But what became of your child, Vingo? Did you not
feel grateful that one of your dear ones was spared to you?"
"Ah, missy, I tinks dar no place for gratitude in de slabe's heart; and
sometimes I specks I neber hab a heart, till missy Sea-flower spare me
a part ob hers. Well, after Phillis and de young un tuck away, 'pears
like I neber look up any more; and if it not for de little Phillis dat
was left, I tink I clean gib up. I takes her wid me to de cotton field,
and she lay and look at me all day long, so strange like, as if she want
to know why we dar all alone; and at night I feed her wid de corn-cake,
like her poor mammy used to do, and at eb'ry mouthful she look up in my
face, den at de door, to see if its mammy not comin'. After a while I
gets a little used to de ache, which I hab since Phillis tuck away, and
all de time I not at work in de field, I takes care ob de young un, to
keep from hearing dat awful shriek, when one mornin' I wakes up, and de
little Phillis nowhar' to be seen, and I's neber seen her since, missy."
"They could not surely have robbed you of your only comfort! O, how
dreadful!"
"Yes, missy; I inquires all round if dey see anyting ob my Phillis, but
I gets only a laugh from one, and a curse from anoder; for eben de slabe
get so used to de hard treatment ob dar massa, dat dey sometimes show de
same spirit towards dar fellows, specially if dey happens to be clean
tuck down wid the 'blue imps,' as dey calls it.
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