1864

Meet

An American Girl

By C o n n i e Po r t e r
I l l u s t r at i o n s Da h l Tay l o r , M e l o d y e R o s a l e s
Vi g n e t t e s R e n é e G r a e f, L ua n n R o b e r t s
 Th e A m e r i c a n G i r l s

Kaya, an adventurous Nez Perce girl whose deep

1764 love for horses and respect for nature nourish her
spirit

Felicity, a spunky, spritely colonial girl,

17 7 4 full of energy and independence

Josefina, a Hispanic girl whose heart and hopes

18 2 4 are as big as the New Mexico sky

Kirsten, a pioneer girl of strength and spirit

18 5 4 who settles on the frontier

Addy, a courageous girl determined to be free

18 6 4 in the midst of the Civil War
 Samantha, a bright Victorian beauty,
19 0 4 an orphan raised by her wealthy grandmother

Rebecca, a lively girl with dramatic flair

19 1 4 growing up in New York City

Kit, a clever, resourceful girl facing the

19 3 4 Great Depression with spirit and determination

Molly, who schemes and dreams on the

19 4 4 home front during World War Two

Julie, a fun-loving girl from San Francisco who

19 7 4 faces big changes—and creates a few of her own
 Published by American Girl Publishing, Inc.
Copyright © 1993, 1998 by American Girl, LLC

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced

in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case
of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Questions or comments? Call 1-800-845-0005, visit americangirl.com,

or write to Customer Service, American Girl, 8400 Fairway Place, Middleton, WI 53562.

Printed in China
08 09 10 11 12 13 LEO 41 40 39 38 37 36

All American Girl marks, Addy®, and Addy Walker®

are trademarks of American Girl, LLC.

PICTURE CREDITS
The following individuals and organizations have generously given permission to reprint
illustrations contained in “Looking Back”: p. 61—Eastman Johnson (1824–1906), A Ride for
Liberty—The Fugitive Slaves, c. 1862. Gift of Miss Gwendolyn O.L. Conkling, The Brooklyn
Museum; pp. 62–63—Massachusetts Commandery Military Order of the Loyal Legion and
the U.S. Army Military History Institute (slave family in wagon); Courtesy Library of Congress
(Phillis Wheatley); Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore (Benjamin Banneker); Courtesy Library
of Congress (captive Africans); Courtesy of the Witte Museum and the San Antonio Museum
Association, San Antonio, Texas (cabinet); Missouri Historical Society Por-H-4
(slave nurse); Photographs and Prints Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture,
The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations (slaves in field); pp. 64–65—
Chicago Historical Society x1354 (leg irons); New York Historical Society
(slave cabins); Courtesy Library of Congress (slave family); The Stagville Center of the North
Carolina Division of Archives and History (slave doll); pp. 66–67—North Carolina Division of
Archives and History (slave gathering); Smithsonian Institution Photo No. 81-11790 (gourd
fiddle); Culver Pictures (Nat Turner); Chicago Historical Society ICHi-06599 (advertisement);
North Wind Picture Archives (slave auction); pp. 68–69—Eastman Johnson (1824–1906),
A Ride for Liberty—The Fugitive Slaves, c. 1862. Gift of Miss Gwendolyn O.L. Conkling, The
Brooklyn Museum; Courtesy Library of Congress (Harriet Tubman); The National Portrait Gallery,
Smithsonian Institution Photo No. NPG.74.75 (Frederick Douglass); Courtesy Friends Historical
Library, Swarthmore College (Henry “Box” Brown); Bettmann Archive (battle scene).

Cover Background by Dahl Taylor

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publications Data

Porter, Connie Rose, 1959–

Meet Addy : an American girl / by Connie Porter ;
illustrations, Dahl Taylor ; vignettes, Renée Graef, Luann Roberts.
p. cm. — (The American girls collection)
Summary: In 1864, after her father and brother are sold to another owner,
nine-year-old Addy Walker and her mother escape from their cruel life
as slaves in North Carolina to freedom in Philadelphia.
ISBN 1-56247-076-0 — ISBN 1-56247-075-2 (pbk.)
1. Afro-Americans—Juvenile fiction. [1. Afro-Americans—Fiction. 2. Slavery—Fiction.
3. Underground railroad—Fiction. 4. United States—History—Civil War, 1861-1865—Fiction.]
I. Taylor, Dahl, ill. II. Title. III. Series.
PZ7.P825Me 1998 [Fic] — dc21 98-6724 CIP AC
 TO MY GRANDMOTHERS,
ADELLE HOUSTON AND
MARY JEMISON DUNN,
F O R T H E WAY B AC K T O M Y A D DY
 T ABLE OF C ONTENTS

A D DY ’ S F A M I LY
AND F RIENDS

C HAPTER O NE
W HISPERS OF F REEDOM 1

C HAPTER T WO
S OLD! 1 0

C HAPTER T HREE
A N EW P LAN 2 2

C HAPTER F OUR
I NTO t h e N IGHT 3 3

C HAPTER F IVE
F R E E D O M TA K E N 4 8

L O O K I N G BA C K 61

S NEAK P EEK 71
 A d d y ’ s F a m i ly

P OX Px Px A MX O xMxM A
Addy’s father,
Xxx whose Addy’s mother,
Xxx whose
dream gives the family love helps the family
strength survive

A XD xDxY
A courageous
Xxx girl,
smart and strong,
growing up during
the Civil War

SX Ax M
x E SXTxHx E R
Addy’s fifteen-year-old
Xxx Addy’s Xxx
one-year-old
brother, determined to sister
be free
 MASTER STEVENS
The man who owns
Addy and her family

AU N T I E LU L A UNCLE SOLOMON
The cook on the Auntie Lula’s husband,
plantation, who looks who gives good advice
out for Addy’s family

M ISS CAROLINE
A woman who helps
Momma and Addy
 Chapter
One

W H I S PE RS OF
F RE E D OM

Addy Walker woke up late on a

summer’s night to hear her parents
whispering. She thought no more of
their quiet voices than of the soft chirping of the
crickets in the woods just beyond the little cabin.
Often she awoke to her parents’ whispering. Addy
liked the sound. It made her feel safe, knowing her
mother and father were close by.
A small fire glowed in the hearth as the last
coals burned down from the fire Momma had
used to cook supper. Usually Addy liked the
warm glow of the coals in the darkness. It was
the only light in the windowless cabin. But tonight
it just made her hotter. Sweat crawled down her

1
 Meet Addy

small body like ants. The stiff, dry cornhusks

stuffing her pallet poked through their thin
covering, sticking her. Her older brother Sam lay
on his own pallet near her feet. Addy could see
his dark face in the firelight and hear his regular
breathing. Her baby sister Esther lay next to her.
Esther’s steamy breath was blowing on Addy’s
face. Addy loved Esther, but it was too hot to be
close to her tonight. Addy tried to wiggle away
from the baby. When she turned from Esther, her
parents stopped talking.
“Hush, Ben,” Momma said to Poppa. “I think
Addy woke up.”
Addy kept her eyes closed, but she could hear
the rustle of cornhusks when her father got up. His
feet softly crossed the dirt floor. She opened her
eyes just slightly as his shadow passed over her,
covering her and Esther and Sam. Addy felt
protected inside of it. She wanted to ask, “Poppa,
what you and Momma talking about?” But she
kept her mouth shut. When her parents started
talking again, she listened.
“That child asleep, Ruth,” Poppa said to
Momma, returning to their pallet. “She tired out.

