things and
give us plenty of liquor. De way cotton pickin' was managed was dis:
evvybody dat picked a thousand pounds of cotton in a week's time was
'lowed a day off. Mammy picked her thousand pounds evvy week.

"Dances? Now you's talkin' 'bout somepin' sho' 'nough. Old John, de
fiddler man, was right dere on our plantation. Niggers dat had done
danced half de night would be so sleepy when de bugle sounded dey
wouldn't have time to cook breakfast. Den 'bout de middle of de mawnin'
dey would complain 'bout bein' so weak and hongry dat de overseer would
fetch 'em in and have 'em fed. He let 'em rest 'bout a hour and a half;
den he marched 'em back to de field and wuked 'em 'til slap black dark.
Aunt Sook was called de lead wench. If de moon warn't out, she put a
white cloth 'round her shoulders and led 'em on.

"Didn't none of Old Marsters chillun marry in slavery time, but Old
Miss, she let us see a Nigger gal named Frances Hester git married. When
I sot down to dat weddin' supper I flung de chicken bones over my
shoulder, 'cause I didn't know no better. I don't 'member what gals
played when I was little, but boys played ball all day long if dey was
'lowed to. One boy, named Sam, played and run so hard he tuk his bed
Monday and never got up no more.

"I heared tell of Raw Haid and Bloody Bones. Old folkses would skeer us
most nigh to death tellin' us he was comin'. Mankind! Us made for de
house den. Missy, please mam, don't ax me 'bout dem ha'nts. I sees 'em
all de time. Atter she had done died out, Old Miss used to come back all
de time. She didn't lak it 'cause day wropped her in a windin' sheet and
buried her by de doorsteps, but I reckon dey done fixed her by now,
'cause she don't come back no more. Dere's a house in Athens, called de
Bell House, dat nobody kin live in, 'cause a man run his wife from home
and atter she died, she come back and ha'nted dat house.

"Lawd have mercy! Look here, don't talk lak dat. I ain't told you before
but part o' dis here yard is conjured. A man comes here early evvy
mornin' and dresses dis yard down wid conjuration. Soon as I sot down
here to talk to you, a pain started in my laigs, and it is done gone all
over me now. I started to leave you and go in de house. Come on. Let's
leave dis yard right now. Hurry!" On reaching the kitchen Addie hastily
grasped the pepper box and shook its contents over each shoulder and on
her head, saying: "Anything hot lak dis will sho drive dis spel