The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-05-10

gray, MS nan0s were cIencned, and his
! breath came labored. went with him
| to find Henrietta
She was sewing at the window as we
went to the house. She dropped her
| work with start at sight of US: then
she took it up and sewed steadily, he,
face as hard as a flint. knew there was
no hope. Joe saw It. too.
He walked up TO her, the paper'in his
| hand
Say" he exclaimed. dis yere pape,
air lie.''
/ She sewed on, and neither looked up
nor spoke.
He snatched the work from her.
Don't fool wild me, CONAN. Say dis
/ we're air a lie! Say it, Henrietta, 70
! Gods sake say hit!''
She stood up, pulled the dead leaves
! eff the dead geranium Haunting in the
window, hecked the dust off the sill,
looked at him silently and stolidly a
moment. Then she spoke:
EFF yo' want SIGH a slow'fool you'd
know l amt gwine stan as mistiss to
no slave vvidout gwine sell dat Niger
when gifts ready. Hit faint no lie in
dat paper. l done sell yo' case it suit
me-"
Dumb with rage, Joe sprang at her
and struck her full in the face; she
! dropped at his feet, stunned or dead
He stood over her, his body vibrating
and qu1vering, his arms swaying, his
hands clenching and loosing tremulous-
". r.,
wild beaSt-a souls despair.
Il done shet yo' mouf up!" he gasped.
Free, is you? Free? l low you never
gwine say free no mo-! l gwine be
joyful de day dey puts yo' in de groundl
How come ever sot eyes on yo'? How
come dat passon say what God hev'j 'ined
she'll TO man set insunder? Hit air lie!
don set hit insunder myselfr'
a wall interrupted hin-the child,
terrified into silence till now, began to
cry: Nanny! nanny! He done kill
NANNY
His child's voice turned the mans
passion. He took the littleone up and
began soothing it. Hush, honey-dar
now, honey, hush, hush! Yo' nanny
amt deadl Hush, honey, yo' got yo'
nanny an yo' pappy-yo' pappy gwine
wuk TO yo'-"
Then the truth crushing on him, he
broke into SobS.
''Oh my God! yo' got no pappy! She
done sell him"
He put the child down, and turned
again in fury toward his wife.
Sell mel yo' don sell me, Henrietta?
Sell po' Joe whar wuk ten year for
freedom? Sell me whar love yo' twenty
year? Whar.done wul1 fo' yo', nuss yo',
deny myself fo' vol Sell yo' chillun'
daddy? Sell me, whar God hev fined
to you?''
He fell into.a wild denial of Gods JUS
tice
Would de good God" he walled.
"'iow me go Off for slave? Would he
leave dat little Joe, whar cyarnt so
much es say daddy-leave 'en all an
never see ''em no mo-? He DON know
OATS hit, don know en--don' kear''
The last words fell slowly and mo-
notonously like a -knelL Joe walked
feebly to the chimney corner and sat
down. The glow of anger, love, ten
derness, supplication had burnt out of
his face; there was, left only ashen de-
spsir.
turned and left the house; the wom-
an, now moaning on the floor; the chill
dren huddled near her; Joe motionless
in the chimney corner, his head on his
breast, his arms1hanging loosely.
The next day, and the next, and the
next Joe was still there, speechless, mo-
tionless. Every morning Henrietta put
plate of food by him, every night she
took it away r1ntasted. Nothing reused
him, nothing moved him. He seemed
beyond touch or voice of human sym
pathy.
II busted myself in his behalf, bought
him from the speculator, and after some
weeks delay, took him his free papers.
As reached the door a negro woman
came out.
"Joe's free agin, Marse Hinry," she
said.
Yes. 1 have his papers now, but
how did you know it?"
81 dunno bout no papers. Joe dom
need none, marster. God done free
him"
1t was true. Joe was dead.-Marie
Louise Whiting, in Youths Companion.