what he
called Button, and his little fice dog hoppin' 'long on three legs right
side of de hoss. No Ma'am, dere warn't nothin' de matter wid' dat little
dog; walkin' on three legs was jus' his way of gittin' 'round.

"Marster never let none of de slave chillun on his plantation do no wuk
'til dey got fifteen--dat was soon 'nough, he said. On all of his
plantations dere was one old 'oman dat didn't have nothin' else to do
but look atter and cook for de nigger chillun whilst dey mammies was at
wuk in de fields. Aunt Viney tuk keer of us. She had a big old horn what
she blowed when it was time for us to eat, and us knowed better dan to
git so fur off us couldn't hear dat horn, for Aunt Viney would sho' tear
us up. Marster had done told her she better fix us plenty t'eat and give
it to us on time. Dere was a great long trough what went plum 'cross de
yard, and dat was whar us et. For dinner us had peas or some other sort
of veg'tables, and cornbread. Aunt Viney crumbled up dat bread in de
trough and poured de veg'tables and pot-likker over it. Den she blowed
de horn and chillun come a-runnin' from evvy which away. If us et it all
up, she had to put more victuals in de trough. At nights, she crumbled
de cornbread in de trough and poured buttermilk over it. Us never had
nothin' but cornbread and buttermilk at night. Sometimes dat trough
would be a sight, 'cause us never stopped to wash our hands, and 'fore
us had been eatin' more dan a minute or two what was in de trough would
look lak de red mud what had come off of our hands. Sometimes Aunt Viney
would fuss at us and make us clean it out.

"Dere was a big sand bar down on de crick what made a fine place to
play, and wadin' in de branches was lots of fun. Us frolicked up and
down dem woods and had all sorts of good times--anything to keep away
from Aunt Viney 'cause she was sho' to have us fetchin' in wood or
sweepin' de yards if us was handy whar she could find us. If us was out
of her sight she never bothered 'bout dem yards and things. Us was
skeered to answer dat horn when us got in Marster's 'bacco. He raised
lots of 'bacco and rationed it out to mens, but he never 'lowed chillun
to have none 'til dey was big enough to wuk in de fields. Us found out
how to git in his 'bacco house and us kept on gittin' his 'bacco 'fore
it was dried out 'til he missed it. Den he told Aunt Viney to blow dat
horn and call up all de chillun. I'se gwine to whup evvy one of 'em, he
would '