"Not for him is freedom"s sound; Not for him the banners wave; For, in hopeless bondage bound, Toils the sad and weary slave.
"All things round of freedom ring-- Winged birds and dashing wave; What are joyous sounds to him In his chains, a fettered slave?"
[Ill.u.s.tration: AUNT JUDY"S HUSBAND CAPTURED See page 133]
AUNT JUDY"S STORY:
A STORY FROM REAL LIFE.
BY MATILDA G. THOMPSON.
CHAPTER I.
"Look! look! mother, there comes old Aunt Judy!" said Alfred, as an old colored woman came slowly up the gravel walk that led to the handsome residence of Mr. Ford, of Indiana.
The tottering step, the stooping back, and gla.s.sy eye, betokened extreme age and infirmity. Her countenance bore the marks of hardship and exposure; while the coa.r.s.e material of her scanty garments, which scarcely served to defend her from the bleak December wind, showed that even now she wrestled with poverty for life. In one hand she carried a small pitcher, while with the other she leaned heavily on her oaken stick.
"She has come for her milk," said little Cornelia, who ran out and took the pitcher from the woman"s hand.
"Let me help you, Auntie, you walk so slow," said she.
"Come in and warm yourself, Judy," said Mrs. Ford, "it is cold and damp, and you must be tired. How have you been these two or three days?"
"Purty well, thank ye, but I"se had a touch of the rheumatiz, and I find I isn"t so strong as I was," said Judy, as she drew near the grate, in which blazed and crackled the soft coal of the West, in a manner both beautiful and comforting.
Mrs. Ford busied herself in preparing a basket of provisions, and had commenced wrapping the napkin over it, when she paused and leaned toward the closet, into which she looked, but did not seem to find what she wanted, for, calling one of the boys, she whispered something to him. He ran out into the yard and down the path to the barn; presently he returned and said,
"There are none there, mother."
"I am very sorry, Judy, that I have not an egg for you, but our hens have not yet commenced laying, except Sissy"s little bantam," said Mrs. Ford.
Now Cornelia had a little white banty, with a topknot on its head and feathers on its legs, which was a very great pet, of course; and Sissy had resolved to save all banty"s eggs, so that she might hatch only her own chickens. "For," said she, "if she sets on other hen"s eggs, when the chickens grow big they will be larger than their mother, and then she will have so much trouble to make them mind her."
Now, when she heard her mother wish for an egg, the desire to give one to Judy crossed her mind, but it was some moments before she could bring herself to part with her cherished treasure. Soon, however, her irresolution vanished, and she ran quickly to her little basket, and taking out a nice fresh egg, she laid it in Judy"s hand, saying,
"There, Judy, it will make you strong."
Mrs. Ford marked with a mother"s eye the struggle going on in the mind of her daughter, but determined not to interfere, but let her decide for herself, unbiased by her mother"s wishes or opinions. And when she saw the better feeling triumph, a tear of exquisite pleasure dimmed her eye, for in that trifling circ.u.mstance she saw the many trials and temptations of after life prefigured, and hoped they would end as that did, in the victory of the n.o.ble and generous impulses of the heart.
When the basket was ready, and Aunt Judy regaled with a nice cup of tea, one of the boys volunteered to carry it home for her, a proposal which was readily a.s.sented to by Mrs. Ford, whose heart was gladdened by every act of kindness to the poor and needy performed by her children, and who had early taught them that in such deeds they obeyed the injunction of our Saviour: "Bear ye one another"s burdens."
CHAPTER II.
Several weeks had pa.s.sed away since Judy"s visit, when, one day, as Cornelia stood leaning her little curly head against her mother"s knee, she said:
"Mother, who is Judy? Has she a husband or children?"
"I do not know of any, my daughter. She may have some living; but you know Judy was a slave, and they have probably been sold away from her, and are still in slavery."
"In slavery, mother! and _sold_? Why, do they sell little children away from their mothers?"
"Yes, Cornelia, there are persons guilty of such a wicked thing; mothers and children, and whole families, are often separated from each other, never, perhaps, to meet again!"
"So Judy was a slave, mother?"
"Yes, Cornelia, she was: and from all I have learned of her history, I am sure she has led a very unhappy and sorrowful life."
"O! now I understand what you meant when you said that she had a th.o.r.n.y path through life. Have you ever heard her history, mother? if you have, won"t you tell it to us?"
"Yes, do, mother, do!" exclaimed the children together.
"I should like very much to gratify you, my dear children, but it is not in my power to do so, as I am not very well acquainted with her history.
But I will tell you how we can arrange it. Judy will he here to-night, as, I promised to give her some Indian cakes, of which she is very fond, and I have no doubt that she will tell you the story of her sad life."
The idea of hearing Judy"s story occupied the mind of the children all the afternoon, and the evening was looked forward to with great impatience by them.
It was twilight, and Mrs. Ford and the children had gathered around the warm, comfortable grate to await the return of papa. The wind whistled without, and the snow-flakes fell silently and steadily to the frozen ground.
"Mother, can"t I bring in the lights?" asked Cornelia, who was getting a little impatient; only a little, for Cornelia was remarkable for her sweet and placid disposition.
"Yes, dear, I think you may. Hark! yes, that is his footstep in the hall. Go, Alfred, and tell Bessie to bring up the tea. And you, Cornelia, bring your father"s dressing-gown and slippers to the fire."
"Yes, wife, let us have some of Bessie"s nice hot tea, for I am chilled through and through; and such a cutting wind! I thought my nose would have been blown off; and what would my little girl have said if she had seen her papa come home without a nose? Would you have run?" asked Mr. Ford.
"No, indeed, papa, if your nose were blown off, and your teeth all pulled out, and you were like "Uncle Ned," who had "no eyes to see, and had no hair on the top of his head," I would just get on your lap as I do now; so you see you could not frighten me away if you tried ever so hard," said Cornelia, laughingly.
Supper was hastily dispatched, by the children, who were eager and impatient for the coming of Aunt Judy.
"O mother! _do_ you think she will come?" asked Alfred, as his mother arose from the table to look at the weather.
"Well, indeed, Alfred, I am sorry to disappoint you, but I think there is little probability of seeing Judy to-night."
"Why, no, mother, I thought that as soon as I saw what a stormy night it was; and although it will disappoint us very much, I hope she will not come," said little Cornelia.