The Mineral argus., 1884-01-10

SIRE EUAAAAZ up 4A1 49,
ing himself in some garments, soon (af-
ter q whispered conference on the
porch) ushered iato the privacy Of orr
rom, dimly lighted by a smoldering
wood fire, a colored women, with
strongly marked African features.
l watched her curiously from my pill
low as she stopped over the embers,
warming her dark, misshaPen hands
hardened and toilworn by field labor.
Her face indicated kindness, but wore
a subdued expression which touched
my heart; and when my little Lacy
awoke and needed attention, all the
mother in her heart blossomed into win
ming smiles on her home y face and
warmed it into a glow Of gentleness and
love.
80, before / had risen, / had mentally
appropriated her to my " use and
comfort, ifthat appropriation accorded
With my husbands views and plans for
his sable protege. We were passing
through an experience on the servant
question. even under the old regime in
a slave State. equal to the present day of
freedom and equality.
Our Trustworthy Susan had s:ckened
and died II say ours, but only ours as
we hired from year to year,. While we
required the assistance they gave Us, we
vere too thoroughly northern to deal in
humanity by barter and sale; and 50 we
awaited ourselves, each succeeding New
Years day, Of the public hiring of slaves
and provided ourselves with the help
we needed.
Susan had proven such a treasure that I
this was her third year, and the only
temptation | ever felt "to own a Niger"
was to take her out Of the hands Of a
cruel, rapacious mistress and give her
such a home for life as she deserved;
but AZrael claimed her as his own. and 1
doubt not she found a home in "that
house" not made with hands eternal in
the heavens"
The next was Cynthia; who proved p
thief ana Euca an aggravation that we
sent her 10 her mistress in despair. Then
for a time Nancy Bell. a white girl, ruled
IN the culinary department. / soon
tired OF her and determined to take adj
vantage of my early training and be my
own cook. For a time the novelty
pleased me, but By the time of the.myste-
rious advent of the dark stranger into my
bedroom | was MORE than willing to re-
sign my position. After a heavy break
fast Silas said: "Now / shall take Juddy
down town and put her into the hands
Of the sheriff TO be hired, and If yon
wishit my dear, ] will hire her for YOU"
he graciously vouchsafed me; that is"
he continued, ''if Juddy thinks she can
stand your wretched temper" She
booked from n TO the other of Us as
we stood smiling before her, and her
sad eyes frightened with a semblance of /
humor as she said laconically: "I risk
it MASTER" Silas merely explaining:
She is a slave suing for her freedom,
and j have consented TO defend her"
The hiring took place according to law
in srrh cases, and in a few hours Judy A
was sIngly ensconeed in my kitchen.
Her story was one of thousands of the i
dask ages of human slavery of which no
note has eve been taken. :
II impressed itself strongly on my
memory and row, after a third of a I
century ii all comes back TO me, and / |
feel compelled TO give it utterance. l
Tell me your story, Judy" | said to I
her ono day, as | was assisting her to
make some garments for herself, as she
sat in my room.
"Dar amt much to tell. missus.' said
she; "leastways what white folks would
care te hear" she added, shyly.
II should like to hear il very much,"
4 Saul anu as near MS pOSSiOles VIII give
IT in her own language.
We'll, Missus, Mr.. Dngan bought me
70 years ago, after my ole master died,
an / KEEP house for him, an he ofen
tole me / was a good woman, an eff
would work for him an take care of him
as long as he wanted me, dat he'd set
me free. You see he hadn't any family,
and seemed sort o. lonesome like.
II did de bes' | oould fur de ole man,
TO make HIM comf'able. He had one
great failin, missus. an dat was drink.
Hit seemed like he couldn't help it. A
man a time he'd come a-reelln' home,
an Ia put him to bed an take care o.
him, / know dere weren't many wom-
en- as would do fur him what l did, an
he knowed 1t too, fur one day he came
home, an g' me me some papers in a
biz yailer kiver; an he says to me:
Take care of dem, Judy; dey's your
free papers, an don't let anybody
fool you out oh EN-; fur [ tell you
dey II all right, no niattah who seq dey
isn't
dat was two yeah ago come nez'
Christmas. hit seemed like hit was
TOO good to las. 1 spec / was too proud
'kase | was a free woman, dat de Lord
TUX me down de wayhe did.
DE ole man KEEP a.drinkin' mo- an
mo- an at las | got feared sumfin' 'ould
happen, so | jes' got him TO let me 90 TO
see daddy an nanny, an l tux de
papers wild me, to make shure of dem,
an l hid EN-, missus, whar it was hard
to fin EN-" and a smile lighted up
her sad eyes for a moment, as she
paused refectively-"yes missus, | hid
en-"
where and how could you hide a