2
 Wh i s p e r s o f F r e e d o m

Addy opened her eyes just

Caption
slightly as Poppa’s shadow
passed over her. She felt protected inside it.

3
 Meet Addy

They had the children out in the fields half the day
worming the tobacco plants.”
“Ben, listen to me,” Momma said. Her voice
was serious. “I don’t think we should run now. The
war is gonna be over soon, and then we’ll be free.”
“Ruth, I’ve done told you before, them Union
soldiers ain’t nowhere near our part of North
Carolina. They all the way clear on the other side
of the state,” Addy’s father replied. “Who knows
when we gonna be free?”
“But Ben, we can’t lose nothing by waiting.
We all together here. That count for something,”
Momma argued.
“Ruth, it should count, but you know it don’t.
With this war, times hard. Money is real tight for
the masters. A whole group of slaves was sold off
the Gifford plantation because Master Gifford
couldn’t afford to feed and clothe them,” Poppa
said.
“That was Master Gifford. Master Stevens
would never sell us. We work hard for him. We do
everything he tell us. He need me to do sewing,
and you do his carpenter work.” Addy had never
heard her mother speak so firmly.

4
 Wh i s p e r s o f F r e e d o m

“What about Sam?” Poppa went on. “I got to

drag him off his pallet when the morning work
horn sound. He get up grumbling about not
wanting to work for the master, and he take his
grumbling out into the fields. He got a hot head
and a hot mouth. Sam done run off once, and now
he want to go fight in the war. All he talk about
is going north to fight for freedom. If Sam don’t
watch it, he gonna be getting us all in trouble.”
Addy didn’t like what she heard. She
remembered when Sam had run off the year before,
shortly before Esther was born. He was tracked
down by Master Stevens’s dogs and brought back.
He was tied to a tree and beaten with a
whip by Master Stevens. Addy screamed
and cried, but her parents did not.
They had blank, empty faces that
made Addy angry. When the beating whip
was over, Sam’s back was covered with
blood. Poppa carried him back to the cabin, and
Momma and Poppa cleaned the blood from him.
Finally Addy yelled at her parents, “Y’all don’t care
about Sam at all! Y’all not even crying.” As soon as
she said it, she felt bad.

5
 Meet Addy

“Come here,” her father had said softly. Addy

went to him, ashamed to look at his dark, stubbly
face. She held her face down, but her father lifted it
and wiped away her tears. “Just because you don’t
see us crying and carrying on don’t mean we don’t
care. It don’t mean we ain’t crying, either. Me and
your momma crying on the inside. We ain’t always
free to show our feelings on the outside. But on the
inside we is free. There’s always freedom inside
your head, Addy.”
Freedom. That was what her parents were
talking about tonight. But they were talking about
a different kind of freedom. They were talking about
the kind of freedom a slave had to run away to get.
“If Sam take off by himself a second time, we
might never see him again,” Momma said in a
worried whisper. “I want us all to be together.”
Poppa didn’t answer right away. Then he said,
“Uncle Solomon told me in the field today that
there’s a set of railroad tracks about ten miles after
the river near the Gifford place. We follow them
north till they cross another set of tracks. Where
they cross, there’s a white house with red shutters.
It’s a safe house. An old white woman live there,

6
 Wh i s p e r s o f F r e e d o m

named Miss Caroline. She gonna help us. We

only got to get that far,” Poppa said.
In the dark, Addy hugged Janie, the small
rag doll Momma had made for her, the doll
she slept with every night. Her parents’
talk about running away scared her. She
had never heard them talk about it before.
Whenever Sam talked about escaping, they
told him to hush up.
“If we get caught, Master Stevens gonna split
us up for sure,” Momma said, her voice shaky.
“I figure ain’t nothing for sure,” answered
Poppa, “but we got to take our chances while we
got ’em. You can’t go backing out on me now.”
“I’m not backing out,” Momma said. She
sounded cross. “I’m just scared. You want to go
all the way to Philadelphia. I ain’t never been no
farther than the Gifford plantation. What if we get
lost from each other?”
“We gonna go together and we gonna stay
together. God will watch over us. You got to
believe we gonna make it north.” Poppa sounded
sure and strong. Addy knew he could protect them,
no matter what.

7
 Meet Addy

“Let’s just wait a little longer. When the war

over, we all gonna be free. All of us right here,”
Momma said again.
But Poppa was firm. “I hurt when I see Addy
toting heavy water buckets to the fields, or when I
see her working there, bent over like a old woman.
Sam already fifteen, but she a little girl, nine years
old, and smart as they come. She go out in the
morning, her eyes all bright and shining with hope.
By night she come stumbling in here so tired, she
can hardly eat. Esther still a little baby, but Addy
getting beat down every day. I can’t stand back and
watch it no more. We can’t wait for our freedom.
We gonna have to take it.”
Momma was quiet again. Addy wasn’t
thinking about the heat of the cabin, her prickly
pallet, or Esther’s hot breath. She was waiting for
her mother’s answer. None came. She heard her
father rise. He went to the hearth and covered the
coals with ashes.
When Addy heard him lie down, her eyes
popped open, but now Addy could see nothing.
There was no light in the cabin. In the thick
darkness, Addy knew she had heard a secret

8
 Wh i s p e r s o f F r e e d o m

that she must keep to herself no matter how hot it

burned inside her. She could feel Esther’s breath on
her back. Turning to face her sister, she moved close
and put her arms around her. The baby’s breath did
not feel too warm now. Addy was glad Esther was
there on the pallet with her.
As Addy fell asleep, the only voices she could
hear in the night were those of the crickets in the
woods.

9
 Chapter
O
Twn oe

T HE SCOHA
L DP
! TER
TITLE

Early the next morning, Addy was in

the tobacco field worming the plants.
She and the other children moved from
row to row, carefully pulling green, wiggling worms
from the leaves. The worms were as fat as her fingers,
but Addy tried not to think about them. Instead, she
dreamed about the kind of freedom Momma and
Poppa had talked about the night before—the kind
slaves ran away for. She saw herself learning to read
and write. First, she’d write the names of everyone
in her family. She saw herself wearing fancy dresses
with lace, nothing like the rough cotton shift she
always wore now. Poppa would get paid for his
work and buy so much food they would never be

10
 Sold!

hungry. He would buy cloth for her fancy dresses

and Momma would make them for her.
By eleven o’clock the sun was high overhead,
and Addy felt as if she’d worked all day. She had
just finished worming her rows when it was time
for her next chore, taking water to the
field hands. The full bucket of water she
carried almost pulled her arm from her
shoulder. As Addy struggled with the
bucket, sweat ran down her dark face
and soaked the neck of her shift. But
she liked this chore because she sometimes had a
chance to see Sam or Poppa. On this day, she saw
Sam. As usual, he had a riddle for her.
“Riddle me this,” said Sam. “What’s smaller
than a dog but can put a bear on the run?”
Addy thought hard as Sam took the dipper from
the bucket and poured some water over his head.
From a few rows away the overseer snarled, “That
water’s for drinkin’, boy.”
Addy saw a scowl come over Sam’s face. He
mumbled, “Even a horse got to stop and cool off
sometime.”
“I better get on,” Addy said, worried that the

11
 Meet Addy

overseer might come over to them. He carried a

whip.
“Naw,” Sam said, his face softening. He was
as tall as Poppa, but he was skinny. When he
smiled, Sam still looked like a little boy. “I ain’t
done drinking yet, and you ain’t answered my
riddle. What’s smaller than a dog but can put a
bear on the run?” he repeated.
He took a drink while Addy thought. She
looked up to see where the overseer was. He had
gone off in another direction. Addy crinkled
up her eyebrows and said, “A skunk?”
“You right! I don’t know about you.
You too smart for me, girl. Pretty soon
you gonna be riddling me,” Sam said.
“Real soon,” said Addy, smiling at
her brother.
Addy wanted to tell Sam what she had heard
their parents talking about the night before. But
the escape plan was so daring and dangerous,
she could not share it with anyone, not even her
brother. If her parents had wanted her and Sam to
know, they would have told them. So Addy kept
the secret inside and moved down the row to give

12
 Sold!

the next field hand a drink. When the bucket was

empty, she headed toward the kitchen to help
Auntie Lula serve dinner to Master Stevens.

