Chapter 101
- George is telling Massa Lea about how young Tom has been mending metal around the plantation. He suggests that Massa Lea send him to become a blacksmith apprentice to make the farm more money.
- Five days later, Massa Lea gives him his approval. Tom will take part in a "three-year apprenticeship" and live with the blacksmith Isaiah (101.28).
- Tom is beyond psyched when he finds out. He heads off for his new life the next morning.
Chapter 102
- Virgil was granted a traveling pass to pick up Tom for Thanksgiving, and they've just arrived at the Lea farm. Commence the usual "why look how you've grown" from the older folks.
- He has another brother now: Lewis. Li'l George is working with the gamecocks at the moment, while Ashford is visiting his special lady friend.
- The whole gang is there. Uncle Pompey is bedridden at this point, but Gran'mammy Kizzy is still as fiery as ever. Aw, this is making us want to give our moms a call.
- Tom is bombarded with questions about his progression as a blacksmith. It's still early on in his training, so he's still just assisting Isiah.
- After dinner, Chicken George takes Tom out for a walk. That's when he reveals his big secret: he's been saving up for the family's freedom. And he wants Tom's help.
- So far, George and Matilda have saved up over a thousand dollars. If Tom becomes a blacksmith, and Massa Lea lets him keep a portion of his wages, they'll have enough cash in fifteen years.
- That's a long time, but freedom's well worth the investment.
Chapter 103
- Massa Jewett and a cockfighting English friend of his are holding a tournament with a massive "$30,000" main pot (103.1). Adjust that for inflation.
- Massa Lea and Chicken George don't even need a second to think about it. Both men take out their entire savings to cover the bet, much to the fury of their wives.
- Massa Lea is shocked when George offers up two thousand bucks, which is half of their total bet. He says that he'll give the whole family their freedom for George's half of the winnings (around $4,000) if they win.
- We also find out that Massa Lea is seventy-eight at this point. Dude's old.
- There is a "buzzing excitement" unlike anything George has ever seen at the tournament (103.28). The crowd goes wild when Massa Jewett and the Englishman arrive.
- After a few fights, Massa Lea and George are up. Before they start, however, the Englishman offers them an insane proposition: a $10,000 bet.
- Despite only have $4,000, Massa Lea accepts. Then he does something even stupider: he doubles it. What's wrong with this dude?
- The Englishman's bird takes first blood, but Lea and George's cock ends up victorious. We can't believe they actually did it.
- Unwilling to give up, the Englishman challenges Lea to bet his winnings on another fight, and Massa Lea stupidly accepts. This time they lose.
- Chicken George starts wailing and Massa Lea looks like he's gone into a coma. The ride home is completely silent.
- The next day, Massa Lea says that in order to pay off his debt to the Englishman, he'll be sending Chicken George to work for him in England.
- However, he promises that he will grant him and his family freedom when he returns after a few years, showing him a document to that effect.
Chapter 104
- Everything gets worse after Chicken George leaves. Li'l George is now in charge of the gamecocks, but he proves so bad at it that Lewis takes over. Lewis hardly lasts a few weeks.
- The family also notices a strange white man meeting with Massa Lea. Something suspicious is going on…
- Another strange man comes by near the end of that year. Tom, having become the man of the family, decides to talk to Massa Lea.
- They suspect that he's going to sell them, but want to ensure that they'll stay together.
- The conversation is vague, but Tom is surer than ever of the Massa's plans.
- The next morning, the family finds out for certain that the man is a slave trader. They're indeed getting sold, but Missis Lea had demanded that the family stay together.
- What about Kizzy, Sister Sarah, Miss Malizy, and Uncle Pompey? They're staying. Tom begs Massa Lea to let them come, but he demands payment first.
- It's a rough goodbye all around. It gets a little bit rougher after Li'l Kizzy discovers that Uncle Pompey has passed away.
Chapter 105
- Their new owners are Massa and Missis Murray, city folks who inherited a farm after Massa Murray's uncle died. Anyway, they don't even have an overseer, which is great.
- The family talks longingly about Chicken George showing up one day with his trademark "green scarf" and "black derby" hat (105.13).
- Over the next year, the family works particularly hard to get on the Murrays' good side. Tom opens a new blacksmith shop and is soon overwhelmed with work.
- Meanwhile, Li'l Kizzy and Mary (apparently there's another daughter named Mary) are becoming teenagers and getting interested in boys.
- One day, Tom tells his mom something he's never told her in his twenty-something years of life—he has a crush. Her name is Irene, and she works at the nearby Holt plantation.
- Tom tries to play it off as a small deal, but Matilda knows that it's significant if the stoic Tom is bringing it up.