her place in the husband's affections usurped by the unadorned beauty
and captivating smiles of her waiting-maid. Indeed, the greater portion
of the colored women, in the days of slavery, had no greater aspiration
than that of becoming the finely-dressed mistress of some white man.
At the negro balls and parties, that used to be so frequently given,
this class of women generally made the most splendid appearance.

A few years ago, among the many slave-women of Richmond,
Va., who hired their time of their masters, was Agnes,
a mulatto owned by John Graves, Esq., and who might be heard
boasting that she was the daughter of an American Senator.
Although nearly forty years of age at the time of
which we write, Agnes was still exceedingly handsome.
More than half white, with long black hair and deep blue eyes,
no one felt like disputing with her when she urged her claim
to her relationship with the Anglo-Saxon. In her younger days,
Agnes had been a housekeeper for a young slave-holder, and in
sustaining this relation had become the mother of two daughters.
After being cast aside by this young man, the slave-woman betook
herself to the business of a laundress, and was considered
to be the most tasteful woman in Richmond at her vocation.

Isabella and Marion, the two daughters of Agnes, resided with
their mother, and gave her what aid they could in her business.
The mother, however, was very choice of her daughters,
and would allow them to perform no labor that would militate
against their lady-like appearance. Agnes early resolved
to bring up her daughters as ladies, as she termed it.

As the girls grew older, the mother had to pay a stipulated price for them