The kitchen was a small brick

building behind the big house. Addy
hurried there, afraid she might be late.
Auntie Lula was ready for Addy to
work as soon as she stepped into the
building. “Wash your hands good,” she
said, “and take that tray of food and water to
the dining room.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Addy answered. She liked
Auntie Lula. She was an old woman, old enough
to be Addy’s grandmother. Her skin was light and
her rusty red hair was streaked with gray. She had
a soft, open face, but sharp green eyes that could
see right through you. Auntie Lula looked after
Addy and her family. She gave them medicine
when they were sick. One Christmas she had made
rock candy for Addy and Sam.
The dinner Auntie Lula had cooked for
Master Stevens smelled so good, Addy ached for

13
 Meet Addy

a bite of it. All she had had for breakfast was

cornmeal mush, and that was all she would have
for dinner. Maybe Auntie Lula would hide away
a few scraps for Addy to eat today.
Addy washed and dried her hands, and
then picked up the tray and hurried
to the dining room. Master Stevens
was sitting at the table talking
with another white man—someone
Addy had never seen before. She set
the food on the table and then poured water
for both men. As they began to eat, she took her
place standing quietly in the corner.
“You got that little girl trained real good,” the
man said to Master Stevens. “She looks like a
smart one.”
“I got them all trained real good,” said Master
Stevens. “That’s why it’s such a shame to let any
of them go.”
Addy’s stomach turned when she heard
Master Stevens say those words. Let any of them
go? she thought. What he mean, let go?
“But I have 22 slaves to clothe and feed this
winter,” Master Stevens went on, “and you know

14
 Sold!

how hard it is with the war. I need the money.”

Addy stared at the floor, but she was listening
very closely. She let her face go blank and empty.
“This boy you got for me,” said the man,
“how can I be sure he won’t run on me, too? I
know he’s run before.”
“I taught him a lesson with the whip last time
he ran off,” Master Stevens answered, “and you’ll
have his father, too. His father can control him.”
They were talking about selling Sam and
Poppa! Addy just knew they were. Her father had
been right. Master Stevens was going to split up
their family!
“Hey, girl, more water,” the strange man said,
turning to Addy.
Addy hurried to pour him more water.
“You sure you don’t want to part with this
one?” the man asked Master Stevens, patting
Addy on the head.
Addy’s hand shook. She wanted to pull away
from his touch, to scream. But the blank look was
frozen on her face. She filled the man’s glass and
started to pour water for Master Stevens.
“I’m not looking to sell her,” Master Stevens

15
 Meet Addy

“You sure you don’t want toCaption

part with this one?” the man asked.

16
 Sold!

replied, “but I know the price for good house

servants is going up every day. Maybe when she’s
a little older, I’ll let her go, too. By then she might
fetch a price as good as her brother. She’s just too
young now.”
Addy was listening so hard, she forgot to pay
attention to her task and filled Master Stevens’s
glass too full. Water spilled on the table.
“See, I told you this one’s too young,” Master
Stevens said to the man. To Addy, he said sharply,
“Girl, go get a rag and clean up this mess!”
“Yes, sir,” Addy said. She was glad to have
a reason to run back to the kitchen. She burst
through the door. “Auntie Lula,” she panted.
“That man fixing to take Sam and Poppa with
him! Master Stevens gonna sell them!”
Auntie Lula looked worried, but when she
spoke, her voice was calm.
“If that be true, we don’t have much time,”
Auntie Lula said. “Listen to me good, now. Take
your bucket and run to the well. Fill the bucket
and head right to the fields where your brother
and father at.”
“But I already took water,” Addy said.

17
 Meet Addy

“Hush up, child,” Auntie Lula hissed. “You

a smart girl. Act like you think it’s time for the
afternoon water. Walk right out to Sam and your
poppa and tell them what you heard. If that man
really coming for them, it’s the one chance they
got to run. I’ll go back to the dining room. Now
you get!”
Grabbing her bucket, Addy ran to the well.
She ran as fast as she could, her bare feet kicking
up little puffs of dust, her thick braids beating
against her shoulders. Please don’t let him take Sam
and Poppa. Please, God, she prayed silently as she ran.
When Addy came to the well, she filled her
bucket. She tried to run with it, but the water
splashed crazily over the sides. With less than half
of it left, she headed toward the fields, walking as
fast as she could. Her throat was dry. Sam! Poppa!
Where you at? she screamed inside. Outside, her
eyes desperately searched the huge field.
Addy was looking for Sam and Poppa and
didn’t see the overseer until he stepped right into
her path. “Hey, girl!” he barked at her. “What you
think you doing?”
Addy was so startled, she dropped her bucket.

18
 Sold!

“I come to bring the afternoon water,” she said.

“It ain’t time for their afternoon water, you
stupid girl. Get on out of here.”
“I thought it was,” Addy stammered.
“Don’t give me back talk,” the overseer snarled.
Addy felt frantic, but she said nothing more.
She picked up her bucket and ran back to the
kitchen. When she got there, she saw her mother
and baby Esther with Auntie Lula. Addy rushed
to Momma and threw her arms around her.
“Momma, they selling Sam and Poppa. I tried
to warn them, Momma. I tried,” she cried, burying
her face in her mother’s shoulder.
“I know you did,” her mother said softly.
“Auntie Lula told me.”
“Master Stevens and that man headed for the
barn,” Auntie Lula interrupted. “Maybe they got
Sam and your poppa there.”
Addy’s head jerked up. Maybe there was one
last chance. Maybe she could still warn Sam and
Poppa. Addy raced out the door and headed for
the barn.
“Addy!” Momma called after her. “Wait!”
But Addy did not stop. She was not thinking,

19
 Meet Addy

not praying, just running, running, running. When

she came to the field, she saw a wagon. Sam was
in it, bound and gagged, shackled hand
and foot. Master Stevens, the man from
the dining room, and two other white
men as big as Poppa were standing
next to the wagon.
shackles
“Sam!” Addy cried out when she reached the
wagon. “Oh, please, Master Stevens,” Addy
begged. “Don’t let them take Sam.”
“Get out of here, Addy,” Master Stevens
ordered. He had a whip in his hand.
Addy stopped where she was. Then she heard
a deeper voice.
“Addy, go on now.” It was her father’s voice.
But where was he? She looked down and then saw
him lying on the ground, being chained by the
overseer. Poppa’s face was covered with dirt, but it
was calm. She ran to him, falling on the ground
next to him. “Oh, Poppa. No. No!” She threw her
arms around him. He looked up at Addy.
“Everything’s gonna be all right, honey. You go
on,” he said. There were no tears on his face, but
Addy knew he was crying inside.

20
 Sold!

“Get back, girl,” Master Stevens barked. Addy

heard his whip crack. She felt a lash of fire on her
back as if she had been burned. But still she held
on to Poppa.
Master Stevens growled at her. “I told you to
get. Now get before I whip you again.” He reached
for Addy and yanked her away from Poppa.
Addy fell backward into her mother’s arms.
Momma held Addy close, both of them crying.
This time, even Momma couldn’t keep the pain
hidden inside.

