2 Baltimore

Chapter 2 Baltimore At Wye House, Frederick ran errands for Miss Lucretia, Captain Anthony's daughter. Sometimes, when Frederick was especially hungry, he would stand beneath Miss Lucretia's window and sing.

Miss Lucretia often rewarded him with a piece of bread. This small act of kindness was like a sunbeam in the young slave's life. Frederick had been at Wye House about two years when Miss Lucretia and her husband, Thomas Auld, sent Frederick off to Baltimore, Maryland. Frederick would live with Thomas's brother Hugh Auld and his wife, Sophia. It would be Frederick's job to run errands and look after the couple's two-year-old son, Tommy. Frederick was thrilled. He was only eight, but he was bright and curious. He had always wondered about life in the big city. Before leaving, Frederick spent the better part of three days in the creek, scrubbing. Miss Lucretia gave him his first pair of trousers.

On a Saturday morning, Frederick boarded a boat at the Wye House wharf, hoping never to see the plantation again.

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For a boy who had always lived in the country, the city of Baltimore was overwhelming. With more than sixty thousand residents, Baltimore was one of the largest cities in the United States. Tall brick buildings shut out the sky. Delivery wagons crowded the busy streets as they headed to and from the harbor. The sun beat down on the hard brick pavements, almost blistering Frederick's bare feet.

A ship's hand brought Frederick to his new home. The Auld family met Frederick at the door. Frederick loved little Tommy at once, and he was surprised by the kind look on Sophia Auld's face. Mrs. Auld had never owned a slave, and she treated Frederick more like a son. For the first time in his life, Frederick slept in a bed with covers. He had good bread to eat and clean clothes to wear. He also discovered there were such things as books. He asked his mistress to teach him to read. And she did. In no time, Frederick had