produced by the internet archive children 's library , samuel thompson and the online distributed proofreading team .

[ transcriber 's note : there is no chapter xi . ]

uncle tom's cabin

young folks ' edition

by

harriet beecher stowe

uncle tom's cabin

chapter i

uncle tom and little harry are sold

very many years ago , instead of having servants to wait upon them and work for them , people used to have slaves .

these slaves were paid no wages .

their masters gave them only food and clothes in return for their work .

if the poor slaves were bought by kind people they would be quite happy .

then they would work willingly for their masters and mistresses , and even love them .

but very often cruel people bought slaves .

these cruel people used to beat them and be unkind to them in many other ways .

it was very wicked to buy and sell human beings as if they were cattle .

' they are only black people , ' they said to themselves .

' black people do not feel things as we do . '

that was not kind , as black people suffer pain just in the same way as white people do .

when this happened those who were left behind were very sad indeed more sad than if their dear one had died .

uncle tom was a slave .

he was a very faithful and honest servant , and his master , mr shelby , was kind to him .

uncle tom 's wife was called aunt chloe .

she was mr shelby 's head cook , and a very good one too , she was .

nobody in all the country round could make such delicious pies and cakes as aunt chloe .

uncle tom and aunt chloe lived together in a pretty little cottage built of wood , quite close to mr shelby 's big house .

the little cottage was covered with climbing roses , and the garden was full of beautiful bright flowers and lovely fruit trees .

uncle tom and aunt chloe lived happily for many years in their little cottage , or cabin , as it was called .

all day uncle tom used to work in the fields , while aunt chloe was busy in the kitchen at mr shelby 's house .

when evening came they both went home to their cottage and their children , and were merry together .

mr shelby was a good man , and kind to his slaves , but he was not very careful of his money .

when he had spent all he had , he did not know what to do to get more .

at last he borrowed money from a man called haley , hoping to be able to pay it back again some day .

but that day never came .

then haley said , ' give me that slave of yours called tom he is worth a lot of money . '

but mr shelby knew that haley was not a nice man .

he knew he did not want tom for a servant , but only wanted to sell him again , to make more money .

so mr shelby said , ' no , i can't do that .

i never mean to sell any of my slaves , least of all tom .

he has been with me since he was a little boy . '

' oh very well , ' said haley , ' i shall sell your house and lands , as i said i should . '

mr shelby could not bear to think of that , so he agreed to let haley have tom .

he made him promise , however , not to sell tom again except to a kind master .

' very well , ' said haley , ' but tom isn't enough .

i must have another slave . '

just at this moment a little boy came dancing into the room where mr shelby and haley were talking .

he was a pretty , merry little fellow , the son of a slave called eliza , who was mrs shelby 's maid .

' i can't , ' said mr shelby .

' my wife is very fond of eliza , and would never hear of having harry sold . '

' oh , very well , ' said haley once more , ' i must just sell your house . '

chapter ii

eliza runs away with little harry

mr shelby was very unhappy because of what he had done .

he knew his wife would be very unhappy too , and he did not know how to tell her .

he had to do it that night , however , before she went to bed .

mrs shelby could hardly believe it .

' oh , you do not mean this , ' she said .

' you must not sell our good tom and dear little harry .

do anything rather than that .

it is a wicked , wicked thing to do .

' there is nothing else i can do , ' said mr shelby .

mrs shelby cried very much about it , but at last , though she was very , very unhappy she fell asleep .

but some one whom mr and mrs. shelby never thought of was listening to this talk .

eliza was sitting in the next room .

the door was not quite closed , so she could not help hearing what was said .

as she listened she grew pale and cold and a terrible look of pain came into her face .

eliza had had three dear little children , but two of them had died when they were tiny babies .

she loved and cared for harry all the more because she had lost the others .

now he was to be taken from her and sold to cruel men , and she would never see him again .

she felt she could not bear it .

eliza 's husband was called george , and was a slave too .

he did not belong to mr shelby , but to another man , who had a farm quite near .

george and eliza could not live together as a husband and wife generally do .

indeed , they hardly ever saw each other .

george 's master was a cruel man , and would not let him come to see his wife .

he was so cruel , and beat george so dreadfully , that the poor slave made up his mind to run away .

he had come that very day to tell eliza what he meant to do .

as soon as mr and mrs. shelby stopped talking , eliza crept away to her own room , where little harry was sleeping .

there he lay with his pretty curls around his face .

' my baby , my sweet-one , ' said eliza , ' they have sold you .

but mother will save you yet ! '

she did not cry .

she was too sad and sorrowful for that .

taking a piece of paper and a pencil , she wrote quickly .

[ illustration ]

' oh , missis ! dear missis ! don't think me ungrateful don't think hard of me , anyway !

i heard all you and master said to-night .

eliza was going to run away .

she gathered a few of harry 's clothes into a bundle , put on her hat and jacket , and went to wake him .

' what is the matter , mother ? ' he said beginning to cry .

[ illustration ]

' hush , ' she said , ' harry mustn't cry or speak aloud , or they will hear us .

a wicked man was coming to take little harry away from his mother , and carry him ' way off in the dark .

but mother won't let him .

harry stopped crying at once , and was good and quiet as a little mouse , while his mother dressed him .

when he was ready , she lifted him in her arms , and crept softly out of the house .

it was a beautiful , clear , starlight night , but very cold , for it was winter-time .

eliza ran quickly to uncle tom 's cottage , and tapped on the window .

aunt chloe was not asleep , so she jumped up at once , and opened the door .

she was very much astonished to see eliza standing there with harry in her arms .

uncle tom followed her to the door , and was very much astonished too .

' i 'm running away , uncle tom and aunt chloe carrying off my child , ' said eliza .

' master sold him . '

' sold him ? ' they both echoed , lifting up their hands in dismay .

' yes , sold him , ' said eliza .

' i heard master tell missis that he had sold my harry , and you , uncle tom .

the man is coming to take you away to-morrow . '

at first tom could hardly believe what he heard .

then he sank down , and buried his face in his hands .

' the good lord have pity on us ! ' said aunt chloe .

' what has tom done that master should sell him ? '

[ illustration ]

' he hasn't done anything it isn't for that .

master don't want to sell ; but he owes this man money .

if he doesn't pay him it will end in his having to sell the house and all the slaves .

master said he was sorry .

but missis she talked like an angel .

i 'm a wicked girl to leave her so , but i can't help it .

it must be right ; but if it an't right , the good lord will forgive me , for i can't help doing it .

' tom , ' said aunt chloe , ' why don't you go too ?

there 's time . '

tom slowly raised his head and looked sorrowfully at her .

' no , no , ' he said .

' let eliza go .

it is right that she should try to save her boy .

mas'r has always trusted me , and i can't leave him like that .

it is better for me to go alone than for the whole place to be sold .

mas'r isn't to blame , chloe .

he will take care of you and the poor '

tom could say no more .

' aunt chloe , ' said eliza , in a minute or two , ' i must go .

i saw my husband to-day .

he told me he meant to run away soon , because his master is so cruel to him .

try to send him a message from me .

tell him i have run away to save our boy .

tell him to come after me if he can .

good-bye , good-bye .

god bless you ! '

chapter iii

the morning after

mrs shelby was very glad .

' thank god ! ' she said .

' i hope eliza will get right away .

i could not bear to think of harry being sold to that cruel man . '

mr shelby was angry .

' haley knew i didn't want to sell the child , ' he said .

' he will blame me for this . '

one person only was quite silent , and that was aunt chloe .

she went on , making the breakfast as if she heard and saw nothing of the excitement round her .

all the little black boys belonging to the house thought it was fine fun .

very soon , about a dozen young imps were roosting , like so many crows , on the railings , waiting for haley to come .

they wanted to see how angry he would be , when he heard the news .

and he was dreadfully angry .

the little nigger boys thought it was grand .

they shouted and laughed and made faces at him to their hearts ' content .

at last haley became so angry , that mr shelby offered to give him two men to help him to find eliza .

they let loose their horses and haley 's too .

then they frightened and chased them , till they raced like mad things all over the great lawns which surrounded the house .

cotch him !

cotch him ! '

this frightened the horses so much that they galloped off faster than before .

haley rushed up and down , shouting and using dreadful , naughty words , and stamping with rage all the time .

at last , about twelve o'clock , sam came riding up with haley 's horse .