21
 Chapter
TO
hnree

TAHE
N ECW
HAPPLA
T ENR
TITLE

It was late on Friday afternoon, nearly

a week after Sam and Poppa had been
sold. Addy and the other children were
worming tobacco plants. They were to work their
way down the long rows, turning over every leaf
to find the worms and kill them. It was a job Addy
hated. She didn’t even like looking at the worms.
To kill them, she had to either squish them with her
hands or squash them under her bare feet.
Addy’s mind was not on her work. All her
thoughts were about Poppa and Sam. Hey, I got a
riddle for you, Sam, she thought to herself. What’s
heavy as a full pail of water, but still empty, empty,
empty? Give up? It’s my heart. She peeled the worms

22
 A New Plan

off some plants but forgot to look under the leaves

of others. When she came to the end of her second
row, the overseer came along behind her to check
her work.
Addy was just starting the next row when she
saw the overseer storming toward her. He had his
whip in one hand. She turned to run, but he got to
her before she could take a step. Addy raised up
her hands, thinking he was going to hit her.
But he did not hit her. He dropped the whip
and pulled Addy’s hands down from her face,
yanking her toward him. Holding her wrists in one
of his large hands, he opened his other hand. Addy
saw what he held­—l­ive worms. Worms that Addy
had missed. The overseer forced open her mouth
and stuffed the still-twisting and wiggling worms
inside.
Addy began choking.
“Eat them!” the overseer growled. “Chew them
up—every last one of them. If you don’t, I’ll get
some more.”
Addy gagged as the worms’ juicy bodies burst
in her mouth.
“That’ll teach you to mind your work,” the

23
 Meet Addy

overseer snapped. He shoved her away. Addy

crumpled to the ground as he turned to leave.

It was dark when Momma came home to the

cabin that night. She had baby Esther on her hip.
There was no fire in the hearth. Addy lay curled up
on her pallet. Her face, arms, and legs were streaked
with dirt. Her feet were covered with mud.
“Addy, you awake? Get up, honey,” her mother
said, lighting a candle and then placing
Esther down on the pallet. But Addy
did not even look up.
“Addy,” her mother said in a voice
as soft and warm as the glow of the
candle. “What happened to you?” She
sat down on the edge of Addy’s pallet and touched
her head gently.
Addy opened her eyes. They were red. As she
told her mother about what the overseer had done
to her, she started to cry. Momma lifted Addy’s
head onto her lap. “I hate them, Momma. I hate
white people,” Addy sobbed.
“I don’t want you to hate nobody,” Momma

24
 A New Plan

said, stroking Addy’s hair. After a while, she got up

to get some water. When she came back, she began
washing the tears and dirt from Addy’s face.
“Don’t you hate them, Momma?” Addy asked.
“No, I don’t hate white people,” Momma
answered. “Honey, if you fill your heart with hate,
there ain’t gonna be no room for love. Your brother
and Poppa need us to fill our hearts with love for
them, not hate for white people.”
“But Momma, that overseer and Master Stevens,
they hate us,” Addy said bitterly. “Why white
people hate us and treat us wrong?”
“Addy, all white people don’t hate colored
people. Not all of them do us bad. Master Stevens
was wrong to sell Sam and Poppa and to whip you.
But Addy, people can do wrong for such a long
time, they don’t even know it’s wrong no more.
What’s worse is when people hurt each other and
don’t even care they hurting them. Like that
overseer. He a mean man. That’s what hate do to
people. I don’t want you to ever be that kind of
person.”
Esther began crying. Addy reached over and
handed her rag doll to the baby. Esther quieted down.

25
 Meet Addy

“Addy, there something I need to talk to you

about,” Momma said slowly, “something serious.
You listening to me? Your poppa and me talked
about something before Master Stevens sold him
and Sam. Poppa was worried about the war, and
times getting hard . . .”
Addy knew what her mother was going to say.
With all that had happened in the past week, Addy
had almost forgotten about the secret she had been
keeping, but now she let it out. “You and Poppa
planned for us all to run away,” she said.
“How did you know that?” Momma asked.
“I heard y’all talking one night,” Addy
answered. “I didn’t mean to listen, but I couldn’t
help it.”
“Then you already know we planned to go
north,” said Momma. “Well, we still going.”
“What about Poppa and Sam?” Addy asked.
“Shouldn’t we wait for them to come back for us?”
“They ain’t coming back here ever again, no
matter what,” Momma replied. “Poppa’s plan was
to go to Philadelphia. He told Sam about it the day
after you heard us talking. I aim to stick to that
plan, and we leaving tomorrow night.”

26
 A New Plan

“Addy, I need to talk to

Caption
you,” Momma said slowly.

27
 Meet Addy

Addy looked into her mother’s thin face.

There were fine lines of worry around her brown
eyes.
“Tomorrow! But what if we get caught?” Addy
asked, her voice shaking.
“There ain’t no choice, honey. I never thought
Master Stevens would break up our family after
your poppa and me served him our whole life. But
I was wrong.” Momma shook her head. “After what
he done, Addy, I can’t keep you safe here no more.
I’m scared that man who bought Sam and your
poppa might come back for you. I can’t stop him if
he do. I ain’t gonna sit here and wait for him or
anybody to come take you from me.”
Esther started to cry again, and Addy patted
her gently. Then she said, “Momma, I’m scared, but
I want to go to freedom. Esther want to go, too.”
She turned to her baby sister. “Don’t you want to
go to freedom, Esther?” Addy asked. “Don’t you
want to go find Poppa and Sam in Philadelphia?”
“Addy, go to my pallet and get what’s under it,”
Momma said.
Under Momma’s pallet were two large kerchiefs
and some clothes. They were not clothes for a

28
 A New Plan

woman and a girl, but for a man and a boy.

“Momma, what we gonna do with these?”
asked Addy.
“I’m gonna pack them kerchiefs
with some food, a drinking gourd,
things like that. We wearing the
clothes,” answered Momma. kerchiefs and
“We gonna be disguised?” asked Addy drinking gourd

in surprise.
“They a disguise, but they more than that,”
explained Momma. “Auntie Lula and Uncle
Solomon got them for us. When Master Stevens
send out his dogs after us, it’s gonna be hard for
them to track our smell if we got on somebody
else’s clothes.”
“Auntie Lula and Uncle Solomon should come
with us, Momma,” said Addy. “Poppa say Uncle
Solomon know where the safe house is. They
should come to freedom, too.”
“They too old to come to freedom, Addy. They
can’t run,” Momma said. “They would slow us
down.”
“Esther can’t run neither, and she coming,”
Addy said.

