day after day rose stuyvesant continued her ministry of love to daph and the little ones. the hour of her morning visit was watched for, and hailed with joy, and well it might be, for she brought with her the sweet influence of a loving heart and an earnest devoted spirit.
the children were, as usual, eagerly looking out for her one morning, about a week after her first appearance in their humble home. daph, who was once more on her feet, was moving[pg 147] about with a step a little more languid than usual, trying, as she said, “to make the place look a bit more fitsome for the sweet young lady to sit down in.” charlie, who was perched on a chair beside his sister, and had had his nose pressed from time to time flat against the window, and had drawn all sorts of strange characters, with his fat fingers, in the dampness left by his breath on the pane, at length had his attention suddenly arrested. “o, lou!” he shouted, “look this way, on the steps! there’s that ugly, old, bad doctor, that cut dear daffy’s arm, and two big men with him.”
“good doctor, charlie!” said daph, “he wanted to make daffy well, but[pg 148] he didn’t jus know how. it took miss rose wid her sweet holy words to do daph good.”
“he’s an old, bad doctor, i say, and shan’t come in!” said charlie, springing towards the door, as the voice of the doctor sounded in the hall, and his hand touched the latch. the sturdy little figure of the boy, resolutely backed up against the door was but a small obstacle, in the way of the strong hands that forced it instantly open.
“for shame, mass’ charlie! let the young gemman in!” said daph, as she came forward, dropping a curtsy. “ise quite well sir to day,” she continued, “and ise mighty tankful for[pg 149] you being so uncommon willing to do somewhat for to cure daph, for by her arm do be a little stiff for de cuttin you gib it de oder day.”
“he’s an old, bad man to hurt daffy, and i aint glad to see him a bit,” said charlie, with an angry look.
“do your work! this is the woman!” said the slender young doctor, turning to the stout men he had brought with him.
a strong hand was laid on each shoulder of the astonished daph, and a rough voice said, “come with us, old woman!”
“i isn’t goin to do no such thing,” said she, with an indignant glance. “what for is i goin to waste my time[pg 150] goin with them as i has no business wid? perhaps you doesn’t know what manners is, to be layin hands on a poor nigger dis way. take your big hands off! ise my misses’ childen to look after, and we’s would be glad to hab dis bit of a room to ourselves!”
daph had not spoken very rapidly, but even as the indignant words forced themselves out of her mouth, she was hurried towards the door.
“you’d better do your talking now,” said one of the men coarsely, “for before half an hour’s over you’ll be locked up where nobody’ll hear you if you holler till you are hoarse.”
daph began to struggle violently, and the sinewy men who held her[pg 151] were well nigh compelled to relinquish their grasp.
“is you a gemman, doctor?” she said desperately, at last, “is you a gemman, and stand still to see a poor woman treated dis way?”
“you are only getting your deserts,” said little dr. bates, drawing himself up, and trying to look dignified. “you are to be tried for stealing, and for the other awful crimes which your own conscience can best count over to you, and be sure the severest punishment of the law awaits you!”
“is that all?” said daph, her spirit rising, “carry me to any real gemman, and it would take more liars than ever grew to prove any such like[pg 152] things against poor daph. ise not a bit afeared to go wid you, for sartain ise be back soon ’nough.”
the children, who had been at first struck with silent astonishment, now began to realize that daph was actually going from them. louise burst into a violent fit of weeping, and clung to the unfortunate negro, while charlie, with an uplifted wash-basin, made a sudden attack upon the slender legs of dr. bates, which broke up his dignified composure, and made him give a skip that would have done honor to a bear dancing on a hot iron plate.
“now, mass’ charley, ise do be shamed,” said daph, subduing the grin that had suddenly overspread her[pg 153] face. “de young gemman don’t know no better! ’tain’t likely he ever had body to teach him! you jus let him be, mass’ charlie, and tend to your own sister, miss lou, here. don’t cry, pretty dear, daph will be back soon! de lord won’t let em hurt daph! you be jus good childen, and dat sweet miss rose will comfort you till daph comes home.”
the last words were hardly uttered, when the negro was forced into a long covered wagon and rapidly borne away from the door.
at this moment mary ray ran breathlessly up the steps, exclaiming, “where have they taken daph, mother? mother, what is the matter?”
[pg 154]“matter enough!” said mrs. ray, vehemently; “who could have told it would have ended that way! i am sure i never meant any such thing. daph’s gone to prison; and just as likely i shall never hear the end of it, and have the children upon my hands, into the bargain. well, well; i wish i’d never set eyes on that little spinky, dr. bates!”
the bitter reproaches that rose to mary’s lips, were hushed at the mention of the children; and she hastened to comfort them, as well as she could, while mrs. ray went back to her kitchen, in no very enviable frame of mind.
