Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1890-12-24

look | ever saw him wear. Ohl hov .
can tell the rest!
We'll, there il but little more to re
late, Vet it i the worst of all" con
tinued the old man, TREMENDOUSLY. al
will be soon told. Some of the hand
had opened the lower sluice, and le,
the water run out Of the basin; theI
they had rolled away the cask OF stones
! saw no one around the cabin-door
and | neither dared 10 enter il nor ash
any questions of the hands, WHOSE
faces all wore sorrowful expressions
/ walked around aimlessly, with my
brain Oh fire. Something had happen,
ed. What was it, Was / the cause
of itf l dared not inquire.
Percy exclaimed voice behinc
me
Il turned and met my uncle's gaZ,
fixed on me, and his eyes were brim
ming with tears.
II wish you TO follow me. he said
in low, hoarse whisper.
! He led me TO Maumie Tegga's cabin
which We entered. He pointed TO
chair, on the seat of which was q poo
of water. 1 shuddered involuntarily
as | glanced at il. | did not sit, bu
my uncle sank into a cane-bottomeC
chair, and buried his face in his hands
Ii was some time before he spoke. bu
every word he said has burned in NV
memory for over fifty long years.
Sir he said, Il have a painful
communication TO make TO YOU.
know not why you did so, but l DO
know that you opened the mill-sluice
last night. No one else knows of it
for L removed the evidence, and now
return il 10 YOU And he handed me
part of Il broken wRtchchain, witt
its seals, the loss of which L had nos
until then noticed.
..It was an accident, sir | eX
planned.
4 - Il am quite willing TO accept yo,n
word that il was SO, and l am sin
cercly glad TO believe il; but was it by
accident, too, that you fastened this
csbin-door with the cask of stones ]
You hesitate-yOu do not answer. Ny
GodI you could not have mnditated
thisl Say it i not 50, or 1 shall go
nAdr
81 made no reply. l could not.
"Suddenly he arose and grasped re
by my neckerchief.
/ ".Do you know what you have
done?' he gasped, hoarsely. Do yoC
know the extent OF your wrong-doing!
No! Then YOU shall know. l will
tell you. And first of all, you villain,
will tell you-yOu are nigger--a
niger slave, that | can sell as quickly
as l can the blackest tieid-hsnd on the
plantation. You shall receive a far
worse punishment than the law would
infiict on YOU a. a white man. NOa
shall be manacled sent TO Louisville
and sold at auction. You have been
brought up 10 believe yourself to be
my nephew and white man. You
are not my nephew; you are
..Oh! oh! How can | repeat it:"
BE calm, uncle; be calm"
He said: You are-my-son
and the woman who lies Oh that bed
behind YOU, old Maumie Tegga-thc
woman who was drowned il this cabin
last night-is-'
What! Finish, uncle!" exclaimed
his grandniece.
- s-yOur-mother"
Il was not sold; | escaped, ant
shipped aboard privateer. Some
wears later under an assumed name
l bought myself Of my father, and Il
the bill of sale he agreed never TO be
tray my true relationship TO him
After the war-I-I-had her re
buried in that lot where the monumen
is raised, near by nv house, at tn,
beach; and that is where | 90 TO b.
alone, to be by myself, when nv pen
ance-time comes round. God ma,
forgive me but I have never forever
myself. l can never enjoy a Christ
mas Day. The anniversary of IN
birth of our Saviour, the day of 10,
and pleasure for all the rest of tb
. world, is nv mourning-day."