An Outcast; Or, Virtue and FaithAdams, F. Colburn (Francis Colburn)
General
An Outcast; Or, Virtue and Faith
Adams, F. Colburn (Francis Colburn)
Conduct of life -- Fiction; United States -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction; Vice -- Fiction
The slave of seventy years, knowing her entreaties will be in vain,
approaches her mistress with the fervency of a child, and grasping
warmly her hand, stammers out: "Da--da--dah Lord bless um, Missus. Tan't
many days fo'h we meet in t'oder world--good-bye."
"God bless you--good-bye, Molly. Remember what I have told you so many
times--long suffering and forbearance make the true Christian. Be a
Christian--seek to serve your Master faithfully; such the Scripture
teacheth. Now tie your handkerchief nicely on your head, and get your
clean apron on, and mind to look good-natured when Mr. Forcheu sells
you." This admonition, methodically addressed to the old slave, and Mrs.
Swiggs waves her hand, resumes her Milton, and settles herself back into
her chair. Reader! if you have a heart in the right place it will be
needless for us to dwell upon the feelings of that old slave, as she
drags her infirm body to the shambles of the extremely kind vender of
people.
CHAPTER XIV.
MR. McARTHUR MAKES A DISCOVERY.
On his return from the theatre, Mr. McArthur finds his daughter, Maria,
waiting him in great anxiety. "Father, father!" she says, as he enters
his little back parlor, "this is what that poor woman, Mag Munday, used
to take on so about; here it is." She advances, her countenance wearing
an air of great solicitude, holds the old dress in her left hand, and a
stained letter in her right. "It fell from a pocket in the bosom," she
pursues. The old man, with an expression of surprise, takes the letter
and prepares to read it. He pauses. "Did it come from the dress I
discovered in the old chest?" he inquires, adjusting his spectacles.
Maria says it did. She has no doubt it might have relieved her
suffering, if it had been found before she died. "But, father, was there
not to you something strange, something mysterious about the manner she
pursued her search for this old dress? You remember how she used to
insist that it contained something that might be a fortune to her in her
distress, and how there was a history connected with it that would not
reflect much credit on a lady in high life!"
The old man interrupts by saying he well remembers it; remembers how he
thought she was a maniac to set so much value on the old dress, and make
so many sighs when it could not be found. "It always occurred to me
there was something more than the dress that made her take on so," the
old man concludes, returning the letter to Maria, with a request that
she will read it. Maria resumes her seat, the old man draws a chair to
the table, and with his face supported in his left hand listens
attentively as she reads:
"WASHINGTON SQUARE, NEW YORK,
May 14, 18--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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