a true story

Students: • Milagros • Yulemi Merma

A TRUE STORY

• She was born in Maryland.

• She was a large, tall black woman.

• She was a slave.

• She was sixty years old, but she was still as strong as a woman of twenty – five.

• Her parents were slaves.

Rachel

Mrs. O’ Hara

• She was a honest .• She was her owner. • She has lost all of

her money.• She has to sell the

farm and her slaves.

He was a slave .

He was big, strong, handsome man.

He was as loving and kind.

Husband Rachel´s

H e n r y

• He is Rachel´s son. • He was a good

child. • He always helped

his mother and his father.

HER STORY

One day… Mrs.O’Hara said, “I have lost all of my money. I have to sell the farm and my slaves.

We were sent to Richmond in chains. We stood on a stage outside in the hot sun.

Crowds of people came and looked at us.

Then, one by one, my children were sold. When I began to cry , a white man hit me. Six of my children were gone , but I was holding little Henry’s hand.

My husband and my seven children were gone. Finally , Mr Jefferson from the coast of Virginia bought me. That was 22 years ago last Christmas. I worked as a cook for the Jefferson family for a number of years. Then the civil War came , and the soldier from the north took the big house and farm . Mr. Jefferson and his family disappeared the night before the soldiers arrived . They left their slaves behind.

The union officers moved into the house , and one of them said, “Will you cook for us?”.

 “Yes , sir , I will,” I answered. “That’s my

job.”

Those officers were very kind , polite men . One day , I felt brave . I decided to talk to them about my little Henry.

I said, “Have you seen my little boy ? He had a bad cut on his arm on his head.”

Then the general looked worried. He said, “Mrs. Rachel, when did you last see your boy?”

“About 13 years ago ,”I said.

“He is not a boy now . He is a man ,” explained the general.

None of the officers knew anything about my Henry.

I did not know it at the time , but Henry’s story was a good one.

He did escape from his owner and travel Then one day, he said to himself, “I am finished with this easy life . I am going to find my mother if she is not dead.” to the north.

So Henry became a soldier and went to work for some of the Union officers . He traveled with the soldiers and looked everywhere for me , his old mother . But I did not know anything about his search . How could I know?

Then one night at the Jefferson house, we had a big party for some black soldiers.

Later in the evening, another crowd of soldiers arrived. There were too many people for the house.

The next morning , at about seven o’ clock ,I was cooking eggs and making coffee for the officers . Suddenly , a handsome young black face arrived at the kitchen window. I looked at the that face for a long time . The eggs burned. I could not move, because I Knew ! I took the young man’s hands. I saw the old cut on his arm . I pushed his hair back and saw the other cut on his head.

“Boy!” I shouted. “You are my Henry!