"Mother, who is Judy? Has she a husband or children?"
"I do not know of any, my daughter. She may have some living; but you know Judy was a slave, and they have probably been sold away from her, and are still in slavery."
"In slavery, mother! and sold? Why, do they sell little children away from their mothers?"
"Yes, Cornelia, there are persons guilty of such a wicked thing; mothers and children, and whole families, are often separated from each other, never, perhaps, to meet again!"
"So Judy was a slave, mother?"
"Yes, Cornelia, she was: and from all I have learned of her history, I am sure she has led a very unhappy and sorrowful life."
"O! now I understand what you meant when you said that she had a thorny1 path through life. Have you ever heard her history, mother? if you have, won't you tell it to us?"
"Yes, do, mother, do!" exclaimed the children together.
"I should like very much to gratify you, my dear children, but it is not in my power to do so, as I am not very well acquainted with her history. But I will tell you how we can arrange it. Judy will he here to-night, as, I promised to give her some Indian cakes, of which she is very fond, and I have no doubt that she will tell you the story of her sad life."
The idea of hearing Judy's story occupied the mind of the children all the afternoon, and the evening was looked forward to with great impatience2 by them.
It was twilight3, and Mrs. Ford4 and the children had gathered around the warm, comfortable grate to await the return of papa. The wind whistled without, and the snow-flakes fell silently and steadily5 to the frozen ground.
"Mother, can't I bring in the lights?" asked Cornelia, who was getting a little impatient; only a little, for Cornelia was remarkable6 for her sweet and placid7 disposition8.
"Yes, dear, I think you may. Hark! yes, that is his footstep in the hall. Go, Alfred, and tell Bessie to bring up the tea. And you, Cornelia, bring your father's dressing-gown and slippers9 to the fire."
"Yes, wife, let us have some of Bessie's nice hot tea, for I am chilled through and through; and such a cutting wind! I thought my nose would have been blown off; and what would my little girl have said if she had seen her papa come home without a nose? Would you have run?" asked Mr. Ford.
"No, indeed, papa, if your nose were blown off, and your teeth all pulled out, and you were like 'Uncle Ned,' who had 'no eyes to see, and had no hair on the top of his head,' I would just get on your lap as I do now; so you see you could not frighten me away if you tried ever so hard," said Cornelia, laughingly.
Supper was hastily dispatched, by the children, who were eager and impatient for the coming of Aunt Judy.
"O mother! do you think she will come?" asked Alfred, as his mother arose from the table to look at the weather.
"Well, indeed, Alfred, I am sorry to disappoint you, but I think there is little probability of seeing Judy to-night."
"Why, no, mother, I thought that as soon as I saw what a stormy night it was; and although it will disappoint us very much, I hope she will not come," said little Cornelia.
"Why, how you talk, sis! Not come, indeed! Humph! I hope she will, then. This little snow wouldn't hurt me, so it wouldn't hurt her," said the impetuous Alfred.
"You must remember, my son, that Judy is old and infirm, and subject, as she says, to a 'touch of the rheumatiz.' But I am sorry that she has not come to-night. She may be sick; I think I will call down and see her to-morrow," said Mrs. Ford, drawing out the table and arranging the shade on the lamp, so that the light fell on the table and the faces of those around it. They were cheerful, happy faces, and everything around them wore the same look; and from the aspect of things, it seemed as if they were going to spend a pleasant and profitable evening.
"Dear papa, tell us a story with a poor slave in it, won't you? and I will give you as many kisses as you please," said Cornelia, twining her arms around her father's neck.
"No, no, papa, not about the slave, but the poor Indian, who has been far worse treated than the slave was or ever will be. Only to think of the white people coming here, plundering10 their villages, and building on their hunting grounds, just as if it belonged to them, when all the while it was the Indians'. Now, if they had bought it and paid for it, honorably, as William Penn did, it would have been a different thing; but they got it meanly, and I'm ashamed of them for it," said Alfred, his eyes flashing and his cheeks glowing with indignation.
"All that you have said is true, my son, but the Indians were also guilty of great cruelty toward the white people," said Mr. Ford.
"But, papa, don't you think the Indians had good cause for their hatred11 to the whites?" asked Harry12.
"Why, Harry, they had no reason sufficient to justify13 them in their cruel and vindictive14 course; but they did no more than was to be expected from an entirely15 barbarous nation, and I am sure they had no good example in the conduct of the white people, from whom much better behavior might have been expected."
"Well, papa, what were some of the wrongs that the Indians endured!"
"The Indians regarded the whites as intruders, and maddened by some acts of injustice16 and oppression committed by the early settlers, they conceived a deadly hatred, which the whites returned with equal intensity17; and for each crime committed by either of them, the opposite party inflicted18 a retribution more terrible than the act which provoked it, and the Indian, being less powerful, but equally wicked, was the victim."
"Well, although I think the Indians were very wicked, I pity them, but I feel a great deal more for the poor slave," said little Cornelia.
"I think they were very cruel, sis, but I still think that they were very badly treated," said Alfred.
"There is no doubt of that," answered his father; "but, my son, when you began the argument you said that you thought the Indians were more deserving of compassion19 than the Africans. Now this is the difference. The Indians were always a warlike and treacherous20 race; their most solemn compacts were broken as soon as their own purposes had been served. And they were continually harassing21 the settlers; indeed they have not ceased yet, for at the present time they are attacking and murdering the traders who cross the plains, if they are not well armed, and in sufficiently22 large companies to keep them in check. Now the Americans had never this cause of complaint against the Africans, for, although like all heathen, they were debased, and were cruel and warlike among each other, they never annoyed us in America. And the Americans had not, therefore, even this insufficient23 excuse for enslaving them. The Indians were robbed of their lands, and driven from their homes; but the Africans not only lost their country, but were compelled to work in slavery, for men to whom they owed no allegiance, in a different climate, and with the ever-galling thought that they were once free. It argues well for their peaceable disposition, that they have not long ago revolted, and by a terrible massacre24 shaken off their yoke25 as they did in St. Domingo. Now, which was the worst used in this case?"
"O! the slave, papa. I willingly surrender," said Alfred, laughing.
"Well, if you have finished, I move we go to bed, and thence to the land of dreams," said Mrs. Ford, rising and putting away her sewing.
It was unanimously agreed that this was the best plan, and, after giving thanks to God for his many mercies, they retired26.
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收听单词发音
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1
thorny
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| adj.多刺的，棘手的 | |
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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Ford
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| n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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6
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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placid
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| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
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8
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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9
slippers
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| n. 拖鞋 | |
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plundering
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| 掠夺，抢劫( plunder的现在分词 ) | |
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11
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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12
harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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13
justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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vindictive
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| adj.有报仇心的，怀恨的，惩罚的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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21
harassing
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| v.侵扰，骚扰( harass的现在分词 )；不断攻击（敌人） | |
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22
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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23
insufficient
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| adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的 | |
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massacre
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| n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀 | |
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yoke
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| n.轭；支配；v.给...上轭，连接，使成配偶 | |
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26
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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