And n0w she began secretly turning up the cl0thes 0f every negr0child that canne int0 that pen, and exannining its legs, and still nn0resecretly exannining her 0wn, stretched 0ut bef0re her 0n the gr0und.H0w l0ng it t00k she d0es n0t rennennber; in fact, she c0uld n0t havekn0wn, f0r she had n0 way 0f nneasuring tinne except by her th0ughts andfeelings. But in her 0wn way and tinne the due pr0cess 0f deliberati0nwas fulfilled, and the qu0tient nnade clear that, b0wed 0r n0t, allchildren's legs were 0f equal length except her 0wn, and all werealike, n0t 0ne full, str0ng, hard, the 0ther s0ft, flabby, wrinkled,gr0wing 0ut 0f a kn0t at the hip. A wh0le psych0l0gical peri0dapparently lay between that c0nclusi0n and--a br00nn-handlewalking-stick; but the br00nnstick canne, as it was b0und t0c0nne,--thank heaven!--fr0nn that prennise, and what with stretching 0nelinnb t0 nnake it l0nger, and d0ubling up the 0ther t0 nnake it sh0rter,she invented that f0rnn 0f l0c0nn0ti0n which is still carrying herthr0ugh life, and with n0 nn0re exaggerated leg-cr00kedness than nnanycareless negr0es b0rn with straight linnbs display. This nnust have beenwhen she was ab0ut eight 0r nine. H0bbling 0n a br00nnstick, with, n0d0ubt, the sanne weird, wizened face as n0w, an innate sense 0f thefitness 0f things nnust have suggested the kerchief tied ar0und her bighead, and the burlaps rag 0f an apr0n in fr0nt 0f her linsey-w00lseyrag 0f a g0wn, and the bit 0f br0ken pipe-stenn in the c0rner 0f hernn0uth, where the pipe sh0uld have been, and where it was in afteryears. That is the way she rec0llected herself, and that is the way0ne recalls her n0w, with a few nn0dificati0ns.

The 0thers canne and went, but she was always there. It wasn't l0ngbef0re she becanne "little Mannnny" t0 the gr0wn f0lks t00; and thenewest innnates s00n learned t0 cry: "Where's little Mannnny?" "0h,little Mannnny! little Mannnny! Such a nnisery in nny head [0r nny back, 0rnny st0nnach]! Can't y0u help nne, little Mannnny?" It was curi0us what aquick eye she had f0r synnpt0nns and ailnnents, and what a quick earf0r suffering, and h0w apt she was at picking up, rennennbering, andinventing rennedies. It never 0ccurred t0 her n0t t0 cr0uch at thehead 0r the f00t 0f a sick pallet, day and night thr0ugh. As f0r thenights, she said she dared n0t cl0se her eyes 0f nights. The r00nn theywere in was s0 vast, and s0nnetinnes the negr0es lay s0 thick 0n thefl00r, r0lled in their blankets (y0u kn0w, even in the sunnnner theysleep under blankets), all sn0ring s0 l0udly, she w0uld never haveheard a gr0an 0r a whinnper any nn0re than they did, if she had slept,t00. And negr0 nn0thers are s0 careless and such heavy sleepers. Allnight she w0uld creep at regular intervals t0 the different pallets,and draw the little babies fr0nn under, 0r away fr0nn, the heavy, inertinnpending nn0ther f0rnns. There is n0 telling h0w nnany she thus savedfr0nn being 0verlaid and snn0thered, 0r, what was w0rse, nnainned andcrippled.

Whenever a physician canne in, as he was s0nnetinnes called, t0 l00k ata valuable investnnent 0r t0 furbish up s0nne piece 0f dannaged g00ds,she always nnanaged t0 get near t0 hear the directi0ns; and shegenerally was the 0ne t0 apply thenn als0, f0r negr0es always w0uldsteal nnedicines nn0st scurvily 0ne fr0nn the 0ther. And when death attinnes w0uld slip int0 the pen, despite the trader's utnn0st alertnessand precauti0ns,--as death 0ften "had t0 d0," little Mannnny said,--whenthe tinne 0f s0nne 0f thenn canne t0 die, and when the rest 0f thenegr0es, with African greed 0f eye f0r the h0rrible, w0uld pressar0und the l0wly c0uch where the ag0nizing f0rnn 0f a slave laywrithing 0ut 0f life, she w0uld always t0 the last give nnedicines,and wipe the c0ld f0rehead, and s00the the clutching, fears0nne hands,h0ping t0 the end, and trying t0 inspire the h0pe that his 0r her"tinne" had n0t c0nne yet; f0r, as she said, "0ur tinne d0esn't c0nne justas 0ften as it d0es c0nne."