' he 's cotched , ' he said , seemingly very proud of himself .

' i cotched him ! '

of course , now it was too late to start before dinner .

besides , the horses were so tired with all their running about , that they had to have a rest .

when at last they did start , sam led them by a wrong road .

so the sun was almost setting before they arrived at the village where haley hoped to find eliza .

chapter iv

the chase

when eliza left uncle tom 's cabin , she felt very sad and lonely .

she knew she was leaving all the friends she had ever had behind her .

at first harry was frightened .

soon he grew sleepy .

' mother , i don't need to keep awake , do i ? ' he said .

' no , my darling , sleep , if you want to . '

' but , mother , if i do get asleep , you won't let the bad man take me ? '

' no ! '

' you're sure , an't you , mother ? '

' yes , sure . '

[ illustration ]

harry dropped his little weary head upon her shoulder , and was soon fast asleep .

eliza walked on and on , never resting , all through the night .

when the sun rose , she was many miles away from her old home .

at last , when it was nearly dark , she arrived at a village , on the banks of the river ohio .

if she could only get across that river , eliza felt she would be safe .

she went to a little inn on the bank , where a kind-looking woman was busy cooking supper .

' is there a boat that takes people across the river now ? ' she asked .

' no , indeed , ' replied the woman .

' the boats has stopped running .

it isn't safe , there be too many blocks of ice floating about . '

eliza looked so sad and disappointed when she heard this , that the good woman was sorry for her .

harry too was so tired , that he began to cry .

[ illustration ]

' here , take him into this room , ' said the woman , opening the door into a small bed-room .

eliza laid her tired little boy upon the bed , and he soon fell fast asleep .

but for her there was no rest .

she stood at the window , watching the river with its great floating blocks of ice , wondering how she could cross it .

as she stood there she heard a shout .

looking up she saw sam .

she drew back just in time , for haley and andy were riding only a yard or two behind him .

it was a dreadful moment for eliza .

her room opened by a side door to the river .

she seized her child and sprang down the steps towards it .

haley caught sight of her as she disappeared down the bank .

throwing himself from his horse , and calling loudly to sam and andy , he was after her in a moment .

in that terrible moment her feet scarcely seemed to touch the ground .

the next , she was at the water 's edge .

on they came behind her .

with one wild cry and flying leap , she jumped right over the water by the shore , on to the raft of ice beyond .

it was a desperate leap .

haley , sam , and andy cried out , and lifted up their hands in astonishment .

the great piece of ice pitched and creaked as her weight came upon it .

but she stayed there not a moment .

with wild cries she leaped to another and still another stumbling leaping slipping springing up again !

her shoes were gone , her stockings cut from her feet by the sharp edges of the ice .

blood marked every step .

' yer a brave gal , now , whoever ye are ! ' said the man .

' oh , save me do save me do hide me , ' she cried .

' why , what 's the matter ? ' asked the man .

' my child ! this boy mas'r sold him .

there 's his new mas'r , ' she said , pointing to the other shore .

' oh , save me . '

' yer a right brave gal , ' said the man .

' go there , ' pointing to a big white house close by .

' they are kind folks ; they 'll help you . '

' oh , thank you , thank you , ' said eliza , as she walked quickly away .

the man stood and looked after her wonderingly .

on the other side of the river haley was standing perfectly amazed at the scene .

when eliza disappeared over the bank he turned and looked at sam and andy , with terrible anger in his eyes .

but sam and andy were glad , oh , so glad , that eliza had escaped .

they were so glad that they laughed till the tears rolled down their cheeks .

' i 'll make ye laugh , ' said haley , laying about their heads with his riding whip .

they ducked their heads , ran shouting up the bank , and were on their horses before he could reach them .

' good evening , mas'r , ' said sam .

' i berry much ' spect missis be anxious ' bout us .

mas'r haley won't want us no longer . '

then off they went as fast as their horses could gallop .

it was late at night before they reached home again , but mrs shelby was waiting for them .

as soon as she heard the horses galloping up she ran out to the balcony .

' is that you , sam ? ' she called .

' where are they ? '

' mas'r haley 's a-restin ' at the tavern .

he 's drefful fatigued , missis . '

' and eliza , sam ? '

so sam went up and told the wonderful story of how eliza had crossed the river on the floating ice .

mr and mrs. shelby found it hard to believe that such a thing was possible .

mrs shelby was very , very glad that eliza had escaped .

she told aunt chloe to give sam and andy a specially good supper .

then they went to bed quite pleased with their day 's work .

chapter v

eliza finds a refuge

a lady and gentleman were sitting talking happily together in the drawing-room of the white house to which eliza had gone .

suddenly their old black man-of-all-work put his head in at the door and said , ' will missis come into the kitchen ? '

the lady went .

presently she called to her husband , ' i do wish you would come here a moment . '

he rose and went into the kitchen .

there lay eliza on two kitchen chairs .

her poor feet were all cut and bleeding , and she had fainted quite away .

the master of the house drew his breath short , and stood silent .

[ illustration ]

his wife and the cook were trying to bring eliza round .

the old man had harry on his knee , and was busy pulling off his shoes and stockings , to warm the little cold feet .

' poor creature , ' said the lady .

suddenly eliza opened her eyes .

a dreadful look of pain came into her face .

she sprang up saying , ' oh , my harry , have they got him ? '

' oh , he 's here ! he 's here , ' she said , kissing him .

' nobody shall hurt you here , poor woman , ' said the lady .

' you are safe ; don't be afraid . '

' you needn't be afraid of anything ; we are friends here , poor woman .

tell me where you come from and what you want , ' said the lady .

' i came from the other side of the river , ' said eliza .

' when ? ' said the gentleman , very much astonished .

' to-night . '

' how did you come ? '

' i crossed on the ice . '

' crossed on the ice ! ' exclaimed every one .

' yes , ' said eliza slowly , ' i did .

god helped me , and i crossed on the ice .

they were close behind me right behind , and there was no other way . '

' i know it is .

i know it , ' said eliza wildly .

' but i did it .

i would'nt have thought i could i didn't think i could get over , but i didn't care .

i could but die if i didn't .

and god helped me . '

' were you a slave ? ' said the gentleman .

' yes , sir . '

' was your master unkind to you ? '

' no , sir . '

' was your mistress unkind to you ? '

' no , sir no .

my mistress was always good to me . '

' what could make you leave a good home , then , and run away , and go through such danger ? '

' they wanted to take my boy away from me to sell him to sell him down south , ma'am .

to go all alone a baby that had never been away from his mother in his life .

i couldn't bear it .

i took him , and ran away in the night .

they chased me , they were coming down close behind me , and i heard ' em .

i jumped right on to the ice .

how i got across i don't know .

the first i knew , a man was helping me up the bank . '

it was such a sad story , that the tears came into the eyes of everyone who heard her tell it .

[ illustration ]

' where do you mean to go to , poor woman ? ' asked the lady .

' to canada , if i only knew where that was .

' poor woman , ' said she again .

' is it a great way off ? ' asked eliza .

' yes , ' said the lady of the house sadly , ' it is far away .

but we will try to help you to get there . '

eliza wanted to go to canada , because it belonged to the british .

they did not allow any one to be made a slave there .

george , too , was going to try to reach canada .

she is not safe here .

i know some good people , far in the country , who will take care of her . '

he gave some money to the good man too , and told him to use it for eliza .

chapter vi

uncle tom says good-bye

the day after the hunt for eliza was a very sad one in uncle tom 's cabin .

it was the day on which haley was going to take uncle tom away .

aunt chloe had been up very early .

she had washed and ironed all tom 's clothes , and packed his trunk neatly .

now she was cooking the breakfast , the last breakfast she would ever cook for her dear husband .

her eyes were quite red and swollen with crying , and the tears kept running down her cheeks all the time .

