make it tighter en tighter. Sumptin say zum,
zum, zum, en den yuh hadder work yuh feet dere too. Dat wuz de way dey
make dey cloth dat day en time."

"Honey, peoples hadder work dey hand fa eve'yt'ing dey hab mos' den. Dey
grew dey own rice right dere on de plantation in dem days. Hadder plant
it on some uv de land wha' wuz weter den de udder land wuz. Dey hadder
le' de rice ge' good en ripe en den dey'ud cut it en hab one uv dem big
rice whipping days. Heap uv people come from plantation aw 'bout en
help whip dat rice. Dey jes take de rice en beat it 'cross some hoes dat
dey hab fix up somewhey dere on de plantation. Honey, dey hab hoss jes
lak dese hoss yuh see carpenter use 'boat heah dese days. Dey'ud hab
hundreds uv bushels uv dat rice dere. Den when dey ge' t'rough, dey hab
big supper dere fa aw dem wha' whip rice. Gi'e em aw de rice en hog head
dey is e'er wan'. Man, dey'ud hab de nicest kind uv music dere. Knock
dem bones togedder en slap en pat dey hands to aw kind uv pretty tune."

"Dem dey hab rice mortars right dere on de plantation wha' dey fix de
rice in jes uz nice. Now dey hab to take it to de mill. Yuh see dey hab
uh big block outer in de yard wid uh big hole in it dat dey put de rice
in en take dese t'ing call pestles en beat down on it en dat wha' knock
de shaft offen it. Coase dey ne'er hab no nice pretty rice lak yuh see
dese days cause it wusn't uz white uz de rice dat dey hab 'boat heah dis
day en time, but it wuz mighty sweet rice, honey, mighty sweet rice."

"No'mam, didn't hab no schools tall den. Ne'er gi'e de colored peoples
no l'arnin' no whey 'fore freedom 'clare. Wha' little l'arnin' come my
way wuz wha' I ge' when I stay wid Miss Martha Leggett down dere to
Leggett's Mill Pond. A'ter freedom 'clare, uh lady from de north come
dere en Miss Leggett send we chillun to school to dat lady up on de hill
dere in de woods. No, honey, yah ain' ne'er see no bresh tent 'bout
heah dis day en time. Dis jes de way it waz make. Dey dig four big holes
en put postes in aw four corner 'bout lak uh room. Den dey lay log
'cross de top uv dat en kiver it aw o'er wid bresh (brush) dat dey break
outer de woods. Ne'er hab none uv de side shet up. En dey haul log dere
en roll em under dat bresh tent fa we chillun to set on. Oh, de
teacher'ud hab uh big box fa her stand jes lak uh preacher. Eve'ybody
dat go to school dere hab one uv dem t'ing call slate dat yah ne'er
hadder do nuthin but jes wash it offen. En de