Virginia Hamilton Read Free Page B

Anthony.
    â€œYays-surah! They Mamaw and sisterahs Janety and brotherahs Jims—all them chil’ren,” Anthony said. “They yo’ slaves and they mine,too.”
    Suttle was so taken by surprise that he threw back his head and roared with laughter. “Gawd Almighty! You mean …” he sputtered, “… you are the same … You think … they are slaves … but you …” He bellowed, shaking all over. “Well, that is one of the completest mistakes you’ve evah made, Tony, m’boy, Gawd in heaven, it is!”
    Anthony was confused as to what he Mars meant. But since he knew the words “Gawd” and “Heaven,” he gathered it was at least partly Bible business.
    â€œI will let it go for now, boy,” he Mars said. He laughed again to himself. “Perhaps we’ll just use this terrible mistake for a prayer lesson.”
    Because Virginia law forbade them to learn to read the Good Book, or any other book for that matter, John Suttle made it a strict rule never to have reading in the house in the presence of property. But he was forward-looking enough to allow churchgoing for his slaves; they attended the same Baptist church he did. There was a partition, of course, but property was given the opportunity to sing and to pray. Oh, they did love that!
    â€œLordy, wait till folks hear this one. Tony, m’boy, I knew you were keen witted but never so much as this! Haw-haw! You’ll learn! Or die tryin’! I’ve hope for you, and profit, too. There’s no limit to what you can be taught.”
    He gave Anthony a pat on his head, pulled his downy curls a moment, and checked to see if there were lice near the scalp. “I see Janety keepin’ you clean, hum?”
    â€œYays-surah,” Anthony said, sleepily enjoyingthe attention. He leaned comfortably back against he Mars.
    â€œLike you mama before you,” he Mars mused. “Respect and gratitude and strength of mind. Yes, my property! Mine!” He laughed, and without warning flung Anthony down from the pony to the ground. Anthony managed to cushion the fall somewhat by doing a somersault.
    â€œGood lad!” he Mars said.
    Anthony remembered to right himself and show no shock or pain at being tossed so brutally. He Mars waited. Anthony remembered what was important. Again he bowed deeply.
    â€œAnd now you know, don’t you, boy?” he Mars said. “Anthony, you my property, you belong to me . You my own slave chile.” Said with tight emotion. With that, he Mars turned the pony and rode away, more important things at once on his mind.
    Anthony stared after him, half in longing and half in fear and wonder. The meaning of he Mars’s last words would come to him slowly, over time.

3
May 24, 1854
    THE INNOCENT CHILD of five slipped away. Anthonystirred. Layer by layer, he returned to his miserable time of manhood in the year 1854. He found himself with the ones who had seized him this night on Brattle Street. They had cuffed his hands with irons connected by chains. How had they done that?
    But I was daydreaming, Anthony thought. He lifted his hands to look at the chains. They felt so heavy, he let them drop. “Wish all this was a dream, like that vision of when I was small,” he told himself. It was more like a nightmare. Chains!
    The leader of the men introduced himself. “Call me Asa Butman,” he said. “I am Deputy United States Marshal and known for catching runaway property!”
    The guards, growing rowdy, guffawed, and Asa smiled. “I caught a slave named Thomas Sims back in fifty-one,” Asa said, “and I held him in this very same room as I holdin’ you, Burns.”
    Anthony mumbled, “You said you arrested mefor stealing.”
    Asa chuckled, then stopped when he saw Burns’s shockingly maimed right hand. The skin over the protruding bone was drawn tight and shone like satin. Asa assumed, as did