always.

"Marse Jim own de bigges' plantation in de whole country. Jes thousands
acres ob lan'. An de ole Tiger Ribber a runnin' right through de middle
ob de plantation. On one side ob de ribber stood de big house, whar de
white folks lib and on the other side stood de quarters. De big house
was a purty thing all painted white, a standin' in a patch o' oak
trees. I can't remember how many rooms in dat house but powerful many.
O'corse it was built when de Moores had sech large families. Marse Jim
he only hab five children, not twelve like his mammy had. Dey was
Andrew and Tom, den Harriet, Nan, and Nettie Sue. Harriett was jes like
her granny Anderson. She was good to ebberbody. She git de little
niggers down an' teach em dey Sunday School lesson. Effen ole Marse
Jim's mammy ketch her she sho' raise torment. She make life jes as hard
for de niggers as she can.

"De quarters jes long row o' cabins daubed wif dirt. Ever one in de
family lib in one big room. In one end was a big fireplace. Dis had to
heat de cabin and do de cookin too. We cooked in a big pot hung on a
rod over de fire and bake de co'n pone in de ashes or else put it in de
skillet and cover de lid wif coals. We allus hab plenty wood to keep us
warm. Dat is ef we hab time to get it outen de woods.

"My granny she cook for us chillens while our mammy away in de fiel.
Dey wasn't much cookin to do. Jes make co'n pone and bring in de milk.
She hab big wooden bowl wif enough wooden spoons to go 'roun'. She put
de milk in de bowl and break it up. Den she put de bowl in de middle of
de flo' an' all de chillun grab a spoon.

"My mammy she work in de fiel' all day and piece and quilt all night.
Den she hab to spin enough thread to make four cuts for de white fo'ks
ebber night. Why sometime I nebber go to bed. Hab to hold de light for
her to see by. She hab to piece quilts for de white folks too. Why dey
is a scar on my arm yet where my brother let de pine drip on me. Rich
pine war all de light we ebber hab. My brother was a holdin' de pine
so's I can help mammy tack de quilt and he go to sleep and let it
drop.

"I never see how my mammy stan' sech ha'd work. She stan' up fo' her
chillun tho'. De ol' overseeah he hate my mammy, case she fight him for
beatin' her chillun. Why she git more whuppins for dat den anythin'
else. She hab twelve chillun. I member I see de three oldes' stan' in
de snow up to dey knees to split rails, while de overseeah stan off an'
grin