THE HESPERIAN
"What if we are caught." Not to go! To
tell Georgia I was not going! "I couldn't."
To go! To take the risk of snch a miser
able death! "I couldn't." So there I was
in the worst agony yon ever hoard of.
Next morning 1 mot her in the garden.
She was looking as pleasant as could be.
When she saw me she stopped picking her
flowers, evon dropping those she had in her
hand, and looked at me, and asked what
was the mailer. I told her stammering, "I
-I-arn sick."
She stared at me with her piercing eyes
and seemed to sec cloar through mo. Then
turning two or three colors, she put her
hands to her head, as if to keep it from
bursting. I turned and hurried out of the
garden scared half to death. I shook like u
leaf all day but I did not see nor hear any
thing more of her that day. My first scare
wore off partly, but as I did not see her next
day, I was a wondering and studying what
she was going to do. More days passed.
She did not take her rides, 1 did not see
nor hear anything of her. Yet I waa awfully
stirred up. I couldn't half eat, nor sleep;
I had all kinds of bad dreums. A week
passed, I was still suffering from the terror
of something going to happen: Yet nothing
happened.
1 was coming to my senses a little when
one day I was called into the yard of the big
house and was sized up by two men, I
didn't mind that, and didn't think a thing
about it till one day shortly after that a
chain gang came along and I was cailod'into
the yard again and turned over to a mean
looking whelp. He took me down to this
gang. There was about two hundred slaves
chained on each side of a long chain which
all helped to carry. And I was chained to
it also.
I understood well ondugh. "This T said
to myself is Georgia's work. "1 can't begin
to tell you how 1 felt, 1 was worry to be
sure, and I was a Jittilo glafl.
Well I was carried with the gang to a big
iron works in Southern Alabama., 1 ..stood
the march pretty well though we had only
cotton seed and bacon to eat. It was here
T saw the worst of slavery, and for the first
time. When we got to our journey's end,
before I was put to work, they made me
take off my shirt and gave me a sound lash
ing, just to let mo know who "Master" was
now. It was my first whipping and Tny
blood fairly boiled. I made many vows,
and one was to run away which I did before
a month. 1 stowed myself away in a boat
bound to New York, which I reached almost
starved. After resting there awhile, I went
into Canada. I've been working and drift
ing around ever since. "
My shipmate took his feet down from the
railing and stretched his legs out across the
dock. Ho bcemcd to be still grieving over
'spilt milk" when I said to him "come let's
turn in.'' and we went below.
A. J. Walker.
The Nebraska Teachers' Association.
An organization was formed recently
which promises to be of considerable value
to the educational interests of the state. It
is an association called "The Nebraslca
Teachers' Association in History," and has
for its object the promotion of interest in the
study of history and the introduction of bet.
ter methods of teaching the subject in the
public schools. This movement was started
at the last fession of the Southeastern No
braska Teachers' Association on a sugges
tion made by Professor Fling in his lecture
before the association. Professors Fling
and Caldwell are giving a large portion of
their time and attention to this work. J,
W. Crabtree who was elected secretary of
the new association is highly pleased with
the outlook. He finds that the aspociution
has the hearty co-operation of the county
and city superintendents, and thinks there
will be no trouble in getting more history
into the schools or in securing the introduc
tion of the method of studying history from
the sources. Several members of the de
partments of history already have places in
the county institutes for the summer. Pro
fessors Fling and Caldwell will be kept
baify lecturing in the institutes during the
summer. They are to ed it twenty pages of
the Northwestern Journul of Education dur
ing next .year which will 'be devoted -entirely
;to.Jiibtory. . .
