Out From This Place by Joyce Hansen Read Free Book Online

food was grown, were adjacent to the quarters. Beyond the shacks in the quarters stretched cotton fields, as far as the eye could see. Men and women with long hoes turned over the dirt around the cotton plants.
    Instead of a mistress and master, soldiers in blue uniforms and a gray-haired man in a long dark coat sat in the shadeof a flower garden. The new laborers left the wagon, and the driver instructed them to present themselves to the gray-haired man. “That’s the superintendent,” he said, “Mr. Reynolds.”
    Jason’s heels were worn down, the buckles were gone from his shoes, and his white stockings were now charcoal gray. The ruffles on his shirt had been destroyed by a low-hanging branch. He found his voice after a long, wide-eyed silence. “Is they Yankee?” he whispered to Easter.
    â€œYes, Jason.”
    â€œWell, where is they horn?”
    The other boys snickered.
    â€œHush up that foolishness,” Rayford ordered.
    Jason ignored him. “Missy say Yankee have horn and tail. I know that one in the coat is hidin’ the longest tail in the world.”
    David, Isaiah, and Nathan roared. Their father glared at them, and they stopped laughing. Easter pulled Jason’s ear. “This ain’t no time for play.”
    â€œSir,” Rayford said to Mr. Reynolds, “the soldiers sent us here to work.”
    The man fingered a set of keys dangling from his belt and ran his fingers through his graying hair. His large watery eyes appeared tired. “This land no longer belongs to the former owners because they are rebelling against the United States government,” he said automatically, as if he’d been repeating the same speech for a long time. “If you work this land, then you will have a share in it because you will have helped us in this war effort.”
    Jason covered his mouth and began to giggle. “The words stuck up in he nose.” Isaiah let out one laugh before he was popped on the side of his head by his father.
    Rayford glared at Jason. “You mean, if we work here for the government, we get to keep some of the land for ourselves?” he asked.
    â€œThat’s a good possibility,” Mr. Reynolds answered, staring at Rayford closely.
    â€œWell, excuse me, sir,” Rayford continued, “but is this a true bargain? We will get this land if we bring in the crop?”
    â€œYes,” Mr. Reynolds snapped impatiently.
    â€œWell, sir, could you write that on a piece of paper?”
    There was a gasp among the crowd.
He get whipped now for sure,
Easter thought to herself. She peeped at Rose, who beamed proudly at Rayford.
    The man looked as if he was astonished by Rayford’s request. “The United States government isn’t making contracts with … with anyone. You help us, and we’ll help you people.”
    Rayford stared at the man for a moment and then turned to the others. “What do you want to do?” he asked.
    â€œWe stay here,” Elias said. “At least we get pay.” The rest of them agreed.
    â€œEach family gets two and a half acres to till and forty cents a day. You can rent land from us to grow your own vegetables on.”
    â€œSuh,” Melissa said, “we don’t want to work on Sunday.”
    â€œI know, I know,” Mr. Reynolds said impatiently. “The other people on this plantation already told me that they want Sundays off.”
    Easter became increasingly disappointed as she walked with the rest to the former slave quarters. This was just another plantation; they’d be spending long hot days in the cotton fields. She came to the island to find Obi, not to pick cotton. When they reached the quarters she saw that the dwellings were crude log huts, even smaller than those on the Phillips plantation.
    â€œMaster Reynolds say these last four cabin are for us,” George said, surveying the area.
    â€œWhy you call the man Master? That’s