River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-03-15
ttIeber knows numn;

great contempt tor her ignorance.
"Why, Massa Linkum, everybody knows
bout he! He's done gone made me
free-Whole heap on WEI
"Freew echoed June, with puzzled
eyes.
flaws, yes, chile; pears like yer's
drefnt stupid Yer don b'nlog"-Cre-
line lowere her voice to mysterious
whisper, and looked carefully at the
closed door-"yer dom b'long to Missus
jolly no more dan she b'longs to YOU.
an OATS lie trufe now, case Massa Lin
KUN says so-God bress bimr
Just then Madame Joliet came back
What's that you're talking about"
she said, sharply.
June was jes' sayin' what heap she
tink OBJ you, missus," said Creline, with
grave face.
June lay awake long time that night,
thinking about Massa Linkum, and the
wonderful news Creline had brought,
and wondering when Madame Joliet
would tell her that she was free.
But many DAYS passed, and Madame
said nothing about it. Creline's son had
left his master and gone North Creline
herself had asked and obtained scanty
wages for her work. A little black boy
across the street had been sentenced to
receive twenty-five lashes for some trl-
fling fault, and they had just begun 10
beat him IN the yard, when Union
officer stepped up and stopped them. A
little GIRL not quarter of a mile away.
whose name June had often heard, had
just found her father, who had been
sold away from her years ago, and had
come into Richmond with the Yankee
soldiers. But nothing had happened to
June. Everything went on as in the
old days before Massa Linkum came.
She washed dishes, and scrubbed
knives, and carried baskets of wood SO
heavy that she tottered under their
weight, and was scolded if she dropped
SO much as shaving on the floor; she
swept the rooms with broom three
times as tall as she was, anr ears bOxei e
because she could not get the dust up
with such tiny hands. She worked and
scrubbed, and ran on errands from
morning until night, till her feet aehed
so that she cried out with the pain. She
was whipped, and scolded, and threat
ened, and frightened, and shaken, just
as she had been ever since she could
remember. She was kept shut up like
a prisoner in the house, with Madam
Joliet's cold gray eyes forever on her,
and her sharp voice forever in her ear.
And still not word was said about Mas
sa Linkum and the beautiful freedom he
had given to all such as little June, and
not word did June dare To say.
But June thought. Madame Joliet
could not help that. If Madame had
known Just what June was thinking,
she would have tried hard to help it.
One night Creline was
going by the house, when June
called to her softly through the fence.
"CreIinew
whats de natter" said Creline,
who was in great hurry.
"I's gwine to fine Massa Linkum-don'
yer tell nobody.
Laws massy, what young un dat
is!' said Creline, thinking that June
had Just walked up from a dream, and
forthwith forgetting all about her.
Madame Joliet always locked June
into her room, which was nothing but a
closet with window in it. and a heap
of rags for a bed. On this particular
night she turned the key as usual, and
went to her own room at the other end
of the house, where she was soon sound
ly asleep.
About eleven o'clock, when all the
house was still, the window of June's
closet softly opened There was roof
ed door way just underneath it, with an
old grapevine trellis running up enc
side of it. A little dark figure stepped
cinging with its hands to keep its bal
ance. and then down upon the trellis,
which it began to crawl slowly down.
The old wood creaked and grOaned and
trembled, and the little figure trembled
and stood still. If it should give way
and fall crashing to the grouudl
She stood a minute looking down;
then she took slow, careful step; then
another, and another, hand under hand
upon the bars The trellis creaked, and
shook, and cracked, but it held on, and
June held on, and dropped softly down,
gasping and terrified at what she had
done. all in little heap on the grass
below. .
She lay there moment perfectly
still. She could not catch her breath at
first, and she trembled so that she could
not move
Then she crept along on tiptoe to the
wood shed. She ran a great risk in
opening the wood-shed door, for the
hinges were rusty, and it creaked with q
terrible noise But Hungry was in there.
She could not go without Hungry. She
went in ana called IN faint whisper.
The kitten knew her, dark as it was, and
ran out from the wood-pile with joyful
NEW. to rub itself against her dress.
ives gwine to fine Massa Linkum,
you an me, bof two togeder," said June.
"Purj pur-r-r" said Hungry, as if she
were quite content; and June took her
III, in her arms and laughed softly. How
happy they would be, she and Hungry
and how Massa Linkum would smile
and wonder when he saw them coming
inland how Madame Joliet would hunt
and scold!
1t was very still and very dark. The
great trees stood up like giants against
the sky, and the wind howled hoarsely
through them. 1t made June think of
the bloodhounds that she had seen rush
ing with horrible yells to the swamps,
where hunted slaves were hiding
81 reckon faint only little ways, Hun
gry," she said, with shiver; well git
dar fore long. Dom be 'fraid."
"PurI pur-r-rw said Hungry, nesting
her head in warmly under June's arm.
aspect you Tub me, Hungry-'spects
you doesI'
And then June laughed out softly once
more. What would Massa Linkum say
to the kitty? Had he ever seen such a
kitty as that in all his life?
So she folded her arms tightly over
Hungry's soft fur, and trudged away in
to the woods. She began to sing little
as she walked, in that sorrowful, smoth-
cred way that made Madame Joliet
angry. All, that was all over nowi There
would be no more scolding and beating,
no more tired days, no more terrible
nights spent in the dark and lonely cell
lar, no more going to bed without her
supper, and crying herself to sleep.
Massa Linkum would never treat her so,
she never once donbted in that little trust
ing heart of hers, that he would be glad to
see her, and Hungry too. Why should
she? Was there any one in all the world
who had looked so at poor little June?
So on and away, deep into the woods
and swamps, she trudged cheerily; and
she sang low to Hungry, and Hungry
rurred to her. The night passed onand
the stars grew pale, the woods deepened
and thickened, the swamps were cold
and wet, the brambles scratched her
hands and feet.
''It's les ober here little ways, Hun
gry" trying to laugh. "We'll fine him
purity soon. rs terrible tired, an
sleepy, Hungry"
She sat down then on heap of leaves
to rest, and laid her head down upon
her arm,s and Hungry mewed little,
and cured up in her neck The next she
knew the sun was shining. She jumped
up frightened and puzzled, and then she
remembered where she was, and began
to think of breakfast. But there were
no berries but the poisonous dog wood,
and nothing else to be seen but leaves,
and grass, and bushes. Hungry snapp ed
up few grass-hoppers, and looked
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