29
 Meet Addy

Momma lowered her head. Addy knew

something was wrong. Her mother would not look
at her. Then Addy saw tears on her mother’s face.
“Momma, what’s the matter?” Addy asked.
“I may as well tell you now, honey,” her mother
said, her voice slow and sad. “Esther ain’t coming
with us.”
Addy could not believe her ears. She must not
have heard right. She picked up Esther and held
her close.
“No, Momma,” Addy said. “We ain’t leaving
Esther.”
“Addy, did you hear me?” Momma’s voice was
soft but firm. “Your sister is staying here.”
“But why? Poppa said we was all going,”
Addy insisted.
“Honey, it was different when your poppa and
Sam was going with us. They could help carry
Esther. Now I got to carry her by myself.”
“I could help, Momma. Let me help. I could
carry her,” Addy begged.
“Besides,” Momma went on, “Esther might cry
any time. Her crying would give us away.”
“I could keep her quiet, Momma, I just know I

30
 A New Plan

could,” Addy said. “I’d let her hold Janie while we

was running.”
“Addy, Esther can’t come,” her mother said.
Addy hugged Esther again.
“This the hardest thing I ever had to do in my
life,” Momma went on. “I love Esther as much as I
love you and Sam, but we can’t take her. Auntie
Lula and Uncle Solomon is gonna keep her. She
just a baby, so Master Stevens ain’t gonna sell her.
He can’t make no money selling a baby.”
Addy cradled Esther in her arms, gently rocking
her back and forth. The three of them sat quietly for
a long time. Then Momma broke the silence. “The
war ain’t gonna last forever. When it’s over, we
gonna get Esther back. Our family will be together
again. Lay down now,” Momma said, blowing out
the candle.
“Momma, can we all sleep together tonight?”
Addy asked.
“I’d like that,” Momma said.
Addy, Momma, and Esther crowded onto
Addy’s pallet. Esther was sandwiched between
Addy and Momma. The baby held tight to Janie.
Addy moved as close to Esther as she could to

31
 Meet Addy

feel the baby’s warm breath on her face. She put her
arms around her tiny sister. Addy tried not to cry,
but itchy, hot tears were running down her face,
and she didn’t bother brushing them away. She felt
her mother’s arms around both her and the baby.
Beyond, from the deeper darkness of the woods,
Addy heard a single owl hooting in the night.

32
 Chapter
FOonuer

I NTTO
HE TCHHA
E NPT
IGHT
ER
TITLE

The next night, after it was fully dark,

with not a streak of orange or red in the
sky, Auntie Lula and Uncle Solomon
came to Addy’s cabin. Addy and her mother were
in their disguises, with their kerchiefs packed. The
well-worn clothes were baggy on them. Esther was
sleeping on Addy’s pallet.
Uncle Solomon had two hats with him. One
was a straw hat that he gave Addy’s mother. The
other, a felt hat, he placed on Addy’s head.
“Now, there’s magic in your hat,” Uncle
Solomon said to Addy, trying to cheer her up.
Addy did not feel like smiling.
“Don’t you believe that hat got magic?” Uncle

33
 Meet Addy

Solomon asked. He snapped his fingers near her

left ear. “Why, look what’s come out your ear. You
must’ve forgot to wash behind it. Look at this
half dime I found there.” He handed the
coin to Addy.
Addy reached behind her ear. “How’d
you do that?” she asked.
“Shhh,” Uncle Solomon said. “It’s magic. You
hold on to that half dime. You gonna need it where
you going. Freedom cost, you hear me? Freedom’s
got its cost.”
“Come on, Solomon, they ain’t got all night,”
Auntie Lula said. “Look here, I got some food and
things for you,” she said, handing Addy’s mother a
small sack.
Addy’s mother put the sack into her kerchief,
and then she bent down to pick up Esther. Esther
woke and began to fuss.
Addy watched Momma as she hugged the baby
hard and kissed her over and over. She searched
Momma’s face for tears, but there weren’t any, not
on the outside at least. Addy kissed Esther, too, and
stroked her head. “Don’t worry, Esther. We coming
back for you,” she whispered softly as she handed

34
 Into the Night

her rag doll to the baby. “You hold on to Janie until

I see you again,” Addy said. Then her mother gave
Esther to Auntie Lula.
“We gonna take good care of Esther. Don’t
worry,” Auntie Lula said, looking into the baby’s
eyes as she held her. “She gonna be right here
when you come back for her.”
Uncle Solomon gave Addy and Momma some
final advice. “Go fast as you can at night and hide
during the day. Every time you see water, go
through it. A creek, a river—I don’t care if it ain’t
nothing but a puddle, go through it. That way you

35
 Meet Addy

won’t hardly leave no scent for the dogs to pick up

on. And watch out for them Confederate soldiers.
They dressed up in gray uniforms. They can be
mean as snakes, and if they catch you, they gonna
bring you back to slavery.”
“God be with you,” Auntie Lula said as Addy
and her mother turned to leave the little cabin.
Esther began to cry as they slipped out into the
damp, warm night and ran into the woods. Addy
looked back to catch a final glimpse of her baby
sister, but tears blurred her sight.

The full moon shone in the eastern

sky, looking like a half dime shining
in the bottom of a well. At first, the
moonlight shone through the tall pines,
filling the forest with a silver light. Addy and her
mother ran from shadow to shadow like a deer
with her fawn. But as they moved deeper into the
woods, only a small glimmer of moonlight made its
way through the thick branches of the trees. There
were dark, eerie shadows everywhere, and it was
hard to see. Momma took Addy’s hand as they

36
 Into the Night

hurried along, stumbling over vines and stumps

hidden by the darkness.
Addy expected to hear the comforting night
sound of the crickets that she always heard at the
cabin, but the deeper they got in the woods, the
stranger the sounds became. Owls screeched high
in the pines. The wind moaned like a wounded
animal. Branches from saplings reached out for
her, stinging her face as they slapped against
her. A bat swooped down from the trees,
its wings beating the air just above
their heads. Suddenly a dark form
stirred in the bushes ahead, moving
toward them. Addy screamed and froze.
Momma jerked to a stop and clamped her hand
over Addy’s mouth.
“Hush up,” her mother whispered sharply.
“You can’t holler out.”
The bushes moved again. Addy’s heart beat
very fast. Bump-bump-bump-bump. Bump-bump-
bump-bump.
Slowly, Momma took her hand away from
Addy’s mouth. “It’s only a possum or a skunk,”
she said calmly.

37
 Meet Addy

Addy let out a sigh of relief. “Momma, I ain’t

mean to holler,” she whispered. “We left Esther
behind because her crying might give us away. But
I hollered louder than Esther ever could.” Addy
remembered what her father had said about not
always showing your feelings. She would have to
learn to keep them inside sometimes.
All through the night, Addy and Momma
stumbled through the darkness. They waded
through swampy places where their feet were
sucked deep into oozing mud. They clawed through
prickly vines. The thorns snatched at their clothes
and dug into Addy’s hands until they bled. Bare
roots tore through the tough skin on the soles of
Addy’s feet. Once she stubbed her toe on a rock
and fell down. But this time Addy did not cry out.
All night long, she and Momma pushed on and on.
Just when Addy thought she could not go
another step, the sky began to lighten. She could see
Momma’s face for the first time in hours. It was
streaked with dirt. She touched her own face and
felt dried blood on her cheek from a cut below her
eye.
“We better stop soon, Momma,” Addy said

38
 Into the Night

softly. “It’s getting light out and somebody might

see us.”
“You right,” Momma said. “We need to look for
a hiding place.”
They went a little farther and
found a small cave. They crawled
inside and huddled together,
waiting for sleep to come.
When they woke up hours later, it was hot.
Mosquitoes buzzed around their heads, drawn to
the stickiness of their sweaty skin. Addy slapped at
them, but it was no use.
“You must be hungry,” Momma said, reaching
into her bundle. She handed Addy a piece of Auntie
Lula’s cornbread. It was hard and dry, but it tasted
good to Addy. She washed it down with a drink of
water from the gourd.
When they finished eating, Momma reached
into the bundle again. “I got something for you,”
she said. Addy watched eagerly as Momma opened
her hand. In her palm was a small, shiny shell.
“I want you to have this,” Momma said. “It’s
something me and your poppa been saving for
you. This cowrie shell belonged to Poppa’s

