der was peaceful, studious, and silent; the younger was warlike
and noisy. He was quick at learning when he began, but very slow at
beginning. No threats of the ferule would provoke Harry to learn in
an idle fit, or would prevent George from helping his brother in his
lesson. Harry was of a strong military turn, drilled the little
negroes on the estate and caned them like a corporal, having many
good boxing-matches with them, and never bearing malice if he was
worsted;--whereas George was sparing of blows and gentle with all about
him. As the custom in all families was, each of the boys had a special
little servant assigned him; and it was a known fact that George,
finding his little wretch of a blackamoor asleep on his master's bed,
sat down beside it and brushed the flies off the child with a feather
fan, to the horror of old Gumbo, the child's father, who found his young
master so engaged, and to the indignation of Madam Esmond, who ordered
the young negro off to the proper officer for a whipping. In vain George
implored and entreated--burst into passionate tears, and besought a
remission of the sentence. His mother was inflexible regarding the young
rebel's punishment, and the little negro went off beseeching his young
master not to cry.

A fierce quarrel between mother and son ensued out of this event. Her
son would not be pacified. He said the punishment was a shame--a shame;
that he was the master of the boy, and no one--no, not his mother,--had
a right to touch him; that she might order him to be corrected, and that
he would suffer the punishment, as he and Harry often had, but no
one should lay a hand on his boy. Trembling with passionate rebellion
against what he conceived the injustice of procedure, he vowed--actually
shrieking out an oath, which shocked his fond mother and governor, who
never before heard such language from the usually gentle child--that on
the day he came of age he would set young Gumbo free--went to visit the
child in the slaves' quarters, and gave him one of his own toys.

The young black martyr was an impudent, lazy, saucy little personage,
who would be none the worse for a whipping, as the Colonel no doubt
thought; for he acquiesced in the child's punishment when Madam Esmond
insisted upon it, and only laughed in his good-natured way when his
indignant grandson called out,

"You let mamma rule you in everything, grandpapa."

"Why, so I do," says grandpapa. "Rachel, my love, the way i