TOPSY.

Mataura Ensign, Volume 6, Issue 335, 29 February 1884, Page 5

TOPSY.

L By H. S. Kollar. j They called her Topsy, 1 suppose because . ! she resembled her prototype in " Uncle Tom's [ , Cabin." Her eyes were black as beads ; her ' i skin, smooth and jetty as the most sombre > i Patin ; her hair was kinky, and she had a i j fashion of decorating its knobby profusion , | with various colored ribbons. As for her j mouth, ifc was broad, expansive, and the j oiliest gash ever connected with a poor, abused little darkey's features. I jess mm's do kid, I does. I'n'tgood fur nuffiri' else, I 'n't ; on'y fur to mind the kid, dats all. Dose yere white trash what fetched me f rum ole Al'bara tinks dat niggers is no good an' how, 'ceptin' fur to mm' kids. Jess dat an' nuffin' mo." That was Topsy's usual complaint from morning until night. She took precious care, however, not to lisp it to ears other than the white-faced baby's j which latter, by the way, had given her a hump and a painful limp to her gait. Topsy and the baby were great friends ; how dear to one another no one knew — until the poor, little black girl proved her fidelity, of which I shall speak further on. The baby must have had a kindred feeling for the girl ; for it would laugh when Topsy laughed, crow when she chuckled, and look very sober out of its sweet, blue eyes whnn the tears would roll down Topsy's cheeks. The lady who brought the liltie black girl from the South was one of the fashion, leaders, of her set. No gay ball was complete unless she attended : no charity list was a success unless she heads lit with her usual munificence. In all, bhe was admired for her beauty, courted for her position, mid highly honored because of her husband's wealth. Yet, with all her gwee of beauty, position of honor and wealth, she was hard-hearted, and cruel toward poor, meek Topsy. No matter how hard the girl tried to please, she received ! harahtios instead of kind words, a blow from • the bejewelled, white hand instead of I praise. I'opsy had a warm, loving heart beneath her black skin. It was more of a human heart, beating and throbbing with tender sympathies, than the cruel organ beneath the soft, wliite skin of her mistre-s. Topsy was seated before the open gjftte tire, rocking the baby, as she crov\»l a sweet, little Southern song. The very air of the room seemed redolent with magnolia blossoms, as the wavering notes fell from her lips in pathetic strain. The baby was asleop, but Topsy rocked on and on and sung— for company's sake. ( Topsy's mistress was away at a ball. There was no one in the house but she and the baby. The wind whirled down the chimney, scattering the ashe^ ujr-n her drcs*. She pushed back the rocker' the baby moved uneasily. Topsy rose, began to walk to and fro I until the child was quiet again. " I's jess g wine to put de bressed little feller in his crib an' dream, I ic\" softly uttered Topsy. She laid the baby in the crib, tucked the blanket down, and then, stretching herself upon the floor, elbows braced, head propped upon palms, she fixed her bead-like eyes upon the coals and — began to dream, as she called it. | " I sees my old mammy wid de two leetle pick'ninnie3 on hur knees fo' de ole fire-place. I smells de bacon fryin' in de pan an' — glor'us ! Dere's de ole hoe oake 'ruong de ashes on de h"arth. Hello ! de doo' opens, an' daddy an' de boys comes in, wid de nice fat possum. Dey bin huntin'j dey hab kotched de cunniu' rascal, dey hab. Now dey 'gins fur to skin dat yere iing-tailed 'possum. Termorrer mammy'll bake 'em an' — oh ! honey — doan' you wish you was dar to sop de yallar yam in de graby an' go fur de nice fried-jhom'ny 1 Jess, wish I was, chile, shoo's you bawn, I does. But I ha'nt dere ; an' I ha'nt gwine ter be dere termorrer. I's on'ly — a poo' brack pusson, 'way up here in dis yere cole norf — takin' care ob de whitefaced kil ; bross his lettle sole, body and heart. I reckon I's gittin' mo' cufis dan candies. I's got moughty poo' duds for 'spcclablc brack g.dl to. go out'n de streets wid. I — I'm gilt in' sleepy an' — an' — ole mammy wid pick'ninriies, de broys yam sop in 'possum graby an' — an — hom'ny down in ole — A I — Al'bam " The Id nicy head sunk lower lower, the black lid 3 drooped heavily ovfer the drowsy eyes, ane with a little sigh of relief Topsy rested her cheek upon her arm and. went to sloop. One, two hours passed, and Topsy slepr- on. The clock upon the side table tinkled the midnight hour ; it did not arouse Top-sy or ihc baby. The nrc burns lower in the grate. Ah! a great, red coal balances upon tha edge of th 3 grate bar. A gust of wind comes down the chimney, and the coal falls upon the brick hearth. Jt lies there, glowing and wicked, like the eye of some goblin. Another gust of wind com-s down the chimney. The window curtain trailing against the floor is swept against the coal. Then slowly, higher and higher a bliin. red worm crawls up the curtail), Up, up — and — when the worm reaches the level of the draught opening in the window, it bursts into a tiny flame. Along the window cornice the flame crawls, The curtrun fastenings are burnt away, and the frail lnce dops in a fiery mass to the floor. The carpet scorched, burned and — "Fire! lire 1 fire 1" That cry went waverin.gr along the dark street, arousing the sleepers from their couches. It penetrated the crowded ballroom. It drove the men from the card-lables in the club room. It brought the firefighters to the scene of disaster. The house is in flames. Streams of water r.re thrown upon the burning structure, but the red tongues mount higher an :l hiErner. " My Go 1, the child is 1 hero 1" "cried a man bursting through the. crowd f.nd rushing to the door. He applied the key to the lock, pushed the door open, only to be driver* back, as a cloud of ffame and smoke hurled itself through the opening. " The child 1 save the child !" Thi* cry came from a f.iir woman, cla-l fern he;nl to foot with rich laces, silks, an-1 satin-?. "My baby 1 oh, Uorl, my " " Yes, missy," responded a shrill voice from above. It was Topsy. She clasped Ihe baby cWj to her breast, wrapped the blanket about it nnd her nnd. plunging through the fiery furnace in the hallway, dashed down the tottering stairs and—foil in a heap upon the snow with tlv> child in her arm?. The baby was sivcd. Topsy held it so close to her ; she had it wrapped up so smier in the blanket that the scorching flames had no touched it. But Topsy — brave little girl; she had breathed the fatal flames. There she lay- -an ebony angel upon the. snow — dead. I wonder can the fine monument erected above her grave be recompense for the harsh words and blows she received while living ?