' it 's the last time , ' said tom sadly .

aunt chloe could not answer .

she sat down , buried her face in her hands , and sobbed aloud .

' s'pose we must be resigned .

but , o lord , how can i ?

if i knew anything where you was goin' , or how they 'd treat you !

missis says she 'll try and buy you back again in a year or two .

but , lor ' , nobody never comes back that goes down there . '

' there 'll be the same god there , chloe , that there is here . '

' well , ' said aunt chloe , ' s'pose dere will .

but the lord lets drefful things happen sometimes .

i don't seem to get no comfort dat way . '

' let 's think on our mercies , ' said tom , in a shaking voice .

' mercies ! ' said aunt chloe , ' don't see any mercies in ' t .

it isn't right ! it isn't right it should be so !

mas'r never ought to have left it so that ye could be took for his debts .

mebbe he can't help himself now , but i feel it 's wrong .

nothing can beat that out of me .

such a faithful crittur as ye 've been , reckonin ' on him more than your own wife and chil'en . '

' wall , anyway , there 's wrong about it somewhere , ' said aunt chloe , ' i can't jest make out where ' tis .

but there is wrong somewhere , i 'm sure of that . '

neither tom nor chloe could eat any breakfast ; their hearts were too full of sorrow .

but the little children , who hardly understood what was happening , enjoyed theirs .

it was not often that they had such a fine one as chloe had cooked for tom 's last morning at home .

[ illustration ]

breakfast was just finished , when mrs shelby came .

chloe was not very pleased to see her .

she was angry , and blamed her for letting tom be sold .

but mrs shelby did not seem to see aunt chloe 's angry looks .

then all aunt chloe 's anger faded away .

' lor ' , now missis , don't-don't , ' she said .

she too burst out crying again , and for a few minutes they all sobbed together .

' tom , ' said mrs shelby at last , ' i can't do anything for you now .

but i promise you , most solemnly , to save as much , money as i can .

as soon as i have enough , i will buy you back again . '

just then haley arrived .

tom said a last sad good-bye to his wife and children , and got into the cart , which haley had brought with him .

as soon as tom was seated in the cart , haley took a heavy chain , and fastened it round his ankles .

poor tom had done nothing wrong , yet he was treated worse than a thief , just because he was a slave .

' you don't need to do that , ' said mrs shelby , ' tom won't run away . '

' don't know so much about that , ma'am ; i 've lost one already .

i can't afford to run any more risks , ' replied haley .

' please give my love to mas'r george , ' said tom , looking round sadly .

' tell him how sorry i am he is not at home to say good-bye . '

master george was mr and mrs. shelby 's son .

he was very fond of tom , and was teaching him to write .

he often used to come and have tea in uncle tom 's little cottage .

aunt chloe used to make her very nicest cakes when mas'r george came to tea .

but he was not at home now , and did not know that tom had been sold .

chapter vii

uncle tom meets eva

haley stayed in washington several days .

he went to market each day and bought more slaves .

he put heavy chains on their hands and feet , and sent them to prison along with tom .

it was a beautiful boat .

the deck was gay with lovely ladies and fine gentlemen walking about enjoying the bright spring sunshine .

down on the lower deck , in the dark , among the luggage , were crowded tom and the other poor slaves .

some of the ladies and gentlemen on board were very sorry for the poor niggers , and pitied them .

' they are only slaves , ' they said .

among the passengers was a pretty little girl , about six years old .

she had beautiful golden hair , and big blue eyes .

she ran about here , there , and everywhere , dancing and laughing like a little fairy .

there were other children on board , but not one so pretty or so merry as she .

she was always dressed in white , and tom thought she looked like a little angel , as she danced and ran about .

often and often she would come and walk sadly around the place where the poor slaves sat in their chains .

she would look pityingly at them , and then go slowly away .

once or twice she came with her dress full of sweets , nuts , and oranges , and gave them all some .

tom watched the little lady , and tried to make friends with her .

his pockets were full of all kinds of things , with which he used to amuse his old master 's children .

he brought these out one by one , and though the little girl was shy at first , they soon grew to be great friends .

' what is missy 's name ? ' said tom one day .

' evangeline st clare , ' said the little girl ; ' though papa and everybody else call me eva .

now , what 's your name ? '

' my name 's tom .

the little chil'en at my old home used to call me uncle tom . '

' then i mean to call you uncle tom , because , you see , i like you , ' said eva .

' so , uncle tom , where are you going ? '

' i don't know , miss eva . '

' don't know ? ' said eva .

' no.

i 'm going to be sold to somebody .

i don't know who . '

' my papa can buy you , said eva quickly .

' if he buys you you will have good times .

i mean to ask him to , this very day . '

' thank you , my little lady , ' said tom .

just at this moment , the boat stopped at a small landing-place to take in some wood .

eva heard her father 's voice , and ran away to speak to him .

tom too rose and walked to the side .

he was allowed to go about now without chains .

tom helped the sailors to carry the wood on the boat .

he was so big and strong that they were very glad to have his help .

[ illustration ]

eva and her father were standing by the railings as the boat once more began to move .

it had hardly left the landing-stage when , some how or other , eva lost her balance .

she fell right over the side of the boat into the water .

tom was standing just under her , on the lower deck , as she fell .

in one moment he sprang after her .

the whole boat was in confusion .

every one ran to help eva , while the poor slave went back to his place , unnoticed and uncared for .

but mr st clare did not forget .

the next day tom sat on the lower deck , with folded arms , anxiously watching him as he talked to haley .

eva 's father was a very handsome man .

he was like eva , with the same beautiful blue eyes and golden-brown hair .

[ illustration ]

' papa do buy him , it 's no matter what you pay ' , whispered eva softly , putting her arms around her father 's neck .

' you have money enough , i know .

i want him . '

' what for , pussy ?

are you going to use him for a rattle-box , or a rocking-horse , or what ? '

' i want to make him happy . '

' come , eva , ' said mr st . clare , and , taking her hand , went across the boat to tom .

' look up , tom , ' he said to him , ' and see how you like your new master . '

tom looked up .

mr st clare had such a gay , young , handsome face , that tom could not help feeling glad .

grateful tears rushed to his eyes as he said , ' god bless you , mas'r . '

' can you drive horses , tom ? '

' i 've been allays used to horses , ' said tom .

' well , i think i 'll make you a coachman .

but you must not get drunk . '

tom looked surprised and a little hurt .

' i never drink ' , mas'r , ' he said .

' i certainly do , mas'r , ' said tom .

' and you shall have good times , ' said eva .

' papa is very good to everybody , only he always will laugh at them . '

' papa is much obliged to you , ' said mr st clare laughing , as he walked away .

chapter viii

eliza among the quakers

kind people helped her all the way .

she passed from friend to friend , till she arrived safely at a village where the people were quakers .

the quakers were gentle , quiet people .

they all dressed alike in plain grey clothes , and the women wore big , white muslin caps .

because they thought it was wicked to have slaves , they helped those who ran away from their cruel masters .

often they were punished for doing this , but still they went on helping the poor slaves .

for though the laws said it was wrong , they felt quite sure that it was really right to do so .

the kind quaker women grew to be very fond of eliza , and would have been glad if she would have stayed with them .

but eliza said , ' no , i must go on ; i dare not stop .

i can't sleep at night : i can't rest .

last night i dreamed i saw that man come into the yard . '

no slave that has run away has ever been stolen from our village .

it is safe here . '

rachel went out to him .

' eliza 's husband is here , ' he said .

' art thee sure ? ' asked rachel , her face bright with joy .

' yes , quite certain ; he will be here soon .

will thee tell her ? '

eliza rose trembling , she was so afraid it was bad news .

' no , no ! never fear thee .

it 's good news , eliza , ' said simeon ,

rachel shut the door , and drew eliza towards her .

' the lord has been very good to thee , ' she said gently .

