he
said, 'you ain't gwine to have no Marster long, 'cause he's 'bout gone.'
I called all de Niggers up to de big house and when dey was all in de
yard, Mist'ess, she said: 'Robert, you been wid us so long, you kin come
in and see him 'fore he's gone for good.' When I got in dat room I
knowed de Lord had done laid His hand on my good Old Marster, and he was
a-goin' to dat Home he used to preach to us Niggers 'bout, and it
'peared to me lak my heart would jus' bust. When de last breath was done
gone, I went back out in de yard and told de other Niggers, and dere was
sho' cryin' and prayin' 'mongst 'em, 'cause all of 'em loved Marster.
Dat was sho' one big funeral. Mist'ess said she wanted all of Marster's
old slaves to go, 'cause he loved 'em so, and all of us went. Some what
had done been gone for years come back for Marster's funeral.

"Next day, atter de funeral was over, Mist'ess, she said: 'Robert, I
want you to stay on wid me 'cause you know how he wanted his wuk done.'
Den Mist'ess' daughter and her husband, Mr. Dickenson, come dar to stay.
None of de Niggers laked dat Mr. Dickenson and so most of 'em left and
den, 'bout 2 years atter Marster died, Mist'ess went to 'Lanta (Atlanta)
to stay wid another of her daughters, and she died dar. When Mist'ess
left, I left too and come on here to Athens, and I been here ever since.

"Dere warn't much town here den, and 'most all 'round dis here place was
woods. I wuked 'bout a year for Mr. John McCune's fambly on de old
Pitner place, den I went to wuk for Mr. Manassas B. McGinty. He was a
cyarpenter and built most of de fine houses what was put up here dem
days. I got de lumber from him to build my house. Dere warn't but two
other houses 'round here den. My wife, Julie, washed for de white folks
and helped 'em do deir housewuk. Our chillun used to come bring my
dinner. Us had dem good old red peas cooked wid side meat in a pot in de
fireplace, and ashcake to go wid 'em. Dat was eatin's. Julie would rake
out dem coals and kivver 'em wid ashes, and den she would wrop a pone of
cornbread dough in collard or cabbage leaves and put it on dem ashes and
rake more ashes over it. You had to dust off de bread 'fore you et it,
but ashcake was mighty good, folks what lived off of it didn't git sick
lak dey does now a-eatin' dis white flour bread all de time. If us had
any peas left from dinner and supper, Julie would mash 'em up right
soft, make little cakes what she rolled in corn meal