pick cotton for me and jus' as I got to a
certain Nigger's house de police come in and caught 'em in a crap game.
Mr. McCune, de policeman, said I would have to go 'long wid de others to
jail, but he would help me atter us got der and he did. He 'ranged it so
I could hurry back home.

"'Bout de best times us had in de plantation days was de corn shuckin's,
log rollin's and syrup cookin's. Us allus finished up dem syrup cookin's
wid a candy pullin'.

"Atter he had all his corn gathered and put in big long piles, Marster
'vited de folkses from all 'round dem parts. Dat was de way it was done;
evvybody holped de others git de corn shucked. Nobody thought of hirin'
folkses and payin' out cash money for extra wuk lak dat. Dey 'lected a
gen'ral to lead off de singin' and atter he got 'em to keepin' time wid
de singin' de little brown jug was passed 'round. When it had gone de
rounds a time or two, it was a sight to see how fast dem Niggers could
keep time to dat singin'. Dey could do all sorts of double time den when
dey had swigged enough liquor. When de corn was all shucked dey feasted
and den drunk more liquor and danced as long as dey could stand up. De
logrollin's and candy pullin's ended de same way. Dey was sho grand good
times.

"I farmed wid de white folkses for 32 years and never had no trouble wid
nobody. Us allus settled up fair and square and in crop time dey never
bothered to come 'round to see what Neal was doin', 'cause dey knowed
dis Nigger was wukin' all right. Dey was all mighty good to me. Atter I
got so old I couldn't run a farm no more I wuked in de white folkses'
gyardens and tended deir flowers. I had done been wukin' out Mrs. Steve
Upson's flowers and when she 'come to pay, she axed what my name was.
When I told her it was Neal Upson she wanted to know how I got de Upson
name. I told her Mr. Frank Upson had done give it to me when I was his
slave. She called to Mr. Steve and dey lak to have talked me to death,
for my Marse Frank and Mr. Steve's daddy was close kinfolkses.

"Atter dat I wuked deir flowers long as I was able to walk way off up to
deir place, but old Neal can't wuk no more. Mr. Steve and his folkses
comes to see me sometimes and I'se allus powerful glad to see 'em.

"I used to wuk some for Miss Mary Bacon. She is a mighty good 'oman and
she knowed my Daddy and our good Old Marster. Miss Mary would talk to me
'bout dem old days and she allus said: 'Neal, let's pray,' 'fore I left.
Mi