Oh! oh! o-o-o yah!
He beat de fastest hoss in de place;
Yah, oh yah! O La!
Millie Christine grew and flourished, when Mr. Smith, yielding to the earnest solicitation of friends who knew him to be possessed of the world’s greatest marvel, allowed her to be taken upon a tour through the States of South Carolina, Florida, Georgia and Louisiana. At the close of that tour, in the City of New Orleans, an incident occurred which, for a short time, made shipwreck of the happiness of Millie Christine, and which, but for the affection of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and the persistence which that affection inspired, would probably have altered the whole life of the child for the worse. She was again kidnapped and for months was hurried over the country, from place to place, and deprived of the fostering care of her natural guardians. Ultimately, however, Mr. Smith’s anxiety and determination were rewarded, and the child was restored to the arms and heart of Mrs. Smith, whom it soon came to regard and denominate its “white mamma.” Under her care the girl was reared to regard with reverence and love the Supreme Father of all mankind, and speedily grew up into an intelligent Christian child. She not only became proficient in elementary education, but, showing a high appreciation and taste for music, soon became an object of great interest to all visitors at Mr. Smith’s home by the rapid progress she made in that accomplishment.
The year 1860, the dreadful year which brought so much pain and suffering to the United States of America, brought its own individual sorrow to the home of Millie Christine. Mr. Smith, after a few weeks of suffering, passed quietly away to a better world, mourned by all who knew him, and by none more than those who called him master. Indeed, it is only due to Mr. Smith and his wife to state, and Christine Millie desires particularly that it be inserted in this sketch of her life, that she experienced at his death rather the affliction of one who had lost a beloved father rather than a master. Not only this, but other families on estate of the Smiths, while calling the owner and his wife master and mistress, always regarded them in the light of protecting parents.
But the war came on, and with it came those heavy losses which prostrated the fortunes of the Smith family, making of the once prosperous plantation an untilled waste, over which the restless hand of the armed spoiler worked its will. It was then that the kindness of the past found its fruit in the devotion displayed by Millie Christine towards her only living protector, Mrs. Smith, whom she regards with filial affection, and from whom she was fully determined never to separate herself. To retrieve the fallen fortunes of the family she, now free, consented to place herself on exhibition, and afford the world the opportunity of seeing the most marvelous physical development which has ever existed in the human family.
It may be mentioned here as an interesting fact, showing the strange mutability of human fortunes, that Jacob, the father of this wonderful being, once the slave of the planter McCoy, now owns, with his wife Monemia, the very plantation on which he was once a bondman, and on which Millie Christine first saw the light of day, the same having been purchased by her with the proceeds of her exhibitions as a present to her father and mother.
It will be necessary to append to this sketch a few of the medical and surgical reports on Millie Christine’s physical organization; but it may not be uninteresting to give a brief description of her as she strikes the mind and eye of a familiar friend. Millie Christine, physically, has but one existence; mentally, she has two, perfectly developed. From the middle of the single spine grow two perfectly developed busts, each of which has a pair of fine arms, and terminates in an interesting head. Both heads are adorned with curling black hair; each has a pair of sparkling black eyes, constantly lit up by intelligence, which, at any outburst of fun and humor, seem literally to dance with glee; while each mouth is adorned with a set of brilliant teeth. The two faces are bright and interesting, but differ materially in features, one resembling Jacob, the father, the other Monemia, the mother. There is very little distinction to be made in the two developments. The two sets of brains always agree in forming the same conclusions; equally amiable, and equally agreeable in character, they never form different ideas on the same subjects, and the thoughts of each are characterized by that independence which is usually exhibited by natives of America. The tastes and habits of the two are alike; both are fond of music and dancing, both take interest in the same amusements; indeed, this marvelous organization shows its wonder in nothing more evidently than its perfect happiness. The two minds can converge each through its own lips. The being is never at a loss for society or for company, for each has, attached to itself, another existence; and yet in no single instance has a particle of disagreement ever occurred to conflict with the happiness or comfort of either. If the one mind formed the fancy to be in London, and the other desired its body to proceed to Paris, a conflict might ensue; providentially, this seems impossible, and has never occurred. Christine has a soprano voice, Millie a contralto; and they sing duets together with exquisite taste and sweetness. Their natural taste for music has been conscientiously and carefully cultivated by their kind protectress, and the public will not be slow to discover that they have as much power to please and amuse as a very large number of artistes of established reputation. It should now be stated that Millie Christine has four legs, on which she walks with grace and ease; but she can use the outer ones only for purposes of locomotion. She is a very graceful dancer, and executes the schottische, polka or waltz with equal ease. Her manners in the presence of strangers are most engaging. She does not object to speak of herself or her own peculiarities, and her two minds are always as one on these points. The two minds composed some verses descriptive of herself, which the two voices repeated in unison, and, although of no great literary merit, they are simple and expressive. The verses are as follows:
’Tis not modest of one’s self to speak;
But, daily scanned from head to feet,