Addy is incredible — I think you can see by the amount of notes I added that I truly enjoyed her book series. So much so that I read a couple of her books each night rather than allotting one per night. 😅
I made Addy this little patchwork satchel based on the one in her newer accessories set, seen in the fourth picture. It’s a little more practical for ordinary use than her kerchief from her original accessories. I used 27 squares, 9 on each side and 9 for the sides and bottom. I sewed a zigzag stitch between all the squares, and the handles have an embroidery stitch. It’s lined with blue twill I had leftover from making her school outfit.
Best of all, it’s big enough to hold her water gourd. The wild gourds I harvested last fall are all dry, and so it was easy to drill a hole in it and plug it with a pencil eraser.
Addy Walker woke up to the sound of her parents whispering. This was nothing new but when she shifted away from her baby sister Esther, Momma and Poppa stopped talking. Addy pretended to go back to sleep, and soon the whispering returned.
Poppa was trying to convince Momma that they should all run away! Momma protested, saying that the war was sure to end soon and that it would be better for them to stay on the plantation where they were all together. She also worried about Addy’s brother Sam, who had tried to run away before and had been caught. Poppa wasn’t so optimistic about the war. Uncle Solomon had told him about an abolitionist named Miss Caroline who could help them get to Philadelphia, and he thought that now was the time to go. Addy waited for Momma to answer, but there was just silence.
As Addy wormed the tobacco plants the next morning, she imagined what life in freedom would be like. She knew that she wanted to learn to read and write, and pictured Momma sewing fancy dresses for her. Poppa would be paid for his carpentry and they would always have plenty to eat.
Her next chore was taking water to the field hands. As Sam took his turn, he asked her a riddle: What’s smaller than a dog but can put a bear on the run? Checking to make sure the overseer wasn’t looking their way, Addy thought about it. When she guessed a skunk, Sam told her that she was correct, and would soon be the one telling him riddles.
In the kitchen, Auntie Lula handed Addy a tray with Master Stevens’ dinner. She took it to the dining room and served him and a man that she had never seen before. Then Addy stepped back into the corner and waited. Master Stevens was telling the man about how tight money was due to the war and how he was going to have to sell some of his slaves. This made Addy pay attention. The stranger asked about the slave who had run away and Master Stevens assured him that his father would be there to keep him under control. He meant Sam and Poppa!
As she was sent back to the kitchen, Addy told Auntie Lula what she had heard. Auntie Lula told her to go back to the fields and pretend it was time for the afternoon water. As she ran out, Addy couldn’t find Sam or Poppa and was stopped by the overseer.
Suddenly, everyone started heading towards the barn, where Addy saw Sam tied up. As she cried out to him, Master Stevens ordered her to leave. Then she heard Poppa’s voice, also telling her to go. Seeing Poppa in chains, Addy clung to him, but Master Stevens pulled her away.
A week after Sam and Poppa were sold, Momma told Addy that they needed to talk. But Addy already knew what it would be about. Momma said that they still planned to run away. Addy was worried about leaving without her father and brother. She asked Esther if she wanted to go to Philadelphia, too. Momma suddenly got quiet.
Eventually, Momma admitted that Esther was going to have to stay behind with Auntie Lula and Uncle Solomon, who themselves couldn’t run away because they were too old. Addy did not want to leave without her sister. Momma argued that they didn’t have a choice. They would be leaving the following night.
Addy and Momma were dressed in disguises, almost ready to leave the plantation. Auntie Lula and Uncle Solomon came to the cabin to say their goodbyes. Auntie Lula handed Momma some food for their trip while Uncle Solomon gave Addy a half dime. After giving Esther hugs and kisses, they headed out into the woods.
They ran all night with just the moon to see by. As the sky started to get light, Addy and Momma found a cave to sleep in. After eating Auntie Lula’s cornbread, Momma pulled a cowrie shell out of her kerchief. It had belonged to Addy’s great-grandmother, who had been taken from Africa as a young girl. Her name was Aduke, which meant “much loved.” Addy had been named after her, and now Momma thought that it was time for Addy to have the shell. An old shoelace of Sam’s was strung through it. Momma fastened the necklace around Addy’s neck.
Their next night on the run took Addy and Momma to a river. The current was fast. Addy could swim but didn’t think she was strong enough for this water. Momma didn’t know how to swim at all. They held onto each other as they stepped in. The current pulled them in the wrong direction and it was all Addy could do to fight it.
All of a sudden, she and Momma got pulled apart. Addy didn’t want to yell out, but she had to find Momma. She dove underwater a couple of times but couldn’t feel her. Then she was pushed against a fallen tree. Momma was tangled up in the branches. Finally, they managed to get themselves on the opposite bank.
Hours later, they came upon railroad tracks. Now they knew that they were close to Miss Caroline's safe house.
Addy started running and got far ahead of Momma. When she saw a light glowing, at first she thought it was from the safe house. Then she realized that she had stumbled upon a campsite. A man who appeared to be a Confederate soldier called out to a boy, demanding a drink of water. It took Addy a moment to realize that he was talking to her! Nervous, she looked around for a bucket and brought it to him. She played along until the soldier fell back asleep, and then she ran away from the camp.
Momma finally found Addy and together, they walked along the tracks until they came to a white house with red shutters. They knew that this was the right place, but Momma was scared to go up, worried about the possibility of more soldiers. Addy countered that they had no choice but to continue.
Miss Caroline answered the door but didn’t look happy to see them. She thought that Addy was the boy from the Confederate camp that the soldiers had confused her for. Before Miss Caroline could shut the door, Addy spoke up and removed her hat. The older woman immediately softened and welcomed them in.
After a hot meal and baths, Addy and Momma slept peacefully on a real mattress. The next morning, Miss Caroline gave them new clothes. Addy loved her pink dress, and the pantalettes and bonnet fit her perfectly. She and Momma hid in a wagon bed while Miss Caroline drove them to the coast, where they would set sail to Philadelphia.
“‘My great-grandma must have been brave to come across the water all alone. I’m gonna be brave like she was,’ Addy said.
‘She was brave, Addy,’ Momma answered, ‘and you brave too. But there’s one thing diffrent about you and your great-grandma. Her journey ended in slavery. Yours, girl, is taking you to freedom.’”
