Martha Washington was a child, a little older and taller than Helen, "ebony" of skin with black

hair tamed by multiple braids. She was both compliant (or yielding) and mischievous, getting
into trouble right along with Helen. She disliked conflict while liking play. Her mother was
Helen's family's cook and gave them sweet treats, especially at Christmas.

The making ready for Christmas was always a delight to me. .... the pleasant odours that filled
the house and the tidbits that were given to Martha Washington and me to keep us quiet. We
were sadly in the way, but that did not interfere with our pleasure in the least.

Martha was valued by Helen particularly because Martha understood Helen's signs, so Helen was
able to communicate. Martha Washington appears only briefly for a short time at the beginning
of Helen's recollections.

In those days ... Martha Washington, the child of our cook, and Belle, an old setter and a great
hunter in her day, were my constant companions. Martha Washington understood my signs, and I
seldom had any difficulty in making her do just as I wished. It pleased me to domineer over her,
and she generally submitted to my tyranny....

Martha Washington and an old and lazy setter named Belle were the two companions Helen had.
Belle of course could not understand Helen's signs (not for want of trying to teach her). Martha
of course could understand Helen's signs, such as when the hen laid her eggs out and about the
grounds and Helen wanted to hunt them. Helen would make fists and put them on the grass.
Martha immediately understood the fists meant "eggs" and the grass meant "let's hunt!"

Very different in appearance, Martha and Helen were much alike in interests. Both were curious
and didn't mind crossing the line between curiousness and trouble, such as when they crossed
from cutting paper dolls to cutting their shoelaces to cutting each other's hair. Helen cut Martha's
black braids, then Martha cut Helen's golden curls (or at least one before Helen's mother stopped
their play).

Martha loved the out-of-doors, as did Helen. Martha and she explored in the corn storage sheds,
the horses stables and the cow yard. Together they pestered the milkman and the cows being
milked. The cows defended themselves against the two small nature lovers when they "switched"
their tails at the two curious girls.

The sheds where the corn was stored, the stable where the horses were kept, and the yard where
the cows were milked morning and evening were unfailing sources of interest to Martha and me