Knox. Set down in dat dar cheer and
I'll be right back."

Soon Callie returned and it was evident that her curiosity was aroused.
When the interviewer explained the purpose of the visit, she exclaimed:
"Lordy! Miss, what is de government gwine do next? For de God's truth, I
never knowed I would have to tell nobody what happened back in dem days,
so its jus' done slipped out of my mind.

"Anyhow, I warn't even born in Clarke County. I was born in Floyd
County, up nigh Rome, Georgia, on Marse Billy Neal's plantation. Ann and
Washin'ton Neal was my Mammy and Pappy. No Ma'am, no preacher never
married 'em. Marse Billy Neal, he owned bofe of 'em and atter my Pappy
axed him could he marry Mammy, Marse Billy made 'em go up to de hall of
de big house and jump backwards over a broom.

"Dere was six of us chillun: me and Frances, Beulah, Thomas, Felix, and
Scott. Dere was mighty little wuk done by chillun in slav'ry days. I
jus' played 'round and kicked up my heels wid de rest of de chillun.
When us played our hidin' game, us sung somepin' lak dis:

'Mollie, Mollie Bright
Three score and ten,
Can I git dere by candlelight?
Yes, if your laigs is long enough!'

"Sometimes us played what us called de 'Crow' game. Us spread our
fingers out, side by side and counted 'em out wid a rhyme. De one de
last word of de rhyme fell on had to be de crow. I didn't love to be
counted out and made de crow, but it was a heap of fun to count de
others out. Since I been knee high to a grasshopper, I ain't never done
nothin' but wuk 'round white folks' houses.

"Our log cabins what us lived in was daubed inside and out wid mud to
keep out bad weather. Our beds was held together by cords what was
twisted evvy which way. You had to be mighty careful tightenin' dem
cords or de beds was liable to fall down. Us slept on wheat straw
mattresses and had plenty of good warm quilts for kiver.

"Grown folks was fed cornbread and meat wid plenty of vegetables in de
week days and on Sunday mornin's dey give 'em wheat bread, what was
somethin' slaves didn't see no more 'til de next Sunday mornin'. 'Bout
four o'clock on summer atternoons, dey sot a big old wooden bowl full of
cornbread crumbs out in de yard and poured in buttermilk or potliquor
'til de crumbs was kivered. Den dey let de chillun gather 'round it and
eat 'til de bowl was empty. In winter chillun was fed inside de house.

"'Possums, Oh, mussy me! My grandpa hunted 'possums at nigh