akes any medicine. "People takes too much medicine now days" he says
and when he feels bad he just smokes his corn cob pipe or takes a chew
of tobacco.

DORA ROBERTS

Dora Roberts was born in 1849 and was a slave of Joseph Maxwell of
Liberty County. The latter owned a large number of slaves and
plantations in both Liberty and Early Counties. During the war "Salem"
the plantation in Liberty County was sold and the owner moved to Early
County where he owned two plantations known as "Nisdell" and "Rosedhu".

Today, at 88 years of age, Aunt Dora is a fine specimen of the fast
disappearing type of ante-bellum Negro. Her shrewd dark eyes glowing, a
brown paper sack perched saucily on her white cottony hair, and puffing
contentedly on an old corn cob pipe, the old woman began her recital
what happened during plantation days.

"Dey is powerful much to tell ob de days ob slabry, chile, an' it come
to me in pieces. Dis story ain't in no rotation 'cause my mind it don't
do dat kinda function, but I tell it as it come ta me. De colored folks
had dey fun as well as dey trials and tribulations, 'cause dat Sat'day
nigh dance at de plantation wuz jist de finest ting we wanted in dem
days. All de slabes fum de udder plantation dey cum ta our barn an' jine
in an' if dey had a gal on dis plantation dey lob, den dat wuz da time
dey would court. Dey would swing to de band dat made de music. My
brother wuz de captain ob de quill band an' dey sure could make you
shout an' dance til you quz [TR: wuz?] nigh 'bout exhausted. Atta
findin' ya gal ta dat dance den you gits passes to come courtin' on
Sundays. Den de most ob dom dey wants git married an' dey must den git
de consent fum de massa ceremonies wuz read ober dem and de man git
passes fo' de week-end ta syat [TR: stay?] wid his wife. But de slabes
dey got togedder an' have dem jump over de broom stick an' have a big
celebration an' dance an' make merry 'til morning and it's time fo' work
agin.

"We worked de fields an' kep' up de plantation 'til freedom. Ebry
Wednesday de massa come visit us an look ober de plantation ta see dat
all is well. He talk ta de obersheer an' find out how good de work is.
We lub de massa an' work ha'd fo' him.

"Ah kin 'member dat Wednesday night plain as it wuz yesterday. It seems
lak de air 'round de quarters an' de big house filled wid excitement;
eben de wind seem lak it wuz waitin' fo' som'ting. De dogs an' de
pickaninnies dey sleep lazy like '