dresses for women were straight, like slips, and the garments of the
small boys resembled night shirts. If desired, a bias fold of
contrasting colour was placed at the waist line or at the bottom of
dresses. The crudely made garments were starched with a solution of
flour or meal and water which was strained and then boiled.

As a small child Della remembers hearing a peculiar knock on the door
during the night, and a voice which replied to queries, "No one to hurt
you, but keep that red flannel in your mouth. Have you plenty to eat?
Don't worry; you'll be free." No one would ever tell, if they knew, to
whom this voice belonged.

Just before the beginning of the Civil War a comet appeared which was so
bright that the elder people amused themselves by sitting on the rail
fence and throwing pins upon the ground where the reflection was cast.
The children scrambled madly to see who could find the most pins.

During the early part of the war Mr. Ross fought with the Confederates,
leaving his young son, Robert, in charge of his affairs. The young
master was very fond of horses and his favorite horse--"Bill"--was
trained to do tricks. One of these was to lie down when tickled on his
flanks. The Yankees visited the plantation and tried to take this
horse. Robert, who loved him dearly, refused to dismount, and as they
were about to shoot the horse beneath him, the slaves began to plead.
They explained that the boy was kind to every one and devoted to
animals, after which explanation, he was allowed to keep his horse.

The breastworks at Savannah required many laborers to complete their
construction, and as the commanders desired to save the strength of
their soldiers, slave labor was solicited. Two slaves from each nearby
plantation were sent to work for a limited number of days. The round
trip from the Ross plantation required seven days.

Nearly every man had a family and when they returned from these long
trips they drove to the quarters and fell on their knees to receive the
welcome caresses of their small children.

Recreational facilities were not provided and slave children had little
knowledge of how to play. Their two main amusements were building frog
houses and sliding down a steep bank on a long board. One day, as they
played up and down the highway, building frog houses at irregular
intervals, little Della looked up and saw a group of Yankee calvarymen
approaching. She screamed and began running and so attrac