San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-03-12
CHAPTER TX.

CHAPTER TX.
"Mammar shouted Hector. at the top
of his voice, dashing into the parlor in n
state of great excitement, followed close
ly by little Ran. please come over to
the quarters right straight. Uncle
Patrick is in the kitchen and he says
that Mr.. Anthony is going to pull all
the cabins down and send all the colored
folks away. Uncle Patrick says he
hasn't got any place to go. He's old and
can't work any longer and nobody
wants to be bothered with him and Aunt
Kitty any more. because they amt any
use. He's crying, mamma, awful hard.
and he says they'll have to go to the
poorhouse if you don't help them. MIR
Anthony says they will"
"He don't want to go to the poorhouse.
mamma" chimed in Ran eagerly
"Dont let him go; it's drefful to see him
cry, and he's so old. He says he cant
stand it to go; he would lever be dead!"
The boys eyes filled with tears, and his
little lips trelabled as he pressed close to
his mothers side, trampling on her dress
with his dusty little shoes in his excite
ment and distress.
land, mamma, Mr.. Anthony is going
to pull the houses all down." insisted
Hector. HE ought not to do that. The
servants won't have any place to go. and
father always let them live there. Mr..
Anthony ought not to pull the houses
down."
BY the exercise of considerable pa
thence and a good deal of ability in cross
questioning, Mrs. Beverley finally ar
rived at clear comprehension Of the
case. The cabins, five in number, all
that were left of the original row,
stood, as has been stated, just in front of
the overseer's house, and not stones
throw from it. The site selected (at
Mary's suggestion, as she remembered
now for tie handsome new residence
which the owner of Lower Repton pro-
posed to erect for himself was on the
crest of the hill, in fine grove of trees,
and commanding a most magnificent
view. The cabins would be in full sight
of all the front windows and were any
thing but an addition to the landscape,
looking, in truth, as their owner ex-
pressed it, like "a lot of miners shanties
round an old shaft"
As the work upon the new house was
to commence Immediately, the material
all engaged and the architect actually
on his way to Virginia, Mr.. Anthony
had decided not to wait about moving
the cabins until after its completion, as
he had spoken of doing when he talked
the matter over with Mrs. Beverley, but
to take them away at once. According
ly, the work of demolition had been in
augurated that very morning. and the
cabins were being taken to pieces and
carted to other parts of the estate for
re-erection. The negroes whom An
thony wished to retain in his employ
had arrangements made for their ac-
commodation during the period OF their
homelessness, while those Of whom he
wished to rid himself simply had notice
given them to quit by certain day.
Among these last was poor old Pat
rick and his equally old and still more
infirm wife. They had never been house
servants nor very intimately associated
with the family life, but they had been
born and raised ON the Beverley estate,
and had occupied that particular cabin
ever since their welded life began,
nearly sixty years before, and had. not
unnaturally, counted on being allowed
to die in it. They had long outlived
their children, and their grandchildren
had all drifted away to seek liveli-
hood in other places, leaving the ancient
couple still fixture on the old planta-
tation, firm in the conviction that the
white people would never see them come
to want. They were SO old that, beyond
their own few household matters, no
work was expected of them, and they
lived on from year to year, their few
wants supplied and their comfort looked
after hv the white family. lust as it