d to be more than ten
miles square. Nobody know de landmarks 'cept me. When de Bostick boys
came back from out west last year, dey had to come to me to find out
where dere place was. Dey didn't know nuttin' 'bout it. Dey used to use
twenty plow, and de hoe hands was over a hundred, I know.

"I 'member when de Yankees come through. I was no more'n a lad, nine or
ten years old. Bostick had a big gin-house, barn, stables, and such
like. And when de soldiers come a goat was up on de platform in front of
de door to de loft of de barn. Dere were some steps leadin' up dere and
dat goat would walk up dem steps same as any body. De fuss thing de
Yankees do, dey shoot dat goat. Den day start and tear up eberyt'ing.
All de white folks had refugeed up North, and dey didn't do nuttin' to
us niggers.

"Fore dat time I was jes' a little boy too young to do nuttin'. Jes'
played aroun' in de street. Ole Mr. Ben Bostick used to bring clothes
an' shoes to us and see dat we was well cared for. Dere was nineteen
houses in de street for us colored folks. Dey wuz all left by de
soldiers. But in de year 1882 dere come a cyclone (some folks call it a
tornado), and knocked down every house; only left four standing. Pieces
of clothes and t'ings were carried for four or five miles from here. It
left our house; but it took everyt'ing we had. It took de walls of de
house, jes' left de floorin', an' it wus turn 'round. Took everyt'ing!
I'd jes' been married 'bout a year, and you know how dat is. We jes' had
to scuffle and scuffle 'roun' till de Lord bless us.

"Dere wuz plenty of deer, squirrel, possum, an' rabbits in dem times; no
more dan dere is now, but dere wuz no hinderance den as now. De deer
come right up to my door now; dey come all 'roun' dis house, and we
cain't do nuttin'. De other day one wuz over dere by dat peachtree, an'
not long ago four of 'em come walkin' right through dis yard. I don't go
fishin' no more. Folks say de streams is all dried up. But I used to be
a good fisherman, me an' me ole woman. She's spryer'n me now. I used to
allus protect her when we wuz young, an' now its her dat's acarin' for
me. We had our gardens in de ole days, too. Oh, yes'm. Little patches of
collards, greens an' t'ings, but now I ain't able to do nuttin', jes'
hang 'roun' de place here.

"My father used to belong to General Butler, Dennis Butler was his name.
My mother was a Maner, but originally she wuz draw out of de Robert
estate. Ole Ben Bosti