deir own eats, but most of de Marsters would let
'em have a little somepin' extra lak brown sugar or 'lasses and some
liquor. De quiltin's was in de cabins, and dey allus had 'em in winter
when dare warn't no field wuk. Dey would quilt a while and stop to eat
apple pies, peach pies, and other good things and drink a little liquor.

"Us had to tote water and nuss chillun 'stid of playin' no games. Us
didn't know nothin' 'bout ghosties, hants, and sich lak. Our white
folkses would whup a Nigger for skeerin' us chillun quick as anything.
Dey didn't 'low none of dat. De onliest ghost I'se ever seed was just
t'other day. I seed somebody pass my door. I hollered out: 'Who dat?'
Dey didn't say nothin'. Brother 'Lisha here said it was a sperrit
passin' by. He must be right, 'cause whoever it was, dey didn't say
nothin' 'tall.

"Marse Elbert and Miss Sallie was sho' moughty good when deir Niggers
tuk sick. Castor oil and turpentine was what dey give 'em most of de
time. Horehound tea was for colds, and elderberry tea was to help babies
teethe easier. Yessum, us wore beads, but dey was just to look pretty.

"All I knows 'bout how come us was sot free is dat folkses said Mr.
Jefferson Davis and Mr. Abraham Lincoln got to fightin' 'bout us, and
Mr. Lincoln's side got de best of Mr. Davis' side in de quarrel. De day
dey told us dat us was free dere was a white man named Mr. Bruce, what
axed: 'What you say?' Dey told him 'gain dat all de Niggers was free. He
bent hisself over, and never did straighten his body no more. When he
died, he was still all bent over. Mr. Bruce done dis to sho' de world
how he hated to give his Niggers up atter dey done been sot free.

"When dem Yankees come thoo' dey stole evvything dey could take off wid
'em. Dey tuk Sue, my brother's nice hoss, and left him a old poor
bag-of-bones hoss. Us stayed on wid our white folkses a long time atter
de War.

"Edwin Jones was my fust husband and I wore a pretty dove colored dress
at our weddin'. Jenny Ann was our onliest child. All but one of our
eight grandchillun is all livin' now, and I'se got 24 great
grandchillun. Atter Edwin died, I married dis here Charlie Hudson what
I'se livin' wid now. Us didn't have no big weddin' and tain't long since
us got married. Me and Charlie ain't got no chillun.

"I jined de church 'cause I got 'ligion and I knows de good Lord done
forgive my sins. Evvybody ought to git 'ligion and hold it and jine de
church.

"De way us i