ing back cook and turkey baker. Dey call her dat, she
so neat, and cook so nice. I's de expert cook, too. She larnt me.

"Us chillen used to sing

"'Don't steal,
Don't steal my sugar.
Don't steal,
Don't steal my candy.
I's comin' round de mountain.'

"Dey sho' have better church in dem days dan now. Us git happy and
shout. Dey too many blind taggers now. Now dey say dey got de key and
dey ain't got nothin'. Us used to sing like dis:

"'Adam's fallen race,
Good Lawd, hang down my head and cry.
Help me to trust him,
Help me to trust him,
Help me to trust him,
Gift of Gawd.

"'Help me to trust him,
Help me to trust him,
Help me to trust him,
Eternal Life.

"'Had not been for Adam's race,
I wouldn't been sinnin' today,
Help me to trust him,
Gift of Gawd.'

"Dey 'nother hymn like dis:

"'Heavenly land,
Heavenly land,
I's gwineter beg Gawd,
For dat Heavenly land.

"'Some come cripplin',
Some come lame,
Some come walkin',
In Jesus' name.'

"You know I saw you-all last night in my sleep? I ain't never seed you
befo' today, but I seed you last night. Dey's two of you, a man and a
woman, and you come crost dat bridge and up here, askin' me iffen I
trust in de Lawd. And here you is today.

"Dey had nice parties in slavery time and right afterwards. Dey have
candy pullin' and corn shuckin's and de like. Old Massa Day and Massa
Bryant, dey used to put dey niggers together and have de prize dances.
Massa Day allus lose, 'cause us allus beat he niggers at dancin'. Lawd,
when I clean myself up, I sho' could teach dem how to buy a cake-walk in
dem days. I could cut de pigeon wing, jes' pull my heels up and clack
dem together. Den us do de back step and de banquet, too.

"Us allus have de white tarleton Swiss dress for dances and Sunday. Dem
purty good clothes, too and dey make at home. Us knowed how to sew and
one de old man's gals, she try teach me readin' and writin'. I didn't
have no sense, though, and I cry to go out and play.

"When freedom come old massa he done broke down and cry, so my daddy
stay with him. He stay a good many year, till both us chillen was
growed. Us have de li'l log house on de place all dat time. Dey 'nother
old cullud man what stay, name George Whitehouse. He have de li'l house,
too. He stay till he die.

"Dey was tryin' to make a go of it after de war, 'cause times was hard.
De white boys, dey go out in de field an