w it was after freedom. I had the finest
kind of marrying dress that my father bought for me. It had great big
grapes hanging down from the sleeves and around the skirt." Mary sighed.
"I wish't I had-a kep' it for my children to saw!"

[RACHEL]

Rachel's master called his people "servants", not Negroes or slaves. "He
de bes' marster in de worl'," said Rachel. "I love his grave!"

Rachel nursed her aunt's children while the mother acted as nurse for
"de lady's baby whut come fum Russia wid de marster's wife." The czarina
was godmother for the ambassador's baby. "Marster bin somewheh in de
back part o' de worl'." explained the old woman, "You see, he wuz de
guv'nor. He knowed all de big people, senetras and all." Rachel laughed.
"I was a old maid when I married," she said. "De broom wuz de law. All
we hadder do was step over de broom befo' witnesses and we wuz marry!"

[LAURA]

"As far as I kin rekellec'," said Laura, "my mother was give." She could
not remember her age, but estimated that she might be 75 years old. Her
native dignity was evident in her calm manner, her neat clothing and the
comfortable, home-like room. "Dey say in dem days," she continued, "when
you marry, dey give you so many colored people. My mother, her brother
and her aunt was give to young Mistis when she marry de Baptis' preacher
and come to Augusta. When dey brought us to Augusta, I wuz de baby.
Round wheh de barracks is now, was de Baptis' parsonage. My mother was a
cook. I kin remember de Yankees comin' down Broad Street. Dey put up
wheh de barracks is on Reynolds Street. Dey ca'yed me to de fairground.
De man was speakin'. I thought it wuz up in de trees, but I know now it
muster been a platform in bushes. Mistis say to me: 'Well, Laura, what
did you see?' I say: 'Mistis, we is all free.' I such a lil' chile she
jus' laugh at me for saying sich a thing. When I was sick, she nuss me
good."

Laura remembered a long house with porches on Ellis Street, "running
almost to Greene," between 7th and 8th, where slaves were herded and
kept for market day. "Dey would line 'em up like horses or cows," she
said, "and look in de mouf' at dey teeth. Den dey march 'em down
together to market, in crowds, first Tuesday sale day."

[MATILDA]

In contrast to the pleasant recollections of most of the ex-slaves,
Matilda gave a vivid picture of the worst phase of plantation life on a
Georgia plantation. She had been plowing for four years when the war