University of Virginia Library

Margaret Lewis was the wife of one
of the teachers in the Primary department
of our school — Paul Lewis — and as unlike
her husband as it was possible for two persons
to be. While he was slow and ponderous, both
in intellect and manner, she was quick
bright, alert, and humorous.

She was a
handsome woman, slightly dark for a
quadroon, tall, straight and lithe, with
good regular features and a pair of clear
brown eyes that took note of everything
within their range of vision. She was our
servant for several years, and was most faithful
and devoted to us. She was of great assistance
to us in ways outside her domestic duties,
on account of her knowledge of the characters
and needs of the people with whom we
had to deal.

Every year there were
boxes and barrels of clothing sent to us
from the north, for us to distribute among
the most needy colored people, and we
always took counsel with Margaret who

seemed nearly always to know just where
any certain article was most needed.
We felt we could trust both her judgment
and conscience in this matter, for she
carefully avoided asking favors for those
of her own kin until others had been
provided for. I remember the first time
she assisted me in this way. Article
after article had been looked over, assigned
to some one, and marked with the name
she had given, until most of the contents
of the box had been exhausted, when,
picking up a childs garment of very
small value, she modestly said, "If there
is no one else you want to give this to
I would like to have it for my sisters
little girl." This was the first intimation
we had that there was a needy sister with
little children to provide for. Although she
and Paul had several children of their
own for whom they were struggling to
give a fair start in life, Margaret was
also helping to bear the burdens of this
more needy sister, and never asked favors
of us for herself or her own children, although
it would have been the most natural thing
in the world under the circumstances
However, she lost nothing on account of
her modest lack of selfseeking

Margaret had been trained for a
housemaid, and knew very little about
cooking so I cooked a good part of
my own food with such conveniences
as I could arrange for the purpose and
one Saturday I managed to fry some
doughnuts. Margaret watched the
process eagerly and absorbed the idea,
for a few days later she proudly brought
me a small plate of doughnuts of her
own manufacture which were quite
a success
But perhaps nothing
endeared her more to Miss Gardner and
myself than the fact that she always
had some amusing story or anecdote

to relate, which, told in her own
inimitable manner never failed
to provoke our laughter. She never
gave herself up to malicious gossip, but
the queer speech, and actions of the many
queer people with whom she came in contact
furnished her with an inexhaustible
supply of material to feed her sense of
humor. Her life was far from being an
easy one, with her husband, and four or
five little children to care for, besides
doing a good deal of work for us, but she
made light of ordinary troubles, and
performed her duties cheerfully in spite
of them. Her gift for seeing the comical
side of things in general, probably
helped her over many rough places.
After we left Charlottesville some very
tragic circumstances shadowed her
life, and I have often wondered if the
cheerful spirit that had upborne her
through so many minor troubles, was
sufficient to carry her serenely through those
that must have been so much harder to
bear. I hope and trust it proved to be so.
She was only one more example of a
bright spirit forced to grovel in the mire
of unkind circumstance. If living
now she must be quite old — more than
seventy five, and her children are middle aged
men and women. They have had very good
educational advantages some of them having
been to the Hampton School for a longer
or shorter period of time. None of them
could compare with her in looks, when they
were little children, and I doubt if any of
them are as observing and quick witted as
she was. I hope they give her good care, and
make her declining years comfortable
and happy in return for the efforts
she made to educate them and give
them a fair start in life.

See "Left Overs" Page 106