Well, here’s how it happened. She put a piece of candy on her wash stand one day. I was about eight or nine years old... I seen that candy laying there, and I was hungry. Ain’t had a father working in the field like some of the children to bring me eats – had just little pieces of scrap each morning thrown at me from the kitchen. I see that peppermint stick laying there, and I ain’t dared go near it cause I knew old Misses just waiting for me to take it. Then one morning I so hungry that I can’t resist. I went straight in there and grab that stick of candy and stuffed it in my mouth and chew it down quick so old Misses never find me with it.
Next morning old Misses say: “Henrietta, you take that piece of candy out of my room?” “No, ma’am, ain’t see no candy.”
“Child, you lying to me. You took that candy.”
“Indeed, Misses, I tell the truth. Ain’t see no candy.”
“You lying and I’m gonna whup you. Come here.”
“Please, Misses, please don’t whop me. I ain’t seen no candy. I ain’t took it.”
Well, she got her rawhide down from the nail by the fireplace, and she grabbed me by the arm and she try to turn me across her knees whilst she set in the rocker so she could hold me. I twisted and turned till finally she called her daughter. The girl come and took that strap like her mother told her and commence to lay it on real hard whilst Misses hold me. I twisted away so there weren’t no chance of her getting in no solid lick. Then old Misses lif’ me up by the legs, and she stuck my head under the bottom of the rocker and she rock forward so as to hold my head and whipped me some more. I guess they must of whipped me near an hour with that rocker leg pressing down on my head.
Next thing I knew the old doctor was there, and I was lying on my pallet in the hall, and he was pushing and digging at my face, but he couldn’t do nothing at all with it. Seem like that rocker pressing on my young bones had crushed them all into soft pulp. The next day I couldn’t open my mouth and I feel it and there weren’t no bone in the left side at all. And my mouth kept slipping over to the right side and I couldn’t chew nothing – only drink milk. Well, old Misses must of got kind of sorry because she gets the doctor to come regular and pry at my mouth. He got it after a while so it open and I could move my lips, but it kept moving over to the right and he couldn’t stop that. After a while it was over just where it is now. And I ain’t never growed no more teeth on that side. Ain’t never been able to chew nothing good since. Don’t even remember what it is to chew. Been eating liquid, stews and soup ever since that day, and that was eighty six years ago.
Here, put your hand on my face – right here on this left cheek – that’s what slave days was like. It made me so I been going round looking like a false face all my life. What children laugh at and babies gets to crying when they see me. Course, I don’t mind it no more. I been like this so long now that I don’t never think on it, except when I see someone staring hard and wondering what devil got in and made me born this way. And it was a devil that done it – a she-devil what’s burning and twisting in hell.
She never would bother me much after that. Maybe it was cause Master raised such a rumpus because of what she’d done. Never did beat me again. Used to see her sometimes looking at me while I was dusting or sweeping. Never did say nothing, just set there looking without knowing I knew it. Guess she got tired of having me around. When I got about thirteen years old she and master gave me to Master’s cousin. They was good: all I had to do was mind the children. Was with them when freedom come and they let me stay on there same as before, except they give me money each month. Stayed with them till I got married. Soon after I got married, I heard that old Misses had died. Didn’t make me drop any tears.
What does Henrietta use to describe slave life?