n de ovens to rise and by mawnin' it had done
riz most to de top of de deep old pans. Dey piled red coals all 'round
de ovens and when dat bread got done it wuz good 'nough for anybody. De
tables wuz loaded wid barbecued pigs and lambs and all de fried chicken
folkses could eat, and all sorts of pies and cakes wuz spread out wid de
other goodies.

"Evvy plantation gen'ally had a barbecue and big dinner for Fourth of
July, and when sev'ral white famblies went in together, dey did have
high old times tryin' to see which one of 'em could git deir barbecue
done and ready to eat fust. Dey jus' et and drunk all day. No Ma'am, us
didn't know nuffin' 'bout what dey wuz celebratin' on Fourth of July,
'cept a big dinner and a good time.

"When slaves got married, de man had to ax de gal's ma and pa for her
and den he had to ax de white folkses to 'low 'em to git married. De
white preacher married 'em. Dey hold right hands and de preacher ax de
man: 'Do you take dis gal to do de bes' you kin for her?' and if he say
yes, den dey had to change hands and jump over de broomstick and dey wuz
married. Our white folkses wuz all church folkses and didn't 'low no
dancin' at weddin's but dey give 'em big suppers when deir slaves got
married. If you married some gal on another place, you jus' got to see
her on Wednesday and Sadday nights and all de chilluns b'longed to de
gal's white folkses. You had to have a pass to go den, or de
patterollers wuz sho' to git you. Dem patterollers evermore did beat up
slaves if dey cotched 'em off dey own Marster's place 'thout no pass. If
Niggers could out run 'em and git on deir home lines dey wuz safe.

"On our place when a slave died dey washed de corpse good wid plenty of
hot water and soap and wropt it in a windin' sheet, den laid it out on
de coolin' board and spread a snow white sheet over de whole business,
'til de coffin wuz made up. De windin' sheet wuz sorter lak a bed sheet
made extra long. De coolin' board wuz made lak a ironin' board 'cept it
had laigs. White folkses wuz laid out dat way same as Niggers. De
coffins wuz made in a day. Dey tuk de measurin' stick and measured de
head, de body, and de footses and made de coffin to fit dese
measurements. If it wuz a man what died, dey put a suit of clothes on
him before dey put him in de coffin. Dey buried de 'omans in da windin'
sheets. When de Niggers got from de fields some of 'em went and dug a
grave. Den dey put de coffin on de oxcart and c