Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1898-06-09

| GEAR girl, Is the pOSltlOn Ouer YOU
"And you dare to speak these words
to me! to me. q pure woman ana q
welded wifev' gasped Fora, nearly
speeches. with Indignation.
"Stuff, girl! that's your monomania
again-the one subject upon which
you are cracked! But it is the full OF
the moon, or but little past it, and
hope, with the wane, the hallucination
will pass away. In the meantime
pray do not mention it to me again
my dear girl. And, Fora. let me tell
you that the tone you adopt toward
me is scarcely proper or grateful. And
you have something to be grateful
for
ooh. have l, indeed?" exclaimed AS.
trea, bitterly.
Eyes, you have. you spoiled and in
experienced child! Suppose l had not
purchased you? You would have been
| taken to New Orleans, and exposed for
sale on the auction block. Some grace.
less scamp would have bought you,
and. after loving you for little while.
would have grown tired of you, and
| sold YOU to some one else; or he would
have married n wife, and brought her
home to queen 1t over you, and break
YOUR heart; or you would have been
bought by some married man, to wait
upon his wife, whom your beauty
would have driven mad with jealousy
and so, between the favor of your
master and the hatred Of your mis-
tress. your life would have been a
purgatOry. Such, or some such fate
would have been yours, Fora, had l
not purchased You. Now, see how
much happier your position is! Here
you have no jealous mistress to op-
press you: no rival to distress you;
here you need feel no female despot-
ism. and no male Inconsistency; here
YOU are the sole mistress of the house
the sole darling of the old man, in
whom YOU need never fear change
for men of my age do not change like
younger ones, my girl. They get used
to Il pretty, affectionate girl. and the
longer they know her the better they
love her: and the length of years they
live together does but cement the at
t:.chment. Come, now. my dear girl,
think over what l have said-remem-
Der it is this-that you shall. be the
only love of my heart, my wife in ev-
erything but the name, and the name
could not in any case offer any girl
of your color, because, however worthy
| of it she might be, the laws OF the
state would not sanction it. Come.
my child-think Of what l offer you!
will not further distress you this
morning; but this evening may, per-
haps. see you again."
And so saying, the planter arose to
leave the parlor.
"Stay" said Astrea, sternly.
Half-laughing at the peremptory tone
taken by his slave, Rumford paused,
saying:
long as you like, my dear. had
supposed my presence to be unwel-
come. l am glad to find it otherwise"
And he threw himself into Il chair.
"You nave spoken words TO me
which it was dishonor to my ears to
hear and deeper dishonor to your lips
to utter. You are an old man-old in
years. and older still in a constitution
ruined by vice"
'Zorav' Interrupted the planter.
ste-nly.
'Yes, sir-I will speak to you plain
ly. From me you shall hear the truth,
if you never heard it before. Let 9TH
| ers flatter and deceive you to your
souls eternal perdition. if they will.
Heaven knows that will not. 1. re-
peat that you are an old man-ofder
still by vice than by years! Between
you and the grave there can be but a
little while-a few years at most
perhaps but few months, a few
weeks or few days. Life at your
age, spent as you spend it, is always
short and very precarious-"
$50 much the better for you, my
dear, if you will but stop preaching,
and consent to comfort what is left of
| it to mev' said Rumford, with gay de-
fiance.
''Be silent on that insulting subject!
abhor you, old man-there is nothing
on earth so loathsome and so appall-
ing to my soul as vicious old age! And
yet it is even more in pity than dis
gust that I warn you-look to your
self! You are old, intirm. feeble! You
are sensual gluttonous and drunken!
You are despotic, passionate. excita-
bic! At any moment these combined
influences may occasion your sudden
death. 1 know it! And then? what
then: You would be hurried. without
| 1Ol anu Win an
your lifetime's load of sin upon your
soul, into the awful presence of your
Judge! Think of that, old man, and
tremble"
We'll you see I don't tremble, al
though you force me to think of disa-
greeable subjects-you witch"' said
Rumford, with gay Indifference.
"AIr. Rumford, do you believe in
God, and in a future state of rewards
and punishments?
"Of course believe in God: but rs
to the future state of rewards and
punishments, that is all bosh!"
"Then acn no longer talk with you,
sir. If you reject the truths Of the
Christian revelation, 1 can have nc
further hold upon your conscience.
can only pray that the Lord, to whom
all things are possible, may enlighten
your SOUL
Girl! Fora! you talk to me as though
you thought was the greatest sinner
alive! am not. am known all over
the country for a good fellow. Ii
prove it to you, sit here and listen tc
lot of abuse from my own slave, that
no other man alive would take ever
from his. wife! l think that proves
am not a bad fellow. And what the
deuce!-I have never robbed or muir