The Kidnapped: A Collection of Short Stories by Dwight L. Wilson

Author:Dwight L. Wilson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Margery Barclay remained in Cincinnati. She was seated on the dais, back straight and face set as though she ruled the British Empire. Harriet Beecher sat among the small crowd and endured with the rest of us as the male speakers were threatened with tar and feathers and the female speakers were called “He-women,” “She-wolves” and “Amazons.”

Margery was the third speaker. In clear voice, she apologized for the role the British had played in establishing American slavery. She concluded with her country’s present commitment to ending the practice world-wide and her own to press for the expanded use of free trade goods. The time came for the conference hostess to speak. Wearing a dress that I thought of as “violaceous,” Patience silently surveyed the room of abolitionists and hecklers. When the mean-spirited finally quieted she said, “I am impatient Patience. May the world know the slaves not only deserve freedom, but also that I will do all in my power to see to their freedom. If some find this idea too much to bear, I suggest they remove to Russia and apply for the job of serf. Let our people go. If not, instead of a flood, one day this land may be cursed with fire.”

How I wished I had possessed the courage and standing to be a speaker, but at 18 and holding a forged free paper, it was not my turn to shine. I promised myself, one day the world will know I am here.

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