And then this beautiful, hopeful chance will be lost forever. Victor read this, and more, from Stanley’s pen, and felt deeply the beautiful reasonableness of the skeme. With all the eloquence of which he wuz master he tried to bring these facts home to his people, and tried to arouse in them something of his own enthusiasm. As for himself he wuz bound to go—as teacher, as missionary, as leader—as soon as he could; his mother’s health wuz failing—his unhappy mistress needed him sorely—his preparations wuz not all completed yet. There wuz several hundred young, intelligent negroes, most of them with families, who wuz workin’ hard to get the money Victor thought would be necessary for a successful venture. For besides the cost of transportation, Victor wanted them to be placed beyend the possibility of sufferin’ and hardship while they wuz preparin’ their land for cultivation. But I sez, “Most probable this Nation will fit out some ships and carry you back to your old home.” Sez I, “More than probable Uncle Sam will be glad of the chance to pay some of his debts, and clear the slate that hangs up behind the Capitol door, of one of the worst and meanest debts it ever had ciphered out on it, and held up aginst him.” But Victor smiled ruther sadly and looked dubersome. He thought after the colony there wuz a assured success, thousands and thousands would go with their own money and help poorer ones to new homes there; but he didn’t seem to put much dependence on Uncle Samuel’s ever hitchin’ up his steamships and carryin’ ’em over. But I sez real warmly, for I cannot bear any animyversions aginst that poor old man (only what I make myself in the cause of Duty)—sez I, “You wrong Uncle Samuel;” sez I, “You’ll find out that he will brace up and do the right thing if the case is presented to him in the right light, and he brings his spectacles to bear on it. “Why,” sez I, “if I borry a cup of tea of Miss Gowdey, do I spoze that she will trapise over to my house after it?—and the same with flat-irons, press-boards, bluin’ bags, etc. “No, I carry ’em back agin, honorable. “And if Josiah Allen borrys a plough or a fannin’ mill, do you spoze he expects the neighborin’ men he borrys ’em of to harness up and come after ’em? No, he carries ’em back. “And how much more would he feel obligated if he had stole ’em, and me too; why we should expect to carry ’em back, or else get shot up, and good enough for us. “Now,” sez I, “you and your people wuz stole from Africa by Uncle Samuel, or, I don’t spoze the old man did the stealin’ with his own hands, but he stood by and see it done and winked at it, and allowed it; and so, he is responsible, bein’ the head of the family. [Illustration: DEACON HUFFER. ]