Old Uncle Hampshire [pp. 430-440]

OLD UNCLE HAMPSHIRE.
ed in the nursery, where poor Carrie's
premature sufferings add the bitterest
anguish to the dreadful scene.
A visit to the wine- cellar- the work
of but a moment -was made before
they had even missed old Hampshire,
who returned, displaying a brand of
I820, which he proffered to the leader,
with the most respectful salutation; although but a moment before he had described him to Jake, as "a swingin'
big buckra, dat look like he mought go
snacks wid de debbil." Jake had managed to get out on the roof, and swing
himself down by the branches of an adjacent tree; and, having equipped himself with an old army musket, rusty and
superannuated, which Mom Phillis kept
with sacred fidelity as a relic of "de
rebberlutionary war," he declared himself ready for defensive operations.
The bottle passed nimbly from mouth
to mouth; and, "as they swim in mutual
swill, the talk reels fast from theme to
theme." More inflamed and passionate
than ever, they raved from room to
room, like madmen. They thrust their
bayonets through family portraits; hacked and disfigured the furniture; shattered in pieces the beautiful chefs-d'auvre
that adorned the parlors; rent in shreds
the delicately-wrought hangings; and mutilated books and musical instruments,
in their wild, barbaric wantonness. Old
Uncle Hampshire never once thought
ofexpostulation or resistance; but, planting himself near the nursery-door, he
determined to defend that from intrusion, at the cost of his life, if need beat the end of the passage, as it was, it
might possibly escape them.
Vain hope! After a fruitless search
for treasure through the different rooms,
on the right and left of the hall, they
discovered the door over which Uncle
Hampshire was standing guard. With
drunken strides they reeled toward it,
and, grasping the knob, with an awful
oath, commanded him to open it. Know
ing that the crisis had now come, his
courage rose with the emergency. He
had not tempted danger; but now that
it faced him, he was ready to meet it.
Bracing himself firmly against the door,
with a look undaunted and resolute, and
a voice defiant and implacable as destiny
itself, he said:
"Stan' back, sah! stan' back! Young
missus in trabbel in dere, an' ye scare
her plum to def."
They answered only with curses, and
raved and raged and reeled in their turbulence and passion. With a valor that
had set its mail against impending doom,
and with a firmness and intrepidity that
awed them for the moment, he continued:
* "Ye ken take de range ob de place
ebbery whar ye likes tu go,'cept dis yer
room. Ye ken hunt all ober de plantation, an' take what ye wants, but dat
poor chile in de nursery aint a gwine tu
be inwaded on-dat she aint!" Uncle
Hampshire glared his fury at them, as
they tottered and hesitated. "Poor Miss
Carrie! she got pains'nuf now! What
sort o' no-account folks is ye, any way,
tu want tu be inwadin' sich a place?
Why, de poor white trash an' de critters
knows better'n dat; yu'se wuss den de
critters-ye is! Jes' tote yersels off
from hyer, an' don' stan' dar argufyin'.
Dere's notin' in dar but misery."
The brutes, for a moment, stood awestruck and speechless, dominated by the
same marvelous and mysterious power
which, when properly exercised, controls
and intimidates the fiercer orders of the
animal kingdom. The three scurvy
scullions, less brazen than their infamous ringleader, slunk back, cringing
with shame, and went staggering into
an adjoining apartment. But the demon
in the frantic leader roused himself with
vicious, lecherous intent; and, swirling
in dizzy, dim delirium, he made a murderous lunge at the brave old man,
cursing and yelling:
"Out of the way there, you d-d
438
[Nov.