NEGRO LIFE IN AMERICA. $41

« Twelve o'clock; well, now we'll see,” said she, turning and
opening the door into the passage-way, and standing as if lis-
tening.

« Hark! What's that?” said she, raising her finger.

“It’s only the wind,” said Legree. ‘Don't you hear how
cursedly it blows ?”

«Simon, come here,” said Cassy in a whisper, laying her hand
on his and leading him to the foot of the stairs; “ do you know
what that is? Hark!”

A wild shriek came pealing down the stairway. It came/from
the garret. Legree’s knees knocked together ; his face grew white
with fear.

« Hadn’t you better get your pistols?” said Cassy, with a sneer
that froze Legree’s blood. “ It’s time this thing was looked into, *
you know. I'd like to have you go up now; they're at it.”

“JT won't go!” said Legree, with an oath.

“Why not? There ant any such thing as ghosts, you know!
Come!” and Cassy flitted up the winding stairway, laughing, and
looking back after him. “ Come on.”

«| believe you are the devil!” said Legree. ‘Come back, you
hag—come back, Cass! You shan’t go r

But Cassy laughed wildly, and fled on. He heard her open
the entry-doors that led to the garret. A wild gust of wind swept
down, extinguishing the candle he held in his hand, and with it
the fearful, unearthly screams; they seemed to be shrieked in his
very ear.

Legree fled frantically into the parlour, whither, in a few mo-
ments, he was followed by Cassy, pale, calm, cold as an avenging
spirit, and with that same fearful light in her eye.

« T hope you are satisfied,” said she.

«“ Blast you, Cass!” said Legree.

“What for?” said Cassy. “1 only went up and shut the
doors. What's the matter with that garret, Simon, do you sup-

ose ?” said she.

«None of your business!” said Legree.

“Oh, it an’'t? Well,” said Cassy, “ at any rate, I’m glad
I don’t sleep under it.”

Anticipating the rising of the wind that very evening, Cassy
had been up and opened the garret-window. Of course, the
moment the doors were opened, the wind had drafted down, and
extinguished the light.

This may serve as a specimen of the game that Cassy played
with Legree, until he would sooner have put his head into a lion’s
mouth than to have explored that garret. Meanwhile, in the
night, when everybody else was asleep, Cassy slowly and carefully
accumulated there a stock of provisions sufficient to.afford sub-
sistence for some time ; she transferred, article by article, a
greater part of her own and Emmeline’s wardrobe. All things