Before I proceed any further with my story, let me tell the reader
something of the Le Granges, whom I have so unceremoniously introduced.
Le Grange, like Le Croix, was of French and Spanish descent, and his
father had also been a Haytian refugee. But there the similitude ends;
unlike Le Croix, he had grown up a gay and reckless young man, fond of
sports, and living an aimless life.
His father had on his plantation a beautiful quadroon girl, named Ellen,
whom he had bought in Richmond because she begged him to buy her when he
had bought her mother, who had been recommended to him as a first-rate
cook. They had been servants in what was called one of the first
families of Virginia, and had been treated by their mistress with more
kindness and consideration than generally fell to the lot of persons in
their condition. As long as she lived, they had been well fed and well
clothed, and except the deprivation of their freedom, had known but few
of the hardships so incident to slave life; but a reverse had fallen
upon them.
Their mistress had intended to set them free, but, dying suddenly, she
had failed to carry out her intention. Her property fell into the hands
of distant heirs, who sold it all, and divided it among themselves.
Ellen and her mother were put up at auction, when a kindly looking old
Frenchman bought the mother. Ellen stood trembling by; but, when she saw
her mother's new master, she started forth, and kneeling at his feet,
she begged him to buy her. The mother joined in and said, "Do, Massa,
and I'll serve you faithful day and night; there is a heap of work in
these old bones yet."
Mr. Le Grange told her to be quiet, and he would buy her. And, true to
his word, although the bidding ran high, and the competition was fierce,
he bought her; and the next day, he started with them for his plantation
on Red River.
His son, Louis, had just graduated, and was spending the winter at home,
in just that mood of which it is said that Satan finds some mischief for
idle hands to do. Milly, who knew the wiles of the world better than
Ellen, tried to keep her as much as possible out of his way; but her
caution was all in vain. She saw her child engulfed, as thousands of her
race had been.
Mrs. Le Grange, when she became apprised of the condition of things,
grew very angry; but, instead of venting her indignation upon the head
of her offending son, she poured out the vials of her wrath upon the
defenseless girl. She made up her mind to sell her off the place, and
picked the opportunity, while her son was absent, to send her to a
trader's pen in the city. When Louis came home, he found Milly looking
very sullen and distressed, and her eyes red with weeping.
"What is the matter?" said Louis.
"Matter enough," said Milly. "Missus done gone and sold Ellen."
"Sold Ellen! Why, how did that happen?"
"Why, she found out all about her, and said she should not stay on the
place another day, and so she sent her down to Orleans to the nigger
traders, and my heart's most broke," and Milly sat down, wiping her
tears with her apron.
"Never mind, Milly," said Louis, "I'll go down to New Orleans and bring
her back. Mother sha'n't do as she pleases with me, as if I were a boy,
and must always be tied to her apron string. I've got some money of my
own, and I mean to find Ellen if I have to look all over the country."
He entered the dining room, and saw his mother seated at the tea table,
looking as bland and pleasant as a Spring morning, and asked, "Where is
Ellen?"
The smile died from her lips, and she answered, curtly, "She is out of
_your_ reach [?]. I've sold her."
"But where have you sold her?"
"Out of your reach, and that is all I am going to tell you."
Louis, without saying another word went out to the coachman, and asked
what time the cars left the station.
"Ten minutes to nine."
"Can you take me there in time to reach the train? I want to go to the
city tonight."
"Dunno, massa; my best horse is lame, and what----"
"Never mind your excuse; here," said he, throwing him a dollar, "hitch
up as quick as possible, and take me there without any 'buts' or 'ifs.'"
"All right, massa," said Sam, grinning with delight. "I'll have you over
there in short order."
The carriage harnessed, Samuel found no difficulty with his horses, and
reached the depot almost a half hour before the time.
Louis arrived in the city after midnight, and the next day he devoted to
hunting for Ellen. He searched through different slave pens, inquired of
all the traders, until at last, ready to abandon his search in
hopelessness, he heard of a private jail in the suburbs of the city.
Nothing daunted by his failure, he found the place and Ellen also.
The trader eyed him keenly, and saw from his manner that he was in
earnest about having the girl.
"She is not for sale in this city. Whoever buys her must give me a
pledge to take her out of this city. That was the bargain I made with
her mistress. She made me promise her that I would sell her to no one in
the vicinity of the city. In fact, she wanted me to sell her out of the
way of her son. His mother said she had dedicated him to the Blessed
Virgin, and I reckon she wanted to keep him out of the way of
temptation. Now what will you give me for her?"
"Will you take a thousand for her?"
"Now you ain't saying nothing," said the trader, shutting one eye, and
spitting on the floor.
"How will twelve hundred do?"
"It won't do at all, not for such a fancy article as that. I'd rather
keep her for myself than sell her at such a low figure. Why, just look
at her! Why, she's pretty as a picture! Look at that neck, and her
shoulders. See how she carries her head! And look at that splendid head
of hair. Why some of our nabobs would give three thousand dollars; but
I'll tell you what I'll do, I'll let you have her for two thousand
dollars; fancy article is cheap at that."
Louis demurred, but the trader was inexorable, and rather than let the
opportunity to rescue Ellen from him escape he paid the exorbitant
price, and had her brought to his hotel. His next work was to get a
house for Ellen, and have her taken there, installed as his mistress. He
then went back to the plantation as if nothing had happened, and his
mother soon thought he was reconciled about the loss of Ellen. Only
Milly knew his secret, and she kept it as a secret thing.
"I've got some pleasant news for you, Louis," said Mrs. Le Grange, one
day to her son: "your uncle and cousin are coming down from Virginia,
and I want you to be all attention to your cousin, for she is very rich.
She has a fortune in her right, which was left her by her grandmother,
and besides she will have another one at her father's death, added, to
which they say, she is a very beautiful girl."
Great preparations were made for the expected guests. Georgiette was
Mrs. Le Grange's brother's child, and having been separated from him
for more than fifteen years she was full of joyful anticipations, when
he apprised her of his intention of visiting her in company with his
daughter. At length the welcome day arrived, and Mrs. Le Grange stood
arranging her jewels and ribbons to receive the guests.
"You are welcome to Louisiana," said she, removing Georgiette's shawl,
and tenderly kissing her, "and you too, brother," she said, as Mr.
Monteith followed his daughter. "How beautiful Georgiette has grown
since I saw her. Why darling you look charming! I'm afraid I shan't be
able to keep you long for some of the beaux will surely run away with
you." "My son," said Mrs. Le Grange, introducing Louis, who just then
entered the door.
Louis bowed very low, and expressed his pleasure in seeing them; and
hoped they would have a happy time, and that nothing should be wanting
on his part, to make it so. Very pleasantly passed the time away;
Georgiette was in high and charming spirits; and many a pleasant ride
and delightful saunter she took with her cousin through the woods, or in
visiting other plantations. She was very popular among the planters'
sons; admired by the young men, but feared and envied by the girls.
And thus the hours passed in a whirl of pleasurable excitement, until
Louis actually imagined himself in love with her, and found himself one
pleasant afternoon offering her his hand and heart.
She blushed and sighed, and referred him to her papa; and in a few weeks
they were engaged.
At length the time of their departure came; and Louis, after
accompanying them to New Orleans, returned to make ready for the
wedding. His father made him a present of a large plantation, which he
stocked from his own purse, with three hundred slaves; and installed
Ellen there as housekeeper till the arrival of the new mistress.