“She instantly leaped from her horse and made for the cabin, and in an instant was at the bedside of her husband, covering his face with kisses and tears. Tom was too weak to more than whisper 'my dear wife,' and weep in silence. Old Ham had come in, and stood in one corner of the room looking on the scene with his hands locked together over his head. He was heard to say over and over in a low tone: “'De Lord bress dese chilien.' “Aunt Martha took hold of Mary, saying: “'Deah Misses, yo' jes' stop dat cryin'. You ought to be 'joiced dat Massa Tom be libbin. You ought ter seed him when de “Sesh” fotched him heah. I tell you dat was de time what fotched me down, I done got rite on my old knees an' axed de good Laud to spar dis good Massa Tom. I knowed him the berry minute I laid my eyes on him. Many's de time I make his bed and cook his dinnah. I tell you all about dat. Why, dem “Sesh,” when dey fetch Massa Tom heah in de old wagon, dey des frowed him out like he been a hog, and tole Ham an' me dat we mus' dig a hole and put him in; dat we be killed if we don't. I done went and looked at him, an' tole Ham dat he wasn't dead; dat he was wa'm an' bredin. So Ham an' me jes' carried him into dis house, an' got blankets and kivers, and wash him wid wa'm water, and took keer on him; setted up all de time, one or bofe on us, and kep' him good an' wa'm, an yo' see he's done gittin' well. De good Laud heah our prayers, an' he whisper to pore ole Marfa dat he gwine to fetch him out for some good he gwine to do for us pore people. Bress de Laud; he is good to us. I tell yo', de man what said to dig a hole fo' him is a bad man; his name is Whitthorne. I 'member de name kase I knowed de Whitthornes in Jackson, Miss., when I libbed there. Yes, dat so.' “At this Mary broke down again. She felt sure that this was some of her people. Aunty continued: “'Ole Massa Gawge (George), that we b'longed to, move upheah six year ago, on dis place, from Jackson. He libbed up dar on the hill in dat white house dat yo' see up dar, dat am locked up an' no one is in it. Dey got lot ob t'ings in dar. When de Union whip de Sesh at Dolins-burg, and de Sesh come dis way, gwine home or some-whar, den Massa Gawge an' all de famly dey go, too, an' take all de niggers 'cepin' me an' Ham. Dey say we's too ole, an' dey done lef us to take keer ob de place; dey leabe de smoke-house so we kin git in an' git sumpin to eat. Well, dey is plenty in dar, an' we lib all right, and, bress de Laud, dat save Massa Tom's life. De good Laud fix it dat way, sho' as yo' born. He take tkeer ob de good folks.' “Old Ham, who had been silent, broke out: “'Yes, dat's so, massa, dat's so. De Laud do do dis. He done told me up at de smoke-house to take all dat we wanted, an' dat when Massa Tom done get well, dat we mus go wid him 'way from heah an' lib with Massa Tom; dat de Sesh kill us when dey find out we done cure him up. Yes, sah, de Laud say dat to me, sho.'