She has told me of scenes on the
Louisiana plantation, and she has often been out at night by stealth
ministering to poor slaves who had been mangled and lacerated by the
lash. Hence she was sold into Kentucky, and her last master was the
father of all her children. On this point she ever maintained a
delicacy and reserve that always appeared to me remarkable. She always
called him her husband; and it was not till after she had lived with
me some years that I discovered the real nature of the connection. I
shall never forget how sorry I felt for her, nor my feelings at her
humble apology, "You know, Mrs. Stowe, slave women cannot help
themselves." She had two very pretty quadroon daughters, with her
beautiful hair and eyes, interesting children, whom I had instructed
in the family school with my children. Time would fail to tell you all
that I learned incidentally of the slave system in the history of
various slaves who came into my family, and of the underground
railroad which, I may say, ran through our house. But the letter is
already too long.
You ask with regard to the remuneration which I have received for my
work here in America. Having been poor all my life and expecting to be
poor the rest of it, the idea of making money by a book which I wrote
just because I could not help it, never occurred to me. It was
therefore an agreeable surprise to receive ten thousand dollars as the
first-fruits of three months' sale.
Pages:
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235