bread, collard greens, snap beans, 'taters, peas, all sorts of
dried fruit, and just lots of milk and butter. Marse Alec had 12 cows
and dat's whar I learned to love milk so good. De same Uncle Jim what
made our beds made our wooden bowls what dey kept filled wid bread and
milk for de chillun all day. You might want to call dat place whar Marse
Alec had our veg'tables raised a gyarden, but it looked more lak a big
field to me, it was so big. You jus' ought to have seed dat dere
fireplace whar dey cooked all us had to eat. It was one sho 'nough big
somepin, all full of pots, skillets, and ovens. Dey warn't never 'lowed
to git full of smut neither. Dey had to be cleant and shined up atter
evvy meal, and dey sho was pretty hangin' dar in dat big old fireplace.

"George and Mack was de hunters. When dey went huntin' dey brought back
jus' evvything: possums, rabbits, coons, squirrels, birds, and wild
turkeys. Yessum, wild turkeys is some sort of birds I reckon, but when
us talked about birds to eat us meant part'idges. Some folkses calls 'em
quails. De fishes us had in summertime was a sight to see. Us sho et
good dem days. Now us jus' eats what-some-ever us can git.

"Summertime us jus' wore what us wanted to. Dresses was made wid full
skirts gathered on to tight fittin' waisties. Winter clothes was good
and warm; dresses made of yarn cloth made up jus' lak dem summertime
clothes, and petticoats and draw's made out of osnaburg. Chillun what
was big enough done de spinnin' and Aunt Betsey and Aunt Tinny, dey wove
most evvy night 'til dey rung de bell at 10:00 o'clock for us to go to
bed. Us made bolts and bolts of cloth evvy year.

"Us went bar'foots in summer, but bless your sweet life us had good
shoes in winter and wore good stockin's too. It tuk three shoemakers for
our plantation. Dey was Uncle Isom, Uncle Jim, and Uncle Stafford. Dey
made up hole-stock shoes for de 'omans and gals and brass-toed brogans
for de mens and boys.

"Us had pretty white dresses for Sunday. Marse Alec wanted evvybody on
his place dressed up dat day. He sont his houseboy, Uncle Harris, down
to de cabins evvy Sunday mornin' to tell evvy slave to clean hisself up.
Dey warn't never give no chance to forgit. Dere was a big old room sot
aside for a wash-room. Folkses laughs at me now 'cause I ain't never
stopped takin' a bath evvy Sunday mornin'.

"Marse Lordnorth Stephens was de boss on Marse Alec's plantation. Course
Marse Alec owned us and he