slaves at one time
before. In Virginia we did not have such large farms. There were no
extensive cotton plantations, as in Mississippi. I shall never forget
the dinner that day--it was a feast fit for a king, so varied and lavish
was the bill of fare. The next attraction for me was the farm hands
getting their Christmas rations. Each was given a pint of flour of which
they made biscuit, which were called "Billy Seldom," because biscuit
were very rare with them. Their daily food was corn bread, which they
called "Johnny Constant," as they had it constantly. In addition to the
flour each received a piece of bacon or fat meat, from which they got
the shortening for their biscuit. The cracklings from the rendering of
lard were also used by the slaves for shortening. The hands were allowed
four days off at Christmas, and if they worked on these days, as some of
them did, they got fifty cents a day for chopping. It was not common to
have chopping done during the holidays; some planters, however, found it
convenient thus to get it out of the way for the work which came after
Christmas.

* * * * *

THE GREAT HOUSE.

I soon became familiar with my work in the house and with the
neighborhood, as I often had to carry notes for Boss to neighboring
farmers, as well as to carry the mail to and from the postoffice. The
"great house," as the dwelling of the master was called, was two stories
high, built of huge logs, chinked and daubed and whitewashed. It was
divided, from front to rear, by a hall twenty-five feet long and twelve
feet wide, and on each side of the hall, in each story, was one large
room with a large fire-place. There were but four rooms in all, yet
these were so large that they were equal to at least six of our modern
rooms. The kitchen was not attached to the main building, but was about
thirty feet to the rear. This was the common mode of building in the
south in those days. The two bedrooms upstairs were very plain in
furnishings, but neat and comfortable, judged by the standard of the
times. A wing was added to the main building for dining room. In rear of
the kitchen was the milk or dairy house, and beyond this the smoke house
for curing the meat. In line with these buildings, and still further to
the rear, was the overseer's house. Near the milk house was a large
tree, and attached to the trunk was a lever; and here was where the
churning was done, in which I had always to assist