old times." Tears rolled down his face as he
told of his friend, and the visitor, fearful that he was too much
overcome by grief to be able to give a good story, suggested that
another engagement be made to record his reminiscences, but he objected.
"Lawsy, Missy!" he protested. "Please don't go now, for dem old times is
on my mind today and I would so love to talk 'bout 'em now, if you don't
mind. If I talks too much, jus' tell me, 'cause I'se mighty apt to do
dat when onct I gits started.

"My Mammy and Daddy, dey warn't from dis part of de country. My Mammy
said dat not long atter she got to America from a trip on de water dat
took nigh 6 months to make, dey brung her from Virginny and sold her
down here in Georgy when she was jus' 'bout 16 years old. De onliest
name she had when she got to Georgy was Nancy. I don't know whar my
Daddy come from. Him and Mammy was both sold to Marse Isaac Dillard and
he tuk 'em to live on his place in Elbert County, close to de place dey
calls Goose Pond. Dey lived at home on dat big old plantation. By dat, I
means dat Marse Isaac growed evvything needed to feed and clothe his
folks 'cept de little sugar, coffee, and salt dey used. I don't 'member
so much 'bout times 'fore de big war 'cause I warn't but 6 years old
when us was made free. Tellin' de slaves dey was free didn't make much
diff'unce on our place, for most of 'em stayed right on dar and wukked
wid Old Marster jus' lak dey allus done. Dat plantation was jus' lak a
little town, it was so big and it had evvything us wanted and needed.

"Slaves lived in log cabins what had red mud daubed in de cracks 'twixt
de logs. De roofs was made out of boards what had so many cracks 'twixt
'em, atter a few rains made 'em swink (shrink), dat us could lay in bed
and see de stars through dem big holes. Even if us did have leaky
houses, folkses didn't git sick half as much as dey does now. Our
homemade beds was made out of rough planks nailed to high poles;
leastways de poles was high for de headpieces, and a little lower for de
footpieces. For most of dem beds, planks was nailed to de wall for one
long side and dere was two laigs to make it stand straight on de other
long side. Dey never seed no metal springs dem days but jus' wove cords
back and forth, up and down and across, to lay de mattress on. I never
seed no sto'-bought bed 'til atter I was married. Bedticks was made out
of homespun cloth stuffed wid wheatstraw, and sometimes dey slep