Before long, Roosevelt was a daily visitor at the little cabin. He showed the girls everything they needed to know to survive the harsh conditions of servitude. Because he was free, he was able to move about without a pass and was well respected among the townspeople for his hard work and upstanding attitude. They learned to swim, hunt for food and grow their own little gardens. At the same time Mrs. Washington taught them to read. She didn’t believe in a no count slave. A reading slave was more useful to her. Roosevelt became like a brother to the girls, often coming to their rescue on many occasions. One day, a few months after Roosevelt started coming around they asked the questions that had been burning inside. “Why is Mrs. Washington in such a delicate position?” Pearl asked. “Mrs. Washington used …show more content…
Washington.” “Why?” Just as Roosevelt began to tell the story of Harriet, Charlotte appeared. “Roosevelt, I’ll tan yo hide if you don’t get from around these girls now, Mrs. Washington don’t want them tainted,” Charlotte stood in the doorway of the doll house. “Yessum, right away,” Roosevelt removed his hat and smiled before he ran out of the door. “You girls ought not to be keepin company with that stable boy, tongues get to waggin’, for months he been coming round here and you girls runnin bout the plantation with him. Mind that you never mention Harriet to the missis, she like to die, with her son John away at boarding school and Mr. Washington threatening to go to war she can’t handle it. Come on now, let’s get ready, Mrs. Washington want yaul in the library.” When they entered the library there was a strange woman sitting across from Mrs. Washington, she was holding a cup of tea. Her blonde curls were tucked tightly in the shape of an oval and she wore round spectacles that sat strangely on the brim of her