Incidents in the life of a slave girl.: Written by herself. Edited by L. Maria Child.

The Slave who Dared to Feel like a Man. 29
consciously the clouds gave place to sunshine. There
was a grand big oven there, too, that baked bread and
nice things for the town, and we knew there was always a choice bit in store for us.
But, alas! even the charms of the old oven failed to
reconcile us to our hard lot. Benjamin was now a
tall, handsome lad, strongly and gracefully made, and
with a spirit too bold and daring for a slave. AMy
brother William, now twelve years old, had the same
aversion to the word master that he had when he was
an urchin of seven years. I was his confidant. He
came to me with all his troubles. I remember one
instance in particular. It was on a lovely spring
morning, and when I marked the sunlight dancing
here and there, its beauty seemed to mock my sadness.
For my master, whose restless, craving, vicious nature
roved about day and night, seeking whom to devour,
had just left me, with stinging, scorching words;
words that scathed ear and brain like fire. 0, how I
despised him! I thought how glad I should be, if
some day when he walked the earth, it would open
and swallow'him up, and disencumber the world of a
plague.
When he told me that I was made for his use, made
to obey his command in every thing; that I was nothiig but a slave, whose will must and should surrender
to his, never before had my punly arm felt half so
strong.
So deeply was I absorbed in painful reflections afterwards, that I neither saw nor heard the entrance of
any one, lill the voice of William sounded close beside
me. "Linlda," said hle,'" what mnakes you look so sad?
3*