My Jim Read Free

write it in his book. Jims mama look him dead in the face. I names him after his daddy run away she say. Mas look upset but he go on and write Jim in his book. This ones a good boy he say. Make up for that other one. He wait for Jims mamas cuts to heal then he sell her down river. He say that sugar cane gonna take care of her. But she die fore the boat make St. Louis.
    Jim nurse at Coras tit. She the only mama he know. Cora aint got no children but she take care of everybody elses children. Her own children all die young.
    She got other orphan babies in there with her. When they older they gonna work the fields. Long as Cora keep them alive till then.
    Me I takes care of Jim like a sister. When he start to walk he try to follow me to the fields. Mostly I sees him at night in Coras cabin. Time Jim born I gots a baby sister name of Jenny. I only seen her once since we was small.
    I the first of my mamas children and the only one Mas let her keep. Everybody say its cause Mas Watson my daddy. But they say he Jennys daddy too and he sell her off soon as she can sweep up behind the chickens. Mas say she old enough to hold a baby and pluck a chicken she old enough to go to a family in town.
    He dress her up and take her hisself. She happy cause she going for a ride. Mas take Jennys hand and she wave to us. He sit her on his lap.
    Me and Jenny born in Cape Girardeau. We little girls when Mas move everybody to the place at Clear Creek near Hannibal. Missouri just become a state and Mas stake hisself a claim.
    We aint never been in a boat fore that and we scared the river gods gonna get us. Me and Jenny we holds onto Mama and Cora. Mas Watson sit in front with his wife and baby. He marry right after I born and the baby come right after that. She old as me and older than Jenny but she still a baby. Cant do nothing but play and sleep and eat. Me and Jenny already know how to wash and sew.
    Mas find slaves can pole a keelboat upstream in angry water. Boat pile high with people and furniture. I scared of the river all the boats and people but the polemens singing calm me down. Me and Jenny we hides when the steamboat pass. It make so much noise like the end of the world. Mama and Cora scared too. Mas Watson laugh and wave.
    Our last day in the river baby reach out the boat for a dragonfly. I sees her fall in. The river sweep her downstream fore her folks realize she gone. One of them polemens catch her by the foot and pull her out the water. We come to Hannibal soon after that.
    Mama take up with the man save Little Miss. She bear three more babies for him. One die of swine fever but the other two grow to be boys. Mas hire them out to the tobacco factory in town. We only sees them at Christmas. I aint knows them if I sees them again.
    Jim become my brother. He stand up and walk early so he can follow me round the yard. I gives him corn to feed the chickens. He pretty like a girl. The white of his eye blue like a birds egg. Eyelashes all curl up. One fall in his eye you think he being beat he holler so loud.
    All us children runs round in clothes so bare we might as well wears nothing. Jim wear clothes his mistress give him. The others aint like to see him in his clothes. They push him down in the dirt and tear them off him. I aint tries to stop them. I covets his clothes too.
    Mama say Jim aint regular. He got that double sight she say. Looking forward and backward at the same time.
    I cant sees what she talking bout. Jim dont want to do nothing but play. Look to me like he mighty regular that way. Specially when it come to working. Aint got no talent I can sees but running round singing a teasing song. You tell him do something he dont want to do and he fix you with a stare that can run you right through. Cora got to switch him just to make him tote water. He get the bucket and forget the water. I finds him standing on the upturn bucket reaching for some blackberries. He want the ones all the way at the top.
    Jim a good size fore he come