d den he give it all to her.

"One time Marster missed some of his money and he didn't want to 'cuse
nobody, so he 'cided he would find out who had done de debbilment. He
put a big rooster in a coop wid his haid stickin' out. Den he called all
de Niggers up to de yard and told 'em somebody had been stealin' his
money, and dat evvybody must git in line and march 'round dat coop and
tetch it. He said dat when de guilty ones tetched it de old rooster
would crow. Evvybody tetched it 'cept one old man and his wife; dey jus'
wouldn't come nigh dat coop whar dat rooster was a-lookin' at evvybody
out of his little red eyes. Marster had dat old man and 'oman sarched
and found all de money what had been stole.

"Mammy died about a year atter de war, and I never will forgit how
Mist'ess cried and said: 'Neal, your mammy is done gone, and I don't
know what I'll do widout her.' Not long atter dat, Daddy bid for de
contract to carry de mail and he got de place, but it made de white
folkses mighty mad, 'cause some white folkses had put in bids for dat
contract. Dey 'lowed dat Daddy better not never start out wid dat mail,
'cause if he did he was gwine to be sorry. Marster begged Daddy not to
risk it and told him if he would stay dar wid him he would let him have
a plantation for as long as he lived, and so us stayed on dar 'til Daddy
died, and a long time atter dat us kept on wukin' for Old Marster.

"White folkses owned us back in de days 'fore de war but our own white
folkses was mighty good to deir slaves. Dey had to larn us 'bedience
fust, how to live right, and how to treat evvybody else right; but de
best thing dey larned us was how to do useful wuk. De onliest time I
'member stealin' anything 'cept Aunt Tama's gingerbread was one time
when I went to town wid Daddy in de buggy. When us started back home a
man got in de seat wid Daddy and I had to ride down in de back of de
buggy whar Daddy had hid a jug of liquor. I could hear it slushin'
'round and so I got to wantin' to know how it tasted. I pulled out de
corncob stopper and tuk one taste. It was so good I jus' kep' on tastin'
'til I passed out, and didn't know when us got home or nuffin else 'til
I waked up in my own bed next day. Daddy give me a tannin' what I didn't
forgit for a long time, but dat was de wussest drunk I ever was. Lord,
but I did love to follow my Daddy.

"Folkses warn't sick much in dem days lak dey is now, but now us don't
eat strong victuals no more. U