Page:Emma Speed Sampson--The shorn lamb.djvu/239

Rh she-god-debble what wa' mo' holy than the Lamb an' when they hearn the drum a rollin' they mus' come a runnin'.

"Now Ol' Miss, what wa' Marse Thomas' wife an' yo' great-gran'maw—Miss Viginia Harrison as wa'—wa' a great han' ter learn the slaves Bible teachin's. She done tuck lots er pains with me 'long with a whole passel er young nigger gals, but it looked lak she kinder singled me out 'cause she 'lowed she wa' gonter make a lady's maid er me. At the same time Marse Thomas wa' a carryin' on Sabbath school fer the men folks. Si Johnson, that is Brer Johnson, wa' his prize scholard an' owin' ter his a holpin' his pappy in the mill he useter have time ter put his book larnin' he done picked up ter some 'count an' while the mill wheel wa' a-doin' the wuck Si could set an' search the scriptures.

"When I fell on my knees thar in front er that wicked ooman I thought the debble had me fer sho'. The big black man, what wa' owned by the Macons, wa' a beatin' on the ol' horse hide an' the boom-a-laddy-boom wa' a keepin' time ter my heartbeats. Aunt Peachy done ketch on ter how skeert I wa' an' she wa' jes' that low-lifed ter wuck some er her debble cha'ms on me. She start a marchin' roun' me a singin' some