So when Serepta wuz born (and born a girl ontirely onbeknown to her) she
wuz took right away from her mother and gin to this brother. Her mother
couldn't help herself, he had the law on his side. But it killed her.
She drooped away and died before the baby wuz a year old. She wuz a
affectionate, tenderhearted woman and her husband wuz overbearin' and
stern always.

But it wuz this last move of hisen that killed her, for it is pretty tough
on a mother to have her baby, a part of her own life, took right out of
her own arms and gin to a stranger. For this uncle of hern wuz a entire
stranger to Serepta, and almost like a stranger to her father, for he
hadn't seen him since he wuz a boy, but knew he hadn't any children and
spozed that he wuz rich and respectable. But the truth wuz he had been
runnin' down every way, had lost his property and his character, wuz
dissipated and mean. But the will wuz made and the law stood. Men are
ashamed now to think that the law wuz ever in voge, but it wuz, and is now
in some of the states, and the poor young mother couldn't help herself. It
has always been the boast of our American law that it takes care of wimmen.
It took care of her. It held her in its strong protectin' grasp so tight
that the only way she could slip out of it wuz to drop into the grave,
which she did in a few months. Then it leggo.

But it kep' holt of Serepta, it bound her tight to her uncle while he run
through with what property she had, while he sunk lower and lower until at
last he needed the very necessaries of life and then he bound her out to
work to a woman who kep' a drinkin' den and the lowest hant of vice.

Twice Serepta run away, bein' virtuous but humbly, but them strong
protectin' arms of the law that had held her mother so tight reached out