s and silk vests dat warn't lak de vests de men wears now.
Dem vests was more lak fancy coats dat didn't have no sleeves. Some
folks called 'em 'wescoats.' White chillun never had no special clothes
for Sunday.

"Miss Julia used to make me sweep de yard wid a little brushbroom and I
had to wear a bonnet den to keep dust out of my hair. Dat bonnet was
ruffled 'round de front and had staves to hold de brim stiff, but in de
back it didn't have no ruffle; jus' de bottom of de crown what us called
de bonnet tail. Dem bonnets looked good enough in front but mighty
bob-tailed in de back.

"Dey used to have big 'tracted meetin's in Pierce's Chapel nigh Foundry
Street and Hancock Avenue, and us was allus glad for dem meetin' times
to come. Through de week dey preached at night, but when Sunday come it
was all day long and dinner on de ground. Pierce's Chapel was a old
fashioned place, but you forgot all 'bout dat when Brother Thomas got in
de pulpit and preached dem old time sermons 'bout how de devil gwine to
git you if you don't repent and be washed in de blood of de Lamb. De
call to come up to de mourner's bench brought dem Negroes jus' rollin'
over one another in de 'citement. Soon dey got happy and dere was
shoutin' all over de place. Some of 'em jus' fell out. When de 'tracted
meetin' closed and de baptizin' dey come, dat was de happiest time of
all. Most of de time dere was a big crowd for Brother Thomas to lead
down into de river, and dem Negroes riz up out of de water a-singin':
_Lord, I'm comin' Home_, _Whar de Healin' Waters Flow_, _Roll, Jordan
Roll_, _All God's Chillun Got Wings_, and sich lak. You jus' knowed dey
was happy.

"No Mam, I don't 'member much 'bout folks dyin' in dem days 'cause I
never did love to go 'round dead folks. De first corpse I ever seed was
Marse Joe's boy, young Marse Jimmy. I was skeered to go in dat room 'til
I had done seed him so peaceful lak and still in dat pretty white
casket. It was a sho' 'nough casket, a mighty nice one; not lak dem old
home-made coffins most folks was buried in. Hamp Thomas, a colored man
dat lived right below us, made coffins for white folks and slaves too.
Some of dem coffins was right nice. Dey was made out of pine mostly, and
sometimes he painted 'em and put a nice linin' over cotton paddin'. Dat
made 'em look better dan de rough boxes de porest folks was buried in.
Mammy said dat when slaves died out on de plantation day wropped de
'omans in windin' sheets