Mary's papa stood in line to sell their cotton. Picking cotton was hard work. But the McLeod family was proud of their crop. This was their own cotton. They were working for themselves, not a white master. The day of slavery were over. Mary watched as the cotton dealer weighed her father's cotton.
" You have 250 pounds, Sam," said the cotton dealer.
Her father looked surprised. "Seems like it should be more than that, Mr. Cooper."
The dealer shrugged. "See for yourself," he said "The scales say 250 pounds"
Mary was furious. Mr. Cooper knew that her father couldn't read numbers. Nor could any of the farmers standing in line. During slavery, it was against the law for African Americans to learn to read. Now, slavery was abolished. But still there were no schools for African-American children in South Carolina.
Mary turned to her mother. "I'm going to learn to read, Mama," she said with determination.
"Maybe someday you will, child," her mother replied.
A year late, a school opened in Mary's town. As soon as she learned to read, Mary began to teach others. At cotton-picking time, Mary went with her father to the cotton market. When their cotton was placed on the scale, Mary called out, "Look, Father!