d lick their slaves for
trying to do like we did. No praying there, and no singing.

The Master gave out the week's supply on Saturday. Plenty of hams,
lean bacon, flour, corn meal, coffee and more'n enough for the week.
Nobody go hungry on that place! During the growing season all the
slaves have a garden spot all their own. Three thousand acres on that
place--plenty of room for gardens and field crops.

Even during the war foods was plentiful. One time the Yankee soldiers
visit the place. The white folks gone and I talks with them. Asks me
lots of questions--got any meats--got any potatoes--got any this--some
of that--but I just shake my head and they don't look around.

The old cook fixes them up though. She fry all the eggs on the place,
skillet the ham and pan the biscuits! Them soldiers fill up and leave
the house friendly as anybody I ever see!

The Browns wasn't bothered with the Ku Klux Klan either. The Negroes
minded their own business just like before they was free.

I stayed on the plantation 'til the last Brown die. Then I come to
Oklahoma and works on the railroad 'til I was too old to hustle the
grips and packages. Now I just sits thinking how much better off would
I be on the old plantation.

Homesick! Just homesick for that Alabama farm like it was in them good
old times!

Oklahoma Writers' Project
Ex-Slaves

SALLIE CARDER
Age 83 yrs.
Burwin, Okla.

I was born in Jackson, Tennessee, and I'm going on 83 years. My mother
was Harriett Neel and father Jeff Bills, both of them named after
their masters. I has one brother, J. B. Bills, but all de rest of my
brothers and sisters is dead.

No sir, we never had no money while I was a slave. We jest didn't have
nothing a-tall! We ate greens, corn bread, and ash cake. De only time
I ever got a biscuit would be when a misdemeanor was did, and my
Mistress would give a buttered biscuit to de one who could tell her
who done it.

In hot weather and cold weather dere was no difference as to what we
wore. We wore dresses my mother wove for us and no shoes a-tall. I
never wore any shoes till I was grown and den dey was old brogans wid
only two holes to lace, one on each side. During my wedding I wore a
blue calico dress, a man's shirt tail as a head rag, and a pair of
brogan shoes.

My Master lived in a three-story frame house painted white. My
Mistress was very mean. Sometimes she would make de overseer whip
negroes for looking too hard at her