poor girls who are compelled to put up with the insolence and bad tempers of people of this kind.
Having made up my mind to leave, I commenced looking about me for another situation, arid very speedily found one to my liking in a Copperhead family.
My arrangements *being made, the next time the madam undertook to be saucy to me, I answered her in her own fashion, and in a few moments we were engaged in a furious quarrel, which I doubt not would have appeared amusing enough, and ridiculous enough, to any impartial looker-on. Finally I said, with all the dignity I could command, " Madam, I will leave your house this instant, for you shall never have the satisfaction of saying that you discharged a Cuban from your employ."
"Why, are you a Cuban?" she said, calming down some what.
I then began to speak Spanish to her, and at this unexpected development she put on the most puzzled expression imaginable.
Without paying any more attention to her I went out, and engaging a man to take my trunk, began to prepare for my departure. When my trunk, with the Cuban express card on it, came down stairs, I pointed it out to her, and she opened her eyes considerably. She now began to be a trifle more gracious in her manner, and making a rather awkward apology for her behavior, saying, that she did not mean anything, and that I must not mind her being a little hasty tempered, and requested me to reconsider my determination to leave., I told her that there was no use saying anything on that point, as I had already made an engagement elsewhere. She inquired where; and I said, with so and so, around the corner, mentioning the names of the persons.
"Why," said she, opening her eyes, and throwing up her hands in horror, " you are not surely going with them! Don't you know that they are rebels? "
"Well, suppose they are; they are as good as other people, if they behave themselves. We have plenty of rebels in Cuba."
Seeing that it was impossible to restrain me from going, she offered to pay me for the time I had been in her employ; but, with a rather contemptuous wave of my hand, I told her she might keep it, or, if she wished, give it to some charitable object, as I was not in need of it; and without more words
