1. BY: MORGAN PINKS & GARLAND EVANS Idella “Perfect maid ”

3. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings called me the “perfect maid” in her book Cross Creek. Mrs. Rawlings was one of the kindest persons I had ever met, but like all human brings with troubles and faults, she was hard to get along with and impossible to reason with at times. She said I was the first helper that would let her work in peace.

4. This is my life story and even though some of it is very painful, truth is truth and it has a right to be written down. Every word in this book is true, but it is not intended to be scholarly work about Marjorie. It is just a collection of stories, about MKR and I, our work, relationship, friendship, disagreements, and times together.

5. Keep in mind when you read, that these things happened 50 years ago. A lot has changed for African Americans since then, so some of the names we are called in the book aren’t like the politically correct names we use today.

6. Acknowledgements

7. I enjoy telling these stories because the young children are always so amazed to hear how things were between the races back then.

8. I would like to thank the many people who asked her to write, including my cousin Dorothy and her friend Sally. Mary Keating also helped me write and revise the book until it was ready for publishing.

9. We hope you enjoy your reading!