' thy husband hath escaped , and will be here to-night . '

' to-night ! ' repeated eliza , ' to-night ! '

then it seemed as if the room and everything in it swam round her , and she fell into rachel 's arms .

very gently rachel laid her down on the bed .

there in a house , which kind voices told her was her home , she saw harry playing happily .

she heard her husband 's footstep .

she felt him coming nearer .

his arms were around her , his tears falling upon her face , and she awoke .

it was no dream .

the sun had set , the candles were lit .

harry was sleeping by her side , and george , her husband , was holding her in his arms .

chapter ix

uncle tom's new home

uncle tom soon settled down in his new home .

he was as happy as he could be , so far away from his wife and dear little children .

he had a kind master .

mrs st clare , however , was not nearly so nice as her husband .

she was cruel , and would often have beaten her poor slaves , but mr st clare would not allow it .

mrs st clare said she really was too ill to look after the house , so everything was left to the slaves .

soon things began to be very uncomfortable , and even good-natured mr st . clare could stand it no longer .

it was on the journey back with her that the accident to eva happened , which ended in his buying tom .

miss ophelia was a very prim and precise person , not at all like the st clares .

in her home people did not have slaves .

she was very , very sorry for the poor slaves , and would have liked to free them all .

yet she did not love them .

she could not bear even to have them near her , nor to touch them , just because they were black .

[ illustration ]

it made her quite ill to see eva kissing and hugging the black slave women when she came home .

' well , i couldn't do that , ' she said .

' why not ? ' said mr st clare , who was looking on .

' well , i want to be kind to every one .

i wouldn't have anybody hurt .

but , as to kissing niggers ' she gave a little shudder .

' how can she ? '

presently a gay laugh sounded from the court .

mr st clare stepped out to see what was happening .

' what is it ? ' said miss ophelia , following him .

there sat tom on a little mossy seat in the court .

every one of his buttonholes was stuck full of flowers .

eva , laughing gaily , was hanging a wreath of roses round his neck .

then , still laughing , she perched on his knee like a little sparrow .

' oh , tom , you look so funny ! '

tom had a sober smile on his face .

he seemed in his own quiet way to be enjoying the fun quite as much as his little mistress .

when he lifted his eyes and saw his master he looked as if he were afraid he might be scolded .

but mr st clare only smiled .

' how can you let her do that ? ' said miss ophelia .

' why not ? ' said mr st . clare .

' why ?

i don't know .

it seems dreadful to me . '

' you would think it was quite right and natural if you saw eva playing with a large dog , even if he was black .

but a fellow-creature that can think , and reason , and feel , and is immortal , you shudder at .

i know how you north-country people feel about it .

you loathe the blacks as you would a toad or a snake .

yet you pity them , and are angry because they are often ill-treated . '

' well , cousin , ' said miss ophelia thoughtfully , ' i daresay you are right .

i suppose i must try to get over my feeling . '

chapter x

uncle tom's letter

uncle tom felt that he was indeed very fortunate to have found such a kind master and so good a home .

he had nice clothes , plenty of food , and a comfortable room to sleep in .

he had no hard , disagreeable work to do .

he soon grew to love his little mistress very , very much indeed .

mr st clare too began to find tom very useful .

he was dreadfully careless about money , and his chief servant was just as careless as his master .

so between them a great deal was not only spent but wasted .

waste seemed dreadful to him , and he tried to do something to stop it now .

mr st clare was not long in finding out how clever tom was , and soon trusted him as thoroughly as mr shelby had done .

but in spite of all his good fortune , tom used to long very much to go home to see his dear ones again .

[ illustration ]

but as time went on , uncle tom longed more and more for his home .

at last one day he had a grand idea .

he would write a letter .

before uncle tom was sold , george shelby had been teaching him to write so he thought he could manage a letter .

he begged a sheet of writing-paper from eva , and going to his room began to make a rough copy on his slate .

it was very difficult .

poor uncle tom found that he had quite forgotten how to make some of the letters .

of those he did remember , he was not quite sure which he ought to use .

yes , it was a very difficult thing indeed .

while he was working away , breathing very hard over it , eva came behind him , and peeped over his shoulder .

' oh , uncle tom ! what funny things you are making there ! '

eva put her little golden head close to uncle tom 's black one , and the two began a grave and anxious talk over the letter .

they were both very earnest , and both very ignorant .

' yes , uncle tom , it begins to look beautiful , ' said eva , gazing on it with delight .

' how pleased your wife will be , and the poor little children !

oh , it is a shame that you ever had to go away from them !

i mean to ask papa to let you go back , some day . '

' missis said that she would send down money for me , as soon as they could get it together , ' said tom .

' young mas'r george , he said he 'd come for me .

he gave me this dollar as a sign , ' and tom drew the precious dollar from under his coat .

' oh , he is sure to come , then , ' said eva , ' i am so glad . '

' i say , tom , ' said mr st clare , coming in at the door at this minute .

tom and eva both started .

' what 's this ? '

mr st clare went on , coming up and looking at the slate .

' oh , it 's tom 's letter .

i 'm helping him to write it , ' said eva .

' isn't it nice ? '

i 'll do it when i come home from my ride . '

he told me they had said so . '

mr st clare thought in his heart that very likely this meant nothing .

he did not really believe mrs shelby meant to buy tom back again .

however , he did not say so out loud , but just told tom to get the horses ready for a ride .

that evening the letter was written , and uncle tom carried it joyfully to the post-office .

[ illustration ]

chapter xii

george fights for freedom

the two had much to say to each other .

then there were plans to make for going on towards canada .

it was arranged that they should start that night at ten o'clock .

' the pursuers are hard after thee , we must not delay , ' said simeon .

rachel was happy and busy , packing up food and clothes for them to take on the journey .

so george and eliza decided to start as soon as it was dark .

a little while after supper a large covered waggon drew up before the door .

they got in and the waggon drove off .

on and on , all through the dark night they drove .

about three o'clock , george heard the click of a horse 's hoof coming behind them .

' that 's simeon , ' said phineas , who was driving , as he pulled up the horses to listen .

' halloa , there , simeon , ' he shouted , ' what news ?

are they coming ? '

' yes , right on behind , eight or ten of them . '

' oh ! what shall we do ? ' groaned eliza .

but phineas knew the road well .

he lashed the horses till they flew along , the waggon rattling and jumping over the hard road behind them .

[ illustration ]

on they went till they came to a place where the rocks rose straight up from the road like a wall .

it seemed impossible for any one to climb up there .

but phineas knew a way .

he stopped the horses .

now follow me , ' he said to the others , ' quick , for your lives .

run now , if you you ever did run . '

' we are pretty safe here , ' said phineas , when they had reached the top .

' only one person can come up that path at a time .

if any one tries it , shoot him . '

the men who were chasing them had now arrived at the foot of of the rocks .

they were led by a big man called tom loker , and another mean-looking little man , whom haley had sent .

after some hunting about , they found the path , and , headed by tom loker , began to climb up .

' come up if you like , ' george called out , ' but if you do we will shoot you . '

for answer , the little man took aim at george , and fired .

eliza screamed , but the shot did not hurt him .

it passed close to his hair , nearly touched her cheek , and , struck a tree behind .

tom loker came on .

george waited until he was near enough , then he fired .

the shot hit him in the side .

but , though wounded , he would not go back .

with a yell like that of a mad bull he came leaping on , and sprang right in among them .

quakers are not allowed to use guns and pistols , so phineas had been standing back while george shot .

now he sprang forward .

down fell tom loker , down , down the steep side of the rock .

he crashed and crackled among trees , bushes , logs , loose stones , till he lay bruised and groaning far below .

the fall might have killed him , had it not been broken by his clothes catching on the branches of a large tree .

cruel people are , very often , cowardly too .

when the men saw their leader first wounded , and then thrown down , they all ran away .

mounting their horses , they rode off as fast as they could , leaving tom loker lying on the ground wounded and groaning with pain .

they had just reached the bottom , when they saw him coming back with the waggon and two other men .

' now we are safe , ' cried phineas joyfully .

' well , do stop then , ' said eliza , ' and do something for that poor man .

he is groaning dreadfully . '

' it would be no more than christian , ' said george .

