The memoirs of Dolly Morton

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

A few weeks passed. Randolph had paid a visit to Woodlands and had found that everything on the plantation was in a most neglected state, but that the house had been kept in order by Dinah and the other women. When he came back, he brought me my jewelry.

A week after his return, the battle of Fair Oaks was fought. The Federal troops drew closer to Richmond, and everything in the city became more dull and wretched than ever. On my former visits I had liked the place well enough, for it had been brisk and lively and there always was something to be seen. But now there were no amusements of any sort. The shadow of the war was over everything and everybody. It was a dreary place to live in. I was very tired of it, and I much rather would have been at Woodlands.

Randolph also had grown very tired of Richmond and of the everlasting fighting which was going all around and which never seemed to be decisive in any way, though hundreds of lives on both sides were sacrificed. At last he made up his mind to leave the South altogether and to go to New York, taking me with him. So he told me to pack up, and to be ready to start in a week’s time. I was delighted to receive the order, and I soon had everything in perfect readiness.

The day of our departure arrived. We left Richmond and in due course reached New York. As it turned out, we had left the city just in the nick of time, for, a few days after our departure, the place was regularly invested by the United States Troops, and, after that, it became a difficult matter for persons, even if they were non-combatants, to pass through the Federal lines.

We put up at one of the best hotels in New York, and, for a time, I was as happy as a woman in my precarious position could be. I was away from the dreadful fighting. I could come and go as I liked without any fear of being whipped by lynchers or outraged by bushwhackers. I had plenty of pretty clothes of all sorts and also a considerable amount of jewelry.

Randolph frequently took me to places of amusement, and I saw that I always was admired.

He was fairly kind to me and he gave me more money to spend than he ever had given me before. I was delighted to have escaped the horrid Slave States, and I was glad to know that I never again should see a poor slave woman writhing in agony and shrieking for mercy while her naked bottom was being wealed by the switch or striped by the strap or blistered by the paddle. I had determined, whatever happened, never to go back to the South.

The weeks slipped by. Randolph had made a number of friends, both male and female, so I saw very little of him by day and he very frequently stayed away from me all night. I knew that he went with other women-in fact, he made no secret of his amours-but the knowledge of them did not trouble me in the least.

I took a poke from him whenever he chose to give me one, but I never tried to get him to embrace me. I had a number of admirers myself, and could have had plenty of poking had I wished, but I was always faithful to Randolph, not from any feeling of honor towards him, but simply because I did not care for strange men. (At that time there was no necessity for me to allow myself to be poked if I did not wish to be. Captain Franklin was the only man who ever had had me with my own consent during the whole time I lived with Randolph.) As the days passed, I saw less and less of Randolph, and, even when he was with me, he never touched me in any way. Meanwhile, his manner towards me became very cold, though he never was actually rude to me. I guessed what it all meant. He had grown tired of me, and I had a presentiment that he soon would turn me adrift. However, I always had known that our relations would come to an end sooner or later, and that then I should have to do what many a woman has had to do when she has found herself deserted by the man by whom she has been ruined.

Before long, Randolph gave me the news which I had been expecting. One morning, after an absence of three days, he came to me and said that he had something to tell me. My heart gave a jump. I knew what he was about to say, but I made no remark.

He said: I am going to Europe with a party of friends, so I cannot take you with me. In fact, Dolly, the time has come for us to part altogether. But, though I am leaving you, it is not through any fault of yours. You have always been a good-natured girl and you have done whatever I asked you. Therefore I wish to do the best I can for you. I intend to buy you a little house and to furnish it well for you. I also will give you a sum of money to start with. You are only twenty-two years of age, you have a pretty face and a very good figure. You also have lots of good clothes and a quantity of jewelry. You soon will make friends and I am quite sure that you will manage to get on very well here in New York.

It was a hard way of putting the matter before me and the tears rose to my eyes. But nevertheless I felt a certain amount of gratitude to him for what he intended to do for me. He had ruined me, but he might have cast me off with nothing at all. I thanked him, and he gave me a short kiss, saying that he would take me out next day to look for a house. He then went away, leaving me to think over my future prospects.

The prospects did not seem very bright at that moment. But they might have been worse, so I made up my mind to face my position as bravely as I could. I did not see Randolph any more that day or night, but the next day, after lunch, he came for me and we looked at several houses in various parts of the city.

