us et, us drapped down
on a pallet and went fast asleep. Niggers is a sleepyheaded set.

"I was a water boy, and was 'spected to tote water f'um de spring to de
house, and to de hands in de fiel'. I helped Mandy, one of de colored
gals, to drive de calves to de pasture and I toted in a little wood and
done little easy jobs lak dat. Lawsy Miss! I never seed no money 'til
atter de War. If I had a had any money what could I have done wid it,
when I couldn't leave dat place to spend it?

"Dare ain't much to tell 'bout what little Nigger chillun done in
slavery days. Dem what was big enough had to wuk, and dem what warn't,
played, slep' and scrapped. Little Niggers is bad as game chickens 'bout
fightin'. De quarters whar us lived was log cabins chinked wid mud to
keep out de rain and wind. Chimblies was made out of fiel' rock and red
clay. I never seed a cabin wid more dan two rooms in it.

"Beds warn't fancy dem days lak dey is now; leastwise I didn't see no
fancy ones. All de beds was corded; dey had a headboard, but de pieces
at de foot and sides was jus' wide enough for holes to run de cords
thoo', and den de cords was pegged to hold 'em tight. Nigger chillun
slep' on pallets on de flo'.

"Marse Jeff Southerland was a pore man, but he fed us all us could eat
sich as turnips, cabbages, collards, green corn, fat meat, cornbread,
'taters and sometimes chicken. Yes Ma'am, chicken dinners was sorter
special. Us didn't have 'em too often. De cookin' was all done at de big
house in a open fireplace what had a rack crost it dat could be pulled
out to take de pots off de fire. 'Fore dey started cookin', a fire was
made up ready and waitin'; den de pots of victuals was hung on de rack
and swung in de fireplace to bile. Baking was done in skillets. Us
cotched rabbits three and four at a time in box traps sot out in de plum
orchard. Sometimes us et 'em stewed wid dumplin's and some times dey was
jus' plain biled, but us laked 'em bes' of all when dey was fried lak
chickens.

"Oh! dem 'possums! How I wisht I had one right now. My pa used to ketch
40 or 50 of 'em a winter. Atter dey married, Ma had to stay on wid Marse
Jeff and Pa was 'bliged to keep on livin' wid Marster Marsh Sheets. His
marster give him a pass so dat he could come and stay wid Ma at night
atter his wuk was done, and he fetched in de 'possums. Dey was baked in
de white folkses kitchen wid sweet 'tatoes 'roun' 'em and was barbecued
sometimes. Us had fishes too w