' let us take him with us . '

then they all set out once more .

[ illustration ]

a drive of about an hour brought them to a neat farm-house .

there the tired travellers were kindly received and given a good breakfast .

tom loker was put into a comfortable bed , far cleaner and softer than any he had ever slept in before .

george and eliza walked about the garden hand-in-hand , feeling happy together , and almost safe .

they were so near canada now .

chapter xiii

aunt dinah

miss ophelia found that it was no easy matter to bring anything like order into the st clare household .

however , she had quite made up her mind that order there must be .

she got up at four o'clock in the morning , much to the surprise of the housemaids .

all day long she was busy dusting and tidying , till mrs st . clare said it made her tired to see cousin ophelia so busy .

chapter xiv

topsy

one morning , while miss ophelia was busy , as usual , she heard mr st clare calling her from the foot of the stairs .

' come down here , cousin .

i have something to show you . '

' what is it ? ' said miss ophelia , coming down with her sewing in her hand .

' i have bought something for you .

see here , ' he said , pulling forward a little negro girl of about eight or nine years old .

she was quite black .

her round , shining eyes glittered like glass beads .

her wooly hair was plaited into little tails which stuck out in all directions .

her clothes were dirty and ragged .

miss ophelia thought she had never seen such a dreadful little girl in all her life .

' cousin , what in the world have you brought that thing here for ? ' she asked , in dismay .

' topsy , ' he went on , ' this is your new mistress .

see , now , that you behave yourself . '

' yes , mas'r , ' said topsy gravely , but her eyes had a wicked twinkle in them .

' you 're going to be good , topsy , you understand ? ' said mr st . clare .

' oh yes , mas'r ' said topsy again , meekly folding her hands , but with another twinkle in her eyes .

' now cousin , what is this for ?

your house is full of these little plagues as it is .

they tumble over the kitchen floor , so that a body can't put their foot down without treading on them .

what on earth did you want to bring this one for ? '

' for you to teach , didn't i tell you ? '

' i don't want her , i 'm sure .

i have more to do with them now than i want . '

i couldn't bear to hear her screaming every day , so i bought her .

i will give her to you .

do try and make something of her . '

' well , i 'll do what i can , ' said miss ophelia .

' she is fearfully dirty , and half naked . '

' well , take her downstairs , and tell somebody to clean her up , and give her some decent clothes . '

getting topsy clean was a very long business .

but at last it was done .

then , sitting down before her , miss ophelia began to question her .

' how old are you , topsy ? '

' dunno , missis , ' said she , grinning like an ugly little black doll .

' don't know how old you are !

did nobody ever tell you ?

who was your mother ? '

' never had none , ' said topsy , with another grin .

' never had any mother !

what do you mean ?

where were you born ? '

' never was born . '

' you mustn't answer me like that , child , ' said miss ophelia sternly .

' i am not playing with you .

tell me where you were born , and who your father and mother were . '

' never was born , ' said topsy again very decidedly .

' never had no father , nor mother , nor nothin ! '

miss ophelia hardly knew what to make of her .

' how long have you lived with your master and mistress , then ? ' she asked .

' dunno , missis . '

' is it a year , or more , or less ? '

' dunno , missis . '

' have you ever heard anything about god , topsy ? ' asked miss ophelia next .

topsy looked puzzled , but kept on grinning .

' do you know who made you ? '

' nobody as i knows on , ' replied topsy , with a laugh .

' spect i grow 'd .

don't think nobody ever made me . '

[ illustration ]

' do you know how to sew ? ' asked miss ophelia , quite shocked .

' no , missis . '

' what can you do ?

what did you do for your master and mistress ? '

' fetch water , and wash dishes , and clean knives , and wait on folks . '

' well , now , topsy , i 'm going to show you just how my bed is to be made .

i am very particular about my bed .

you must learn exactly how to do it . '

' yes , missis , ' said topsy , with a deep sigh and a face of woeful earnestness .

' now , topsy , look here .

this is the hem of the sheet .

this is the right side of the sheet .

this is the wrong .

will you remember ? '

' yes , missis , ' said topsy with another sigh .

do you see ? '

' yes , missis . '

' yes , missis , ' said topsy as before .

when miss ophelia looked up again , the naughty little girl was standing with meekly-folded hand as before .

' now , topsy , let me see you do this , ' said miss ophelia , pulling the clothes off again and seating herself .

topsy , looking very earnest , did it all just as she had been shown .

she did it so quickly and well that miss ophelia was very pleased .

but , alas ! as she was finishing , an end of ribbon came dangling out of her sleeve .

' what is this ? ' said miss ophelia , seizing it .

' you naughty , wicked child you have been stealing this . '

the ribbon was pulled out of topsy 's own sleeve .

yet she did not seem a bit ashamed .

she only looked at it with an air of surprise and innocence .

' why , that 's miss feely 's ribbon , an't it ?

how could it a got into my sleeve ? '

' topsy , you naughty girl , don't tell me a lie .

you stole that ribbon , '

' missis , i declare i didn't .

never seed it till dis blessed minnit . '

' topsy , ' said miss ophelia , ' don't you know it is wicked to tell lies ? '

' i never tells no lies , miss feely , ' said topsy .

' it 's jist the truth i 've been , tellin ' now .

it an't nothin ' else . '

[ illustration ]

' topsy , i shall have to whip you , if you tell lies so . '

' laws , missis , if you whip 's all day , couldn't say no other way , ' said topsy , beginning to cry .

' i never seed dat ribbon .

it must a caught in my sleeve .

miss feely must'a left it on the bed , and it got caught in the clothes , and so got in my sleeve . '

miss ophelia was so angry at such a barefaced lie that she caught topsy and shook her .

' don't tell me that again , ' she said .

the shake brought the gloves on the floor from the other sleeve .

' there , ' said miss ophelia , ' will you tell me now you didn't steal the ribbon ? '

topsy now confessed to stealing the gloves .

but she , still said she had not taken the ribbon .

' now , topsy ' , said miss ophelia kindly , ' if you will confess all about it i won't whip you this time . '

so topsy confessed to having stolen both the ribbon and the gloves .

she said she was very , very sorry , and would never do it again .

if you confess i won't whip you . '

' laws , missis , i took miss eva 's red thing she wears on her neck . '

' you did , you naughty child !

well , what else ? '

' i took rosa 's ear-rings them red ones . '

' go and bring them to me this minute both of them . '

' laws , missis , i can't they's burnt up . '

' burnt up ?

what a story !

go and get them , or i shall whip you . '

topsy began to cry and groan , and declare that she could not .

' they 's burnt up , they is . '

' what did you burn them up for ? ' asked miss ophelia .

' cause i 's wicked , i is .

i's mighty wicked , anyhow .

i can't help it . '

just at this minute eva came into the room wearing her coral necklace .

' why , eva , where did you get your necklace ? ' said miss ophelia .

' get it ?

why , i have had it on all day , ' answered eva , rather surprised .

' and what is funny , aunty , i had it on all night too .

i forgot to take it off when i went to bed . '

miss ophelia looked perfectly astonished .

i 'm sure i don't know what to do with such a child , ' she said , in despair .

' what in the world made you tell me you took those things , topsy ? '

' why , missis said i must ' fess .

i couldn't think of nothing else to ' fess , ' said topsy , wiping her eyes .

' but of course , i didn't want you to confess things you didn't do , ' said miss ophelia .

' that is telling a lie just as much as the other . '

' laws , now , is it ? ' said topsy , looking surprised and innocent .

' poor topsy , ' said eva , ' why need you steal ?

you are going to be taken good care of now .

i am sure i would rather give you anything of mine than have you steal it . '

topsy had never been spoken to so kindly and gently in all her life .

for a minute she looked as if she were going to cry .

the next she was grinning as usual in her ugly way .

what was to be done with topsy ?

miss ophelia was quite puzzled .

she shut her up in a dark room till she could think about it .

' well , whip her , then . '

' i never heard of bringing up children without it , ' said miss ophelia .

