" all been warned before It no good teach you lesson sell the thief Which of you guilty one ? "

They all shuddered threat, for here they had good home, and new one was likely change worse The denial was general None had stolen anything--not money, anyway--a little sugar, or cake, or honey, or something like that, that "Marse Percy wouldn't mind or miss" but not money--never cent of money They were eloquent in their protestations, but Mr Driscoll was not moved He answered each in turn with stern "Name the thief ! "

The truth was, all were guilty but Roxana; she suspected others were guilty, but she know them so She was horrified how near she had come to being guilty herself; she saved nick by revival colored Methodist Church, fortnight before, and place she "got religion " The very gracious experience, while her change of style was fresh upon her and she was vain of her purified condition, her master left couple dollars unprotected desk, and she happened upon that temptation when she was polishing around with dustrag She looked money awhile with steady rising resentment, then she burst out with:

"Dad blame dat revival, I wisht it had 'a' be'n put off till tomorrow ! "

Then she covered the tempter with book, and another member kitchen cabinet got it She made this sacrifice as matter of religious etiquette; as thing necessary just now, but by no means wrested into precedent; no, would limber up her piety, then be rational again, next two dollars that got left out cold would find comforter--and name the comforter

Was she bad ? Was she worse general run of her race ? No They had an unfair show battle of life, held it no sin military advantage enemy--in small way; in small way, but not in large one smouch provisions pantry whenever they got chance; or brass thimble, or cake of wax, or an emery bag, or paper of needles, or silver spoon, or dollar bill, or small articles of clothing, or property of light value; and were they from considering such reprisals sinful, that go to church and shout and pray the loudest and sincerest with their plunder in their pockets farm smokehouse had kept heavily padlocked, or even the colored deacon himself resist ham when Providence showed him in dream, or otherwise, where such thing hung lonesome, and longed for someone to love But with hundred hanging before him, the deacon take two-- , same night On frosty nights the humane Negro prowler would warm the end plank and put it up under the cold claws of chickens roosting in tree; drowsy hen would step on comfortable board, softly clucking her gratitude, prowler would dump her into his bag, and later into his stomach, perfectly sure that in taking this trifle man who daily robbed him of an inestimable treasure--his liberty-- not committing any sin that God would remember against him Last Great Day

"Name the thief ! "

fourth time Mr Driscoll had said it, and always same hard tone And now he added these words of awful import:

"I one minute " out his watch "If end , confessed, only sell all four of you, BUT-- sell you DOWN THE RIVER ! "

equivalent to condemning them to hell ! No Missouri Negro doubted this Roxy reeled in her tracks, color vanished out of her face; the others dropped knees as shot; tears gushed from their eyes, their supplicating hands went up, and three answers came one instant

"I done it ! "

"I done it ! "

"I done it ! --have mercy, marster--Lord have mercy on us po' niggers ! "

" ," said the master, putting up his watch, " sell you here though you don't deserve it You sold down the river "

The culprits flung themselves prone, in an ecstasy of gratitude, and kissed his feet, declaring that never forget his goodness and never cease to pray for him as long lived They were sincere, for like god he had stretched forth his mighty hand and closed the gates of hell against them , himself, that he had done noble and gracious thing, and was privately well pleased magnanimity; night he set the incident down diary, his son might read it in after years, and be thereby moved to deeds of gentleness and humanity himself

CHAPTER 3

Roxy Plays Shrewd Trick

Whoever has lived long enough out what life is, knows how deep debt of gratitude we owe to Adam, the first great benefactor race He brought death world

--Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar

Percy Driscoll slept well the night he saved his house minions from going down the river, but no wink of sleep visited Roxy's eyes profound terror had taken possession of her Her child could grow up and be sold down the river ! The thought crazed her with horror If she dozed and lost herself for moment, the next moment she was on her feet flying to her child's cradle still there Then gather it to her heart and pour out her love upon it in frenzy of kisses, moaning, crying, and saying, "Dey sha'n't, oh, dey sha'nt' ! '_--yo' po' mammy will kill you fust ! "

Once, when she was tucking him back in its cradle again, the other child nestled in its sleep and attracted her attention She went and stood over it communing with herself

"What has my po' baby done, dat he couldn't have yo' luck ? He hain't done nuth'n God was good ; why warn't he good to him ? Dey can't sell you down de river I hates yo' pappy; he hain't got no heart--for niggers, he hain't, anyways I hates him, en kill him ! " She paused awhile, thinking; then she burst into wild sobbings again, and turned away, saying, "Oh, I got to kill my chile, dey ain't no yuther way--killin' him wouldn't save de chile fum goin' down de river Oh, I got , yo' po' mammy's got to kill you to save you, honey " She gathered her baby to her bosom now, and began to smother it with caresses "Mammy's got to kill you--how kin I ! But yo' mammy ain't gwine to desert you--no, no, dah_, don't cry-- she gwine wid you, she gwine to kill herself too Come along, honey, come along wid mammy; we gwine to jump in de river, den troubles o' dis worl' is all over--dey don't sell po' niggers down the river over yonder "

She stared toward the door, crooning child and hushing it; midway she stopped, suddenly She had caught sight of her new Sunday gown-- cheap curtain-calico thing, conflagration of gaudy colors and fantastic figures She surveyed it wistfully, longingly

"Hain't ever wore it yet," she said, "en it's just lovely " Then she nodded her head in response to pleasant idea, and added, "No, I ain't gwine fished out, wid everybody lookin' at me, in dis mis'able ole linsey-woolsey "