I shall not lengthen my story by telling you of our house hunting; it will suffice to say that eventually he bought this house, furnished it throughout and engaged a couple of white female servants. I afterwards sent them away and got two colored women, whom I have at this moment in my service. I find them much easier to get on with, and also far more faithful than white servants.

When everything was in order, Randolph brought me here one afternoon, handed over the title deeds of the house and gave me a thousand dollars. We then sat down and had a chat while he drank a glass of wine and smoked a cigar. When he had finished, he rose from his seat, saying with a laugh:

You know, Dolly, that I am fond of whipping a woman’s bottom. Now I don’t suppose that I shall ever have a chance of doing such a thing in Europe, so you must let me give you a farewell spanking, a real smart one.

I did not like the idea at all, and a cold shiver ran down my back, for I knew that he would hurt me dreadfully. But I had not the strength of mind to refuse his farewell request, so, in a rather faint voice, I said: I will let you spank me, but do not be too hard upon me. You know that I cannot bear pain.

Taking a handkerchief from his pocket, he tied my wrists together, a proceeding which alarmed me. Oh don’t tie me! I exclaimed.

He laughed, saying: I am going to whip you as if you were a naughty slave girl, so your hands must be tied to prevent your putting them over your bottom during the spanking.

Thoroughly frightened, I made some feeble remonstrances, but he seized me and, sitting down on a chair, placed me in the orthodox position across his knees. Then he turned up my petticoats and took down my drawers.

Now, he said, stroking my bottom, don’t make too much noise, or the servants will hear you.

Then, holding me firmly, he began to spank me very severely. Oh how hard his hand was, and how it did sting!

I burst into tears, wriggling and squirming about on his thighs. I could distinctly feel his stiff member pressing against my belly. Clenching my teeth and holding my breath, I suppressed for a short time the cries which rose to my lips. But at last the stinging pain became so intense that I began to squeal shrilly, kicking my legs about in anguish and begging him to stop.

He went on spanking me until my bottom burned and throbbed in a most agonizing way and I screamed out as loudly as I could. Then he stopped, and, laying me in a stooping position over the end of the sofa, he poked me while I was still crying and smarting with the pain of the horrid spanking.

When all was over, he untied my wrists and laid me on the sofa, while he stood beside it, looking down at me with a smile on his face as I lay with the tears trickling down my cheeks, all my clothes rumpled and my drawers hanging about my ankles. My face was red, but I am sure that my poor bottom must have been much redder judging from the way it was throbbing and tingling. (It was black-and-blue the next day.)

Bending down he gave me a kiss, saying laughingly: There, Dolly, that is the last spanking-

and the last poke you will ever get from me.

It was very cruel of you to have spanked me so severely, I said tearfully. I cannot understand why you should have taken pleasure in giving me such dreadful pain.

He was not a bit sorry for having whipped me with such wanton severity. He said: Oh, you soon will find that many other men besides me are fond of spanking a woman till she squeals.

(I since have found that such indeed is the case: many men are very fond of taking a woman across their knees. I often have been asked to allow myself to be spanked, but I have never consented. Randolph is the only man who ever has taken me on his knees for a spanking.) He went on, laughing at his own poor joke: You know, Dolly, when a man sets up a new establishment, he generally gives a housewarming. Well, I have given you a bottom-warming instead. I have always admired your bottom, and I shall always have a pleasing recollection of it as it appeared today. It looked very pretty while the plump white cheeks were blushing at the touch of my hand.

He then kissed me again on my tear-bedabbled face, bade me goodbye and calmly left the house, leaving me lying on the sofa, sore, angry and indignant. Fortunately, the servants had not heard the shrieks which I had uttered while being spanked.

I lay there quietly till the intense smarting pain of my bottom had somewhat subsided, then I fastened up my drawers and, going into the bedroom, bathed my flushed face, thinking to myself what an utterly heartless man Randolph was. There certainly had never been any sentiment in the relations between us, but I thought that he might have parted with me in a more tender way. However, I had no tender feeling for him after the way he had treated me, and so the only tenderness there was about our parting was the tenderness of my sorely spanked bottom.

Randolph sailed for Europe the next day. I have neither seen him nor heard from him since.

But I know that he remained abroad until the war was over, then returned to Woodlands, and I believe that he is there now.