and Susan. Susan was our half-sister by our Pa's last marriage. Us
chillun never done much but play 'round de house and yards wid de white
chillun. I warn't but four years old when dey made us free." Henrietta
again interrupted, "See dere, I told you she don't know what she's
a-talkin' 'bout."

Frances ignored the interruption and continued: "Us lived in log cabins
what had jus' one room wid a stick and mud chimbly at de end. Our
bedsteads was made out of rough planks and poles and some of 'em was
nailed to de sides of de cabins. Mattress ticks was made out of osnaburg
and us filled 'em wid wheat straw in season. When dat was used up us got
grass from de fields. Most any kind of hay was counted good 'nough to
put in a slave's mattress. Dey let us mix some cotton wid de hay our
pillows was stuffed wid.

"My grandmas lived on another plantation. I 'members once Grandma Suck,
she wes my Ma's mammy, come to our house and stayed one or two days wid
us. Daddy's Ma was named Puss. Both my grandmas was field hands, but Ma,
she was a house gal 'til she got big enough to do de cyardin' and
spinnin'. Aunt Phoebie done de weavin' and Aunt Polly was de seamster.
All de lak of dat was done atter de craps was done laid by.

"No Ma'am, nobody never give slave chillun no money in dem times. I
never had none 'til atter us had done been give our freedom. I used to
see Old Marster countin' of it, but de slaves never did git none of dat
money.

"Our Old Marster was a pow'ful rich man, and he sho' b'lieved in givin'
us plenty to eat. It warn't nothin' fine, but it was good plain eatin'
what filled you up and kept you well. Dere was cornbread and meat,
greens of all sorts, 'taters, roas'en-ears and more other kinds of
veg'tables dan I could call up all day. Marster had one big old gyarden
whar he kept most evvything a-growin' 'cept cabbages and 'matoes. He
said dem things warn't fittin' for nobody to eat. Marster let Daddy go
huntin' enough to fetch in lots of 'possums, coons, rabbits, and
squirrels. Us cooked 'em 'bout lak us does now, only us never had no
stoves den, and had to do all de cookin' in open fireplaces in big old
pots and long handled skillets what had big old heavy lids. I'se seed Ma
clean many a 'possum in hot ashes. Den she scalded him and tuk out his
innards. She par-boiled and den baked him and when she fetched him to de
table wid a heap of sweet 'taters 'round him on de dish, dat was sho'
somepin good to eat. Daddy d