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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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“Never had none, ye know. I telled ye that, Miss Eva.” “O, I know,” said Eva, sadly; “but hadn’t you any brother, or sister, or aunt, or- ” “No, none on ‘em,- never had nothing nor nobody.” “But, Topsy, if you’d only try to be good, you might-” “Couldn’t never be nothin’ but a nigger, if I was ever so good,” said Topsy. “If I could be skinned, and come white, I’d try then.” “But people can love you, if you are black, Topsy. Miss Ophelia would love you, if you were good.” Topsy gave the short, blunt laugh that was her common mode of expressing in- credulity. “Don’t you think so?” said Eva. “No; she can’t bar me, ‘cause I’m a nigger!- she’d’s soon have a toad touch her! There can’t nobody love niggers, and niggers can’t do nothin’! I don’t care,” said Topsy, beginning to whistle. “O Topsy, poor child, I love you!” said Eva, with a sudden burst of feeling, and laying her little thin, white hand on Topsy’s shoulder; “I love you, because you haven’t had any father, or mother, or friends;- because you’ve been a poor, abused child! I love you, and I want you to be good. I am very unwell, Topsy, and I think I shan’t live a great while; and it really grieves me, to have you be so |