39
 Meet Addy

grandma. She was stole from Africa when she was

no bigger than you. None of her family was on the
ship with her when she came here from across the
water. She wore this shell on a necklace. Your
poppa was gonna give it to you when you was
older, but I think you should have it now, Addy.
Your great-grandma’s name was Aduke. That name
got a meaning where she come from. It means
‘much loved.’ I saved her name for you, Addy.”
Addy was silent for a moment. Then she
looked into her mother’s gentle brown eyes.
“Momma, can I hold the shell tonight?”
“Sure you can. I got something special to put it
on,” her mother said, pulling a leather string out of
her bundle.
“Momma, that’s one of Sam’s
shoelaces,” Addy said.
“I wanted you to have something of
his, too,” her mother said. She pulled
cowrie shell the cord through a small hole in one end
of the shell, knotted it, and then put it
around Addy’s neck. “Remember what I told you
about the love you need to carry in your heart. It
ain’t nothing you can touch like this shell, but

40
 Into the Night

when you find yourself feeling sad or scared, you

dip into that love, Addy. It’s a well with no bottom,
and it can give you strength and courage.”
Addy rubbed the shell between her fingers. Its
rounded top was smooth as soap. The flat under-
side was also smooth, except for the middle where
the shell closed in on itself. There it felt like the
teeth of a fine comb.
“My great-grandma must have been brave to
come across the water all alone. I’m gonna be brave
just like she was,” Addy said.
“She was brave, Addy,” Momma answered,
“and you brave, too. But there’s one thing different
about you and your great-grandma. Her journey
ended in slavery. Yours, girl, is taking you to
freedom.”
They sat in silence a long time, looking at the
cowrie shell and thinking about someone they had
never met.
Then Addy spoke. “Momma, do you think
Esther gonna remember us?”
“That ain’t easy to say. Babies don’t remember
much, but I got a feeling Auntie Lula won’t let her
forget,” Momma said.

41
 Meet Addy

As Addy and Momma settled down in the cave

to wait for sunset, Addy pictured Esther back on
the plantation. She would be asleep now, curled up
with Janie. Maybe she would be thinking about
Addy.

When night finally came, Addy and Momma

started out again. The moon lit their way until they
reached the end of the woods, where they saw a
flat darkness ahead of them. Then, before they
could see water, they heard the rushing sound of it.
They had come to a wide river.
“This got to be the river near the Gifford
plantation that Poppa talked about,” Addy
whispered.
“We got to cross it,” Momma said, her voice
sounding scared. “We better stuff our hats and
things in our pockets.”
They stood on the bank of the river for a few
moments, afraid to enter the foaming, angry water.
Sam had taught Addy how to swim, but this water
looked dangerous—and Momma didn’t know how
to swim at all.

42
 Into the Night

Holding tight to each other, they started into

the water together. Addy picked her way along
the squishy bottom, her feet slipping on the slimy
rocks that were stuck in the mud. Once she tripped
on a rock, losing her balance and pulling Momma
with her. Addy felt her mother’s grip tighten
around her hand and realized again how
frightened Momma was.
Pulling themselves up, they slowly made their
way to the center of the river. There the current
started to pull at them. It lifted them off the bottom
and dragged them sideways. Hard as they tried to
walk against it, the water was stronger than they
were, and they were pushed farther and farther
away from shore. Addy could hear Momma sputter
as water filled her mouth and nose.
“Momma, keep your head up,” Addy yelled as
loud as she dared. “Just don’t go under.”
Suddenly a huge swell of water rushed against
them, pulling Momma’s hand from Addy’s,
dragging her away. Addy turned just in time to see
her mother disappear beneath the churning water.
Addy wanted to scream, but she kept it inside.
Instead, she drew in air, filling her lungs, and dove

43
 Meet Addy

Addy turned just in time to see Caption

her mother disappear beneath the water.

44
 Into the Night

under the water. She struggled against the current,

trying to stay close to the place where Momma had
disappeared. She couldn’t see a thing in the dark
water. She felt around for Momma, but she found
nothing. Addy’s lungs began to burn. She was
running out of air. Popping up above the water, she
looked around frantically.
“Momma,” she called, gulping for air.
“Momma, where you at?”
Afraid no answer would come, she dove down
again. This time she let the current push her while
she dragged her arms through the water, searching
for her mother. Suddenly, Addy was stopped by a
fallen tree under the water. She groped among the
branches, but their sharp ends jabbed and poked
her. She kicked furiously to get away when
suddenly her foot hit something soft. It was
Momma, trapped in the branches. Addy braced
herself against a large limb, grabbed Momma,
and then pushed off against the tree with all her
strength to bring both of them to the surface.
Gasping for air, the two struggled to the far
shore. Clutching each other, they finally reached
the shallows where the water calmed. Exhausted

45
 Meet Addy

and breathless, they fell on the riverbank. When

Addy could finally talk, she whispered, “Momma,
is you all right?”
“You saved me, Addy,” Momma said weakly.
“You a brave girl.”
Addy was shivering as she and her mother got
up and slowly made their way into the woods.
Their wet clothes stuck to them. Momma had lost
her kerchief, and her hat was ripped. Addy pulled
her own hat from her pocket. Other than being wet,
it looked fine. She pulled it down tight on her head
and thought, Maybe it is a lucky hat.
She reached to see if the cowrie shell was still
around her neck. It was there, and something else
was, too. It felt like a wet leaf. When she
peeled it off, Addy realized it was a leech.
She shuddered and quietly flicked it away. leech

Addy and her mother traveled for hours before

Momma spotted the railroad tracks. Addy had
never seen tracks before. They were shining silver,
and they pointed the way north to freedom.
“These got to be the tracks your father talked

46
 Into the Night

about,” Momma whispered. “We got to be extra

careful out here. There ain’t hardly a place to hide.”
They had seen no one since they started their
escape, but tracks meant a train could come at any
time. Travelers might spot them. They could trust
no one.
Addy and her mother followed the path of the
tracks in the moonlight. When the noises of the
night were gone and birdsongs began to fill the
air, they found a thick clump of pine trees near a
curve in the tracks. Gathering dead branches and
brush, they made a shelter and crawled inside.
Addy could barely keep her eyes open. She
was too tired to slap at the ants that crawled on her
legs or swat at the flies buzzing over her head. She
curled up and rested her head on her mother’s
chest.
“I’m real proud of you,” Momma whispered as
she gently stroked Addy’s hair away from her face.
Addy smiled. She could feel her mother’s heart
beating. It was a soothing sound.