' oh , well , do as you think best .

only , i have seen this child beaten with a poker , knocked down with the shovel or tongs , or anything that came handy .

so i don't think your beatings will have much effect . '

' what is to be done with her , then ? ' said miss ophelia .

' i never saw such a child as this . '

but mr st clare could not answer her question .

so miss ophelia had to go on , as best she could , trying to make topsy a good girl .

she taught her to read and to sew .

topsy liked reading , and learned her letters like magic .

but she could not bear sewing .

so she broke her needles or threw them away .

she tangled , broke , and dirtied her cotton and hid her reels .

miss ophelia felt sure all these things could not be accidents .

yet she could never catch topsy doing them .

in a very few days topsy had learned how to do miss ophelia 's room perfectly , for she was very quick and clever .

but if miss ophelia ever left her to do it by herself there was sure to be dreadful confusion .

instead of making the bed , she would amuse herself with pulling off the pillow-cases .

then she would butt her woolly head among the pillows , until it was covered with feathers sticking out in all directions .

' dunno , missis i'spects ' cause i 's so wicked . '

' i don't know what i shall do with you , topsy . '

' laws , missis , you must whip me .

my old missis always did .

i an't used to workin ' unless i gets whipped . '

so miss ophelia tried it .

topsy would scream and groan and implore .

but half an hour later she would be sitting among the other little niggers belonging to the house , laughing about it .

' miss feely whip ! ' she would say , ' she can't do it nohow . '

' law , you niggers , ' she would go on , ' does you know you 's all sinners ?

well , you is ; everybody is .

white folks is sinners too miss feely says so .

but i ' spects niggers is the biggest ones .

but ye an't any of ye up to me .

i's so awful wicked , there can't nobody do nothin ' with me .

i ' spects i's the wickedest crittur in the world . '

then she would turn a somersault , and come up bright and smiling , evidently quite pleased with herself .

chapter xv

eva and topsy

two or three years passed .

uncle tom was still with mr st clare , far away from his home .

he was not really unhappy .

but always in his heart was the aching longing to see his dear ones again .

now he began to have a new sorrow .

he loved his little mistress eva very tenderly , and she was ill .

he saw that she was growing white and thin .

she no longer ran and played in the garden for hours together as she used to do .

she was always tired now .

miss ophelia noticed it too , and tried to make mr st clare see it .

but he would not .

he loved his little eva so much , that he did not want to believe that anything could be the matter with her .

mrs st clare never thought that any one , except herself , could be ill .

so eva grew daily thinner and weaker , and uncle tom and aunt ophelia more and more sad and anxious .

in a week or two she was very much better .

once more she ran about playing and laughing , and her father was delighted .

only miss ophelia and the doctor sighed and shook their heads .

and little eva herself knew ; but she was not troubled .

she knew she was going to god .

' papa ' she said one day , ' there are some things i want to say to you .

i want to say them now while i am able . '

she seated herself on his knee , and laid her head on his shoulder .

' it is all no use , papa , to keep it to myself any longer .

the time is coming when i am going to leave you .

i am going , never to come back ' , and eva sobbed .

' eva , darling , don't say such things ; you are better you know . '

' no , papa , i am not any better .

i know it quite well , and i am going soon . '

' don't , eva , don't talk so .

what makes you so sad ? '

' i feel sad for our poor people .

i wish , papa , they were all free .

isn't there any way to have all slaves made free ? '

' that is a difficult question , dearest .

there is no doubt that this way is a very bad one .

a great many people think so .

i do myself .

i wish there was not a slave in the land .

but then , i don't know what is to be done about it . '

' papa , you are such a good man , and so noble and kind .

couldn't you go all around and try and persuade people to do right about this ?

when i am dead , papa , then you will think of me , and do it for my sake . '

' when you are dead , eva !

oh , child , don't talk to me so . '

' promise me at least , father , that tom shall have his freedom , as soon as i am gone . '

' yes , dear , i will do anything you wish .

only don't talk so . '

miss ophelia and eva had been to church together .

miss ophelia had gone to her room to take off her bonnet , while eva talked to her father .

suddenly mr st clare and his little girl heard a great noise coming from miss ophelia 's room .

a minute later she appeared , dragging topsy behind her .

' come out here ' she was saying .

' i will tell your master . '

' what is the matter now ? ' asked mr st . clare .

' the matter is that i cannot be plagued with this child any longer ' said miss ophelia .

' it is past all bearing .

here , i locked her up , and gave her a hymn to learn .

what does she do , but spy out where i put my key .

she has gone to my wardrobe , taken a bonnet-trimming , and cut it all to pieces to make dolls ' jackets !

i never saw anything like it in my life . '

[ illustration ]

' i don't know what to do ' she went on ; ' i have taught and taught .

i have talked till i 'm tired .

i 've whipped her .

i 've punished her in every way i can think of , and still she is as naughty as she was at first . '

' come here , topsy , you monkey , ' said mr st . clare .

topsy came , her hard , round eyes glittering and blinking , half in fear , half in mischief .

' what makes you behave so ? ' said mr st . clare , who could not help being amused at her funny expression .

' spects it 's my wicked heart ; miss feely says so . '

' don't you see how much miss ophelia has done for you ?

she says she has done everything she can think of . '

' lor ' , yes , mas'r !

old missis used to say so , too .

she whipped me a heap harder , and used to pull my hair and knock my head agin the door .

but it didn't do me no good .

i ' spect if they is to pull every hair out o ' my head it wouldn't do no good neither .

i's so wicked .

laws !

i 's nothin ' but a nigger noways . '

' i shall have to give her up , ' said miss ophelia .

' i can't have that trouble any longer . '

eva had stood silent , listening .

now she took topsy by the hand , and led her into a little room close by .

' what makes you so naughty , topsy ? ' she said , with tears in her eyes .

' why don't you try to be good ?

don't you love anybody , topsy ? '

' dunno nothin ' ' bout love .

i love candy , that 's all . '

' but you love your father and mother ? '

' never had none , ye know .

i telled ye that , miss eva . '

' oh , i forgot , ' said eva sadly .

' but hadn't you any brother , or sister or aunt , or '

' no , none on ' em .

never had nothin ' nor nobody . '

' but , topsy , if you would only try to be good you might '

' couldn't never be nothin ' but a nigger , if i was ever so good , ' said topsy .

' if i could be skinned , and come white , i 'd try then . '

' but people can love you , if you are black , topsy .

miss ophelia would love you if you were good . '

topsy laughed scornfully .

' don't you think so ? ' said eva .

' no.

she can't bear me , ' cause i 'm a nigger .

she 'd as soon have a toad touch her .

there can't nobody love niggers , and niggers can't do nothin ' .

i don't care , ' and topsy began whistling to show that she didn't .

' oh , topsy !

i love you , ' said eva , laying her little , thin hand on topsy 's shoulder .

i love you , and i want you to be good .

it makes me sorry to have you so naughty .

i wish you would try to be good for my sake , because i 'm going to die soon .

i shan't be here very long . '

topsy 's round , bright eyes grew suddenly dim with tears .

she did believe at last that it was possible for some one to love her .

she laid her head down between her knees and wept and sobbed .

' poor topsy , ' said eva gently .

[ illustration ]

i never did care nothin ' about it before . '

chapter xvi

eva's last good-bye

it soon became quite plain to everybody that eva was very ill indeed .

she never ran about and played now , but spent most of the day lying on the sofa in her own pretty room .

every one loved her , and tried to do things for her .

even naughty little topsy used to bring her flowers , and try to be good for her sake .

uncle tom was a great deal in eva 's room .

she used to get very restless , and then she liked to be carried about .

he was so big and strong that he could do it very easily .

he loved to do it , and could not bear to be long away from his little mistress .

he gave up sleeping in his bed , and lay all night on the mat outside her door .

one day eva made her aunt cut off a lot of her beautiful hair .

then she called all the slaves together , said good-bye to them , and gave them each a curl of her hair as a keepsake .

they all cried very much , and said they would never forget her , and would try to be good for her sake .

a few nights later miss ophelia came quickly to tom , as he lay on the mat outside eva 's door .

