Uncle Tom's Cabin

rty Is Ca

overed with an ironing-cloth; a coarse but clean shirt or two, fresh from the iron, hung on the back of a chair by the fire, and Aunt Chloe had another spread out before her on the table. Caref

ning upon his hand;-but neither spoke. It was yet early, and the

woe for them! has been a peculiar characteristic of his unh

last time,

dy as smooth as hands could make it; and finally setting her iron suddenly down with

hey'd sarve you! Missis says she'll try and 'deem ye, in a year or two; but Lor! nobody never comes u

e God there, Chloe,

ut de Lord lets drefful things happen, someti

thing I can thank him for. It's me that's sold and going down, and not you nur the chil'en. H

t thy beloved ones! Tom spoke with a thick utterance, and with

tremulously, as if he was quite sure he

ice over. He owed ye yer freedom, and ought ter gin 't to yer years ago. Mebbe he can't help himself now, but I feel it's wrong. Nothing can't beat that ar out o' me. Sich a faithful crittur as ye've been,

's natur I should think a heap of him. And he couldn't be spected to think so much of poor Tom. Mas'rs is used to havin' all these yer things done for 'em, and nat'lly they don't think so much on 't. They can

whom a stubborn sense of justice was a predominant trait; "I can't j

ord above-he's above all-thar d

e. "But dar's no use talkin'; I'll jes wet up de corn-cake, and get

g and affectionate. Add to this all the terrors with which ignorance invests the unknown, and add to this, again, that selling to the south is set before the negro from childhood as the last severity of punishment. The threat that terrifies more than whipping or

ered country,

eller r

urate quotation fr

, lines

s of escape, in almost every case, by the desperate horror with which they regarded being sold south,-a doom which was hanging either over themselves or their husbands, their wives or children. This n

ended all her little energies on this farewell feast,-had killed and dressed her choicest chicken, and prepared her corn-cake with scrupulous exactness, ju

we got a buster of a breakfast!" at the sam

r. "Thar now! crowing over the last breakf

!" said T

, hiding her face in her apron; "I 's s

ther and then at their mother, while the baby, climbi

s done, I hope,-now do eat something. This yer's my nicest chicken. Thar

for the eatables; and it was well they did so, as otherwise there

this corner; so be careful, 'cause there won't nobody make ye no more. Then here's yer old shirts, and these yer is new ones. I toed off these yer stockings last night, and put de ball in 'em to mend with. But

looking very sad, began to whimper and put their hands to their eyes. Uncle Tom had the baby on his knee, and was letting her enjoy herself to the utmost extent,

ee yer husband sold, or mebbe be sold yerself; and these yer boys, they's to be sold, I s'pose,

called out, "Thar's

; what's she coming f

ner decidedly gruff and crusty. She did not seem to notice e

regarding the silent group, she sat down in the chair, an

ars they all shed together, the high and the lowly, melted away all the heart-burnings and anger of the oppressed. O, ye who visit the dist

money, it will only be taken from you. But I tell you solemnly, and before God, that I will keep

pushed open the door. Haley stood there in very ill humor, having ridden hard the n

ady? Servant, ma'am!" said he, takin

ing up, looked gruffly on the trader, her tea

y box on his shoulder. His wife took the baby in her arms to go with

to a wagon, that stood ready harnessed at the door. A crowd of all the old and young hands on the place stood gathered around it, to bid farewell to their old associate. Tom

the women, who had been weeping freely, noticing the g

at the trader, who was coming up. "I does no

rode through the crowd of servants, w

under the wagon seat a heavy pair of sha

ircle, and Mrs. Shelby spoke from the verandah,-"Mr. Hal

hundred dollars from this yer place, a

while the two boys, who now seemed to comprehend at once their fat

, "that Mas'r George

ghboring estate, and having departed early in the morning, before To

Mas'r George," he

steady, mournful look, fixed to the last

expostulations awoke his half-slumbering regrets; and Tom's manly disinterestedness increased the unpleasantness of his feelings. It was in vain that he said to himself that he had a right to do it,-that everybody did it,-and that some did it wit

passed, and they found themselves out on the open pike. After they had ridden about a mile, Haley suddenly drew up at the door of

r his build," said Haley, showing t

elby's Tom. He han't sold

has," s

a thought it! Why, ye needn't go to fetterin' him u

r they go, and shifless, drunken ones, as don't care for nothin', they'll stick by, and like as not be rather pleased to be tot

tions down thar, stranger, an't jest the place a Kentuck nigg

he 'climating and one thing and another, they dies s

have a nice, quiet, likely feller, as good un as Tom is, go do

in house-servant in some good old family, and then, if he stands the feve

ife and chil'en

thar. Lord, thar's women e

he quick, short click of a horse's hoof behind him; and, before he could fairly awake from his surprise, young Maste

m! It's a nasty, mean shame! If I was a man, they shouldn't do it

off without seein' ye! It does me real good, ye can't tell!" Here To

lifting his hands. "I'll knock

you must not talk so loud. It w

ey never sent for me, nor sent me any word, and, if it hadn't been for Tom Lincon

right, I'm 'fear

om," said he, turning his back to the shop, and speaki

n 't, Mas'r George, no ways in t

make a hole in it, and put a string through, so you could hang it round your neck, and keep it out of sig

eorge, for it won'

t over it, and keep it, and remember, every time you see it, that I'll come down after you, and bring you back. Aunt Chloe an

ye mustn't talk so

m, I don't mea

has of gettin' too big to mind their mothers. Tell ye what, Mas'r George, the Lord gives good many things twice over; but he don't give ye a mother but once. Ye'll never see sich a

cle Tom," said G

ilful, sometimes-it is natur they should be. But real gentlemen, such as I hopes you'll be,

om; you always did g

p in you. O, Mas'r George, you has everything,-l'arnin', privileges, readin', writin',-and you'll grow up to be a great, learned, good man and all the people on the place and

ouraged. I'll have you back to the place, yet. As I told Aunt Chloe this morning, I'll build our house all ove

e door, with the han

r of great superiority, as he got out, "I shall l

come," said

life buying men and women, and chaining them, like

women, I'm as good as they is," said Haley; "'ta

ntuckian. I always was proud of it before;" and George sat very straight on his horse, and

Tom; keep a stiff up

s heart, as the frank, boyish face was lost to his view. Away he went, and Tom looked, till the clatter of his horse's heels died away, the last sound or sight of his

ou treat me fa'r, and I'll treat you fa'r; I an't never hard on my niggers. Calculates to do the best for 'em I can. Now, ye see, you'd better jest settle down comfortable, and not be tryin' no trick

a great pair of iron fetters on his feet. But Mr. Haley had got in the habit of commencing his relations with his stock with little exhorta

ur leave of Tom, to pursue the fortu