Year: 1859




to care about questioning me too closely. He
made me sit down then in the dark, and went
out and turned the key on me. wet nv finger
with the paregoric and put it to the baby's lips
to quiet ITS pains of hunger. Then / heard a
whispering in the next room Now my eyesipht
never was good, but to make up for il believe
hao the sharpest ears that ever was, and don't
think anybody could have heard that whisper
ing but me- saw little glimmer Of light
through the chinks that showed me where the
door was, and so cropped up to it and put my
ear to the keyhole. Still they whispered so low
that no ears could o. heard them butmy sharp
ones. They was talking about selling some wo-
man and child. should 'av been Uneasy ifthey
had not called the woman Kate. M william
offered em for fifty dollars, but t'other villain
wouldn't give cent. He told my william as he
called Captain, that he'd take 'em off his hands
and no more. And then they threatened each
other, and went out o. my hearin'. Aud in the
tnornin' the new willain came and took me and
the child off in shay and drove down a long
way to the beach, and hailed a vessel on the
river and took us aboard and sold US to the cap
tain right afore my eyes, and then went ashore
and we was carried off to sea, though | cried,
and 'Splaned, and spostulated all the time.


Now, sir. came a strange providence, which
the very thoughts of it might convert heathenl
We had been to sea about five days when
dreadful storm riz. tell you, master, that
looked like the wrath of Godi hugged the ba-,





as could pray.


Presently felt an awful shock, as if Heav-
en- and earth had come together and then eve
rybody screaming She's struck! She's struck
felt the vessel trembling like live creetur,
and the water pouring in everywhere. Hug.
ged the babe and scrambled up the companion
way to the deck. II was pitch dark, and [
heard every man rushing toward one side of tho
vessel.


"a fash of lightning, that made everything
rs bright as day again, showed me that they
were all taking to the boat rushed after, call
ing to them to save me and the baby. But no
one'seemed to hear me; they were all too busy
trying to save themselves and keep others out
of the boat, and cursing and swearing and hol-
lowing that there was no more room--that the
boat would be swamped, and so on. And me
and the baby and poor sailor lad and the black
cook were left behind to perish.


"But, master, as it turned out we as was
left behind to die, were the only ones saved
We watched after that boat with longing eyes,
though we could only see it when the lightning
flashed. And every time we saw it, it was far
ther off. At last, marster, a fash of lightning
showed us the boat as far as we could see her,
capsized and beaten hither and thither by the
wild waves-its crew had perished.


''Mar-ter, as soon as the sea had swallowed up
that wicked captain and crew, the wind died
away, the waves fell, and the storm lulled-just
as ifit had done what it was sent to do and was





ones stood-the wreck that had sSivered and
trcmbled with every wave that struck it-until
Became @ au still q and firm on It's saodbar as house
on dry land.


"DayIioht came at last. And little after
sunrise we saw a sail bearing down tipon u.s..
We could not signal the sail. but by the mercy
Of Providence she saw us and lay to, and sent
off a boat, and picked us up and took us on
board-me and the baby, aud the cook and the
at was foreign vessel. aad We could not
understand word they said, nor they US. All
GOOD TO us, dried our clothes and gave US break
fast, and made us lie down and rest. And then
ior lad~Herbert Greyson-soon found out and
told me they were bound for New York. And,
mort.


"Nell, marster, 1 aint gwine to bother you
with telling yous Of how / toilcd and struggled
olnn. in that grcnt. city-first living out as a
servant. and afterwards renting room and taxi
ing in washing and ironing-aye! how toiled
and strurpled-for-tenzl years, hoping
s,r thn time to come when I-shonld be able to