Page:The White Slave, or Memoirs of a Fugitive.djvu/385

 the first time after a twenty years' interval, how it went through my heart! — "No!" she said, "I'am free. By what right do you pretend to sell me?"

This exclamation, as may well be supposed, produced quite an excitement in the auction room. As I glanced my eye rapidly over the company, it was easy to discover several who seemed to sympathize with this claim of freedom, and the auctioneer was loudly called upon for explanations.

"A very common case, gentlemen," replied the auctioneer, "very common. 'The woman, no doubt, thought herself free; no doubt she has lived as free for several years past; but that was all by the mere indulgence of her late owner. He's 'dead, and now the heirs have taken possession, and offer her for sale. That's all. Step up, Cassy, step on the block; you see there is no help for it. Gentlemen, who bids?"

"Stop a moment!" said Mr Colter, who now quitted my side and stepped forward — "not quite so fast, sir, if you please. I appear here as this woman's friend. She is a free woman. Gentlemen will please to take warning: any body who buys her buys a lawsuit."

The peremptory manner in which this was spoken seemed to throw cold water upon the sale. Nobody made an offer, and the auctioneer, to shield himself from the charge of attempting to sell a free woman, found it necessary to go into further explanations.

This woman, he stated, had formerly belonged to Mr James Curtis, a very worthy citizen, lately deceased, and well known to many of the company. He had allowed her, for several years past, to live as a free woman, and no doubt the gentleman — it was Colter he alluded to — might have every reason for supposing her to be so; but the fact was, she had no free papers, or, if she had any, they were not in due and proper form; and Mr James Curtis having died suddenly without a will, his brother, Mr Agrippa Curtis, of the well-known Boston firm of Curtis, Sawin, Byrne, and Co., had succeeded to all his