Dey let de Niggers git married in deir houses. If
it wuz bad weather, den de weddin' wuz most genully in de hall, but if
it wuz a pretty day, dey married in de yard.

"I can't 'member much 'bout de games us played or de songs us sung. A
few of de games wuz marbles, football, an' town ball. 'Bout dem witches,
I don't know nothin'. Some of de folkses wore a mole foot 'roun' dey
neck to keep bad luck away: some wore a rabbit's foot fer sharpness, an'
it sholy did fetch sharpness. I don't know nothin' 'tall 'bout Rawhead
and Bloody Bones, but I heared tell he got atter Mist'ess' chillun an'
made 'em be good. Dey wuz pow'ful skeert of 'im.

"Old Marster an' Mist'ess looked atter deir Niggers mighty well. When
dey got sick, de doctor wuz sont for straight away. Yes Ma'am, dey
looked atter 'em mighty well. Holly leaves an' holly root biled together
wuz good for indigestion, an' blackgum an' blackhaw roots biled together
an' strained out an' mixed wid whiskey wuz good for diffunt mis'ries.
Some of de Niggers wore little tar sacks 'roun' dey necks to keep de
fever 'way.

"Yes Ma'am.' I wuz in de War 'bout two years, wid young Marster Joe
Lucas. I waited on him, cooked for him, an' went on de scout march wid
him, for to tote his gun, an' see atter his needs. I wuz a bugger in dem
days!

"I 'members I wuz standin' on de corner of Jackson Street when dey said
freedom had come. Dat sho' wuz a rally day for de Niggers. 'Bout a
thousand in all wuz standin' 'roun' here in Athens dat day. Yes Ma'am,
de fust time de yankees come thoo' dey robbed an' stole all dey could
find an' went on to Monroe. Next to come wuz de gyards to take charge of
de town, an' dey wuz s'posed to set things to goin' right.

"Atter de War I stayed on wid Marse Fred, an' wukked for wages for six
years, an' den farmed on halves wid him. Some of de Niggers went on a
buyin' spree, an' dey bought land, hand over fist. Some bought eight an'
nine hundred acres at a time."

When asked to tell about his wedding, a merry twinkle shone in his eyes:
"Lawdy, Missie, dis ole Nigger nebber married 'til long atter de War. Us
sho' did cut up jack. Us wuz too old to have any chillun, but us wuz so
gay, us went to evvy dance 'til 'bout six years ago. She died den, an'
lef' me all by myse'f.

"Dat Mr. Abyham Lincoln wuz a reg'lar Nigger god. Us b'lieved dat Mr.
Jeff. Davis wuz all right too. Booker Washin'ton give a speech here
onct, an' I wuz dar, but de Niggers made sich a