47
 Chapter
FOi nv ee

F RTEHE
E DC HATPATK
OM EERN
TITLE

A low rumble woke Addy and her

mother. Addy thought it sounded like
thunder. Then a light appeared far in
the distance. Addy could see it moving toward her,
getting bigger and bigger. It looked as if the moon
had fallen from the sky and was rolling through the
tops of the trees. Safe in the darkness, Addy and her
mother crept out of their shelter just in time to see
something Addy had only heard about. A train!
She could make out its shape charging through
the darkness. The engine was spitting red sparks,
and a ribbon of smoke ran along the length of the
train. As it passed along a curve in the tracks,
Addy watched its rear light disappear into the

48
 F r e e d o m Ta k e n

distance. But instead of moving away in a straight

line, the train turned to the right. Addy was
puzzled. Then she understood—the train had
turned onto a set of tracks she could not even
see yet.
“Momma, we here!” Addy said, a little too
loudly. She lowered her voice. “The safe house has
to be near the place where the train turned! We did
it. We made it, Momma!” Addy threw her arms
around Momma.
“I think you right,” Momma said. “Let’s go.”
Addy and her mother ran hand in hand
toward the place where the train had turned.
“We safe now,” Addy exclaimed. “We going
to Philadelphia.”
“We ain’t there yet,” Momma said sharply.
“Hush, now.”
“We gonna see Sam and Poppa,” Addy went
on. “Then we come back for Esther, and the whole
family be together again.” Addy pictured them all
in Philadelphia, living in a beautiful house.
“Freedom ain’t that easy, girl,” warned
Momma. “Don’t get your hopes too high.”
But Addy didn’t hear her. Spurred on by her

49
 Meet Addy

thoughts of Philadelphia, she moved faster and

faster, pulling away from Momma. Running fast,
she felt the cowrie shell beat against her chest. She
was going to freedom.
It was a long way to the place where the train
had turned, but Addy was still running when she
saw a small light. It looked like the glow of a
lantern. Addy thought it must be in the window
of the safe house. She raced toward it, her mother
far behind. It was not until she was closer that she
saw she was wrong. She stopped suddenly. The
light was from a small campfire in a clearing near
the tracks. A group of men were gathered around
it. Addy could see them lying on the ground,
sleeping. She was about to turn and run back the
other way when she heard a gruff voice call out,
“Who’s there?”
Addy turned. She could see the face of a white
man in the light of the fire. He had on a gray jacket
and gray hat. He was a Confederate soldier, and he
was staring right at her!
“Oh, it’s you, boy. Bring me some water,” the
soldier said.
Although Addy knew he was looking right at

50
 F r e e d o m Ta k e n

Addy heard a gruff voice

Caption
call out, “Who’s there?”

51
 Meet Addy

her, she didn’t think he was talking to her. He was

talking to some boy. But what boy? Just then Addy
remembered the disguise. She was the boy!
Desperately, Addy looked around. Then she
saw a bucket of water. To get to it she had to walk
right through the soldiers’ camp. She saw another
soldier on the ground stir. He rolled over. What if
they all woke up and captured her?
Addy lowered her head, touched the cowrie
shell briefly, and began to move. Inside she was
shaking, but on the outside she was walking
straight and strong past the sleeping soldiers. She
picked up the bucket and brought it to the soldier.
“Train scare you, did it, boy?” the soldier
asked.
Addy kept her head down and nodded.
“You’ll get used to it after a while. Get on back
to sleep,” the soldier said.
Addy wanted to rush back into the woods, but
she knew she couldn’t. She acted as though she
belonged in the camp. She walked to the edge of
the clearing and lay down. The soldier lay down,
too, and Addy waited a few minutes until she
could hear him snoring. Then, as quietly as she

52
 F r e e d o m Ta k e n

could, Addy crept away from the soldiers and into

the woods. I got to warn Momma, Addy thought.
Just when she had gotten far enough away from
the camp to start running, someone reached out
and grabbed her.
It was Momma. She pulled Addy so close to
her that Addy could feel the shell pressed between
them. Momma held Addy for a long moment and
then led her away.
When they were far from the camp, Momma
spoke at last. “I was watching you with them
soldiers, Addy, and I was holding my breath the
whole time. But you did it, girl. You kept your
feelings inside this time. Your poppa would be
proud of you.”
They walked farther along the tracks
until they came to the place where two
sets of tracks met and formed a silvery
cross. A house stood just beyond the
cross up on a little hill. It was white
with red shutters. Poppa had been right.
To Addy it seemed that the house was just
waiting for them. They did not have to run to it.
They only had to walk and knock on the door

53
 Meet Addy

where freedom was. It would open to them.

Addy and her mother crouched in the
shadows, staring at the white house. There was
no light from inside.
“Why we waiting?” Addy whispered.
“I don’t know if it’s safe,” her mother said.
“There might be more of them soldiers around.”
“It’s got to be safe,” Addy said. “It’s a safe
house.”
“Addy, it ain’t that simple,” Momma said. “Your
poppa said a white woman live there. Them soldiers
might be coming in and out of there. I don’t trust
them.”
“But Momma, we got to trust the white
woman. If we don’t, where we gonna go?” Addy
asked.
Without answering, Momma took a deep
breath and stood, pulling Addy up with her. They
slipped out of the shadows and walked to the
house.
Momma tapped lightly on the door. No answer
came. She tapped again, and still there was no
answer.
Addy looked at her mother’s face. It was calm

54
 F r e e d o m Ta k e n

and still. At last, a light glowed in the house.

Through a small window, Addy could see the light
of a candle move through the dark house. She
heard the door being unlatched on the other side.
It opened, and an old woman not much taller
than Addy stood before them. Her face shone in
the light of her candle.
“Miss Caroline? Can you help us?” Addy
asked.
Addy saw the woman’s face twist into an
angry scowl. “I thought I told you not to come
here, boy. Go back and tell those soldiers I won’t

55
 Meet Addy

help them,” Miss Caroline said. She started to shut

the door.
Addy stuck her foot in the door to keep it from
closing. “We ain’t with them soldiers, ma’am,”
Addy said quickly, “and I ain’t no boy.” Addy
pulled her hat off, revealing her braids. “Me and
my momma running away to freedom. Can you
help us?”
Addy saw the look on the woman’s face soften.
All the anger washed from it.
“Come in,” Miss Caroline said. “Please come in.”
Addy and her mother stepped inside. The
woman quickly closed the door behind them and
led them to the kitchen.
“My, oh my,” Miss Caroline said. “Those are
some fine disguises. I thought you were with those
Confederate soldiers. They got here yesterday and
sent a boy right over here to ask me for food. But I
didn’t give them one crumb. I don’t cotton to those
Rebels. You must be tired and hungry. I don’t have
much, and nothing fancy. But you’re welcome to it.
Sit down and I’ll start a fire.”
Addy and her mother sat watching the woman
work. She seemed to be everywhere, starting the

56
 F r e e d o m Ta k e n

fire, dragging a tin tub next to it, heating a large

pot of water, putting plates on the small table.
“Let us help,” Momma said.
“No, you sit and rest. I know you must be
tired,” Miss Caroline said. “Who sent you here?”
“Uncle Solomon,” Addy’s mother said. “We
trying to get to Philadelphia.”
“Oh, Solomon,” the woman sighed. “I’ve
known him for over fifty years—since we were
both children on farms that were next to each
other.” She served Addy and her mother
some rice and boiled greens. Addy felt
safe in this small, warm home. While
Addy and Momma ate, Miss Caroline
left the kitchen. When she returned,
she had a bundle of clothes in her arms.
“These are clothes I save for runaways. After
your bath, you find something that fits. You can
rest here tonight. Then I’ll take you to the coast.
You can get a ship to Philadelphia from there. We
have to leave before sunup—before those soldiers
wake in the morning and come back here.”
“Thank you so much, ma’am,” Addy’s mother
said. “I wish I could do something for you.”

57
 Meet Addy

Addy went to her bundle and untied it. She

took out the half dime Uncle Solomon had given
her and held it out to the woman.
“Oh, I don’t want money,” Miss Caroline said,
“and I don’t want you to do anything for me.
There’s no need to thank me. You both are so brave
to have escaped and come so far. It’s thanks enough
to know I’m helping you have a new life.”
Addy and her mother took long, hot baths. The
dirt from their journey melted off them in the warm
water. That night, for the first time in their lives,
Addy and Momma slept on a real mattress, not one
full of itchy cornhusks. Addy tried to stay awake so
she could think about how good it felt to be clean
and safe, but she was too tired. She fell asleep in
Momma’s arms.
Before the sun came up, Addy, Momma, and
Miss Caroline got ready to leave the small white
house with the red shutters. Momma was dressed
in a brown dress, Addy in a pink one.
Addy loved her dress with its wiggly white
stripes and white buttons running down the front.
It was prettier than any she had imagined when
she dreamed about freedom.

