les fastened together wid pegs and 'cross 'em wuz
laid de slats what dey spread de wheat straw on. Us had good kivver
'cause our Marster wuz a rich man and he believed in takin' keer of his
Niggers. Some put sheets dat wuz white as snow over de straw. Dem sheets
wuz biled wid home-made soap what kept 'em white lak dat. Udder folkses
put quilts over de straw. At de end of de slave quarters wuz de barns
and cow sheds, and a little beyond dem wuz de finest pasture you ever
seed wid clear water a-bubblin' out of a pretty spring, and runnin'
thoo' it. Dar's whar dey turned de stock to graze when dey warn't
wukkin' 'em."

When Tom was asked if he ever made any money, a mischievous smile
illumined his face. "Yes ma'am, you see I plowed durin' de day on old
Marster's farm. Some of de white folks what didn't have many Niggers
would ax old Marster to let us help on dey places. Us had to do dat wuk
at night. On bright moonshiny nights, I would cut wood, fix fences, and
sich lak for 'em. Wid de money dey paid me I bought Sunday shoes and a
Sunday coat and sich lak, cause I wuz a Nigger what always did lak to
look good on Sunday.

"Yes ma'am, us had good clo'es de year 'round. Our summer clothes wuz
white, white as snow. Old Marster said dey looked lak linen. In winter
us wore heavy yarn what de women made on de looms. One strand wuz wool
and one wuz cotton. Us wore our brogan shoes evvy day and Sunday too.
Marster wuz a merchant and bought shoes from de tanyard. Howsomever, he
had a colored man on his place what could make any kind of shoes.

"Lawdy! Missie, us had evvythin' to eat; all kinds of greens, turnips,
peas, 'tatoes, meat and chickens. Us wuz plumb fools 'bout fried chicken
and chicken stew, so Marster 'lowed us to raise plenty of chickens, and
sometimes at night us Niggers would git together and have a hee old
time. No Ma'am, us didn't have no gyardens. Us didn't need none. Old
Marster give us all de vittuls us wanted. Missie, you oughta seed dem
big old iron spiders what dey cooked in. 'Course de white folkses called
'em ovens. De biscuits and blackberry pies dey cooked in spiders, dey
wuz somethin' else. Oh! don't talk 'bout dem 'possums! Makes me hongry
just to think 'bout 'em. One night when pa and me went 'possum huntin',
I put a 'possum what us cotched in a sack and flung it 'cross my back.
Atter us started home dat 'possum chewed a hole in de sack and bit me
square in de back. I 'member my pa had a little dog."