer the money right out, if he's so flush But no he wants to put you to work, and that's all there IS of it. He can't deny a word I've said, either.
 ''l do not deny that wish you to work, friends, began David
 ''There he tells yer so himself" said the captain; ''he wants yer back in your old pla- ces again. 1 seen him talking to old Ammer ton the other day. Give 'em chance, them two classes, and they'll have you slaves sec ond time before you know it."
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