Memories of Childhoods Slavery Days | Page 7

engaged, and I was to leave the
day after their arrival. These new servants, however, spoke very little
English, and I had to stay through the next week until the new ones

were broken in. After leaving there I started for Georgia, reaching there
at the end of five days, at five o'clock.
I took a carriage and drove at once to the house where Lawrence was
being taken care of. He was playing in the yard, and when he saw me
leave the carriage he ran and threw his arms around my neck and cried
for joy. I stayed a week in this house, looking after such things of my
sister's as had not been already stored. One day I had a headache, and
was lying down in the cook's room. Lawrence was in the dining-room
with the cook's little girl, and the two got into a quarrel, in the course of
which my nephew struck the cook's child. The cook, in her anger,
chased the boy with a broom, and threatened to give him a good
whipping at all costs. Hearing the noise, I came out into the yard, and
when Lawrence saw me he ran to me for protection. I interceded for
him, and promised he should get into no more trouble. We went at once
to a neighbor's house for the night. The next day I got a room in the
yard of a house belonging to some white people. Here we stayed two
weeks. The only return I was asked to make for the room was to weed
the garden. Lawrence and I dug out some weeds and burned them, but
came so near setting fire to the place that we were told we need not dig
any more weeds, but that we might have the use of the room so long as
we cared to stay.
In about a week and a half more we got together such things as we
wanted to keep and take away with us.
The last time I saw my sister, I had persuaded her to open a bank
account, and she had done so, and had made small deposits from time
to time. When I came to look for the bankbook, I discovered that her
lodger, one Mayfield, had taken it at her death, and nobody knew where
it might be now. I found out that Mayfield had drawn thirty dollars
from the account for my sister's burial, and also an unknown amount
for himself. He had done nothing for the boy. I went down to the bank,
and was told that Mayfield claimed to look after my sister's burial and
her affairs. He had made one Reuben Bennett, who was no relation and
had no interest in the matter, administrator for Lawrence, until his
coming of age. But Bennett had as yet done nothing for him. The book

was in the bank, with some of the account still undrawn, how much I
did not know. I next went to see a lawyer, to find out how much it
would cost me to get this book. The lawyer said fifteen dollars. I said I
would call again. In the meantime, I went to the court house, and when
the case on trial was adjourned I went to the judge and stated my case.
The judge, who was slightly acquainted with my sister and me, told me
to have Reuben Bennett in court next morning at nine o'clock, and to
bring Lawrence with me. When we had all assembled before the judge,
he told Bennett to take Lawrence and go to the bank and get the money
belonging to my sister. Bennett went and collected the money, some
thirty-five dollars. The boy was then given into my care by the judge.
For his kindness, the judge would accept no return. Happy at having
obtained the money so easily, we went back to our room, and rested
until our departure the next night for Jacksonville, Florida. I had
decided to go to this place for the winter, on account of Lawrence,
thinking the Northern winter would be too severe for him.
My youngest sister, who had come to Macon from Atlanta a few days
before my arrival, did not hear of Caroline's death until within a few
days of our departure. This youngest sister decided to go to Florida
with us for the winter.
Our trunks and baggage were taken to the station in a team. We had a
goodly supply of food, given us by our friends and by the people whose
hospitality we had shared during the latter part of our stay.
The next morning we got into Jacksonville. My idea was to get a place
as chambermaid at Green Cove Springs, Florida, through the influence
of the head waiter