s
him. He b'lieved in helpin' 'em and he give 'em several churches and
tried his best to git 'em to live right. If Mr. Robert Chappell ain't in
Heb'en, dere ain't no use for nobody else to try to git dar. His
granddaughter married Jedge Matthews, and folks says she is most as good
as her granddaddy was."

Robert chuckled when he was asked to tell about his wedding. "Miss," he
said, "I didn't have no sho' 'nough weddin'. Me and Julie jus' jumped
over de broom in front of Marster and us was married. Dat was all dere
was to it. Dat was de way most of de slave folks got married dem days.
Us knowed better dan to ax de gal when us wanted to git married. Us jus'
told our Marster and he done de axin'. Den, if it was all right wid de
gal, Marster called all de other Niggers up to de big house to see us
jump over de broom. If a slave wanted to git married to somebody on
another place, den he told Marster and his Marster would talk to de
gal's Marster. Whatever dey 'greed on was all right. If neither one of
'em would sell one of de slaves what wanted to git married, den dey let
'em go ahead and jump over de broom, and de man jus' visited his wife on
her Marster's place, mostly on Wednesday and Sadday nights. If it was a
long piece off, he didn't git dar so often. Dey had to have passes den,
'cause de patterollers would git 'em sho' if dey didn't. Dat meant a
thrashin', and dey didn't miss layin' on de stick, when dey cotch a
Nigger.

"Dese days, de boys and gals jus' walks off and don't say nothin' to
nobody, not even to dey mammies and daddies. [TR: written in margin:
"Elopement"] Now take dis daughter of mine--Callie is her name--she
runned away when she was 'bout seventeen. Dat day her mammy had done
sont her wid de white folks' clothes. She had on brass-toed brogan
shoes, a old faded cotton dress dat was plum up to her knees,--dem days,
long dresses was stylish--and she wore a old bonnet. She was totin' de
clothes to Mrs. Reese and met up wid dat Davenport boy. Dey traips'd up
to de courthouse, got a license, and was married 'fore me and Julie
knowed nothin' 'bout it. Julie sho' did light out from hyar to go git
Callie. She brung her back and kept her locked up in de house a long
time 'fore she would let her live wid dat Nigger.

"Us had our troubles den, but dey warn't lak de troubles us has now.
Now, it seems lak dem was mighty good days back when Arch Street was
jus' a path through de woods. Julie, she's done been gone a