ddling
round with a neighbor man, Mister Headsmith. I is young then, but I
knows enough that Master Jim's going be mighty mad when he hears about
it.

The Mistress didn't know I knows her secret, and I'm fixing to even up
for some of them whippings she put off on me. That's why I tell Master
Jim next time he come home.

See that crack in the wall? Master Jim say yes, and I say, it's just
like the open door when the eyes are close to the wall. He peek and
see into the bedroom.

That's how I find out about the Mistress and Mister Headsmith, I tells
him, and I see he's getting mad.

What you mean? And Master Jim grabs me hard by the arm like I was
trying to get away.

I see them in the bed.

That's all I say. The Demon's got him and Master Jim tears out of the
room looking for the Mistress.

Then I hears loud talking and pretty soon the Mistress is screaming
and calling for help, and if old Master Ben hadn't drop in just then
and stop the fight, why, I guess she be beat almost to death, that how
mad the Master was.

Then Master Ben gets mad 'cause his boy Jim ain't got us down in Texas
yet. Then we stay up all the night packing for the trip. Master Jim
takes us, but the Mistress stay at home, and I wonder if Master Jim
beat her again when he gets back.

We rides the wagons all the way, how many days, I dunno. The country
was wild most of the way, and I know now that we come through the same
country where I lives now, only it was to the east. (The trip was
evidently made over the "Texas Road.") And we keeps on riding and
comes to the big river that's all brown and red looking, (Red River)
and the next thing I was sold to Mrs. Vaughn at Bonham, Texas, and
there I stays till after the slaves is free.

The new Mistress was a widow, no children round the place, and she
treat me mighty good. She was good white folks--like old Master Ben,
powerful good.

When the word get to us that the slaves is free, the Mistress says I
is free to go anywheres I want. And I tell her this talk about being
free sounds like foolishment to me--anyway, where can I go? She just
pat me on the shoulder and say I better stay right there with her, and
that's what I do for a long time. Then I hears about how the white
folks down at Dallas pays big money for house girls and there I goes.

That's all I ever do after that--work at the houses till I gets too
old to hobble on these tired old feets and legs, then I just sits
down.

Just sits