Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1899-08-12
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CHAPTER VII
A NYSTERIOrrS rim


The manner and language Of Mr.
Dorion did but increase my anxiety to
hear ali that he could tell about my
strange benefactor. To overcome his
reluctance, gave him the story Of my
life as it has been set forth in the pre-
.vious chapters, dwelling much upon
the deep impression that Mr.. Bostock's
liberality ana his interest in me had
ished the hope of joining him here,
the difficulties had overcome to do so,
and my present deep disappointment.
My account evidently touched the
listener.
81 see must tell you what know
You have plain right to be told. The
whole story has grown into the most
disagreeable recollection of my life,
and with any ordinary inquirer
SHOULD ignore the whole business. And
IF you will hear it, you must be warned,
at the start, that it will furnish what
j should think will be good reasons
why you should now abandon your
search for Pierce Bostock- Shall go
'on?"
"By all means"
will put the narrative in his own
Language, as nearly as possible.
My acquaintance with Bostock be-
gan about the year 1s41, when he
came up here from Louisiana to look
for a cotton plantation that would
suit him The account that he gave Of
himself was. have no doubt, strictly
true. He had been raising sugar al
most all his life in La Fourche district
of Louisiana, and he desired change.
He proposed to keep his great plants-
ton there under the charge of a
competent overseer, and to live here.
He must be immensely wealthy; for
seeing and liking this plantation he
paid cash for it. If you'll look over ii
with me in the morning, you can
easily make up your mind that it re.
quired fortune to do that.
He removed here that September
bringing some of his house servants
He had two children-an infant in It's
nurses arms, little Coralie, of whom
you will presently hear more; and &
son, Conrad, then fifteen years old
He never said much about his wife
in fact, he never named her of his owl
accord; to those who thought thel
had the right to ask questions, he in
variably replied that she was Partisan
born, and could not live away from
Paris, even with her husband AM
children. All understood from thi
that it was case where husband an,
wife had agreed to disagree"
never could see that any one of tn
numerous slave women that wer
about this house in those days occu
pied the position of housekeeper. Their
were two or three of them who wer
quite capable of it; but Bostoclx wa
accustomed to get along in an easy, il
dulgent way, without anyone to loo
sharply after the household affair,
So there was waste, extravagance-an
confusion, as there always will
where there is an indulgent maste
and no white woman to hold the rel
over a lot of idle, shiftless darkies-
The boy Conrad had better d.spoG
of at once. 1t has been many yea
since / saw him certainly nev'
want 70 see him again He was
wild, undutiful fellow, and in CO..
tinual difficulty with IS fathe
When he was twenty he disappeare
presume that Mr.. Bostock kne
where he went; but he never me
toned him and nobody cared to lUno'
If there could be such a thing as
born gambler. should say that C0nr'