he'd only interfere. He shook his
head, and said that the boy had been impudent and disobedient, ever
since he bought him; that he was going to break him in, once for all.
I turned and ran; and every step of the way, I thought that I heard him
scream. I got into the house; ran, all out of breath, to the parlor,
where I found Butler. I told him, and begged him to go and interfere.
He only laughed, and told me the boy had got his deserts. He'd got to be
broken in,--the sooner the better; 'what did I expect?' he asked.

"It seemed to me something in my head snapped, at that moment. I felt
dizzy and furious. I remember seeing a great sharp bowie-knife on the
table; I remember something about catching it, and flying upon him; and
then all grew dark, and I didn't know any more,--not for days and days.

"When I came to myself, I was in a nice room,--but not mine. An old
black woman tended me; and a doctor came to see me, and there was a
great deal of care taken of me. After a while, I found that he had gone
away, and left me at this house to be sold; and that's why they took
such pains with me.

"I didn't mean to get well, and hoped I shouldn't; but, in spite of me
the fever went off and I grew healthy, and finally got up. Then, they
made me dress up, every day; and gentlemen used to come in and stand
and smoke their cigars, and look at me, and ask questions, and debate
my price. I was so gloomy and silent, that none of them wanted me. They
threatened to whip me, if I wasn't gayer, and didn't take some pains
to make myself agreeable. At length, one day, came a gentleman named
Stuart. He seemed to have some feeling for me; he saw that something
dreadful was on my heart, and he came to see me alone, a great many
times, and finally persuaded me to tell him. He bought me, at last, and
promised to do all he could to find and buy back my children. He went
to the hotel where my Henry was; they told him he had been sold to a
planter up on Pearl river; that was the last that I ever heard. Then he
found where my daughter was; an old woman was keeping her. He offered an
immense sum for her, but they would not sell her. Butler found out that
it was for me he wanted her; and he sent me word that I should never
have her. Captain Stuart was very kind to me; he had a splendid
plantation, and took me to it. In the course of a year, I had a son
born. O, that child!--how I loved it! How just like my poor Henry the
little thing looked! But I h