Chloe, as Frank very well knew, was a colored woman, who until a
few months since had been a slave in Virginia. Finally she had
seized a favorable opportunity, and taking the only child which
the cruel slave system had left her, for the rest had been sold
South, succeeded in making her way into Pennsylvania. Chance had
directed her to Rossville, where she had been permitted to
occupy, rent free, an old shanty which for some years previous
had been uninhabited. Here she had supported herself by taking in
washing and ironing. This had been her special work on the
plantation where she had been born and brought up, and she was
therefore quite proficient in it. She found no difficulty in
obtaining work enough to satisfy the moderate wants of herself
and little Pomp.

The latter was a bright little fellow, as black as the ace of
spades, and possessing to the full the mercurial temperament of
the Southern negro. Full of fun and drollery, he attracted plenty
of attention when he came into the village, and earned many a
penny from the boys by his plantation songs and dances.

Now, however, he appeared in a mood entirely different, and it
was easy to see that he was much frightened.

"What's the matter, Pomp?" asked Frank, as he brought his horse
to a standstill.

"Mammy done killed herself," he repeated, wringing his hands in
terror.

A moan from the interior of the house seemed to make it clear