course of which my nephew struck the cook's child. The cook, in her
anger, chased the boy with a broom, and threatened to give him a good
whipping at all costs. Hearing the noise, I came out into the yard,
and when Lawrence saw me he ran to me for protection. I interceded for
him, and promised he should get into no more trouble. We went at once
to a neighbor's house for the night. The next day I got a room in the
yard of a house belonging to some white people. Here we stayed two
weeks. The only return I was asked to make for the room was to weed
the garden. Lawrence and I dug out some weeds and burned them, but
came so near setting fire to the place that we were told we need not
dig any more weeds, but that we might have the use of the room so long
as we cared to stay.

In about a week and a half more we got together such things as we
wanted to keep and take away with us.

The last time I saw my sister, I had persuaded her to open a bank
account, and she had done so, and had made small deposits from time to
time. When I came to look for the bankbook, I discovered that her
lodger, one Mayfield, had taken it at her death, and nobody knew where
it might be now. I found out that Mayfield had drawn thirty dollars
from the account for my sister's burial, and also an unknown amount
for himself. He had done nothing for the boy. I went down to the bank,
and was told that Mayfield claimed to look after my sister's burial
and her affairs. He had made one Reuben Bennett, who was no relation
and had no interest in the matter, administrator for Lawrence, until
his coming of age. But Bennett had as yet done nothing for him. The
book was in the bank, with some of the account still undrawn, how much
I did not know. I next went to see a lawyer, to find out how much it
would cost me to get this book. The lawyer said fifteen dollars. I