started.

"I wuz in about my thirteen when de war end," she mumbled, "Fum de fus'
overseer, dey whu-op me to show me how to wuk. I wuk hard, all de time.
I never had no good times. I so old I kain't rekellec' my marster's
name. I kain't 'member, honey. I had too hard time. We live in, a
weather-board house, jus' hulled in. We had to eat anyting dey give us,
mos'ly black 'lasses in a great big ole hogshead. When de war gwine on,
we had to live on rice, mos'ly, what dey raise. We had a hard time.
Didn't know we wuz free for a long time. All give overseer so mean, de
slaves run away. Dey gits de blood-houn' to fin' 'em. Dey done dug cave
in de wood, down in de ground, and hide dere. Dey buckle de slave down
to a log and beat de breaf' outter dem, till de blood run all over
everywhere. When night come, dey drug 'em to dey house and greases 'em
down wid turpentine and rub salt in dey woun's to mek 'em hurt wuss. De
overseer give de man whiskey to mek him mean. When dey whu-op my mother,
I crawl under de house and cry."

One of Matilda's younger friends, listening, nodded her head in
sympathy.

"When Matilda's mind was clearer she told us terrible stories," she
said. "It makes all the rest of us thankful we weren't born in those
times."

Matilda was mumbling end weeping.

"Dey wuz mean overseer," she whispered. "But dey wuz run out o' de
country. Some white ladies in de neighborhood reported 'um and had 'um
run out."

[EASTER]

"Aunt Easter" is from Burke County. Her recollections are not quite so
appalling as Matilda's, but they are not happy memories.

"Dey didn' learn me nothin' but to churn and clean up house. 'Tend day
boy, churn dat milk, spin and cyard dat roll."

Asked if the slaves were required to go to Church, Easter shook her
head.

"Too tired. Sometime we even had to pull fodder on Sunday. Sometime we
go to church, but all dey talk about wuz obeyin' Massa and obeyin'
Missus. Befo' we went to church, we had to git up early and wash and
iron our clo'es."

Easter's brother was born the day Lee surrendered. "Dey name him
Richmond," she said.

[CARRIE]

Carrie had plenty to eat in slavery days. "I'd be a heap better off if
it was dem times now," she said, "My folks didn't mistreet de slaves.
When freedom come, de niggers come 'long wid dere babies on dey backs
and say I wuz free. I tell 'em I already free! Didn't mek no diffrunce
to me, freedom!"

[MALINDA]

Malinda would gladly exchange