Even though Master Dumont sometimes beat me, I tried my best to make him happy. He would brag on my work at times, often saying that I could do the work of "half a dozen men." That kind of talk made other slaves in the area unhappy with me. They would accuse me of being "the white folks nigger."

I never seemed to be able to please Mrs. Dumont, though. She had hired two white women to work for her. One of them was named Kate and she did not like me at all. She never past up an opportunity to tell Mrs. Dumont about things she thought would get me in trouble.