UNCLE TOM'S CABIN

and
UNCLE TOM S CABIN : OR,
"
Thee mustn't speakevil of thy rulers Șimeon,"
said his father,gravely. " The Lord only
gives us our worldlygoodsthat we may do justice
and mercy ; if our rulers'require
a priceof us for
it,we must deliver it up."
"Well, I hate those old slaveholders!" said
CHAPTER
EVAXGELINE.
XTV.
"A young star! which shone
O'er too sweet life" an image for such glass!
A lovelybeing,scarcelyformed or moulded ;
A rose with all its sweetest leaves yet folded."
The Mississippi ! How, as by an enchanted
wand, have its scenes been changedșince Cha-
wrote his prose-poetic description of
it,as a river of mighty, unbroken solitudes, ing
teaubriand
distant from the
statelymansions and pleasure-grounds of the
roll-
master "
; as the movingpicturepassedon,
amid undreamed wonders of vegetableand
the world bears on its bosom to the ocean the
wealth and enterprise of such another country ?
" a country whose productsembrace all between
the tropicsand the poles ! Those turbid waters,
hurrying,foamingțearingalong, an
the sea-like expanse of the river the shivery
canes, and the tall,dark cypress hung with
wreaths of dark,funereal moss, glow in the gold
en
ray, as the heavily-laden steamboat marches
onward.
Piled with cotton-bales, from
many a plantation,
the boy, who felt as unchristian as became any up over deck and sidesțillshe seems in the
modern reformer.
distance a square, massive block of gray, she
" I am surprised thee,son," said Simeon ; moves heavily onward to the nearingmart. We
"
thy mother never taught thee so. I would do must look some time among itscrowded decks
even the same for the slaveholder as for the slave, before we shall find againour humble friend Tom.
if the Lord broughthim to my door in affliction." High on the upper deck,in a little nook among
Simeon second blushed scarlet ; but his mother the everywherepredominantcotton-bales, at last
onlysmiled,and said, " Simeon is my good boy ; we
may find him.
he will grow older,by and by, and then he will Partlyfrom confidence inspiredby Mr. Shelby's
be like his father."
representations, and partlyfrom the remarkably
"
I hope,my goodsirțhat you
are not exposed inoffensiveand quietcharacter of the man, Tom
to any difficulty on our account,"said George,
had insensibly won his way far into the confidence
anxiously.
even of such a man as Haley.
"
Fear nothing,George, for therefore are we At firsthe had watched him narrowlythrough
sent into the v. v:.l.If we would not meet trouble the day, and never allowed him to sleep at night
for a good cause, we were not worthy of our unfettered ; but the uncomplainingpatienceand
name."
apparentcontentment of Tom's manner led him
"
But, for me," said George, " I could not bear to discontinue these restraints, and for some time
it."
Tom had enjoyed a sort of paroleof honor,being
"
Fear not,then,friend George; it is not for permittedto come and go freely pleased
thee,but for God and man, we do it,"said Simeon.
on the boat.
"And now thou must lie by quietly this Ever quietand obliging, and more than ready
day, and to-night, at ten o'clock,Phineas Fletcher
to lend a hand in every emergency which occurred
will carry thee onward to the next stand," among the workmen below,he had won the good
thee and the rest of thy company. The pursuers
opinionof all the hands,and spent many hours
are hard after thee ; we must not in
delay." helping them with as good heartya will as
"
If that is the case, why wait till ever he worked on a
evening'?"
Kentucky farm.
said When there
George.
seemed to be nothing forhim to do,
"
Thou art safe here by daylight, every one he would climb to a nook among the cotton-bales
in the settlement is a Friend,and all are watching.
of the upper deck,and busy himself in studying
It has been found saferto travel by night."
over his and it is there Bible," we see him now.
For a hundred or more miles above New Orleans,
the river is higherthan the surrounding
country, and rolls its tremendous volume between
The traveller
massive levees twenty feet in height.
from the deck of the steamer,as from some
floating castle top, overlooks the whole country
for miles and miles around. Tom, therefore, had
spread out full before him, in plantation aftei
plantation, a
map of the life to which he was
approaching.
He saw the distant slaves at their toil ; he saw
afar theirvillages of huts gleaming out in long
rows on
many a plantation,
his poor foolishheart would be turning backward
animal existence.
to the Kentucky farm, with its old shadowy
But. as in an hour, this river of dreams and
to the beeches," master's house,with its wide,
wild romance has emerged to a reality scarcelycool halls,and,near by, the little cabin, overgrown
lessvisionaryand splendid Ẉhat other river of
with the multiflora and bignonia. There
he seemed to see familiar faces of comrades,who
had grown up with him from infancy; he saw his
busy wife,bustling in her preparations for his
"
.
"
evening meals ; he heard the merry laughof his
apt resemblance
boysat theirplay, and the chirrup of the baby at
of that headlongtide of business which is his knee ; and then,with a start,all faded,and
pouredalong its Avave by a race more vehement he saw againthe cane-brakes and cypresses and
and energeticthan any the old world ever saw. glidingplantations, and heard again the creaking
Ah ! would that theydid not also bear along a and groaning of the machinery, all telling him
more fearful freight, the tears of the oppressed, too plainly that all that phaseof life had gone by
the sighsof the helpless, the bitter prayers of forever.
poor, ignoranthearts to an unknown God unknown,
In such a case, you write to your wife,and
unseen and silent,but who will yet send messages to your children ; but Tom could
come out of his placeto save all the poor of not the mail for him had no write," existence,
"
*Jheearth !"
and the gulfof separation was unbridgedby even
The slanting lightof the setting sun quiverson a friendly word or signal.