“One time the cow kicked over my milk.  I was scared not to take some milk to the house, so I went to the spring and put some water in the milk.  He was snooping round (spying) somewhere and seen me.  He beat me nearly to death.  I never did know what suit him and what wouldn’t.  Didn’t nothing please him.  He was a poor man, never been used to nothin’ and took spite on me everything happened.  They didn’t have no children while I was there but he did have a boy before he died.  He died fore I left Dardanelle.  When Miss Betty Holland married Mr. Cargo she lived close to Dardanelle.  That is where he was so mean to me.  He lived in the deer and bear hunting country.

“He went to town to buy them some things for Christmas good while after freedom—­a couple or three years.  Two men come there deer hunting every year.  One time he had beat me before them and on their way home they went to the Freemens bureau and told how he beat me and what he done it for—­biggetness.  He was a biggity acting and braggy talking old man.  When he got to town they asked him if he wasn’t hiding a little Negro girl, ask if he sent me to school.  He come home.  I slept on a bed made down at the foot of their bed.  That night he told his wife what all he said and what all they ask him.  He said he would kill whoever come there bothering about me.  He been telling that about.  He told Miss Betty they would fix me up and let me go stay a week at my sister’s Christmas.  He went back to town, bought me the first shoes I had had since they took me.  They was brogan shoes.  They put a pair of his sock on me.  Miss Betty made the calico dress for me and made a body out of some of his pants legs and quilted the skirt part, bound it at the bottom with red flannel.  She made my things nice—­put my underskirt in a little frame and quilted it so it would be warm.  Christmas day was a bright warm day.  In the morning when Miss Betty dressed me up I was so proud.  He started me off and told me how to go.

“I got to the big creek.  I got down in the ditch—­couldn’t get across.  I was running up and down it looking for a place to cross.  A big old mill was upon the hill.  I could see it.  I seen three men coming, a white man with a gun and two Negro men on horses or mules.  I heard one say, ‘Yonder she is.’  Another said, ‘It don’t look like her.’  One said, ’Call her.’  One said, ‘Margaret.’  I answered.  They come to me and said, ’Go to the mill and cross on a foot log.’  I went up there and crossed and got upon a stump behind my brother-in-law on his horse.  I didn’t know him.  The white man was the man he was share croppin’ with.  They all lived in a big yard like close together.  I hadn’t seen my sister before in about four years.  Mr. Cargo told me if I wasn’t back at his house New Years day he would come after me on his horse and run me every step of the way home.  It was nearly twenty-five miles.  He said he would give me the worst whooping I ever got in my life.  I was going back, scared not to be back.  Had no other place to live.