thank you Mr. M., but don't trouble yourself about the matter, for we
have already received twice as much as we lost by the fire." I will
relate yet another.

A wealthy gentleman being informed that a poor Irish widow in his
neighborhood was likely to suffer for provisions; went immediately to
her cabin in order to ascertain her condition. When about taking his
leave, he remarked to the widow, "if she would send over, she could
have some Irish potatoes, and any other articles of food that her
family needed."

"Bless your dear soul," replied the widow, "when you undertake to do a
good and charitable deed, and sarve the Lord Jasus, if you expect a
blessing on your soul, don't half do the thing, and leave a poor widow
to do the other half. Go home and send the potatoes, and send some
meat to cook with the potatoes, and send meal to make bread, to eat
with the meat; and then may ye expect a blessing on yer soul." The
gentleman returned home and complied with her request.

Whatever the faults of Southern slaveholders may be, and they are
many, these are redeeming traits in their characters; nor are they so
devoid of sympathy for their slaves, as is generally supposed in the
North. I know that they are represented by a certain class in the
North, as a set of tyrants, ruling their slaves with a rod of iron.
All such representations are untrue, for a majority of them seldom
correct an adult slave with the rod, except as a punishment for some
flagitious crime, for which a white man would be fined or imprisoned,
or else, confined in the State penitentiary.

Go to the field, and there you will find the aged slave and his