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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 1907)
THE OREGON DAILY JOURNAL PORTIND, SATURDAY EVENING SEPTEMBER 7, ; J907 ".V."' ..'. ..".f't.'Ht ' '! "'i '. '. . I . TOPSY . adapted prom "uncle tom's LA . . 1 .. MMtSlM ones G Old. roo) CABIN fCpjriglH, 1007, h Tk North Jwurktn CJ mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmma 2. Cr li II i i iS v T 1 u Mr. tVyJAfi" yV wnen negroei were IV JL slaves Add were bought and sold the am m hones, cowl, chicken or ducki. Mr. 11 1 Augustine St Clare, while sauntering about .''THeinarket place, came upon the blackest little pickaninny gin he had ever seen. She was eight or dine years old, and, besides being very black, had round shining eyes, ""(glittering as glass beads, and woolly half Jvaided into little tails, which stuck out in every direction. , She was dressed in a filthy, ragged garment and was quite the most woe begone little darkey ever seen by Mr. St pare. Perhaps in a spirit of compassion and partly as a joke ha bought her and took her home. Her name was Topsy, and when children are old enough they may read all about her in "Uncle Tom's Cabin," a book that had much to do with freeing the slaves, a sad, sad story, indeed; as sad as Topsy, ignorant and care-free, was joyful and mischievous. ( "1 3r r jiilj TUB very sight of ffie scrawny black girl caused Miss Ophelia, Mr. St Clare's cousin, to throw; up her hand in masement, "What is UP she exclaimed Tve made a purchase for you," said he, wfth a grlh, looking first at Topsy, whose eyes were bulging wide open at the sigtlt of the fine furniture, and then at his cousin, who had folded her hands in despair. "Augustine, what in the world did you bring her here for 7" protested Miss Ophelia "For you to educate, to be sure," he replied, laughingly.' t thought her a funny Tittle Jim Crow and I bought her. Here, Topsy," be added, whistling as one would call the attention of a puppy dog, "give us a song and show Miss Ophelia how well you can dance." TOPSY'S eyes gTittered with a kind of wicked drollery, and then, in a ctear, shrill voice, struck up an old negro melody, to which she kept time with her hands and feet, spinning round, clapping her hands, knocking her knees together and shuffling her feet Finally, she turned two somersaults in front of Miss Ophflia. so tlose that she almott took the good lady's breath away with amaxement "Topsy, this is your new mistress," sa d Mr. St Clare, solemnly "O yes, mas'r," replied Topsy, with another twinkle. Poor Miss Ophelia, already burdened With the care of a lot of little blacks, it was hard foi her to understand why fate had brought this imp of darkness into her Ufa T.TAVE you ever heard about God Topsy V asked Miss Ophelia, but It 4 be child had no answer. She didn't know' what the good lady meant "Do you know who made you?" "Nobody, a J, know on," replied the child; "I 'spect I Jest growed." The poor child knew nothing but how fo "fetch" water, wash dishes and rub knive9, so she told Miss Ophelia, and after ward, when caught stealing, she didn't even know it was wrong to steal When com pelled to confess, she told of stealing things that she never stole at all, explaining that 'Missis told me to 'ess and I couldn't think " nothhV else to 7ss"; so she told of steal. Ing earrings and burning them up, when, as matter or fact, little Eva St Clare had tbeni in her ears at the time. s vn u' k. r r : m V A 4-. HERE was something in the btadS child that touched the kindly heart of little Eva, who. though but a child he self, had, by reason of long illness, grown old beyond her years. "Poor Topsy, she said kindly you need never steal again. You are to be taken care of now. I'd give you anything of mine rather than have you steal it It almost seemed as though the black child understood the bond of sympathy held out to her, but she could only blink and rub her eyes. It was the first kindly word she had ever understood and it caused a queer feeling in her heart. Being pure and gentle herself, Eva soon exercised an influence on little black Topsy that changed ficr into a rare jewel. BUT, being a good Christian woman,' she bowed to the inevitable and promised to do her best with the child. "How old are you, Topsy? she asked, kindly. " Dunno," missi ' said Topsy showing aD her white teeth. - "Didn't anybody ever tell you? Who was your mother?" Nevah had none I answered the dtfld with another grin. Never had a mother ? Why, Topsy, what do you mean ? Where were you born ?" . "Nevah was bowl" replied the little imp; still grinning, and all the questions Miss Ophelia could bring to bear failed to make the child own that she ever had a molher or had ever been born. f AT- 1 I TTV BEING smart and active, she soon learned the ways of negroes of the better class O course, she would have to play at times and did some very silly things, like pulling off the pillow-cases and butting at the pillows with her woolly head, and sometimes feathers would creep through and stick in her crinkled hair. And she would dress the bolster up in Miss Ophelia's night clothes and, when scolded, would ask to be "whipped like old mistis allers whipped me," a thing Miss Ophelia cou'd not bring her self to do. As in all cases where onte a person has been Caught stealing, there is a lurking sus picion against them. So it was with Topsy, who, when little Eva was slowly passing from this world, used to pick flowers and take them to Eva's bedside. a ""NE day she was caught," and not "until Eva herself in'ormed the captors that she had told Topsy to pick the flowers, and ' bring them to her was the black girl re leased. The next time suspicion fell on thft child was after Eva's sad end, and the little darkey was seen to hide something quickly ' in the bosom of her dress as Some one ? approached. What do you suppose 'was , hidden ? A curl , from little Eva's hair and -a tiny Bible both had been given, Topsy by the white child before her death. : After thht ; episode Topsy became the special : favorite of Mr. St Clare, who declared that the child must never again be molested, ' Strange to say,'4hen Topsy , grew up the became: ' teacher in far-away Africa, among people et her own kindand colotU,--"--.--." ,' It .... - .