"What is the matter?" said St. Pierre Le Grange, as he entered suddenly
the sitting-room of his wife, Georgietta Le Grange, and saw her cutting
off the curls from the head of little girl about five years old, the
child of a favorite slave.
"Matter enough!" said the angry wife, her cheeks red with excitement and
her eyes half blinded with tears of vexation. "This child shan't stay
here; and if she does, she shall never again be taken for mine."
"Who took her for yours? What has happened that has brought about all
this excitement?"
"Just wait a minute," said Georgietta, trying to frame her excitement
into words.
"Yesterday I invited the Le Fevres and the Le Counts, and a Northern
lady they had stopping with Mrs. Le Fevre, to dine with us. To-day I
told Ellen to have the servants all cleaned up, and looking as well as
possible; and so I distributed around more than a dozen turbans, for I
wanted Mrs. King to see how much better and happier our negroes looked
here than they do when they are free in the North, and what should Ellen
do but dress up her little minx in her best clothes, and curl her hair
and let her run around in the front yard."
"So she overdid the thing," said Le Grange, beginning to comprehend the
trouble.
"Yes, she did, but she will never do it again," exclaimed Mrs. Le
Grange, her dark eyes flashing defiantly.
Le Grange bit his lip, but said nothing. He saw the storm that was
brewing, and about to fall on the head of the hapless child and mother,
and thought that he would do nothing to increase it.
"When Mrs. Le Fevre," continued Georgietta, "alighted from the carriage,
she noticed the child, and calling the attention of the whole party to
her, said, 'Oh, how beautiful she is! The very image of her father.'
'Mrs. Le Grange,' said she, after passing the compliments of the day, 'I
congratulate you on having such a beautiful child. She is the very image
of her father. And how large she is for her age.' Just then Marie came
to the door and said 'She's not my sister, that is Ellen's child.' I saw
the gentlemen exchange glances, and the young ladies screw up their
mouths to hide their merriment, while Mrs. Le Fevre, with all her
obtuseness, seemed to comprehend the blunder, and she said, 'Child, you
must excuse me, for my poor old eyes are getting so good for nothing I
can hardly tell one person from the other.' I blundered some kind of
answer, I hardly know what I said. I was almost ready to die with
vexation; but this shall never happen again."
"What are you going to do?"
"You see what I have begun to do. I am going to have all this curling
business broken up, and I am going to have her dressed in domestic, like
the other little niggers. I'll let Ellen know that I am mistress here;
and as soon as a trader comes along I mean to sell her. I want a new set
of pearls anyhow."
Le Grange made no reply. He was fond of the child, but knowing what a
termagant his wife was, he thought that silence like discretion was the
better part of valor, and hastily beat a retreat from her presence.
"Take these curls and throw them away," said Mrs. Le Grange to Sally,
her waiting-maid. "Move quick, and take this child into the kitchen, and
don't let me see her in the front yard again. Do you hear what I say?"
said Georgiette in a sharp, shrill tone. "Don't you let me see that
child in the front yard again. Here, before you go, darken this room,
and let me see if I can get any rest. I am so nervous, I am almost ready
to fly."
Sally did as she was bidden; and taking the child to the kitchen,
exclaimed to Milly, the cook, "Hi! Oh! there's been high times upstairs
to-day."
"What's the matter?" said Milly, wiping the dough from her hands, and
turning her face to Sally.
"Oh! Missus mad 'bout Ellen's child. She's mad as a March hare. See how
she's cut all her hair off."
"A debil," said Milly. "What did she do dat for? She is allers up to
some debilment. What did that poor innercence child do to her? I wonder
what she'll get at next!"
"I don't know, but to-day when Mrs. Le Ferre come'd here she kissed the
child, and said it was the very image of its father, and Missus just
looked mad enough to run her through."
Milly, in spite of her indignation could not help laughing. "Well,
that's a good joke. I guess Missus' high as ninety. What did Massa say?"
"He neber said a word; he looked like he'd been stealin' a sheep; and
Missus she jist cut up high, and said she was going to keep her hair cut
short, and have her dressed in domestic, and kept in the kitchen, and
when she got a good chance she meant to sell her, for she wanted a new
set of pearls anyhow. Massa neber said beans. I jist b'lieve he's
feared of her. She's sich a mity piece. I spect some night the debil
will come and fly way wid her. I hope so anyhow."
To which not very pious wish Milly replied, "I am fraid there is no such
good luck. Nothin' don't s'prise me that Miss Georgiette does 'cause
she's a chip off the old block. Her mother's poor niggers used to be cut
up and slashed all the time; for she was a horse at the mill. De debil
was in dat woman big as a sheep. Dere was Nancy, my fellow servant;
somehow she got a spite agin Nancy's husban', said he shouldn't come
dere any more. Pore Nancy, her and Andy war libing together in dar nice
little cabin, and Nancy did keep ebery ting shinin' like a new pin,
'cause she would work so hard when she was done her task for Missus. But
one day Missus got de debil in her, and sayed Andy shouldn't come der
any more, and she jist had all Nancy's tings took out de cabin and shut
it up, and made her come and sleep in de house. Pore Nancy, she cried as
if her heart would break right in two; and she says why does you take my
husban' from me? and Missus said I did it to please my own self, and den
Nancy kneeled at her feet and said, 'Missus I'll get up before day and
set up till twelve or one o'clock at night and work for you, but please
don't take me from my husban'. An' what do you think ole Missus did? Why
she jist up wid her foot and kicked Nancy in de mouf, and knocked out
two of her teef. I seed her do it wid my own blessed eyes. An' I sed to
myself de debil will never git his own till he gits you. Well she did
worry dat pore cretur almost to death. She used to make her sleep in the
room wid her chillen, and locked de door ebery night, and Sundays she'd
lebe some one to watch her, she was so fraid she'd git to see her
husban'. An' dis Miss Georgiette is de very moral of her Ma, and she's
jist as big as a spitfire."
"Hush," said Milly, "here comes Jane. Don't say no more 'bout Missus,
cause she's real white people's nigger, and tells all she knows, and
what she don't."