She put down the child and made the change She looked glass and was astonished at her beauty She resolved her death toilet perfect She took off her handkerchief turban and dressed her glossy wealth of hair "like white folks"; she added some odds and ends of rather lurid ribbon and spray of atrocious artificial flowers; finally she threw over her shoulders fluffy thing called "cloud" day, of blazing red complexion Then she was ready tomb

She gathered up her baby once more; but when her eye fell upon its miserably short little gray tow-linen shirt and noted the contrast between its pauper shabbiness and her own volcanic eruption of infernal splendors, her mother-heart was touched, and she was ashamed

"No, dolling mammy ain't gwine to treat you so De angels is gwine to 'mire you jist as dey does 'yo mammy Ain't gwine 'em putt'n dey han's up 'fo' dey eyes en sayin' to David and Goliah en dem yuther prophets, 'Dat chile is dress' to indelicate fo' dis place '"

she had stripped off the shirt Now she clothed the naked little creature in one of Thomas `a Becket's snowy, long baby gowns, with its bright blue bows and dainty flummery of ruffles

"Dah--now you's fixed " She propped the child in chair and stood off to inspect it Straightway her eyes begun to widen with astonishment and admiration, and she clapped her hands and cried out, "Why, it do beat all ! I never knowed you was so lovely Marse Tommy ain't bit puttier--not single bit "

She stepped over and glanced other infant;' she flung glance back at her own; then one more heir house Now strange

light dawned in her eyes, and in moment she was lost in thought She seemed in trance; when she came out of it, she muttered, "When I 'uz a-washin' 'em in de tub, yistiddy, he own pappy asked me which of 'em was his'n "

She began to move around like one in dream She undressed Thomas `a Becket, stripping him of everything, and put the tow-linen shirt on him She put his coral necklace on her own child's neck Then she placed the children side by side, and after earnest inspection she muttered:

"Now b'lieve clo'es could do de like o' dat ? Dog my cats ain't all I kin do t' other fum which, let alone his pappy "

She put her cub in Tommy's elegant cradle and said:

"You's young Marse Tom fum dis out, en I got to practice and git used to 'memberin' you dat, honey, or I's gwine mistake sometime en git us bofe into trouble Dah--now you lay still en don't fret no mo', Marse Tom Oh, thank de lord in heaven, you's saved, you's saved ! Dey ain't no man kin ever sell mammy's po' little honey down de river now ! "

She put the heir house in her own child's unpainted pine cradle, and said, contemplating its slumbering form uneasily:

"I's sorry , honey; I's sorry, God knows I is--but what kin , what could ? Yo' pappy would sell him to somebody, sometime, en den he'd go down de river, sho', en I couldn't, couldn't, _couldn't stan' it "

She flung herself on her bed and began and toss, toss and think By and by she sat suddenly upright, for comforting thought had flown through her worried mind--

"'T ain't no sin--_white folks it ! It ain't no sin, glory to goodness it ain't no sin ! Dey's done it--yes, en dey was de biggest quality in de whole bilin', too--_kings ! "_

She began to muse; she was trying to gather out of her memory the dim particulars of some tale she had heard or other At last she said--

"Now I's got it; now I 'member dat ole nigger preacher dat tole it, de time he come over here fum Illinois en preached in de nigger church dey ain't nobody kin save his own self-- can't by faith, can't by works, can't no way at all Free grace is de on'y way, en dat don't come fum nobody but jis' de Lord; en he kin give it to anybody He please, saint or sinner--_he don't kyer He do jis' as He's mineter He s'lect out anybody dat suit Him, en put another one place, and make de fust one happy forever en leave t' other one to burn wid Satan De preacher said jist like dey done in Englan' , De queen she lef' her baby layin' aroun' one day, en went out callin'; an one 'o de niggers roun'bout de place dat was 'mos' white, she come in en see de chile layin' aroun', en tuck en put her own chile's clo's on de queen's chile, en put de queen's chile's clo'es on her own chile, en den lef' her own chile layin' aroun', en tuck en toted de queen's chile home to de nigger quarter, en nobody ever foun' it out, en her chile was de king bimeby, en sole de queen's chile down de river when dey had to settle up de estate Dah, now--de preacher said it his own self, en it ain't no sin, 'ca'se white folks done it DEY done it--yes, DEY done it; en not on'y jis' common white folks nuther, but de biggest quality dey is in de whole bilin' Oh_, I's so glad I 'member 'bout dat ! "

She got lighthearted and happy, and went cradles, and spent left night "practicing " give her own child light pat and say humbly, "Lay still, Marse Tom," then give the real Tom pat and say with severity, "Lay still_, Chambers ! Does me somep'n ? "

As she progressed with her practice, she was surprised how steadily and surely the awe which had kept her tongue reverent and her manner humble toward her young master was transferring itself to her speech and manner toward the usurper, and how similarly handy she was becoming in transferring her motherly curtness of speech and peremptoriness of manner unlucky heir ancient house of Driscoll

She took occasional rests from practicing, and absorbed herself in calculating her chances

"Dey'll sell dese niggers today fo' stealin' de money, den dey'll buy some mo' dat don't now de chillen--so dat's all right When I takes de chillen out to git de air, de minute I's roun' de corner I's gwine to gaum dey mouths all roun' wid jam, den dey can't nobody notice dey's changed Yes, I gwine ter do dat till I's safe, 's year