Year: 1878

lluC VI ludICA tOWdlU CAC PAUCl lAaA AOOA,
but, as / went along, my heart began to
sink again; visions Of rod, with which
my not too sanity character had made
me somewhat familiar, loomed up before
me; but worse than all, the thought of
my brothers ridicule made my sensitive
spirit quail. l thought I would evade
all that night, however, by going quietly
up the back stairs, and playing sick" ="
Fortune favored me. 1 reached the bed
room without being seen; and, just as |
was, with my hat on, for it could only
have come off with my scalp, l got into
bed and covered myself entirely up with
the bed-clothes. It was now dusk, and I
felt for the moment quite safe. Present
ly my aunt came into the room to get
something for which she was looking,
and | could hear her give several inquir-
ing shifts, and as she went out | heard
her say: certainly do smell tar;
where can it come from?" An interval
of peace followed, and then in came my
mother. Tar? Smell tar? Of course
you do; it's strong enough in this room.
Bring light"


1t was the sound Of doom!


My mother soon came close up to the
bed, and held the light SO that it fell
full upon me as she tried to turn down
the bed-clothing. Probably, if it had
not been for several previous scrapes
in which [ had been involved, she would
have been much frightened; but as it
was, the sight Of her young blackamoor
had much the same effect upon her as
upon my cousin. Her exclamations and
shrieks Of laughter brought every men,
Der of the household successfully to the
room, and as one after another came in,
fresh zest seemed to be given to the
merriment of which I was the unfortu-
nate victim.


But every renewal of the fun was an
added agony to me; for l clearly fore
saw that it would be rehearsed by Jack
;,nd Tom to all the boys in the neighbor-
hood. Besides this, was not in con-
dition to be hilarious. Plastered with
tar from head to foot; streaming with
perspiration at every pore; my clothes
drenShed; my hair matted together; and
my straw hat, soaked with water, fas-
tened upon it, and falling limp and wet
about my> eyes, was not rendered more
comfortable by the fact that could not
move without taking my pillow and bed
clothes with ne, as, in my desperate de-
sire to conceal myself from view, I had
become enwrapped in the bed-clothing
like caterpillar IL ltts crysails; and 1
was conscious of dim fear that if l sat
up, with the pillow stuck fast on the
top of my head, the sight Of me might
produce fatal results upon the already
exhausted family.


At last the point was reached where
l thought patience ceased to be a vir-
tue, and | rebelled against being any
longer made spectacle.


| declared if they would all 60 away
but mother, | would tell her all about
it. The crowd retired, commissioned to
send up crock of butter, a tub of hot
water and pair of shears. Maternal
love is strong, but I doubt if it was Of
ten put to severer test of its long
suffering than was that of my mother
that night.


Suffice it to say that, after my clothes
had been cut to ribbons, the sheets torn
up, my head well-nigh shaved, and my
whole person subjected first to an Afri-
can bath Of melted butter, and after
ward to one of hot soap-suds, I had had
my fill of bathing for one day, and was
shortly before midnight pronounced to
be tolerably clean.