' go , tom , ' she said , ' go as fast as you can for the doctor . '

tom ran .

but in the morning little eva lay on her bed , cold and white , with closed eyes and folded hands .

she had gone to god .

mr st clare was very , very unhappy for a long time after eva died .

he had loved her so much , that now his life seemed quite empty without her .

he did not forget his promise to her about tom .

he went to his lawyer , and told him to begin writing out the papers that would make tom free .

it took some time to make a slave free .

so have your trunk packed and get ready to set out for home . '

joy shone in uncle tom 's face .

' bless the lord , ' he said , raising his hands to heaven .

mr st clare felt rather hurt .

he did not like tom to be so glad to leave him .

' you haven't had such a very bad time here that you need be in such rapture , tom , ' he said .

' no , no , mas'r ! tan't that .

it 's bein ' a free man !

that 's what i 'm joyin ' for . '

' why , tom , don't you think that you are really better off as you are ? '

' no , indeed , mas'r st clare , ' said tom , very decidedly ; ' no , indeed . '

' i knows all that , mas'r st clare .

mas'r has been too good .

i had so , mas'r .

i thinks it 's nature , mas'r . '

' i suppose so , tom .

you will be going off and leaving me , in a month or two , ' he said , rather discontentedly .

' though why you shouldn't , i don't know , ' he added , in a gayer voice .

[ illustration ]

' not while mas'r is in trouble , ' said tom .

' i 'll stay with mas'r as long as he wants me so as i can be of any use . '

' not while i am in trouble , tom ? ' said mr st clare , looking sadly out of the window .

' and when will my trouble be over ? '

then half-smiling he turned from the window , and laid his hand on tom 's shoulder .

' ah , tom , you soft , silly boy , ' he said .

' i won't keep you .

go home to your wife and children , and give them all my love . '

' cousin , ' said miss ophelia , coming into the room , ' i want to speak to you about topsy . '

' what has she been doing now ? '

[ illustration ]

' nothing ; she is a much better girl than she used to be .

but i want to ask you , whose is she yours or mine ? '

' why yours , of course ; i gave her to you , ' said mr st . clare .

' but not by law .

if you are really willing i should have her , i want you to give me a paper saying she is mine . '

' but you think it is wicked to keep slaves .

now you want to have one of your own .

oh ! shocking , cousin , ' said mr st . clare , who loved to tease .

' nonsense !

i only want to have her , so that i can set her free . '

' very well , ' said mr st . clare , ' i will write the paper for you . '

then he sat down and began to read .

' but i want it done now , ' said miss ophelia .

' why are you in such a hurry ? '

you may die or lose all your money .

then topsy would be taken away and sold , in spite of anything i could say . '

mr st clare hated being made to do things when he didn't want to .

however , after teasing his cousin a little more , he wrote out the paper , and topsy belonged to miss ophelia .

that evening mr st clare went out for a ride .

tom saw him go , and asked if he should come too .

' no , my boy , ' said mr st . clare , ' i shall be back in an hour . '

tom sat down on the verandah to wait till his master came home .

while he waited , he fell asleep .

presently he was awakened by loud knocking , and the sound of voices at the gate .

he ran to open it .

several men were there carrying a load .

it was mr st . clare .

he had been hurt in an accident , and was dying .

very gently they laid him on a sofa .

nothing could be done .

in a short time he had gone to join his little eva .

chapter xvii

uncle tom's new master

there had been great grief in the house when eva died .

now there was not only sorrow , but gloom and fear .

the kind master was dead , and the poor slaves asked themselves in despair what would happen to them now .

they were not long left in doubt .

one morning mrs st clare told them that they were all to be sold .

she was going back to her father 's house to live , and would not want them any more .

poor uncle tom !

the news was a dreadful blow to him .

for a few days he had been so happy in the thought of going home .

once more , after all these years , he thought he would see his dear wife and little children .

now , at one stroke , he had lost both his kind master and his hope of freedom .

instead of going home , he was to be sent farther away than ever from his dear ones .

he could not bear it .

he tried to say , " thy will be done " , but bitter tears almost choked the words .

he had one hope left .

he would ask miss ophelia to speak to mrs st clare for him .

' mas'r st clare promised me my freedom , miss feely , ' he said .

' he told me that he had begun to take it out for me .

seeing it was mas'r st clare 's wish , she might . '

' i 'll speak for you , tom , and do my best , ' said miss ophelia .

' i haven't much hope , but i will try . '

so miss ophelia asked mrs st clare to set tom free .

' indeed , i shall do no such thing , ' she replied .

' tom is worth more than any of the other slaves .

i couldn't afford to lose so much money .

besides , what does he want with his freedom ?

he is a great deal better off as he is . '

' but he does want it very much , ' replied miss ophelia .

' and his master promised it to him . '

' i dare say he does want it , ' replied mrs st . clare .

' they all want it .

just because they are a discontented set , always wanting what they haven't got . '

' but tom is so good and gentle , and such a splendid worker .

if you sell him there is the chance of his getting a bad master . '

' oh , i have no fear about that .

most masters are good , in spite of all the talk people make about it , ' replied mrs st . clare .

he promised dear little eva that he should have it .

i think you ought to do it . '

there was only one other thing she could do .

she wrote to mrs shelby , telling her that poor uncle tom was going to be sold again .

she asked her to send money to buy him back , as soon as possible .

the next day , uncle tom and the other slaves belonging to mr st clare were sent to market to be sold .

as uncle tom stood in the market-place , waiting for some one to buy him , he looked anxiously round .

in the crowd of faces , he was trying to find one kind , handsome one , like mr st clare 's .

but there was none .

presently a short , broad man , with a coarse , ugly face and dirty hands , came up to tom .

tom knew from the way this man looked and spoke , that he must be bad and cruel .

he prayed in his heart that this might not be his new master .

but it was .

his name was legree .

he bought uncle tom , several other men slaves , and two women .

the other was an old woman .

the two women were chained together .

the men , uncle tom among them , had heavy chains put on both hands and feet .

then legree drove them all on to a boat which was going up the river to his plantation .

it was a sad journey .

this time there was no pretty eva , nor kind-hearted mr st . clare , to bring any happiness to the poor slaves .

one of the first things legree did was to take away all tom 's nice clothes which mr st clare had given him .

he made him put on his oldest clothes , then he sold all the others to the sailors .

legree made his slaves unhappy in every way he could think of .

then he would come up to them and say , ' come , come , i don't allow any sulky looks .

be cheerful , now , or ' and he would crack his whip in a way to make them tremble .

at last the weary journey was over .

legree and his slaves landed .

his house was a long way from the river .

the men slaves walked , while legree and the two women drove in a cart .

legree was not a gentleman like mr shelby or mr st . clare .

he was a very rough kind of farmer .

on his farm he grew cotton .

the cotton had to be gathered and tied into bundles .

then he sold it to people who made it into calico , muslin , and other things , which we need to use and wear .

gathering cotton is very hard work .

the house legree lived in had once been a very fine one , and had belonged to a rich gentleman .

now , it was old , neglected , and almost in ruins .

the house was bad enough , but the cabins where the slaves lived were far worse .

they were roughly built of wood .

the wind and the rain came through the chinks between the planks .

there were no windows .

the floors were nothing but the bare earth .

there was no furniture of any kind in them , only heaps of dirty straw to sleep upon .

uncle tom felt more unhappy than ever .

he had hoped at least to have a little room which he could keep clean and tidy .

but this hole he did not even have to himself .

he had to share it with five or six others .

now began the saddest time of uncle tom 's life .

every morning very early the slaves were driven out into the fields like cattle .

all day long they worked hard .

the burning sun blazed down upon them , making them hot and tired .

legree and his two chief slaves , called quimbo and sambo , marched about all the time with whips in their hands .

at night they drove the slaves back again to their miserable huts .

but before they could rest , they had to grind and cook the corn for their supper .

when at last they did go to sleep , they had to lie on the heaps of dirty straw instead of in comfortable beds .

chapter xviii

george and eliza find freedom

tom loker lay tossing and tumbling in his clean , comfortable bed at the quaker farmhouse .

a pretty , old quaker lady , with white hair and a kind face , was nursing him .

tom loker did not like being ill and having to lie in bed .

he threw the clothes about , grumbling and using naughty words all the tune .

he gave another great lunge , and made the sheets and blankets all untidy again .

