Litchfield enquirer., 1878-03-28

ever known before. You Northerners do not understand the blacks. They are an inferior race by nature God made'them so. And God | forgive those (although never can) who nave placed them over us,-yes virtually over us | their former masters,-poor ignorant crea- | lures :"
 At this instant an old negro came up the steps. with an arnful of wood and the eye of the Northerner poted (was forced to note) the contrast there sat the planter, his head crown | ed with silver hair, his finely chiseled face glowing with the warmth of his indignant l words and there passed the old slave, bent and black, his low forehead and broad Animal features seeming to typify scarcely more in.el ,. | lirence than that of the dog that followed him. The planter spoke to the servant in his kindly
 way as he passed, and the old black face light ed with pleasure. This, too, the school-mas- | ter's sensitive mind noted none of his pupils hooked at him with anything like that alice ton. ''But it is right they should be freed, h is right" he said to himself as he walked back to Jubilee, land to that belief will cling as
 long as have my being It $ right And
 then he came into Jubilee, and found three of his freedmen drunk, and quarreling in the street.
 Heretofore the settlement, poor and forlorn as it was, had escaped the curse of drunken ness. No liquor was sold in the vicinity, and David had succeeded in keeping his scholars from wandering aimlessly about the country from place to place, often the first use the
 blacks made of their freedom. Jubilee didnot go to the liquor. But, at last, the liquor had come to Jubilee. Shall they not have all rights | and privileges these newborn citizens of oursI | The bringer of these new doctrines, and of the fluids to moisten them, was white man. one of that class which has gone down on the page of American history, knighted with the initials 10. B. ''The captain" the negroes called him, and he was highly popular already, three hours of the captain being worth three weeks of David, as far as familiarity went. The man was glib-tongued, smartly dressed fellow, we'll supplied with money, and his errand was | of course, to influence the votes at the next election. David, meanwhile, had SO carefully kept all talk of politics from his scholars, that they hardly knew that an election was near. lt | became now, a contest between the two high CT intelligences. If the school-master had but won the easily-won and strong affections of his pupils! But, in all those months, he had gain ed only a dutiful attention. They did not even respect him as they had respected their old masters, and the cause (poOr DavidD was that very thrift and industry which he relied upon as an example.
 | :'Ole Mars Ammerton would nebber wash his dishes eff dey was nebber washed" contided Maum June to Elsy, as they caught sight of l Davids shining pans
 The school master could have had a rctinuc of servants for small price, or no price at all but to tell a truth (which he never told) he could not endure them about him. ''I must have one spot to myself, he said | feverishly, after he had labored all day among them teaching correcting untidy ways, ad- l mnistering simple medicines, or binding up a | bruised foot But he never dreamed that this very isolation of his personality this very thrift were daily robbing him or the influence which he so earnestly longedto possess. InNew Eng | land, every mans house was his castle; and every mans hands were thrifty. He forgot the easy familiarity, the lordly ways, the crowded households, and the royal carelessneSs, to which the slaves had always been accustomed in their old masters homes.
 At first the captain attempted intimacy. ''No reason why you and me shouldn't work | together he said with confidential wink. | '"Ths things being done all over the South, and easy done, too. Now's the time for smart chaps like us, transition you know The old Southerners are mad. and won't come for ward, 80 we'll just sail in and have a few years of it. When they're ready to come back,- why, we'll give lem up the place again, of course, if our pockets are well lined Come now, just acknowledge that the negroes have got to have somebody to lead 'em.
 ''It shall not be such as you" said David in- dignantly. ''See those two men quarTeling; that is the work of the liquor you have given them"
 'They've as good right to their liquor as other men have" replied the captain, careless ly, land that's what tell 'em; they aint slaves noy,-they're free. We'll. boss, sorry you don't like my idees, but can't help it must go ahead. Remember, offered you chance, and you would not take it. Morning"
 The five months had grown intosx and sev- en, and Jubilee-town was known far and wide as dangerous and disorderly neighborhood. The old people and the children still came to school, but the young men and boys had de- serted in body The school-masters cotton field was neglected he did little there him self every day. but the work was novel, and his attempts awkward and slow. One after noon, Harnett Ammerton rode by on horse back; the road passed near the angle of the field where the schoolmaster was as work.
 "How is your experiment succeeding :" said the planter, with little smile of amused scorn as he saw the lonely figure
 ''Not very well, replied David
 He paused and looked up earnestly into. the planters face. Here was a man who had liv- ed among the blacks all his life, and knew them if he would but give honest advice The school-master was sorely troubled that af- ternoon. Should he speak? He would at least try.
 ''Mr Ammerton," he said, 'do you intend to vote at the approaching eectiony'
 ''No," replied the planter; ''nor any person of my acquaintance"
 ''Then incompetent, and, fear, evil l-minded men will be put into olfice."
 ''Of course the certain result of negro vot- ing"
 5.But if you, sir, and the class to which you belong, would exert yourselves, l am inclined to think much might be done. The breach will only grow broader every year i.act now, while you have still influence left.
 'Then you think that we have influence, said the planter.
 He was curious concerning the ideas of. this man, who, although not like the typical 1an- kee exactly, was yet plainly fanatic while as to dress and air-why, Zip, his old valet, had more polish.
 q know at least that have none, said Das vid. Then he came step nearer Do you think, sir" he began slowly, ''that have gone to work in the wrong way? Would it have been wiser to have obtained some post of au- thority over them,-the office of justice of the peace, for instance, with power of arrestY
 q know nothing about it," said the planter curtly, touching his horse with his whip and riding on. He had no intention of stopping to discuss ways and means with an abolition school-masterl
 Things grew from bad to worse at Jubilee. Most of the men had been field hands, there was but little intelligence among tneh; tue ie" bright minds among David's pupils caught the spacious arguments of the captain, and repeat ed them to the others The captain explained how much power they held the captain laid before them glittering plans the captain said that by good rights each family ought to have a plantation to repay them for their years of enforced labor; the captain promised them q four-story brick college for their boys, which was more than King David had ever promised. teacher though he was. They found out that they were tired of King David and his narrow talk and they went over to lIildore Corners, where new store had been opened, which con- tained, among other novelties, bar. This was one of the captains benefactions. "lf you pay your money for it, you've as gocd q right to your liquor as any one, guess;" he observed Not that it's anything to me, of course but allow 1 like to see fair play"
 It was something to him, however the new store had silent partner. And this was but
 r Il l-.1u.