58
 F r e e d o m Ta k e n

Miss Caroline had found a pair of

drawers and a straw bonnet that just
fit Addy. After Addy tied the ribbon of
the hat under her chin, she stood straight
and tall for her mother to see.
“How I look, Momma?” Addy asked.
Momma’s eyes filled with tears. “I wish your
poppa could see you now, child.”
Outside, Miss Caroline hid Addy and her
mother in the back of her wagon and covered them
with some old sacks. The wagon rocked gently as it
pulled away from the safe house. Addy lay close to
her mother. She reached to her neck and felt for the
shell. Holding it tightly, Addy thought of Esther,
Sam, Poppa, and even her great-grandma who had
come across the water alone. They were with her,
all of them. With the deep well of love in her heart,
she could feel them with her.
“Momma, we done it,” Addy said softly. “Just
like Poppa said. We took our freedom.”

59
LOOKING BACK

AMERICA
IN
1864

61
 Newly freed African Americans in 1862

More than 300 years before Addy was

born, the first black people arrived in North
America from Africa. Some African
Americans were explorers and pioneers
who came with hope and determination to
start a new life. But most blacks came as Phillis Wheatley
wrote poetry in the
slaves, brought to America on ships by 1770s, a time when
slave traders. The traders had captured or most Americans
couldn’t read.
bought them in Africa, taking them from

In 1791
A group of captive Africans on their way to a slave ship Benjamin Banneker
helped plan the city of
Washington, D.C.,
our nation’s capital.
62
 Some slaves were trained as carpenters
and made fine furniture like this cabinet.

their families, their tribes, and their homeland.

In Africa they had a life that was rich in art,
religion, music, and language. But in America
they were forced to work against their will,
without pay, for life.
By Addy’s time, most slaves worked on
plantations, or large farms, in the southern part
of the United States. Plantation owners in the
South depended on slaves to tend their crops
because that was a cheap way to get the work
done. Most plantation slaves were field
hands who planted, tended, and
harvested crops, but some slaves were
blacksmiths, shoemakers, and
carpenters. Some enslaved people
worked in their owners’ houses as
cooks, nursemaids, and seamstresses.

Some house slaves

cared for their
owners’ children.

Field slaves at
work on a cotton
plantation
 The treatment of slaves varied
widely, but owners usually
provided just enough food and
clothing for slaves to survive. Most
slaves lived on their owners’
plantations in one-room cabins with
dirt floors and a few pieces of poor
Slaves were sometimes furniture. House slaves had better food
shackled in leg irons
as punishment. and clothing than those who worked
in the fields, but they often had to live
in their owners’ homes, apart from their families.
Owners might punish their slaves by making them
eat tobacco worms, just as Addy had to. They might
whip their slaves or shackle their feet or hands so
they couldn’t move. Worst of all, owners could
divide up and sell slave families, as
Addy’s owner did.

A row of slave cabins

64
 Enslaved people
maintained strong
family ties when they
were allowed to live
together, and even when
their families were
broken up. They did
this by extending their
families to include
people they were not
Four generations of a slave family in 1862
related to—slaves who
were new to a plantation or left behind when their
family members were sold.
Slaves developed their own art, music, religious
beliefs, and stories based on African traditions. They
passed along to their children stories, names, and
knowledge from Africa. For example, Addy’s whole
name, Aduke, came from Yoruba, one of the
languages of West Africa. Words we still
use today—like yam, canoe, and banjo—
come from various West African
languages.

Slave parents made simple dolls

and other toys for their children.

65
 Legally, slaves could
gather in groups only
if a white person was
present.

Spirituals are religious folk songs created by

slaves based on African music styles. Spirituals
expressed the singers’ suffering and protest, and
their hope for freedom. Slaves also sang
spirituals to send secret messages to each
other that the slave owner wouldn’t
understand. For instance, slaves might
sing “Steal away, steal away, steal
away to Jesus” to spread news
of plans to escape. Spirituals
remain popular today. Jazz
also grew out of African
rhythms. It is the only kind
of music originally created
in the United States.
Slaves enjoyed making music
with handmade instruments
like this gourd fiddle.

66
A Virginia slave named
Nat Turner and several
followers led a revolt
against slavery in 1831.

Slaves opposed their treatment in many ways. They

worked very slowly on purpose, burned crops,
pretended to be sick, tried to earn money to buy their
freedom, and asked the courts to set them free. By the
early 1800s, most northern states had made slavery
illegal. And in 1808, it became illegal to bring slaves into
the United States. But the buying and selling of
slaves continued in the South for more
than 50 years, until Addy’s time.
Signs like this
one advertised
the sale of slaves.

A family of slaves being sold at an auction

67
 The Civil War put an end to the
Underground Railroad, but many
slaves still made dangerous
attempts to escape to freedom.

People who were against slavery

were called abolitionists. As slavery grew
in the South, more and more people,
especially in the North, became
abolitionists. Abolitionists, both black and
white, helped slaves escape on the
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad. The Underground
escaped slavery and Railroad wasn’t a real railroad. It was a
helped over 300
runaway slaves gain series of routes and hiding “stations”
freedom. leading north to freedom. Escaping slaves
traveled at night, hidden by darkness,
usually to the northern states or Canada.
Harriet Tubman, an escaped slave herself,
secretly returned to the South 19 times to
guide others to freedom. Escaping
required great courage, because runaway
slaves who were caught were brutally
Frederick Douglass was punished.
an abolitionist leader.

The man in the center escaped

slavery by hiding in a box while
it was shipped to the North.
 Eleven southern states left the Union to form the
Confederate States of America.

When Addy and her mother

escaped, northern states were
fighting against southern states in the Civil War. This
war had many causes, but one of the most important
was the disagreement about slavery. People in the North
felt slavery should not be legal. In 1861, several southern
states seceded, or separated, from the United States.
These states formed their own nation, called the
Confederate States of America. President Abraham
Lincoln believed it was wrong for the southern states to
secede, and he eventually
declared war against the South.
That war was called the War
Between the States, or the Civil
War.
In the beginning, Lincoln
declared war to keep all the
states in the nation together, not
Union and Confederate soldiers
to end slavery. But later, on January 1, in a battle of the Civil War
1863, Lincoln proclaimed that all slaves in those states
still fighting the North were emancipated, or free. Because
the South had decided that it was a separate nation, it
ignored the Emancipation Proclamation. That’s why
many people, like Addy’s family, were still risking their
lives to escape slavery in 1864.

69
 Re a d A l l o f A d dy ’ s Sto r i es,
available at bookstores and americangirl.com.

Meet Addy
Addy and her mother try to escape
from slavery because they hope to be free
and to reunite their family.

Addy Learns a Lesson

Addy starts her life as a free person
in Philadelphia. She learns about reading
and writing—and freedom.

Addy’s Surprise
Addy and Momma are generous
with the little money they’ve saved—
and thrilled by a great surprise.

Happy Birthday, Addy !

Addy makes a new friend, who encourages her to
claim a birthday and helps her face prejudice.

Addy Saves the Day

The Civil War is over, but not the feud
between Addy and Harriet, until tragedy forces
them to come together at last.

Changes for Addy

The long struggle to reunite Addy’s family
finally ends, but there is heartache
along with the happiness.