ELIZA had been brought up by her mistress, from girlhood, as a petted and indulged favorite. She was a beautiful quadroon and was married to a bright and talented young mulatto man by the name of George Harris, a slave on a neighboring estate.

  This young man had been hired out by his master to work in a bagging factory, where his adroitness and ingenuity caused him to be considered the first hand in the place. He had invented a machine for cleaning the hemp; which, considering the education and circumstances of the inventor, displayed quite as much mechanical genius as Whitney's cotton-gin. Nevertheless, as this young man was in the eye of the law not a man, but a thing, all these superior qualifications were subject to the control of a vulgar, narrow-minded, tyrannical master. This same gentleman, having heard of the fame of George's invention; took a ride over to the factory, to see what this intelligent chattel had been about.

  He was shown over the factory by George, who talked so fluently, and held himself so erect, that his master began to feel consciousness of inferiority. Accordingly, he sud-

  "But, Mr. Harris," remonstrated the manufacturer; "isn't this rather sudden?"

  "What if it is?—isn't the man mine?"

  "But, sir, he seems peculiarly adapted to this business."

  "Dare say he may be; never was much adapted to anything that I set him about, I'll be bound."

  "But only think of his inventing this machine," interposed one of the workmen, rather unluckily.

  "O yes!—a machine for saving work, is it? He'd invent that, I'll be bound; let a nigger alone for that, any time. They are all labor-saving machines themselves, every one of 'em. No, he shall tramp!"

  George stood like one transfixed. He folded his arms; tightly pressed in his lips, but a whole volcano of bitter feelings burned in his bosom. Fearing that he would make matters worse, his employer said:

  "Go with him for the present, George; we'll try to help you yet."

  George was taken home, and put to the meanest drudgery of the farm.

  The manufacturer, true to his word, visited Mr. Harris a week or two after George had been taken away, and tried every possible inducement to lead him to restore him to his former employment.

  "You need n't trouble yourself to talk any longer," he said, doggedly; "I know my own business, sir. It's a free country, sir; the man's mine, and I do what I please with him,—that's it!"

  And so fell George's last hope;—nothing before him but