The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-02-09

two heavy sticks. / was alarmed at
first fearing / was to be beaten with
them, but when | fiinched tl~ little
master stroked my neck, and ! had no
more fear The sticks he carried
along 10 help him along over the
ground when he was not riding and
he used them nimbly
so we came home and grew to
know each other In cold weather
had a warm stable to rest in, and
heavy blanket to sleep under. I'm
pleasant weather / had cool water
twice a day and young corn and green
barley. People used to say he rode me
too hard at times, but it was not so.
1t was a pleasure 20 him and no harm
to me.
"One day there came to him from
far away a teacher a young man with
brown hair and blue eyes-and for a
time the little master was troubled.
He had no desire to sit i'm the house
for hours and do nothing bat read in
the books / used to watch for him
through the fence, and ne was very
proud indeed when he found that /
knew his voice from the rest and
would follow him about without the
bride or halter. / missed him when
the teacher came, and / used to go to
the fence and call for him.
But ] missed him only day or two.
The teacher was a wise young man,
and he soon saw that if the little mas
ter was to be taught at all, the teaching
must go on in the open air, with no
more books to bother with than he
could carry in one hand. So it came
to pass that every day the little master
would call for me, and they would go
on long journeys through the woods
and fields, the teacher walking with
me.
Sometimes the teacher would carry
books in his hand, but he carried more
in his head. He was wise. He knew
the poisonous plants and vines almost
as well as | did, and | used to wonder
how he found them out, not having
to eat them. This went on whenever
the weather was pleasant, and | heard
the teacher from far away say to the
little master that he was learning
great deaf more of the things that
were i'm the books than if he were shut
up in a tight room with the books
themselves. if j could have remem-
bered all | heard, I'd be pretty well
educated myself.
zone morning / was fed early
heard the negroes say that the white
haired master. the little master and
the teacher were going to town. 1t
was court week, they said The Judge
and jury were going to sit and punish
men for being meaner than the ami
mails. / thought it was very funny.
But ! ate my breakfast with a better
appetite because ! knew that none of
my Ilith and kin were to be hauled up
before the Judge and jury for cheat
ing and swindling and drinking and
gambling.
so we went to town, the little mas
ter and + The white-haired master
and the teacher rode in the buggy.
We kept with them little way, but
the weather was fine and the roads
were good and after while the little
master gave me the rein, which ! had
been asking for ever so long, and /
cantered forward, leaving the buggy
far behind and out of sight.
II cantered on in this way up hin
and down hill-for it was as easy as
walking until we came nearly to
town. Then suddenly the little mas
ter reached forward and touched me
on the shoulder 1t was a way he had
of warning me. We were coming to a
point where another road led into ours,
and it was we'll the little master warm
ed me when he did. Else when ! saw
what / did / should have given start
that would have unseated him, for
right before me, coming slowly into
our road, was train of huge wagons,
covered with white cloth. There were
FIVE wagons, each pulled by two mules.
Tn front OF the foremost wagon file
of negroes was marching, two by two
There must have been forty odd in
all. At first / thought they were pull
ing the wagons, for there was stout
rope reaching from the end of the wa
con tongue to the foremost negro OF
the file, and the end was fastened to
his waist. On each side of this rope
the other negroes walked, and ! soon
saw that every one was hand-cuffed to
the rope.
ITO be Continued)