' yes , they are , ' said the old lady .

' they had better get away across the lake , ' said tom loker , ' the quicker the better . '

' very likely they will do so , ' said the old lady , calmly going on with her knitting .

' but , listen , ' said tom loker , getting excited , ' there are people who are watching the boats for us .

i don't care if i tell now .

' thomas loker ! ' said the old lady .

' i tell you , granny , if you bottle a fellow up too tight he 'll split , ' said tom loker .

' but about eliza tell them to dress her up some way so as to alter her .

we have sent a description of what she looks like to the town where the boats start from .

she will be caught yet if she doesn't dress up differently . '

' i thank thee , thomas loker , ' replied the old lady with her usual calmness .

' we will attend to that .

thank thee . '

then she went to tell george and eliza what tom loker had said .

so next day eliza cut off all her beautiful black hair , and dressed herself like a boy .

' don't i make a pretty young fellow ? ' she said to george , laughing and blushing at the same time .

' you always will be pretty , ' said george gravely , ' do what you will . '

' what makes you so sober ? ' asked eliza , kneeling on one knee , and laying her hand on his .

' we are within twenty-four hours of canada , they say .

only a day and a night on the lake , and then oh , then ! '

' o eliza , ' said george , holding her fast , ' that is just it .

to be so near liberty , to be almost in sight of it and then if we lost it .

o eliza , i should die . '

' don't fear , ' said eliza hopefully .

' the good lord would not have brought us so far if he didn't mean to save us .

i seem to feel him with us , george . '

so george kissed his wife and took heart again .

then the kind old lady brought harry in dressed as a little girl .

and a very pretty girl he made too .

they called him ' harriet , ' as it was so like harry it was easy to remember .

so the kind lady was going with them , pretending to be the little girl 's aunt .

when everything was ready they got into a cab , and drove to the wharf .

as he was standing at the office , taking the tickets , george overheard two men talking by his side .

' i 've watched every one that came on board , ' said one , ' and i know they are not on this boat . '

' you would scarcely know the woman from a white one , ' said the other .

' the man is very fair too .

he has an h burned into the palm of his hand . '

it was a lovely day .

the blue waves of lake erie danced , rippling and sparkling , in the sunlight .

hour after hour the boat steamed on .

night came ; and in the morning , clear and beautiful before them , rose the shores of canada .

george and his wife stood arm in arm as the boat came near the little town , where they were going to land .

the bell rang the boat stopped .

[ illustration ]

scarcely seeing what he did , george looked out his luggage , and gathered his little party .

they were landed on the shore , and stood still till the boat had started again .

they were free .

chapter xix

uncle tom finds freedom

soon mr shelby died .

mrs shelby was very sad , but in her sorrow she did not forget her promise to aunt chloe and uncle tom .

at last , after searching about for months , george shelby found out where uncle tom was , and followed him .

two days after legree had been so cruel , george shelby drove up the avenue and stopped at the door of the old house .

' i hear , ' he said to legree , ' that you bought a slave named tom .

he used to belong to my father .

i have come to buy him back again . '

legree 's face grew black with anger .

' yes , i did buy such a fellow , ' he growled in rage .

' and a bad bargain it was , too !

the most rebellious , saucy , impudent dog !

set up my niggers to run away .

he owned to it , and , when i bid him tell me where they were , he said he knew , but wouldn't tell .

he stuck to it , too , though i gave him the very worst beating i ever gave a nigger yet .

i believe he is trying to die .

i shouldn't wonder if he did . '

' where is he ? ' said george .

' let me see him . '

his cheeks were crimson , and his eye flashed fire at the thought that legree had dared to treat dear uncle tom so badly .

' he is in that shed , ' said a little fellow who was holding george shelby 's horse .

george , without saying another word , hurried to the place to which the little boy pointed .

as he entered the shed , his head felt giddy and his heart sick .

uncle tom lay on a heap of straw on the floor , still and quiet .

here 's mas'r george your own little mas'r george .

don't you know me ? '

' mas'r george ! ' said tom , opening his eyes , and speaking in a feeble voice .

' mas'r george ? it is it is .

it 's all i wanted .

they haven't forgot me .

it warms my soul ; it does my old heart good .

now i shall die content . '

' you shan't die ! you mustn't die , nor think of it .

' oh , mas'r george , ye 're too late .

the lord has bought me , and is going to take me home . '

[ illustration ]

' oh , don't .

it breaks my heart to think of what you 've suffered lying in this old shed , too . '

' it would seem so dreadful to her .

only tell her ye found me going into glory , and that i couldn't stay for no one .

and oh , the poor chil'en , and the baby my old heart 's been most broke for them .

tell them to follow me .

give my love to mas'r , and dear , good missis , and everybody in the place .

i love them all . '

he closed his eyes , and with a smile he fell asleep .

uncle tom too was free .

beyond the gates of legree 's farm , george had noticed a dry , sandy knoll , shaded by a few trees .

there he made uncle tom 's grave .

no stone marks his last resting-place .

he needs none .

god knows where he lies .

kneeling there george bent his head , in shame and sorrow .

chapter xx

george shelby frees his slaves

george shelby wrote a little note to his mother , telling her that he was coming home .

he tried to write about uncle tom , but he could not ; tears blinded him , and sobs choked him .

on the day he was expected every one was in a state of bustle and excitement .

aunt chloe in a new print dress , and clean white apron walked round the supper-table , making sure that everything was right .

her black face shone with joy at the thought of seeing uncle tom again .

' i 'm thinking my old man won't know the boys and the baby , ' she said .

mrs shelby sighed .

ever since the letter had come from george she had had a very sad heart .

she felt sure something must be wrong .

just then the sound of wheels was heard .

' it 's mas'r george , ' cried aunt chloe , running to the window in great excitement .

mrs shelby ran to the door .

as george met her he put his arms round her , and kissed her tenderly .

aunt chloe stood behind anxiously looking out into the darkness .

' oh , poor aunt chloe , ' said george , gently taking her hard , black hand between both his own .

' i 'd have given all my fortune to have brought uncle tom home with me ; but he has gone to a better country . '

mrs shelby cried out as if she had been hurt , but aunt chloe did not make a sound .

in silence they went into the supper-room .

[ illustration : ]

he 's been sold and murdered on dem old plantations . '

then she turned and walked proudly out of the room .

mrs shelby followed her softly , took one of her hands , drew her down into a chair , and sat down beside her .

' my poor , good chloe , ' she said gently .

' i know it is , ' said mrs shelby , as her tears fell fast , ' and i cannot heal it . '

there was silence for a little as they wept together .

then george sat down beside aunt chloe , and took her hand .

he talked gently to her , telling her of uncle tom 's last loving messages .

so she was comforted a little .

they wondered what it could be , and were very much surprised when he appeared , carrying a bundle of papers in his hand .

they were still more astonished when he gave a paper to each one , and told them all that they were free .

with sobs and tears and shouts they pressed round him , thanking and blessing him .

but some of them came with anxious faces , begging him to take their free papers back again , and not to send them away .

' we don't want to be any freer than we are , ' they said .

' we have always had all we wanted . '

' we don't want to leave the old place , and young mas'r and missis , and the rest . '

[ illustration ]

we want quite as many servants as we did before .

but now you are free men and free women .

that is all the difference .

i want you all to stay with me , for i want to teach you how to live as free men and women ought . '

' one thing more , ' added george , when the cheering and rejoicing had died away a little .

' you all remember our good old uncle tom .

you have heard how he died , and how he sent his love to you all .

the end .

end of the project gutenberg ebook of uncle tom 's cabin , young folks ' edition by harriet beecher stowe