. She was kind and good to the negroes, who were greatly
attached to her, and much of the Colonel's wealth was due to her
excellent management of the estate.

Six years after the birth of 'young Massa Davy,' the Colonel married his
present wife, that lady having full knowledge of his left-handed
connection with Madam P----, and consenting that the 'bond-woman' should
remain on the plantation, as its mistress. The legitimate wife resided,
during most of the year, in Charleston, and when at the homestead took
little interest in domestic matters. On one of her visits to the
plantation, twelve years before, her daughter, Miss Clara, was born, and
within a week, and under the same roof, Madam P---- presented the
Colonel with a son,--the lad Thomas, of whom I have spoken. As the
mother was a slave, the children were so also at their birth, but _they_
had been manumitted by their father. One of them was being educated in
Germany; and it was intended that both should spend their lives in that
country, the taint in their blood being an insuperable bar to their ever
acquiring social position at the South.

As she finished the story, the old woman said, 'Massa Davy am bery kind
to de missus, sar, but he _love_ de ma'am; an' he can't help it, 'cause
she'm jess so good as de angels.'[K]

I looked at my watch,--it was nearly ten o'clock, and I rose to go. As I
did so the old negress said,--

'Don't yer gwo, massa, 'fore you hab sum ob aunty's wine; you'm good
friends wid Scip, and I knows _you'se_ not too proud to drink wid brack
folks, ef you am from de Norf.'

Being curious to know what quality of wine a plantation slave indulged
in, I accepted the invitation. She went to the side-board, and brought
out a cut-glass decanter, and three cracked tumblers, which she placed
on the table. Filling the glasses to the brim, she passed one to Scip,
and one to me, and, with the other in her hand, resumed her seat.
Wishing her a good many happy years, and Scip a pleasant journey home, I
emptied the glass. It was Scuppernong, and the pure juice of the grape!

'Aunty,' I said, 'this wine is as fine as I ever tasted.'

'Oh yas, massa, it am de raal stuff. I growed de grapes myseff.'

'You grew them?'

'Yas, sar, an' Massa Davy make de wine. He do it ebery yar for de ole
nuss.'

'The Colonel is very good. Do you raise anything else?'

'Yas, I hab collards and taters, a little corn, and most ebery ting.'

'But who does your work? _You