HAPTER I UNCLE TOM AND LITTLE HARRY ARE SOLD Very many years ago , instead of having servants to wait upon them and work for them , people used to have slaves . These slaves were paid no wages . Their masters gave them only food and clothes in return for their work . When any one wanted servants he went to market to buy them , just as nowadays we buy horses and cows , or even tables and chairs . If the poor slaves were bought by kind people they would be quite happy . Then they would work willingly for their masters and mistresses , and even love them . But very often cruel people bought slaves . These cruel people used to beat them and be unkind to them in many other ways . It was very wicked to buy and sell human beings as if they were cattle . Yet Christian people did it , and many who were good and kind otherwise thought there was no wrong in being cruel to their poor slaves . ` They are only black people , ' they said to themselves . ` Black people do not feel things as we do . ' That was not kind , as black people suffer pain just in the same way as white people do . One of the saddest things for the poor slaves was that they could never long be a happy family all together -- father , mother , and little brothers and sisters -- because at any time the master might sell the father or the mother or one of the children to some one else . When this happened those who were left behind were very sad indeed -- more sad than if their dear one had died . Uncle Tom was a slave . He was a very faithful and honest servant , and his master , Mr. Shelby , was kind to him . Uncle Tom 's wife was called Aunt Chloe . She was Mr. Shelby 's head cook , and a very good one too , she was . Nobody in all the country round could make such delicious pies and cakes as Aunt Chloe .
Uncle Tom and Aunt Chloe lived together in a pretty little cottage built of wood , quite close to Mr. XXXXX 's big house .
Chloe Christian HAPTER Shelby Tom cattle children left mistresses people