Slave Girl Read Online Free
Author: Patricia C. McKissack
some kind of bean. If Uncle Heb aine down in the stables with Hince or drivin’ the family
to or from somewhere, he sits with us. We tell stories to pass the time.
My favourite story is how Uncle Heb and Aunt Tee got married.
Uncle Heb starts the tale, but Aunt Tee puts in along the way. When Aunt Tee got to Belmont, Uncle Heb was livin’ here over the kitchen where she was put to live. She caught his eye right
away, she bein’ so fine-lookin’ and all. “She put me in the mind of you, Spicy, but she was real skinny. Didn’t weigh more than one hundred pounds soakin’ wet. I says
to her for fun one day, ‘How can you be a good cook thin as you is?’”
Aunt Tee took one look at Heb, and says to Mas’ Henley, “I aine gon’ live in sin with no man, never-you-mind how old he is.” And she just wouldn’t cook for a day or
two.
Uncle Heb picks up the story again. Miz Lilly was put out. In her mind, slaves stayed where they was put, and that was that. Left up to her, Aunt Tee woulda got a good beatin’ for
havin’ the nerve to rebel. But Mas’ Henley is particular ’bout who fixes his food. Aunt Tee done been with him for years. When Miz Lilly tried to get one of the women from the
Quarters to cook, he wouldn’t ’llow it.
Finally, Mas’ come upon a perfect salvation that was good for everybody – ’specially Uncle Heb. One Sunday mornin’ durin’ the Christmas Big Times, the preacher man
come to Belmont. “Mas’ announced that Aunt Tee and me was to jump the broom.”
“Didn’t ask us. Just told us,” said Aunt Tee. “I wouldn’t have chose this old man, myself,” she always say, smilin’. “But over time, I done warmed
to the idea of havin’ him ’round though.”
“Come Christmas it will be our sixteenth year together,” Uncle Heb say. At that point, Aunt Tee always pats him on the back of his hand. That’s the way the story always ends,
everybody smilin’. Them smilin’ at each other. I love that story and the way they tell it. It makes me feel good all the way through and through.
Friday
The days is gettin’ longer, and that means we have to work longer, too. In the summer, Miz Lilly bath almost every day. This evenin’, Spicy and me carried water up
the steps in buckets and poured it in Miz Lilly’s bathin’ tub. Then when she got through, we had to drain the water into buckets and take them down the steps and dump it. Spicy spilled
water all up and down the steps comin’ and goin’. I got tickled at her, and she got tickled at herself. ’Fore you know it, we was laughin’ so hard. It felt fine to laugh.
And it felt even finer to see Spicy laughin’. I didn’t think she knew how.
Next night
It’s a clear night. Good moon. Good night to write.
The upper room was too stuffy to sleep, so I brought my mat outside. We sometimes do that. Spicy followed me. It was just the two of us girls. We just laid there, lookin’ up at the stars.
We had laughed together, so it was easier for us to talk together.
Come to find out, Spicy is motherless, too. And, just as I thought, she been mistreated somethin’ awful – beaten and yelled at by her ol’ mas’. Say he’s meaner than
Mas’ Henley. I cain’t demagine.
“If I could, I’d run away from this place so far they’d never fine me,” she blurted out, lookin’ like a cornered cat. “You won’t tell on me, will
you?”
“None of us is tattlers,” I told her.
“I aine either,” she said. I believe her.
Fourth Sunday in April
Sunrise will be here soon, but before startin’ the day, I want to write “freedom” again. It is such a strong word to so many people. F-R-E-E-D-O-M. Freedom. No
picture comes to my mind. It just aine got the magic. It shows me nothin’.
I’ve looked at the drawin’ of the one-eyed man over and over. His face don’t show me nothin’ neither. One thing for sure – if the one-eyed man is doin’
somethin’ that makes Mas’ Henley mad, then I figure he
to or from somewhere, he sits with us. We tell stories to pass the time.
My favourite story is how Uncle Heb and Aunt Tee got married.
Uncle Heb starts the tale, but Aunt Tee puts in along the way. When Aunt Tee got to Belmont, Uncle Heb was livin’ here over the kitchen where she was put to live. She caught his eye right
away, she bein’ so fine-lookin’ and all. “She put me in the mind of you, Spicy, but she was real skinny. Didn’t weigh more than one hundred pounds soakin’ wet. I says
to her for fun one day, ‘How can you be a good cook thin as you is?’”
Aunt Tee took one look at Heb, and says to Mas’ Henley, “I aine gon’ live in sin with no man, never-you-mind how old he is.” And she just wouldn’t cook for a day or
two.
Uncle Heb picks up the story again. Miz Lilly was put out. In her mind, slaves stayed where they was put, and that was that. Left up to her, Aunt Tee woulda got a good beatin’ for
havin’ the nerve to rebel. But Mas’ Henley is particular ’bout who fixes his food. Aunt Tee done been with him for years. When Miz Lilly tried to get one of the women from the
Quarters to cook, he wouldn’t ’llow it.
Finally, Mas’ come upon a perfect salvation that was good for everybody – ’specially Uncle Heb. One Sunday mornin’ durin’ the Christmas Big Times, the preacher man
come to Belmont. “Mas’ announced that Aunt Tee and me was to jump the broom.”
“Didn’t ask us. Just told us,” said Aunt Tee. “I wouldn’t have chose this old man, myself,” she always say, smilin’. “But over time, I done warmed
to the idea of havin’ him ’round though.”
“Come Christmas it will be our sixteenth year together,” Uncle Heb say. At that point, Aunt Tee always pats him on the back of his hand. That’s the way the story always ends,
everybody smilin’. Them smilin’ at each other. I love that story and the way they tell it. It makes me feel good all the way through and through.
Friday
The days is gettin’ longer, and that means we have to work longer, too. In the summer, Miz Lilly bath almost every day. This evenin’, Spicy and me carried water up
the steps in buckets and poured it in Miz Lilly’s bathin’ tub. Then when she got through, we had to drain the water into buckets and take them down the steps and dump it. Spicy spilled
water all up and down the steps comin’ and goin’. I got tickled at her, and she got tickled at herself. ’Fore you know it, we was laughin’ so hard. It felt fine to laugh.
And it felt even finer to see Spicy laughin’. I didn’t think she knew how.
Next night
It’s a clear night. Good moon. Good night to write.
The upper room was too stuffy to sleep, so I brought my mat outside. We sometimes do that. Spicy followed me. It was just the two of us girls. We just laid there, lookin’ up at the stars.
We had laughed together, so it was easier for us to talk together.
Come to find out, Spicy is motherless, too. And, just as I thought, she been mistreated somethin’ awful – beaten and yelled at by her ol’ mas’. Say he’s meaner than
Mas’ Henley. I cain’t demagine.
“If I could, I’d run away from this place so far they’d never fine me,” she blurted out, lookin’ like a cornered cat. “You won’t tell on me, will
you?”
“None of us is tattlers,” I told her.
“I aine either,” she said. I believe her.
Fourth Sunday in April
Sunrise will be here soon, but before startin’ the day, I want to write “freedom” again. It is such a strong word to so many people. F-R-E-E-D-O-M. Freedom. No
picture comes to my mind. It just aine got the magic. It shows me nothin’.
I’ve looked at the drawin’ of the one-eyed man over and over. His face don’t show me nothin’ neither. One thing for sure – if the one-eyed man is doin’
somethin’ that makes Mas’ Henley mad, then I figure he