ors going over her head, and
saw those curls that her mother thought so much of falling upon the
floor.

A roar of laughter burst from the servants, as Jane led the child
through the kitchen, with the hair cut so short that the naked scalp
could be plainly seen.

"Gins to look like nigger, now," said Dinah, with her mouth upon a grin.

The mistress smiled, as the shorn child reentered the room; but there
was something more needed. The child was white, and that was a great
objection. However, she hit upon a plan to remedy this which seemed
feasible. The day was excessively warm. Not a single cloud floated over
the blue vault of heaven; not a breath of wind seemed moving, and the
earth was parched by the broiling sun. Even the bees had stopped
humming, and the butterflies had hid themselves under the broad leaves
of the burdock. Without a morsel of dinner, the poor child was put in
the garden, and set to weeding it, her arms, neck and head completely
bare. Unaccustomed to toil, Clotelle wept as she exerted herself in
pulling up the weeds. Old Dinah, the cook, was as unfeeling as her
mistress, and she was pleased to see the child made to work in the hot
sun.

"Dat white nigger 'll soon be black enuff if missis keeps her workin'
out dar," she said, as she wiped the perspiration from her sooty brow.

Dinah was the mother of thirteen children, all of whom had been taken
from her when young; and this, no doubt, did much to harden her
feelings, and make her hate all white persons.

The burning sun poured its rays on the face of the friendless child
until she sank down in the corner of the garden, and was actually
broiled to sleep.

"Dat little nigger ain't workin' a bit, missus," said Dinah to Mrs.
Miller, as the latter entered the kitchen.

"She's lying in the sun seasoning; she will work the better by and by,"
replied the mistress.

"Dese white niggers always tink dey seff good as white folks," said the
cook.

"Yes; but we will teach them better, won't we, Dinah?" rejoined Mrs.
Miller.

"Yes, missus," replied Dinah; "I don't like dese merlatter niggers, no
how. Dey always want to set dey seff up for sumfin' big." With this
remark the old cook gave one of her coarse laughs, and continued:
"Missis understands human nature, don't she? Ah! ef she ain't a whole
team and de ole gray mare to boot, den Dinah don't know nuffin'."

Of course, the mistress was out of the kitchen before these last marks
were made.

It