Summary

Richard Gibney’s story takes place at the end of the American Civil War in the southern part of the United States and tells the story of three slaves, Martha, Mikey and Tommy. A young boy tells the slaves that slavery has been abolished. They live on an estate with their older master, Mrs. Gage who is sick and bedbound. The slaves decide to wait for the young master, Sterling Gage, to come back from the war before they head north to find jobs. However, the three characters’ motivation is different. While Martha takes pity on the old Mrs. Gage and doesn’t want to leave her alone to die, Tommy and Mikey seek revenge on Sterling Gage, who treated them badly in the past. Mikey recalls a time when he was whipped by Sterling’s father because the ...