fine clo'es an' ever'body said he was a mighty big man. He had lots an'
lots of money. I doan know how many acres in his plantation, but he had
more'n 50 slaves.

"When Marse Cassedy was gone, his oberseer would be hard on de slaves,
but Marse Cassedy would tell him not to be too hard. He never 'lowed his
driver to draw de blood when dey whupped. He fed his slaves. Dey all had
gardens and he tuk care of us. He had money in every one of us. De
oberseers was white men workin' fer wages.

"I was never whupped afte' I went to Marse Cassedy. Slaves was whupped
when dey wouldn't work right. Sometimes dey was lazy. De oberseer blowed
a horn every mornin' and de slaves knowed to git up, an' when dat horn
blowed agin, dey knowed dey must go to de fiel'. Dey blowed de horn at
dinner an' night. Afte' supper, we set 'bout an' sing an go places.
Sometimes de men would steal off an' go ter other plantations, an' when
kotched dey got a whuppin'. If de pataroller got em, dey sho' kotched
it. Dey was whupped an' brung back.

"De white folks had big dances in de Big House and de niggers played de
fiddle. Dey was fine times. Dey had good things ter eat, an' I allus got
some of whut was lef'. Christmas time de slaves had dances. I could sho'
shuffle my feet. Shucks, folks doan dance like dat any more.

"When slaves was sick, dey went to de woods and got roots an' herbs ter
doctor 'em wid. If dey had runnin' off of de bowels, dey got red oak
barks an' boiled it an' made 'em drink it. It's de best thing right now
to cure runnin' off of de bowels. If young gals had pains in dey
stomachs dey made tea out'n gum bark and dat would bring 'em 'round.
When babies was born, dey had good midwives to wait on 'em. Dat was good
money.

"When Miss July got mar'ied dey had two cooks in de kitchen makin'
pound cake fer more'n a week, an' pies, an' chicken pie, an' dey killed
a hog. Dey had ever'body in de country savin' butter an' eggs fer a long
time. I didn' see de weddin' but de yard was full and we had ever'thing
to eat.

"My folks was rich. Marse Cassedy went to de War an' he was a big man
dere. He was gone a long time. Dey kep' tellin' us de Yankees was comin'
and Miss Fanny had her silver put in a bag and hid. Dey had de money put
in a wash pot and buried, an' dey ain't found dat money yet. Oh, dey had
_more_ money! Didn' I tell you dey was rich? No mam, dey wasn't po' when
war was over. Dey had ever'thing. When de Yankees come, dey carried o