hat was mighty good eatin'. Dere warn't
but one gyarden on de plantation.

"Slave chillun didn't wear nothin' in summer but shirts what looked lak
gowns wid long sleeves. Gals and boys was dressed in de same way when
dey was little chaps. In winter us wore shirts made out of coarse cloth
and de pants and little coats was made out of wool. De gals wore wool
dresses." He laughed and said: "On Sunday us jus' wore de same things.
Did you say shoes? Lawsy Miss! I was eight or nine 'fore I had on a pair
of shoes. On frosty mornin's when I went to de spring to fetch a bucket
of water, you could see my feet tracks in de frost all de way dar and
back.

"Miss Carrie, my Mist'ess, was good as she knowed how to be. Marse and
Mist'ess had two gals and one boy, Miss Anna, Miss Callie, and Marster
Johnny.

"Marse Jeff was a good man; he never whupped and slashed his Niggers. No
Ma'am, dere warn't nobody whupped on Marse Jeff's place dat I knows
'bout. He didn't have no overseer. Dere warn't no need for one 'cause he
didn't have so many slaves but what he could do de overseein' his own
self. Marse Jeff jus' had 'bout four mens and four 'oman slaves and him
and young Marse Johnny wukked in de fiel' 'long side of de Niggers. Dey
went to de fiel' by daybreak and come in late at night.

"When Marse Jeff got behind wid his crop, he would hire slaves f'um
other white folkses, mostly f'um Pa's marster, dat's how Pa come to know
my Ma.

"Dere was 'bout a hunderd acres in our plantation countin' de woods and
pastures. Dey had 'bout three or four acres fenced in wid pine poles in
a plum orchard. Dat's whar dey kep' de calves.

"Dere was a jail at Watkinsville, but Marse Jeff never had none of his
slaves put in no jail. He didn't have so many but what he could make 'em
behave. I never seed no slaves sold, but I seed 'em in a wagon passin'
by on deir way to de block. Marse Jeff said dey was takin' 'em a long
ways off to sell 'em. Dat's why dey was a-ridin'.

"Miss Anna larned Ma her A.B.C's. She could read a little, but she never
larned to write.

"Slaves went to de white folkses church if dey went a t'all. I never
could sing no tune. I'se lak my Ma; she warn't no singer. Dat's how come
I can't tell you 'bout de songs what dey sung den. I 'members de fus'
time I seed anybody die; I was 'bout eight years old, and I was twelve
'fore I ever seed a funeral. No Ma'am, us chilluns didn't go to no
baptizin's--Ma went, but us didn't.

"Didn't