nly
trouble you to bring me up a glass of fresh water, and then I shall have
done with you for the night."

"Better let me make you up a little fire, the nights is werry cool,"
continued Ben. "I know you must feel 'em; I does myself; I'm from the
South, too."

"Are you?" replied Mr. Winston, with some interest; "from what part!"

"From Tuckahoe county, Virginia; nice place dat."

"Never having been there I can't say," rejoined Mr. Winston, smiling; "and
how do you like the North? I suppose you are a runaway," continued he.

"Oh, no sir! no sir!" replied Ben, "I was sot free--and I often wish," he
added in a whining tone, "dat I was back agin on the old place--hain't got
no kind marster to look after me here, and I has to work drefful hard
sometimes. Ah," he concluded, drawing a long sigh, "if I was only back on
de old place!" "I heartily wish you were!" said Mr. Winston, indignantly,
"and wish moreover that you were to be tied up and whipped once a day for
the rest of your life. Any man that prefers slavery to freedom deserves to
be a slave--you ought to be ashamed of yourself. Go out of the room, sir,
as quick as possible!"

"Phew!" said the astonished and chagrined Ben, as he descended the stairs;
"that was certainly a great miss," continued he, talking as correct
English, and with as pure Northern an accent as any one could boast.

"We have made a great mistake this time; a very queer kind of Southerner
that is. I'm afraid we took the wrong pig by the ear;" and as he concluded,
he betook himself to the group of white-aproned gentlemen before mentioned,
to whom he related the incident that had just occurred.

"Quite a severe fall that, I should say," remarked Mr. Allen. "Perhaps we
have made a mistake and he is not a Southerner after all. Well he is
registered from New Orleans, and I thought he was a good one to try it on."

"It's a clear case we've missed it this time," exclaimed one of the party,
"and I hope, Ben, when you found he was on the other side of the fence, you
did not say too much."

"Laws, no!" rejoined Ben, "do you think I'm a fool? As soon as I heard him
say what he did, I was glad to get off--I felt cheap enough, now mind, I
tell you any one could have bought me for a shilling."

Now it must be here related that most of the waiters employed in this hotel
were also connected with the Vigilance Committee of the Under-ground
Railroad Company--a society formed for the assistance of fugitive sla