Page:A hairdresser's experience in high life.djvu/190

192 deal to the neighboring plantations and looked around. The next plantation where I was, all was different, the slaves badly treated, half clothed, half fed, and misused in every way, and said to be great thieves. On one occasion I addressed one old woman, by saying Aunty why do you steal? do you not know it is sinful to steal? Her reply to me was, I don't steal—does not the Scriptures say reap where you have sown, and I have worked here and got nothing for my work. I take nothing but what I want to eat or drink, and hardly enough even of that. I left the old lady, very glad to get off without further question. I was glad to leave that plantation, for after seeing the kindness of Dr. J. to his people, the cruelty there was more than I could bear. I then got entrance into a gentleman's plantation who was very peculiar. He would neither let his slaves visit nor receive visits, nor would he ever receive strangers if he could help himself; he was a very severe master. I will give you one instance of his severity in a free State, so you may judge what it may be at home. One season at Saratoga, he had with him a slave as a body servant; all at the the springs said he was a much finer looking man than his master. In the morning about eight o'clock, the newspapers arrive, and the news boys run around with them as soon as they can get them. This gentleman was sitting on the gallery, and sent his slave for a paper; in the meantime, one of these little boys came along and the gentleman bought the paper himself; on the servant coming in with the paper, his master cursed him for his tardiness, was very angry, and swearing at him, commanded him to go and bring him back his